Product Overview
A rosewood skunk stripe runs down the back, a bone nut is fitted at the top, and the satin finish carries a light vintage tint. It is a working part, not a display piece. Repair benches fit one when the original neck is warped, cracked or worn through; builders use it when they want the 1970 headstock on a partscaster without hunting for an original; players change to it when they want a flatter board and modern fretwork under the hand, or when they are used to a thin neck electric guitar and want a familiar feel. Because the scale is the standard 25.5 inches, it replaces like for like — relief, action and intonation are set the normal way once it is bolted on.
Roasted Maple Neck and Fretboard
- Roasted through the whole neck. Neck and fretboard are both Canadian roasted maple, so the board matches the back in colour and grain instead of bringing in a second wood. The look runs consistently from nut to heel, and the whole neck shares one material behaviour.
- What roasting does for the wood. The maple is heat-treated before it is machined, which darkens it to a caramel brown and settles the parts of a guitar neck that move most — the neck and the board — so they move less with weather changes. In practice that means fewer seasonal adjustments and a neck that keeps the relief you set.
- Tone with a clear top and a dry middle. A maple electric guitar neck is known for a fast, bright attack and a tight low end; the roasted board keeps that snap and adds a slightly drier, more open middle. Next to the rosewood-board version of this same 1970 shape, expect more bite on the plain strings and less rounded high end.
- Rosewood skunk stripe. A dark rosewood strip runs down the back over the truss rod channel — a period-correct detail that also shows the channel has been properly filled and finished.
- Satin, not gloss. The satin finish is smooth with very little drag, so your thumb slides along the back without the stickiness of a gloss neck, and the grain still reads through the vintage tint.
- Modern C profile. Guitar neck shapes vary a lot between eras, and this one sits in modern C territory: full enough for chords, not so deep that it fights your hand.
- Closer to thin than chunky. If you usually play a thin-neck electric guitar, this profile will feel familiar; if you normally play a deep vintage profile, give yourself a day or two to settle in.
- A board that asks for little. Roasted maple is closed-grain, so it does not want the regular oiling a rosewood board gets — wipe it down after playing and keep it away from direct heat.
Fretwork: Leveling, Crowning and Fret Ends
- A level set of frets is what stops notes choking out when you bend.
- Crowning. Each fret top is hand-polished and shaped back into its final rounded form, so the string meets a narrow, smooth crown instead of a flat plateau. That is where clean intonation and a clear, un-buzzy note come from.
- Fret end beveling. The ends are rounded and worked back to the edge of the fretboard, then checked by hand so nothing protrudes where your fretting hand slides. This is the step that decides whether a neck feels finished or sharp.
- Edge work. The fretboard edges are smoothed in the same pass, so the side of the board does not scrape the side of your hand during long stretches — a detail that matters on any neck, including a thin neck electric guitar.
- Rust-proof nickel silver. The fret wire is rust-proof nickel silver, which keeps its shine and its bite through sweat, humidity and heavy gigging far better than plain steel.
- The result under your hand. Level, crowned and bevelled frets with a satin back make this a quick neck for single-note work and a comfortable one for chords, whatever guitar neck shapes you are used to — the difference shows up most on a guitar you play every day.
Fit and Compatibility
- Start with the parts that decide fit. The parts of a guitar neck that matter here are the heel, the scale, the nut and the peg holes. Measure your body's pocket first and compare it with the heel dimensions in the specifications; this is the standard Strat-style pocket.
- Confirm the scale. The scale length — the electric guitar neck length that decides where your bridge sits — is listed in the specifications, so the body must already be built for it. On a Strat-style body built for this scale, it stays exactly as it is.
- Measure your peg holes. The tuner holes are bored to the size in the specifications, which suits modern tuners with matching posts. If your tuners use a different post or bushing size, check before you order rather than after.
- Check the nut. A bone nut is fitted and slotted, setting the guitar neck width at the top to the figure in the specifications. If you need a different nut, plan to fit and file it as part of your setup.
- Compare thickness with the neck you play now. Guitar neck shapes read very differently once you have numbers, so measure your current neck at the first and twelfth fret and set those figures against the thickness specifications for this neck.
- Dry-fit before you drill. Set the neck in the pocket, run a straight edge or the two E strings past the board and look at the heel-to-body joint before you drive any screws. If the body's existing holes do not line up, drill fresh pilot holes rather than forcing the old ones.
- Recheck the numbers. Before ordering, set the electric guitar neck dimensions on this product against a caliper measurement of your pocket and your old neck — a tiny difference at the heel is the difference between a snug fit and a shim.
Headstock and Case Fit
- The 1970 headstock is taller and wider than the small headstock used on later Strats, so the measurement that decides whether this neck travels in your case is the internal length and width of the headstock cavity — not the body pocket, which is the standard Strat-style size.
- Shaped hard cases and moulded foam inserts cut for a modern small headstock are where this normally snags: the body drops in correctly, but the headstock presses against the end of the cutout or against the lid.
- Soft gig bags and plain rectangular hard cases leave slack at the headstock end and rarely present a problem.
- The headstock face is flat rather than angled back and its thickness is standard, so the risk is length and width inside the cavity rather than clearance above the face.
- If your case turns out to be tight, a case or bag with a larger headstock cavity is the practical answer — the headstock shape has no effect on scale length, heel fit or the way the neck plays.
- The bigger headstock adds a little mass at the far end of the electric guitar neck; on a light body you may feel it on a strap, which is part of the 1970 feel rather than a fault.
- Before ordering, run a tape along the cavity and compare it with the overall length and width of the headstock on this neck — the electric guitar neck dimensions that decide case fit — and check that the case is fitting a large-headstock Stratocaster.
Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|
| Scale length | 25.5 in (648 mm) |
| Frets | 22 medium-jumbo, rust-proof nickel silver |
| Fretboard radius | 12 in (305 mm) |
| Neck and fretboard | Canadian roasted maple |
| Skunk stripe | Rosewood |
| Nut (guitar neck width) | Bone, 1.69 in (43 mm) |
| Peg holes | 10 mm |
| Heel width | 2.2 in (56 mm) |
| Heel depth | 1.0 in (26 mm) |
| Thickness at 1st fret | 0.82 in (21 mm) |
| Thickness at 12th fret | 0.87 in (22 mm) |
| Neck profile | Modern C |
| Truss rod | Dual action |
| Finish | Satin, vintage tint |
Truss Rod and Long-Term Stability
A maple guitar neck with a roasted board is only as good as the rod inside it, and this one carries a dual-action truss rod. Turn it one way and it corrects a concave bow — the upbow that lifts your action through the middle of the neck; turn it the other way and it pulls a convex bow back down. That range is what lets the same neck work in a dry winter room and a humid summer one without adding washers or shims.
Adjust in small increments, a quarter turn at a time, and check relief after each one by holding a string down at the first fret and at the fret where the neck meets the body. Give a new neck a few days to settle after transit before you judge the relief, especially if it has crossed a climate zone.
Check the relief again after a big seasonal change, and keep the neck in a stable room rather than beside a radiator, against a window or in a car boot. If the rod feels tight or the neck will not straighten, stop and get in touch rather than forcing it.
Ordering and Delivery
- One neck is a valid order. There is no minimum order to clear — buy a single neck for one repair or one build, and order again later if you need another. - Ordering for a specific repair. If the guitar is on your bench, note the electric guitar neck length and the string spacing your customer is used to, so the setup can follow the same feel afterwards. - Shipping is confirmed per order. We ship worldwide, and the dispatch point and delivery estimate for your address are confirmed when the order is placed — ask us if you are working to a repair deadline. - Packing questions are welcome. Tell us whether the neck is going straight onto a guitar or into store stock, so we can advise on how it should be packed for the trip. - Stores and repeat buyers. If you run a shop or a repair bench and want to keep a few of these on the wall, get in touch before ordering to talk through quantity and terms. - Returns and refunds. Our return and refund policy is published on the site; read it before ordering if fit is still an open question, and raise any problem with us early rather than after the neck has been drilled.
Technical Support & Model Matching
Not sure whether a part will work with what you already have? Tell us what you are building or repairing, or send a few photos and measurements, and our team will help you confirm the match before you order. If something looks off after delivery, get in touch with pictures and details and we will help you find the cause and put it right. We can also walk you through fitting and first setup, step by step. Behind that is more than ten years of working experience, 100% quality control, and customer service that answers around the clock.
FAQ
Is this a conversion neck?
No. The electric guitar neck length here is the standard 25.5-inch scale, so it mounts on a body already built for that scale and keeps it exactly as it is. It will not shorten a 25.5-inch guitar the way a 24.75-inch neck would, and it is not meant to change the scale of the instrument it goes on.
What is a 12-inch radius like to play?
Flatter than the 7.25-inch boards of the earliest Strats and rounder than a 16-inch shred board, which is the middle ground most players settle into quickly. Bends do not choke easily and chords sit comfortably under the fingers, and the first-fret depth puts it nearer a thin neck electric guitar than a deep vintage profile.
Are tuners included with the neck?
The neck arrives with a bone nut fitted and slotted; the guitar neck width at the nut is listed in the specifications. Tuners are not part of the neck, so plan on a set that matches the peg holes — and if your tuners use bushings or a different post diameter, check the fit before you order.
Will the frets need work when it arrives?
The frets are levelled, crowned and bevelled here before the neck ships, and it plays out of the box for most players. The parts of a guitar neck that respond to travel are the frets and the rod, so after a long trip or a change in climate a light fret dress or level may be needed — especially if you want very low action or a particular string gauge. That is normal setup work rather than a defect.
Will the bigger 1970 headstock fit my case?
The 1970 headstock is taller than a modern small headstock, so check the headstock cavity of your case or gig bag rather than assuming it will drop in. Lay the electric guitar neck dimensions on this product next to the case's internal measurements — the headstock is usually the part that decides it.
