Replacement Neck for Tele Guitar

I recently built a tele style guitar and purchased the Stew Mac tele neck. As soon as it arrived I installed it, strung it up and did a quick set up. The neck is awesome, smooth as silk and excellent fret work. If you want a high quality neck without emptying your wallet this is the neck for you.

I recently ordered the maple Telecaster neck from Stew Mac to replace the original on my ’91 American Tele. The truss rod in the original neck had been maxed out for quite some time, so the playability had been in steady decline. I looked into getting it repaired and got several estimates, which ranged from $150 on up. After weighing the pros and cons of having the original repaired vs. installing a new neck, I opted for the latter. I figured I will still have the original neck, and I can still get it fixed without having to rush into a decision as far as what shop, what procedure, etc.

After getting this neck from Stew Mac and installing it, I’ve been so thrilled with the way it plays and sounds that I’ve all but forgotten about getting the original fixed. I couldn’t be happier with it- especially for the price. It feels and plays every bit as good as the original ever did, and I think it might even sound better than my original did.

For the amateur/hobbyist like myself, I should mention that installing the neck required some drilling (the four holes to mount it to the body, the two little holes for each tuner, and two holes for the string retainer). Also, in my case- the fret ends required sanding as the wood likely contracted and they stuck out a bit on either side to where I could feel the sharpness when I ran my fingers up and down the sides of the fret board. But the frets were nicely crowned and the nut was to factory spec.

There are a few minor differences between this neck and my American original. This neck has 21 frets as opposed to 22 on my original. (It doesn’t have the tongue at the base of the neck). The original neck has a walnut plug at the base of the headstock where you access the truss nut, while the one on this neck is black and appears to be graphite. Also, the truss nut is closer to the opening and can be reached with the smaller end of a standard allen wrench, and it’s larger (requiring a larger size allen wrench), which I personally like better. But the most noticeable difference for me was the lack of a Fender logo on the headstock. Obviously, this is only a superficial difference- but it’s something to consider. I ended up making a decal to exactly match my original logo and serial number and it actually turned out pretty good. (It’s OK- I’ll never sell this guitar.)

Overall- knowing what I know now- I would buy this neck again in a second! I just wish I would have bought it a lot sooner.

Might Mite replacement neck makes my home-made Telecaster nice and smooth to play

Ok - as has been stated in other reviews this is a Might Mite neck. Not sure why SMac fails to mention this in their product description, but they are clearly marked as such. Could it be that we could get these necks much cheaper elsewhere? I don't know.

That said - the neck fit perfectly in a Fender Esquire body. Drilled the holes, bolted it on, put on the tuners and strung it up. Needed no tweaks, no problem with the nut - easy. As I have found with Mighty Mite necks the fret ends needed a little more sanding, nothing bad though. Finish on the headstock shows some overspray but only in good light.

This is the thrid neck I've tried on this guitar and it is the one that is going to stay. As always SMac's service was great, just wish they'd be upfront about where they actually get these necks from - guess that's our job though.

I've used two of the #5719 necks from Stew Mac and both jobs turned out A+. I highly recommend Stew Mac for all your guitar repair or custom needs!!!

Have had two of these necks now, first one was great but a little disappointed with the last one. Slight damage to the heel, looked like it had been dropped on the inside corner, and the Maple had a pronounced grain pattern, a bit too gaudy for my liking. The nut was high on both, and needed some slot work to take 10's strings.

Beautiful neck, perfectly finished. First one got lost in UK customs but a replacement was shipped out with no quibbles, by courier at no cost to me, as soon as available. Thanks again Karen.

I've built two guitars with this Tele neck and both turned out great. There was a bit of fine-tuning required with the nut, but that should be expected if you want perfection.

I bought a Tele neck back in '92 thru StewMac and it's still one of my best playing necks! No warping twisting or fret problems even thru many moves round the world! StewMac really does their home work on getting the best possible and hard to get items to supply everyone in need of it!! Thanks guys!! :) I would definitely recommend buying anything from the guys there!!

I needed a replacement neck for my project P-90 Esquire after purchasing a dud elsewhere. What a great neck. the finish is perfect and it plays awesome. It feels a little fatter than my other tele necks, which is my preference anyway. Would highly recommend!