I've been using Musikraft for 10 plus years, I have no complaints with em, Oh i just heard you went with the standard fret, i would have gone 6105 minimum, good luck with the frets..
@@millstap , It was a young girls practice guitar and hardly ever played. Her parents listed it on FB for a good price. The pickup cover is really yellow so it has uneven sun damage. Unless it's something else that changed the colour. Check my latest vid... you can see it there.
frankly you should clamp up the neck, align it using 2 E strings, lock it, then drill it all at once, body and neck, always use the same screws in the same holes never mix em up, important..
Excellent video, very helpful as always! Thank you for specifically mentioning the revised headstock shape/dimensions. After watching the video I immediately checked out the Musikraft website to see if the small Fender Pre-CBS headstock has been revised as well and to my surprise they indeed reworked the Pre-CBS headstock too! I found two necks that are in stock right now which clearly feature the revised and more accurate headstock. For years I wanted to get a Musikraft neck but I never pulled the trigger because I could tell that the headstock shape wasn't all that accurate. The main problem area was the part below the Fender decal. This area was almost straight with only very little curvature, while official Fender necks (both modern and vintage) featured a much more prominent curvature/swing below the decal. It seems like other people noticed this inaccuracy as well and Musikraft listened and thankfully made changes. Now the Musikraft Strat necks finally look like proper Strat necks with accurate dimensions. I will still email them to officially confirm the headstock shape adjustments but this discovery made my day, I can't wait to put in an order for a new neck. Thanks again!
That's a great story. I was really interested in getting the large CBS head because of the placement of Jimi's string tree then I found out they had revised the shape so I'm happy. I would still have bought one regardless though but I am happy it looks more authentic. It should if they are licensed by Fender. Fender ought to provide the exact dimensions IMO.
wait, so are musikraft headstocks the same dimensions aas fender? as far as i can tell, mighty mite matches the fender dimensions (for the smaller one at least). I just ordered a musikraft because I heard the quality is on par with American fenders, plus it's customizable and a bit cheaper to boot. I really studied the headstock in comparison to fender, and was convinced it's identical.
Good deal. I'm not an expert in the Fender shapes but others that claim to be have studied the Musikraft headstock shapes and says it is authentic. They do have a Fender license.
if the decal does on crappy its too thin, its a cheapo, the REAL genuine replicas are shaped decals, no cut, the the edges are beveled... THEN, there is another process after the decal adheres and is totally cured where you blend the edges and thin the decal with wet sanding and polishing, that's how fender was able to make these decals look like a silkscreen where you cannot feel or see the edges, the decal is thick upon application so its stiff and easy to place and adhere, if you leave said decal as is you can see the edges even though they are tapered, moreso you can feel the decal and fender did not want this so they udergo a thinning process with wet sanding to knock em down very thin and make them edges so the edge blends right into the wood, then its repolished.. many of these decals even into the 80's re not cleared over, but you cannot feel the edges and they look like a silk screen process but they are very durable, a testament to the decal properties, those thin flimsy junk decals made on peoples home printers are NOT real decals, you have to trim them and the material is flimsy and foggy with no real adhesion or sanding properties, JUNK!! be sure you get no cut decals that are thick and sandable, so you can thin them and polish them just like fender used to do.. this is why you see those custom shop guitars for 8k of re issues that have very ghetto looking decals where you can see the edge and the entire outline of the decal, those are SHIT decals, don't use them.. there is a guy on youtube who goes through the entire process of application, to wet sanding and the materials used to polish the decal to make it look just like factory fender decals and for all intents they are the exact same, pre-cut beveled cellulose slide off water decals.. the reason you DO NOT want these junky printed is cuz 5 fold, for one they are not pre-cut with beveled edges, the clear areas are not 100% transparent, they are not sandable, they are not polishable! that's why you can spot them a mile away, and thats today, in a few 5 years they will fog up and discolor, if you have ever seen a case queen 1957 fender stratocaster you will note the decal still looks brand new, the same as it was when it was new, cuz they are QUALITY cellulose pre-cut decals that were installed with care and skill... the way these old ones are made is they screen on the CLEAR cellulose in the shape if the decal, then silkscreen over those the color when the cellulose is still wet, that's how the colors soaks into the clear, its an EXACTING process abc when the processes were involved made with quality processes.. I learned about decals very early on in life as I got into model cars and airplanes, bots what not, all my NASCAR replicas from MPC had QUALITY slide off pre cut bevel edges decals that I could sand and polish, and they never discolored and the cleat never fogged, where as a Revell sticker I have to cut, it was thin so a lot more difficult to work with, you have to know that if you have to cut a decal BOOM, you know the edges are squared, obviously unless you have a special scissors that can cut a beveled or tapered edge.. you don't want a square edge you can feel it and things can catch that edhe and peel em off.. having said that there ARE OK to good self adhesive non pre-cut decals that are made with quality cellulose and are thick that actually adhere and stay on once cured, (rothkoandfrost) those you can sand nevel the edges and sand the decal thin so it looks like a silkscreen once you polish them back up, far as I know those quality cut style have yet to fog but I haven't seen any that are 40 yeas old yet right? there are other makers too, make sure they are edgeless, acrylic, cellulose, metallic paints, printed in opaque so forth not shit fleebay printer decals.. for me I don't care what the headstock says, funner, fenner, fugger whatever, but if its those crap decals no FUGGEN WAY! what I really like are a true silkscreen like Charvel and jackson used those are the most durable and last forever, sure they can patina or yellow but thats all good right, yellows same as the binding, use a quality silk for sure.. Jackson, Charvel, BC Rich, so forth they have silkscreened that are so nice as they clear over it... the budgets they don't celar over but 35 years later are still 100%.. fenner used to use a quality decal process, no more, silkscreen and their repros are junk decals.. even custom shop, no thanks, nuther way to spot a fenner fake, you can feel or see the decal edge or its fogged or you can see the outline.. lotta fakes around these days, even coming out of the fender custom shop, for $6k? meh..
I'm not so concerned about the decal just as long as it says Fender on it and not Nash like my other necks. Finding authentic, vintage correct left handed decals is near impossible. I have been looking at my original 1964 Strat decal and there is no clear nitro over it at all. You can even see where the whole decal has shrunk just a hair just like the shrinking green pickguard did. The decal is actually damaged around the "d" in Fender from something hitting it and scraping it off. I can't even find a photo of a 1969 left handed Strat decal that looks good to me so this one should work just fine.I even have the Fender Stratocaster book by Tom Wheeler and there is only one left handed Strat (1964) in the whole book. If it doesn't, I'll probably just leave it bare.
I can't recall. It was either 7/64" or 1/8". I didn't want to enlarge the holes, just go deeper, so I picked the largest bit that would fit down into the hole.
Why do you think the veneer instead of slab fret board is better? It looks great. Just wondering. Maybe they couldn't do the nonroasted because the piece was so thin
I'm pretty sure the veneer is what everyone wants when they get a capped neck like Jimi played in the late '60's. I don't think Fender even made a slap maple fingerboard in those years. I could be wrong. In the Musikraft drop-downs the veneer is (vintage Fender) and slab is (standard Fender) and I wanted vintage correct.
I don't know how much difference it made but the neck sounds fantastic and the feedback frequencies are much better than the other neck. Those small frets really are the way to go. I couldn't believe how good the intonation became and they are actually very fast and easy to bend on. Very distinct note separation and ring due to the smaller fret to string contact area.
This is awesome. Looks like it's good to get the neck close to tightened down then put the two e strings on. Get it adjusted just right with that then lock it down? Thanks I'm going to harbor freight
That will work but I like putting all of the strings on first because the extra tension will help pull the neck down into the bottom of the pocket if it is not completely seated. It can be a little awkward pushing the neck in one direction while trying to tighten the screws. StewMac probably has a video on an easy way to do it. That drilling guide is awesome. It will keep the bit very steady to there is no chance of a slip and a scratch.
It seems they have nothing but advantages now that I have played it; better intonation, perfect octaves, better harmonics, notes are more distinct and ring out, and it plays very fast with a lot less effort. I couldn't be happier with them.
@@millstap yeah, i think the problems would start when trying to play different music. But nothing really important for our style ^^ I think its a bit harder to play very fast things or legato heavy solos etc, thats more or less the only "issue". Other things are a bit easier though because has more room between the frets. But if I play those things i just take a different guitar. I like em too, no worries. Just mine are not the best quality sadly. Mexico Fender.... Guitar is 4 years or so and the frets have really deep cuts. Oh, and that the string niose is bit more when strings are not fully fresh. But that can have to do with the bad material.
@@AlexWBKK Yeah, I would have never gotten those small frets in nickel. They would need replacing in a matter of a few months. The SS frets are the only way to go with those small frets. And yes, different guitars for different styles of music for sure.
That's a beautiful neck! I was actually planning on getting two necks for my AVRI Strats but those are pretty pricey. They both need fret work and I figure the cost of that I might as well look at just replacing the necks and keeping the old ones for backup. I like the color of the roasted, it looks like the aged paint Fender uses on the AVRI series. That neck looks super slick. That's one thing I don't like about my Fender necks, it feels like they use poly on the back side and it's pretty sticky although I am used to it. I also switched to vintage frets recently and I really like it because I have more finger contact with the board and it changes the way my fingers interact with the board. By the way, I tried a 9-40 set (ddarioio EXL120BT) and I like this more than 10-38 and I suspect that this is what Jimi may have used in his later years. It sounds very balanced, it's easier to bend without getting under the string (Jimi seems to play on top of the strings using the pad of his fingers instead of the tip). One question, for the veneer, your specs say oil, what is that mean? Is that Nitro or is there a poly undercoat underneath? If not, I wonder if it would improve the tone vs my AVRI necks with poly on the back? Look forward to hearing you play it and get your thoughts as you get used to the neck, especially if you notice any difference in tone.
If you look down farther in the specs above, the finish is oil. They describe in on their website as two coats of hand rubbed oil, the same oil Fender uses. I have no clue what oil that is but it doesn't feel like anything is on it. It's not oily in the least. Just a very slick finish. Much better that any poly finish I've felt. I'll look to see if Curt Mangan has that gauge because I am sold on their round core strings. They are great sounding. The vintage frets are cool. I've been wondering about them for years because everyone got so far away from that size.
This neck is really something. It sounds amazing. And, next to my 1962 neck, the color is almost the same. It is slick as you know and those small frets improved the intonation so much and they are actually very easy to play and the notes just jump off of them. I'm getting ready to record a little test drive now. Hopefully I can capture what I am hearing.
Good eye! Yes, I went with the pre-1964 spacing. Probable should have gone modern but it doesn't make that much difference to me. I think I was still thinking about my 1964 neck because I also almost got imitation clay dots.
It's interesting that the reverse Nash frets only lasted 3 years. My American strat frets wore down in similar way. Notches in the frets got to deep to play. Another vintage reissue 56 strat has vintage size frets that are now getting bad also. Stainless really should be offered more. I know you can special order them from fender custom shop but those are the expensive ones. I wish Nash would offer Ss frets. I guess the carbon fiber option didn't fit your vintage goals, but I feel like I might want to try it though, it sounds so cool.
Carbon fiber truss rod? I'm surprised they sound good. I really didn't even know they made them. Yeah, I was sticking as close to vintage specs as possible. The fact that I would have worn down vintage Fender nickel frets in a matter of months is what kept me from putting them on any guitars. When I saw the SS option, I knew that would be the ticket.
@@millstap yeah I haven't ordered my musickraft yet havent tried the carbon fiber neck yet. I don't think it would sound better, it just sounds like a good thing to have the neck stay straight for a very long time.
I definitely looked at Warmoth but, if I remember correctly, they didn't have the maple veneer choice or the compound radius, or at least they didn't make it easy.
@@dezionlion I just remembered, I asked Musikraft for a friend in So. America if they made bodies and they said they didn't but Warmoth did. I wonder if they stopped making them.
I think you are better off with all the same colour, I wouldn't have chosen roasted but must say that yours is really nice , looks the same as my 1963 neck , perfect colour without being yellow ! It looks beautiful once all installed , congrats !
The roasted maple is a lot nicer than I expected. Very easy to work with too. I will crank it up in an hour or so for the first time. I just got the string tree on and started working on the Fender decal. I'll post of photo of the final headstock look on my IG channel, millstaps_jimiisms in tomorrow maybe.
@@millstap You've made the right choice , the colour is perfect , a real pale maple slab over the rosted would have looked funny imo . Well done and can't wait to see more and hear more ! I didn't buy the Warmoth CBS because the radius on the headstock is wrong and almost looks like it's 90 degree just like your Nashguitars neck but the Musikraft got it right this time ! Really looks vintage !
@@lousekoya1803 The neck is amazing. I played it last night. I LOVE those small frets. Much faster, perfect intonation, easy to bend with that slick roasted maple surface. The sound was unreal. I will try to post a test run recording in the next day or two. The small frets let the strings ring better and the note separation makes everything more distinct and doesn't get muddled up when playing loud. The feedback frequencies are much better. Just a dream. I will consider putting those small (SS) frets on all of my guitars eventually.
@@millstap Wow thank you for your review ! really appreciate it and looking forward in hearing your next video ! I felt your desappointment yesterday about the cap being roasted but you have a beautiful neck for sure so hope you forgot about it , looks awesome ! Can't wait to see it with the decal on . Cheers from Quebec !
@@millstap That's my next video Stap. I have two fender custom shop 69's with the Reverse Headstocks. Sort of the JIMI custom shop but with out paying for the neckplate with JIMI on it. Have you ever thought about trying one of those out?
@@waxman9550 I have not. I haven’t bought an official Fender Strat since my SRV Strat in 2005. I sold it a year later. Then I wanted them full Hendrix experience so I bought a left handed Strat from Nash. Then I just started tweaking what I had with new parts like pickups and necks until I got the sound I was searching for.
@@millstap You must be careful when drilling holes but you didn't seem to have any problems! I went for the soft V 57 profile! Lovely! Unfortunately, one tuner hole led to a slight crack that needed to be glued. Not a biggie as glue is stronger than wood and it's totally invisible.
@@hgostos yes, the fret ends are fine. I love the extra room I have outside of the E's. I was super happy I had no problems with the wood drilling at all. Everyone on the forums had me pretty nervous and I think I had cracked even my standard maple when I installed the tuners on one of my Nash necks. It plays amazingly. I may never put it down. I now wish my vintage Strats had the standard frets too.
All of the right specs!! It looks the part without any dyed nitro/poly. I love a Tru-Oil finished neck. Even when it's level sanded and polished it's not sticky. Great stuff on the back of all necks. Have you seen the new American Vintage II guitars yet? I loved the original lineup from Fender and the new ones look just as good, if not better. I would have bought the Olympic White '61 Strat if I hadn't just got another '59 Custom Shop.
Is that what it is, Tru-Oil? If that's it, that stuff is pretty cool. It doesn't feel like anything is on it. I had read a few forums where they mentioned that was the oil Fender was probably using. Good stuff. I have not seen any new guitars lately. I think I will just keep modding mine except for the vintage ones. I might have to eventually get one of these necks for my '57 Reissue. I do love the way that they have a lot more real estate on the outside of the E strings. Now I can see how Jimi did all of those plain E string pull offs. My E would always slip off of the fret and cause it to die. It's probably more of a function of getting the nut slots closer together but Musikraft's frets go right to the edge too. Most of my frets are a little too rounded on the ends.
Spray a few coats of clear lacquer over the decal and let it dry before you apply it. The face of the headstock could use a few coats before application. It helps the decal stay together and stay in place. I haven't tried to apply a decal directly on an oil finish. I know they don't take to bare wood at all.
Thanks for that. I just put a mist of lacquer as they suggested on the decal. I will apply it tomorrow but I was concerned about putting it straight on that surface. I was trying to avoid putting any lacquer on the headstock but if I completely mask it to where it only gets a little outside of the outline of the decal, no one will notice it. They said to hit it with a little 2000 grit sandpaper where the sticker will go to give the sticker something to adhere to but that is probably for a poly or lacquer finish. Maybe I will put a little lacquer on first and then sand that a little so it sticks better. That decal is making me nervous because my 1963 Tele says "Femder" because I didn't know what I was doing when I put in on around 1981. I got a vintage Fender decal from the Fender factory in Fullerton when I lived in CA. but I think it was so old, I couldn't get it to release very easily from the paper.
Millstap, You make the best Hendrix content. I Haven’t been on UA-cam much… thought to search you up. Come to find out you’ve completed the exact build I’m currently working on with my father. ‘68 style Strat, big headstock, using the musikraft neck. Thank you for the great tips!
Hey Brian. Yeah, I couldn't believe the Musikraft neck improved my 1964 Strat too. I know yours is a new build but just be aware of the screw situation if you are using older screws you saved or something, especially if it is roasted maple. Here is the warning I posted about that, ua-cam.com/video/yUPhnQaAO0w/v-deo.html. I should be posting a video this weekend on all the parts laid together. I made a mistake on the pickguard order and din't include the blade switch slot and will receive the replacement pickguard tomorrow. You have to specify everything on the Warmoth order form. I thought for sure that would be standard on any Fender Strat pickguard. Not so. Good luck and be careful with that roasted maple, if you are getting it. I love the feel and sound of that wood but, boy, do you have to be careful when mounting the hardware and neck to the body. Are you going completely left-handed Strat for a righty?
@@millstap I absolutely will! I’m going right handed as vintage spec as possible even 7.25 radius. I’m also going for rift sawn maple no roasting just to be safe. My goal is to make it as if I had bought a Strat in the same year Hendrix bought his. Hopefully it comes out looking like the black Strat he played during the Atlanta Pop Festival/Isle of wight. I love the sound of that 64 Strat by the way. Keep up the great vids!
Once you hear this neck, you will want to go with the roasted maple and the same specs. You can change the neck profile to your liking. Those small frets are the key to Hendrix's sound. They made a huge difference and in a lot of ways, easier to play. The intonation is so much better now than any of my other Strats. I'm sure the veneer cap made a difference too. Just killer. I will post a video hopefully in the next day or so.
I have one also from Music Kraft is there a email I can contact you with I had my decal special made because I hated how the others looked I can show you what I had made & give you the info I think my decal design looks way better and was happier I was able to get it done
@@millstap I will try to sign up tomorrow mean while if you want look at the about me tab on my youtube channel it has my contact info there towards the bottom I can send pictures of the decal & neck I had made
I cant do the Instagram something is not working and honestly I don't want to join it I am not up on it ,if you go to my channel click the about me tab & scroll down to view my email address and email me. I took pictures last night of the better decal lay out on my reversed music Kraft maple capped neck / Mike E.
@@MrSteppingstone888 Mike, no need to bother. I did email you yesterday. I'm going to use what I have and be done with it. If it doesn't work out, I'll get the design you have. As far as I can tell, the left handed Strats have the exact same decal as the right handed Strats from 68-69 just put on in reverse. I kind of like the way mine looks because its bigger and easier to see. I'm not trying to make it look like a vintage Strat but just like the Fender name on the headstock instead of Nash. Send those photos to my email when you see it if possible. It may have gone to your junk mail.
This neck sounds amazing. I'm so glad I got those small frets because I had a sneaky suspicion they were why Jimi played and sounded the way he did. They changed everything for the better.
It's a dream and those small frets are the secret to Jimi's overall sound. I couldn't believe the difference they made. I'm sure the maple cap added to the mojo. Unreal note ring and separation. Intonation is now perfect with octaves to die for. I'm not sure how this "bigger frets are better" trend started. Probably mostly SRV's fault. I think he missed the boat because these small frets are super fast and not hard to bend on at all. The slick roasted maple fingerboard does help a lot.
I couldn't believe it when I played it last night. Unbelievable. It made me wonder how we wandered so far away from the original Fender frets. They sound better, the intonation is way better, octaves are to die for, and the notes are clearer because there is less fret contact with the string. Just amazing. I serious wish they were on all of my Strats now.
@@millstapI don’t know about all you said all that was subjective and not backed by science, the portion on intonation and notes sounding cleaner due to less surface area is true.
I've been using Musikraft for 10 plus years, I have no complaints with em, Oh i just heard you went with the standard fret, i would have gone 6105 minimum, good luck with the frets..
I picked up an old Squier Strat with the big headstock and it was left in the sunshine for the last 20 years. Perfecto relic.
Wow, that sounds like guitar abuse. I'm surprised the sun didn't damage it.
@@millstap , It was a young girls practice guitar and hardly ever played. Her parents listed it on FB for a good price. The pickup cover is really yellow so it has uneven sun damage. Unless it's something else that changed the colour. Check my latest vid... you can see it there.
Yup it just doesn’t look right. Hendrix neck that doesn’t look too Hendrix🤷♂️
Hey Millstap hope you're good. I bought a Jimi Hendrix Vintage custom Strat, and the neck with reverse headstock on it, is somewhat mildly roasted
Hello Sir , I have a question ! Are thse the 2mm or 3/32'' side dots ? thanks for your time !
frankly you should clamp up the neck, align it using 2 E strings, lock it, then drill it all at once, body and neck, always use the same screws in the same holes never mix em up, important..
This is a good idea. I guess that is a reason to order neck with out holes drilled. How do you clamp it? The clamp has to fit between frets?
Not mixing the screws up is a hot tip. I use that practice no matter what it is I take apart and reassemble. Great point!! 💚🎸
I think I see how to clamp the neck in place with felt on a block of wood then the clamp.
Love that new neck. Looks great! Is that wear on your axe all you? Best! 💚🎸
Awesome trick taping sandpaper to a dowel
Excellent video, very helpful as always! Thank you for specifically mentioning the revised headstock shape/dimensions. After watching the video I immediately checked out the Musikraft website to see if the small Fender Pre-CBS headstock has been revised as well and to my surprise they indeed reworked the Pre-CBS headstock too! I found two necks that are in stock right now which clearly feature the revised and more accurate headstock. For years I wanted to get a Musikraft neck but I never pulled the trigger because I could tell that the headstock shape wasn't all that accurate. The main problem area was the part below the Fender decal. This area was almost straight with only very little curvature, while official Fender necks (both modern and vintage) featured a much more prominent curvature/swing below the decal. It seems like other people noticed this inaccuracy as well and Musikraft listened and thankfully made changes. Now the Musikraft Strat necks finally look like proper Strat necks with accurate dimensions. I will still email them to officially confirm the headstock shape adjustments but this discovery made my day, I can't wait to put in an order for a new neck. Thanks again!
That's a great story. I was really interested in getting the large CBS head because of the placement of Jimi's string tree then I found out they had revised the shape so I'm happy. I would still have bought one regardless though but I am happy it looks more authentic. It should if they are licensed by Fender. Fender ought to provide the exact dimensions IMO.
wait, so are musikraft headstocks the same dimensions aas fender? as far as i can tell, mighty mite matches the fender dimensions (for the smaller one at least). I just ordered a musikraft because I heard the quality is on par with American fenders, plus it's customizable and a bit cheaper to boot. I really studied the headstock in comparison to fender, and was convinced it's identical.
Good deal. I'm not an expert in the Fender shapes but others that claim to be have studied the Musikraft headstock shapes and says it is authentic. They do have a Fender license.
if the decal does on crappy its too thin, its a cheapo, the REAL genuine replicas are shaped decals, no cut, the the edges are beveled... THEN, there is another process after the decal adheres and is totally cured where you blend the edges and thin the decal with wet sanding and polishing, that's how fender was able to make these decals look like a silkscreen where you cannot feel or see the edges, the decal is thick upon application so its stiff and easy to place and adhere, if you leave said decal as is you can see the edges even though they are tapered, moreso you can feel the decal and fender did not want this so they udergo a thinning process with wet sanding to knock em down very thin and make them edges so the edge blends right into the wood, then its repolished..
many of these decals even into the 80's re not cleared over, but you cannot feel the edges and they look like a silk screen process but they are very durable, a testament to the decal properties, those thin flimsy junk decals made on peoples home printers are NOT real decals, you have to trim them and the material is flimsy and foggy with no real adhesion or sanding properties, JUNK!!
be sure you get no cut decals that are thick and sandable, so you can thin them and polish them just like fender used to do..
this is why you see those custom shop guitars for 8k of re issues that have very ghetto looking decals where you can see the edge and the entire outline of the decal, those are SHIT decals, don't use them.. there is a guy on youtube who goes through the entire process of application, to wet sanding and the materials used to polish the decal to make it look just like factory fender decals and for all intents they are the exact same, pre-cut beveled cellulose slide off water decals.. the reason you DO NOT want these junky printed is cuz 5 fold, for one they are not pre-cut with beveled edges, the clear areas are not 100% transparent, they are not sandable, they are not polishable! that's why you can spot them a mile away, and thats today, in a few 5 years they will fog up and discolor, if you have ever seen a case queen 1957 fender stratocaster you will note the decal still looks brand new, the same as it was when it was new, cuz they are QUALITY cellulose pre-cut decals that were installed with care and skill... the way these old ones are made is they screen on the CLEAR cellulose in the shape if the decal, then silkscreen over those the color when the cellulose is still wet, that's how the colors soaks into the clear, its an EXACTING process abc when the processes were involved made with quality processes..
I learned about decals very early on in life as I got into model cars and airplanes, bots what not, all my NASCAR replicas from MPC had QUALITY slide off pre cut bevel edges decals that I could sand and polish, and they never discolored and the cleat never fogged, where as a Revell sticker I have to cut, it was thin so a lot more difficult to work with, you have to know that if you have to cut a decal BOOM, you know the edges are squared, obviously unless you have a special scissors that can cut a beveled or tapered edge.. you don't want a square edge you can feel it and things can catch that edhe and peel em off..
having said that there ARE OK to good self adhesive non pre-cut decals that are made with quality cellulose and are thick that actually adhere and stay on once cured, (rothkoandfrost) those you can sand nevel the edges and sand the decal thin so it looks like a silkscreen once you polish them back up, far as I know those quality cut style have yet to fog but I haven't seen any that are 40 yeas old yet right? there are other makers too, make sure they are edgeless, acrylic, cellulose, metallic paints, printed in opaque so forth not shit fleebay printer decals..
for me I don't care what the headstock says, funner, fenner, fugger whatever, but if its those crap decals no FUGGEN WAY! what I really like are a true silkscreen like Charvel and jackson used those are the most durable and last forever, sure they can patina or yellow but thats all good right, yellows same as the binding, use a quality silk for sure.. Jackson, Charvel, BC Rich, so forth they have silkscreened that are so nice as they clear over it... the budgets they don't celar over but 35 years later are still 100%.. fenner used to use a quality decal process, no more, silkscreen and their repros are junk decals.. even custom shop, no thanks, nuther way to spot a fenner fake, you can feel or see the decal edge or its fogged or you can see the outline.. lotta fakes around these days, even coming out of the fender custom shop, for $6k? meh..
I'm not so concerned about the decal just as long as it says Fender on it and not Nash like my other necks. Finding authentic, vintage correct left handed decals is near impossible. I have been looking at my original 1964 Strat decal and there is no clear nitro over it at all. You can even see where the whole decal has shrunk just a hair just like the shrinking green pickguard did. The decal is actually damaged around the "d" in Fender from something hitting it and scraping it off. I can't even find a photo of a 1969 left handed Strat decal that looks good to me so this one should work just fine.I even have the Fender Stratocaster book by Tom Wheeler and there is only one left handed Strat (1964) in the whole book. If it doesn't, I'll probably just leave it bare.
Thank you for these awesome videos really information! Question did you have to adjust the truss rod right away with this musikraft neck?
I never had to touch it. The neck has been very stable at .011” relief. I just ordered another one in rosewood.
What drill bit width did you use for pilot holes on neck heel? Thank you!
I will measure the screw with micrometer and get it just right.
I can't recall. It was either 7/64" or 1/8". I didn't want to enlarge the holes, just go deeper, so I picked the largest bit that would fit down into the hole.
Why do you think the veneer instead of slab fret board is better? It looks great. Just wondering. Maybe they couldn't do the nonroasted because the piece was so thin
I'm pretty sure the veneer is what everyone wants when they get a capped neck like Jimi played in the late '60's. I don't think Fender even made a slap maple fingerboard in those years. I could be wrong. In the Musikraft drop-downs the veneer is (vintage Fender) and slab is (standard Fender) and I wanted vintage correct.
Nice work. Now I want to pull the neck off my Tele and see what note it rings out at haha.
I don't know how much difference it made but the neck sounds fantastic and the feedback frequencies are much better than the other neck. Those small frets really are the way to go. I couldn't believe how good the intonation became and they are actually very fast and easy to bend on. Very distinct note separation and ring due to the smaller fret to string contact area.
That pitch difference sound probably comes from the roast. My strat has a roasted maple neck and actually has more vibrations than a non roasted one.
I love the roasted maple. I also got one with rosewood. Both necks are outstanding.
This is awesome. Looks like it's good to get the neck close to tightened down then put the two e strings on. Get it adjusted just right with that then lock it down?
Thanks I'm going to harbor freight
That will work but I like putting all of the strings on first because the extra tension will help pull the neck down into the bottom of the pocket if it is not completely seated. It can be a little awkward pushing the neck in one direction while trying to tighten the screws. StewMac probably has a video on an easy way to do it. That drilling guide is awesome. It will keep the bit very steady to there is no chance of a slip and a scratch.
I have those frets on the Fender Classic 60ties. Has advantages and disadvantages imo ^^
Guitar looks cool.
It seems they have nothing but advantages now that I have played it; better intonation, perfect octaves, better harmonics, notes are more distinct and ring out, and it plays very fast with a lot less effort. I couldn't be happier with them.
@@millstap yeah, i think the problems would start when trying to play different music. But nothing really important for our style ^^ I think its a bit harder to play very fast things or legato heavy solos etc, thats more or less the only "issue".
Other things are a bit easier though because has more room between the frets. But if I play those things i just take a different guitar. I like em too, no worries.
Just mine are not the best quality sadly. Mexico Fender.... Guitar is 4 years or so and the frets have really deep cuts.
Oh, and that the string niose is bit more when strings are not fully fresh. But that can have to do with the bad material.
@@AlexWBKK Yeah, I would have never gotten those small frets in nickel. They would need replacing in a matter of a few months. The SS frets are the only way to go with those small frets. And yes, different guitars for different styles of music for sure.
That's a beautiful neck! I was actually planning on getting two necks for my AVRI Strats but those are pretty pricey. They both need fret work and I figure the cost of that I might as well look at just replacing the necks and keeping the old ones for backup. I like the color of the roasted, it looks like the aged paint Fender uses on the AVRI series. That neck looks super slick. That's one thing I don't like about my Fender necks, it feels like they use poly on the back side and it's pretty sticky although I am used to it. I also switched to vintage frets recently and I really like it because I have more finger contact with the board and it changes the way my fingers interact with the board. By the way, I tried a 9-40 set (ddarioio EXL120BT) and I like this more than 10-38 and I suspect that this is what Jimi may have used in his later years. It sounds very balanced, it's easier to bend without getting under the string (Jimi seems to play on top of the strings using the pad of his fingers instead of the tip). One question, for the veneer, your specs say oil, what is that mean? Is that Nitro or is there a poly undercoat underneath? If not, I wonder if it would improve the tone vs my AVRI necks with poly on the back? Look forward to hearing you play it and get your thoughts as you get used to the neck, especially if you notice any difference in tone.
If you look down farther in the specs above, the finish is oil. They describe in on their website as two coats of hand rubbed oil, the same oil Fender uses. I have no clue what oil that is but it doesn't feel like anything is on it. It's not oily in the least. Just a very slick finish. Much better that any poly finish I've felt. I'll look to see if Curt Mangan has that gauge because I am sold on their round core strings. They are great sounding. The vintage frets are cool. I've been wondering about them for years because everyone got so far away from that size.
This neck is really something. It sounds amazing. And, next to my 1962 neck, the color is almost the same. It is slick as you know and those small frets improved the intonation so much and they are actually very easy to play and the notes just jump off of them. I'm getting ready to record a little test drive now. Hopefully I can capture what I am hearing.
@@millstap Awesome! Can't wait to hear it!
The 12th fret dots need to be closer together, right?
Good eye! Yes, I went with the pre-1964 spacing. Probable should have gone modern but it doesn't make that much difference to me. I think I was still thinking about my 1964 neck because I also almost got imitation clay dots.
It's interesting that the reverse Nash frets only lasted 3 years. My American strat frets wore down in similar way. Notches in the frets got to deep to play. Another vintage reissue 56 strat has vintage size frets that are now getting bad also. Stainless really should be offered more. I know you can special order them from fender custom shop but those are the expensive ones. I wish Nash would offer Ss frets.
I guess the carbon fiber option didn't fit your vintage goals, but I feel like I might want to try it though, it sounds so cool.
Carbon fiber truss rod? I'm surprised they sound good. I really didn't even know they made them. Yeah, I was sticking as close to vintage specs as possible. The fact that I would have worn down vintage Fender nickel frets in a matter of months is what kept me from putting them on any guitars. When I saw the SS option, I knew that would be the ticket.
@@millstap yeah I haven't ordered my musickraft yet havent tried the carbon fiber neck yet. I don't think it would sound better, it just sounds like a good thing to have the neck stay straight for a very long time.
Love it! Thinking on getting one but warmoth was my first option
I definitely looked at Warmoth but, if I remember correctly, they didn't have the maple veneer choice or the compound radius, or at least they didn't make it easy.
I have a “RUST” strat, you should look em up! All musikraft neck and body. Reliced like nash!
I bet that is nice. I'm really impressed with Musikraft's workmanship.
@@millstap yeah their ash bodies are nice too
@@dezionlion I just remembered, I asked Musikraft for a friend in So. America if they made bodies and they said they didn't but Warmoth did. I wonder if they stopped making them.
I think you are better off with all the same colour,
I wouldn't have chosen roasted but must say that yours is really nice , looks the same as my 1963 neck ,
perfect colour without being yellow ! It looks beautiful once all installed , congrats !
The roasted maple is a lot nicer than I expected. Very easy to work with too. I will crank it up in an hour or so for the first time. I just got the string tree on and started working on the Fender decal. I'll post of photo of the final headstock look on my IG channel, millstaps_jimiisms in tomorrow maybe.
@@millstap You've made the right choice , the colour is perfect , a real pale maple slab over the rosted would have looked funny imo . Well done and can't wait to see more and hear more ! I didn't buy the Warmoth CBS because the radius on the headstock is wrong and almost looks like it's 90 degree just like your Nashguitars neck but the Musikraft got it right this time ! Really looks vintage !
@@lousekoya1803 The neck is amazing. I played it last night. I LOVE those small frets. Much faster, perfect intonation, easy to bend with that slick roasted maple surface. The sound was unreal. I will try to post a test run recording in the next day or two. The small frets let the strings ring better and the note separation makes everything more distinct and doesn't get muddled up when playing loud. The feedback frequencies are much better. Just a dream. I will consider putting those small (SS) frets on all of my guitars eventually.
@@millstap Wow thank you for your review !
really appreciate it and looking forward in hearing your next video ! I felt your desappointment yesterday about the cap being roasted but you have a beautiful neck
for sure so hope you forgot about it , looks awesome ! Can't wait to see it with the decal on .
Cheers from Quebec !
OMG where's a proper box cutter the opening had me cringing must be my OCD. Ha
That is some serious OCD, 😆
You think that’s bad, you should see what I did to the second neck.
@@millstap That's my next video Stap. I have two fender custom shop 69's with the Reverse Headstocks. Sort of the JIMI custom shop but with out paying for the neckplate with JIMI on it. Have you ever thought about trying one of those out?
@@waxman9550 I have not. I haven’t bought an official Fender Strat since my SRV Strat in 2005. I sold it a year later. Then I wanted them full Hendrix experience so I bought a left handed Strat from Nash. Then I just started tweaking what I had with new parts like pickups and necks until I got the sound I was searching for.
WOW, thats funny. Mactier is a hour north of me !! LOL ... Nice neck & job !! :)
Cool. I got the string tree on and started working on the decal today.
Congrats! I ordered a similar one from Musikfraft (also roasted maple) not long ago and I was in the end very happy with it.
In the end? Did you have some issues you had to deal with?
@@millstap You must be careful when drilling holes but you didn't seem to have any problems! I went for the soft V 57 profile! Lovely! Unfortunately, one tuner hole led to a slight crack that needed to be glued. Not a biggie as glue is stronger than wood and it's totally invisible.
@@millstap Also, fret ends needed a tiny bit of TLC, just like yours.
@@hgostos yes, the fret ends are fine. I love the extra room I have outside of the E's. I was super happy I had no problems with the wood drilling at all. Everyone on the forums had me pretty nervous and I think I had cracked even my standard maple when I installed the tuners on one of my Nash necks. It plays amazingly. I may never put it down. I now wish my vintage Strats had the standard frets too.
@@millstap I went with 47104. A really nice compromise. Not vintage, not modern, just a great all rounder!!
All of the right specs!! It looks the part without any dyed nitro/poly. I love a Tru-Oil finished neck. Even when it's level sanded and polished it's not sticky. Great stuff on the back of all necks.
Have you seen the new American Vintage II guitars yet? I loved the original lineup from Fender and the new ones look just as good, if not better. I would have bought the Olympic White '61 Strat if I hadn't just got another '59 Custom Shop.
Is that what it is, Tru-Oil? If that's it, that stuff is pretty cool. It doesn't feel like anything is on it. I had read a few forums where they mentioned that was the oil Fender was probably using. Good stuff. I have not seen any new guitars lately. I think I will just keep modding mine except for the vintage ones. I might have to eventually get one of these necks for my '57 Reissue. I do love the way that they have a lot more real estate on the outside of the E strings. Now I can see how Jimi did all of those plain E string pull offs. My E would always slip off of the fret and cause it to die. It's probably more of a function of getting the nut slots closer together but Musikraft's frets go right to the edge too. Most of my frets are a little too rounded on the ends.
Spray a few coats of clear lacquer over the decal and let it dry before you apply it. The face of the headstock could use a few coats before application. It helps the decal stay together and stay in place.
I haven't tried to apply a decal directly on an oil finish. I know they don't take to bare wood at all.
Thanks for that. I just put a mist of lacquer as they suggested on the decal. I will apply it tomorrow but I was concerned about putting it straight on that surface. I was trying to avoid putting any lacquer on the headstock but if I completely mask it to where it only gets a little outside of the outline of the decal, no one will notice it. They said to hit it with a little 2000 grit sandpaper where the sticker will go to give the sticker something to adhere to but that is probably for a poly or lacquer finish. Maybe I will put a little lacquer on first and then sand that a little so it sticks better. That decal is making me nervous because my 1963 Tele says "Femder" because I didn't know what I was doing when I put in on around 1981. I got a vintage Fender decal from the Fender factory in Fullerton when I lived in CA. but I think it was so old, I couldn't get it to release very easily from the paper.
Millstap, You make the best Hendrix content. I Haven’t been on UA-cam much… thought to search you up. Come to find out you’ve completed the exact build I’m currently working on with my father. ‘68 style Strat, big headstock, using the musikraft neck. Thank you for the great tips!
Hey Brian. Yeah, I couldn't believe the Musikraft neck improved my 1964 Strat too. I know yours is a new build but just be aware of the screw situation if you are using older screws you saved or something, especially if it is roasted maple. Here is the warning I posted about that, ua-cam.com/video/yUPhnQaAO0w/v-deo.html. I should be posting a video this weekend on all the parts laid together. I made a mistake on the pickguard order and din't include the blade switch slot and will receive the replacement pickguard tomorrow. You have to specify everything on the Warmoth order form. I thought for sure that would be standard on any Fender Strat pickguard. Not so. Good luck and be careful with that roasted maple, if you are getting it. I love the feel and sound of that wood but, boy, do you have to be careful when mounting the hardware and neck to the body. Are you going completely left-handed Strat for a righty?
@@millstap I absolutely will! I’m going right handed as vintage spec as possible even 7.25 radius. I’m also going for rift sawn maple no roasting just to be safe. My goal is to make it as if I had bought a Strat in the same year Hendrix bought his. Hopefully it comes out looking like the black Strat he played during the Atlanta Pop Festival/Isle of wight. I love the sound of that 64 Strat by the way. Keep up the great vids!
Very Nice ! ...I have been considering buying one for a while . I will probably go with a unfinished Maple ...
Once you hear this neck, you will want to go with the roasted maple and the same specs. You can change the neck profile to your liking. Those small frets are the key to Hendrix's sound. They made a huge difference and in a lot of ways, easier to play. The intonation is so much better now than any of my other Strats. I'm sure the veneer cap made a difference too. Just killer. I will post a video hopefully in the next day or so.
Cool .. look forward to hearing this neck !
I have one also from Music Kraft is there a email I can contact you with
I had my decal special made because I hated how the others looked I can show you what I had made & give you the info I think my decal design looks way better and was happier I was able to get it done
Sure. DM me at millstaps_jimiisms on Instagram. Maybe I’ll practice with this one on my other neck. I was putting it on in the morning.
@@millstap I will try to sign up tomorrow mean while if you want look at the about me tab on my youtube channel it has my contact info there towards the bottom I can send pictures of the decal & neck I had made
I cant do the Instagram something is not working and honestly I don't want to join it I am not up on it ,if you go to my channel click the about me tab & scroll down to view my email address and email me. I took pictures last night of the better decal lay out on my reversed music Kraft maple capped neck / Mike E.
@@MrSteppingstone888 Mike, no need to bother. I did email you yesterday. I'm going to use what I have and be done with it. If it doesn't work out, I'll get the design you have. As far as I can tell, the left handed Strats have the exact same decal as the right handed Strats from 68-69 just put on in reverse. I kind of like the way mine looks because its bigger and easier to see. I'm not trying to make it look like a vintage Strat but just like the Fender name on the headstock instead of Nash. Send those photos to my email when you see it if possible. It may have gone to your junk mail.
I got a musikraft neck this year and it was also essentially flawless.
This neck sounds amazing. I'm so glad I got those small frets because I had a sneaky suspicion they were why Jimi played and sounded the way he did. They changed everything for the better.
Yeah, the two-tone would've looked better
Yeah, that was my vision but I think the roasted fingerboard is a slicker feeling than standard maple.
Nice, hope it plays well!
It's a dream and those small frets are the secret to Jimi's overall sound. I couldn't believe the difference they made. I'm sure the maple cap added to the mojo. Unreal note ring and separation. Intonation is now perfect with octaves to die for. I'm not sure how this "bigger frets are better" trend started. Probably mostly SRV's fault. I think he missed the boat because these small frets are super fast and not hard to bend on at all. The slick roasted maple fingerboard does help a lot.
That finish looks awesome!
It is very slick and fast.
Bends are amazing on standard fender frets ❤you’ll love it
I couldn't believe it when I played it last night. Unbelievable. It made me wonder how we wandered so far away from the original Fender frets. They sound better, the intonation is way better, octaves are to die for, and the notes are clearer because there is less fret contact with the string. Just amazing. I serious wish they were on all of my Strats now.
@@millstapI don’t know about all you said all that was subjective and not backed by science, the portion on intonation and notes sounding cleaner due to less surface area is true.
Makes me question my love for jumbo frets...
@@TeleCaster66 don’t, baby frets bite
Nice work Millzee!
👍🇦🇺
Hey Shane. This neck is amazing. I will try to post a test recording here tonight or tomorrow.
@@millstap
I’ll be waiting! She certainly is a lovely looking neck!
Looks good man
Thanks Kevin.
Looks great!
It is amazing. I think this neck will have a big influence on everyone's fret size choice. Once they hear it, they will switch.