Product Overview
The 1970 Big Headstock Stratocaster neck is a replacement electric guitar neck for 25.5-inch Strat-style builds. The peg holes are already drilled and the dual-action truss rod is in place, so the work in front of you is fitting, stringing and setup rather than woodwork. The maple guitar neck supplies the snap. Maple is dense and quick to answer the string, which keeps chords defined even under gain, and the satin back lets your thumb travel instead of dragging the way it does on gloss. Over a long set that is the difference between a neck you notice and one you forget about. The rosewood guitar neck board brings the warmth. Rosewood is left bare, so it feels dry and smooth under the fingers, and it shaves the hard edge off the upper register — high notes come out rounder instead of piercing. Put the two woods together and the voice balances out: maple for cut, rosewood for body.
1970 Big Headstock Details
- 1970 big-headstock outline. The oversized headstock is the reason this pattern exists. It is one of the boldest guitar neck shapes of the era, and swapping it onto a plain Stratocaster body changes the guitar's silhouette more than any other single part.
- Vintage tint. The amber vintage tone sits closer to a well-kept 1970s neck than to pale new maple, so a replacement does not look freshly cut next to an older body.
- Dots and side markers. White dot inlays along the board and matching side dots are among the small parts of a guitar neck that do most of the period work — and the side dots are the ones that matter once the stage lights go down.
- Rosewood skunk stripe. Turn the neck over and a rosewood stripe runs down the back, echoing the dark board on this rosewood guitar neck.
- Modern C profile. The back is carved to a modern C: rounded, no hard shoulders, with a guitar neck width that keeps barre chords comfortable and single-note lines quick.
- Bone nut. A bone nut sits at the neck's nut slot, with a rosewood insert behind it. Have the slots checked against your string gauge when you set the guitar up.
- Satin back. The maple guitar neck is finished satin front and back, so the hand moves freely and the grain still reads through the finish.
Fretwork & Playability
- Level every fret. Wire is pressed into the board at the increments the electric guitar neck length calls for, then checked so all 22 frets on the neck sit at the same height. Level frets are what keep a string from choking out when you dig in.
- Crown and polish the tops. The levelled wire is hand-polished and crowned so each fret keeps a clean, rounded contact point. Crowning puts back the profile the leveling file removed, and it is what restores clean note separation up the board.
- Bevel the fret ends. Each end is filed and rounded so the wire finishes flush with the board edge instead of standing proud. The fret ends are the parts of a guitar neck your hand brushes on every run, and a proud end catches the side of your palm every time.
- Smooth the board edges. The fretboard edges are worked smooth so the corner of the board does not scratch as your fingers slide past the twelfth fret.
- Check it before packing. Fret height, end dressing, board edges and truss rod travel are all checked on the finished neck, so what arrives needs strings and setup, not repairs.
Fit & Compatibility
- Standard scale, not a conversion. The electric guitar neck uses the standard Stratocaster scale, so this is a straight replacement for a body built to that length. Bolt it to a shorter-scale body and the saddles will not have enough travel to intonate.
- Nut and heel. Check the heel against your pocket and the guitar neck width against the string spacing you like; both contact points need to line up before you commit.
- Heel depth. Heel depth is the electric guitar neck dimensions figure people skip most often. A pocket that is too shallow holds the heel high, which lifts the strings at the last frets and leaves you with action you cannot dial out.
- Bolt-on fit. The electric guitar neck is a bolt-on, so the pocket and heel do the alignment. Test-fit it before you drill anything and let the pocket, not the screws, decide where the neck sits.
- Peg holes. Test-fit the tuners before pressing anything in, and measure the bushing diameter first.
- Profile. Guitar neck shapes are personal, and this one is a modern C rather than a V or a thick vintage carve — most players find it familiar straight away.
Left-Handed Builds
- This neck ships right-handed. The side dots, the nut slots and the tuner layout are all arranged for a right-handed player. The board and the fretwork are symmetrical, but the fittings around them are not, so a mirrored build starts with knowing exactly what has to change.
- Cut the nut for a mirrored set. On a left-handed guitar the low E sits where the high E would sit on a right-handed nut. A nut slotted in the original order puts thick strings into narrow slots, and the string then binds, tuning drifts and the first fret buzzes.
- Decide where the side dots go first. Side markers sit on the upper edge of a right-handed board, which becomes the underside once the instrument is mirrored — still readable sitting down, hidden when you stand. If you play from the side dots on stage, settle their position before you commit to a neck.
- The big headstock is not symmetrical. The tuner holes on the 1970 pattern are offset and the string trees only work in one orientation. On a mirrored build the posts, bushings and trees have to be laid out so each string pulls straight through its nut slot.
- Plan the body at the same time. We do build left-handed bodies — the roasted poplar Telecaster SS is one — so the body side of a mirrored instrument is covered. The bridge, saddles and pickguard need their left-handed versions, and those are worth ordering with the neck rather than after it.
- The neck joint itself mirrors cleanly. Heel and pocket are symmetrical, so handedness does not change the fit of the joint; it is the nut, the markers, the tuners and the hardware on the body that decide whether the instrument works.
- Tell us what you are building before you order. Send the body, bridge and tuner model you plan to use and we will confirm what we can supply for a left-handed instrument, so you are not left holding a part that cannot be mirrored.
Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|
| Part number | JMMR3051022M |
| Scale length | 25.5 in (648 mm) |
| Neck wood | Canadian maple |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Frets | 22 medium-jumbo, rust-proof nickel silver |
| Fretboard radius | 12 in (305 mm) |
| Nut width | 1.69 in (43 mm) |
| Heel width | 2.2 in (56 mm) |
| Heel depth | 1.0 in (26 mm) |
| Peg hole diameter | 10 mm |
| Neck thickness | 0.82 in (21 mm) at 1st fret, 0.87 in (22 mm) at 12th fret |
| Truss rod | Dual action |
| Skunk stripe | Rosewood |
| Colour and finish | Vintage tint, satin |
Installation & Truss Rod
- Dry-fit the heel. With the strings off, seat the heel in the pocket and sight down the board. Check the electric guitar neck dimensions against the body you are fitting — the heel should sit flush and centred with no gap underneath before you think about action.
- Fit your tuners. Drop the machine heads into the pre-drilled holes, add the washers and bushings and tighten the ferrules by hand. Modern sealed tuners need no reaming on this headstock.
- String up and read the relief. Tune to pitch, then fret a string at the first and last fret and look at the gap around the eighth. That gap tells you whether the neck is bowing forward or back.
- Use the dual-action rod. Turn the truss rod nut to pull a forward-bowed neck straight, or back it off when the neck has gone convex. A quarter turn at a time, retune, and let it settle before the next quarter.
- Set action and intonation last. With relief right, bring the saddles to your preferred height and check intonation at the 12th fret. The electric guitar neck length is standard, so the saddle offsets you already use should land close.
- Check it again in a week. Every new maple guitar neck takes a little time to settle under string tension and room humidity. Play it for a few days, then re-check relief before you decide the setup is finished.
Post-Delivery Fret Care
Your neck is packed with the frets levelled, crowned and beveled, and most players string it up and play. Wood is a natural material, though, and a maple guitar neck can shift slightly on its way to you as temperature and humidity change in transit.
If you set very low action, or the neck has travelled a long way, a light fret dress or level may be needed to clear the last of the buzz. That is ordinary setup work rather than a fault, and any competent tech can handle it in an afternoon.
Check relief and saddle height before you touch the frets — plenty of buzz that feels like a fret problem turns out to be a truss rod or action problem. And if anything on the rosewood guitar neck looks wrong when it arrives, send us photos of the board and the fret ends and we will help you work out what is happening.
Ordering & Delivery
| Detail | Information |
| Single-piece orders | One neck is enough for a repair or a one-off build |
| Carriers | UPS or USPS |
| Dispatch | From our Texas warehouse or our workshop in Guangdong, depending on the item |
| Delivery window | Normally 2–15 days; confirm the current estimate for your address |
| Dealer and reseller pricing | Ask us by email before you order |
| Larger and custom orders | Available for larger quantities — tell us what you are planning |
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
Will this neck fit my Stratocaster body?
Measure the neck pocket first: its width, its depth and the distance from the pocket to the bridge. Compare those figures with the electric guitar neck dimensions in the specification table. The heel is cut to the familiar Stratocaster footprint, so most 25.5-inch Strat-style bodies will take it, but a pocket that has been sanded or re-cut is worth checking twice.
Is this a conversion neck?
No. The electric guitar neck length is the standard 25.5-inch Stratocaster scale, so it replaces a neck of the same scale rather than changing the scale of the body. If you are trying to move a 25.5-inch body onto a shorter scale, this is not the part for that job.
What does the profile feel like in the hand?
The back is a modern C — rounded shoulders, no hard V, thickening gradually as you move up the board. It is one of the guitar neck shapes most players already know, so it feels familiar from the first chord rather than asking you to adapt.
Can I use it on a left-handed build?
Not as supplied. This electric guitar neck is built right-handed, with the markers, heel and headstock oriented for a right-handed player. If you are planning a mirrored build, get in touch before you order and we will tell you what we can do.
Which tuners fit the headstock?
The peg holes take modern sealed tuners. Tuner holes are one of the parts of a guitar neck that changed most between eras, so if you are fitting vintage-style press-in bushings, check the bushing diameter — they usually need conversion bushings.
Does the neck feel wide or narrow?
The guitar neck width at the nut is the familiar Stratocaster figure — wide enough for clean open chords, narrow enough that bends do not fight you. If you normally play a noticeably wider or narrower nut, that difference is worth weighing before you buy.
