How to find really cheap new electric guitar necks
It's all in the way you search for them.
I'll say first that acquiring a new guitar neck this way is only for those on a really tight budget. You want cheap? This is the way to get it cheap. And that means the neck you get will most likely need work. You will probably have to level the frets, take care of some sharp fret ends, and so on. The price you pay here is with your time more than your cash.
It is most likely true you're searching for a Fender style neck since most of their electric guitars use bolt-on necks.
More often than not, those who sell replica necks cannot put words like "Stratocaster", "Telecaster", "Jazzmaster" or other Fender model names in their listings. Why? No license to do so. Companies like AllParts and Mighty Mite can use "Stratocaster" for example because they paid Fender the licensing fee to do it. Other sellers cannot do that unless they pay Fender the appropriate licensing fee for the name (and also if Fender actually approves the licensing request).
Other sellers who sell Strat, Tele and Jazz necks that can't use the licensed name will instead simply use the abbreviations or scale length measurement in their listings, and that's how you find them.
A few examples you can search for on eBay:
- ST guitar neck
- TL guitar neck
- JM guitar neck
- 25.5 guitar neck
You get the idea. ST for Stratocaster, TL for Telecaster, JM for Jazzmaster.
If you were searching for a bass neck, it would be JB bass neck or J bass neck for the Jazz Bass, P Bass Neck for Precision Bass, and so on. Perform the search, sort by lowest price and you'll see the cheap new stuff.
Said again: Cheap necks will need work.
You're absolutely not going to get rolled edges or finely polished frets with any of these necks, it greatly helps if you have a fret rocker and notched straight edge (tip: have one where "Fender scale" 25.5-inch is on one side and "Gibson scale" 24.75-inch is on the other) to quickly take care of initial fret height issues, and so on.
Even with the cost of tools, you can save a lot over getting a licensed neck - if you're willing to put in the work. And you will have to put in the work. Again, the price you pay here is time. If you have a tight budget and are willing to put time into "finalizing" a neck, go for it.
Published 2022 Jan 13
