Roasted Maple Neck Supplier

[BassApprentice]

I'm down to just 2 basses (shocking, I know)

 

One is a bitsa P Bass with a Harley Benton neck on it. Whilst it's fine, it's not exactly a looker. Has anyone bought a reasonably priced roasted maple neck, ideally with a rosewood or equivalent board.

 

I appreciate I could go to AliExpress but that seems very much like a lottery in terms of fit and finish.

[miles'tone]

55 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

I'm down to just 2 basses (shocking, I know)

 

One is a bitsa P Bass with a Harley Benton neck on it. Whilst it's fine, it's not exactly a looker. Has anyone bought a reasonably priced roasted maple neck, ideally with a rosewood or equivalent board.

 

I appreciate I could go to AliExpress but that seems very much like a lottery in terms of fit and finish.

There's loads on ebay. Yes, shipped from China. I bought a roasted flamed maple neck there for about a 100 quid. It was stunning. I didn't end up using it though but I know the basschatter who I sold it to liked it a lot.

I couldn't say if the fingerboard was real rosewood but it looked good. Nice and dark.

[kodiakblair]

1 hour ago, BassApprentice said:

but that seems very much like a lottery in terms of fit and finish.

Not if you ask questions.

 

Perfect fit is rare when buying a replacement neck, £700 Fender necks come with a warning their official necks may not fit their bodies.

 

 

Asking questions can save you a lot of work.

 

Get a digi or Verner calliper and measure the pocket or the heel of the existing neck. Take photos with calliper in position and showing the sizes. If you want do the same for the nut width and neck thickness at a few points. Give the radius of any rounded corners if the pocket has them.  

 

Forward the photos to potential sellers and ask them to provide confirmation with photos. Legit sellers will reply, middle men with just a stock photo won't 🙂

 

 

[police squad]

I've had 2 necks from ebay and one from ali express.

I have used both ebay necks and they are working well

I fret levelled one, it wouldn't go dead straight but my course teacher, Dom (Crimson guitar fret levelling course) did say some necks are like that, get it as straight as you can, then level crown and polish

turned out nice (lovely flamed maple too)

the other neck didn't need levelling

The Ali-express neck hasn't been used.............yet

[HeadlessBassist]

Paging @Silky999 - he's used quite a few imported roasted necks in builds recently. He will have the knowledge of where to go and what's good value.

[Silky999]

A lot of the sellers that I used have disappeared from eBay but they do seem to come and go as I suspect some of them get pulled for copyright infringement etc. .There are plenty of bass necks on AliExpress though. 

 

China YueTong Store
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EuhSpbm

 

This is one that I haven‘t used before but am looking at to use next on AliExpress but I have a few necks stockpiled already for future builds. As with all things when you buy on online selling sites….do your research!……how long have they been on that platform, What are their reviews and do the reviews look genuine and most importantly, do they appear to specialise in guitar or instrument stock? The one above appears to supply instrument components which are also orchestral string necks so I would hope they would know what they are doing. 

 

If you are expecting an out of the box, set up, ready to go neck then you will be disappointed. If you are happy to do some levelling, dressing etc then they are very good for the money compared to a real Fender neck. You would likely have to do the same to one of those anyway. I have a customer MIM neck in the workshop at the moment to pair with one of my bodies. If I put it next to a Chinese one, apart from the headstock logo, there is very little difference in the quality if at all. 
 

It is very much a do your due diligence and a bit of fingers crossed when you first order from a company but I’ve never had a bad or unusable neck from China yet nor I have ever had one not arrive or damaged in transit. perhaps I’ve just been lucky.
 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Silky999