20 Best Telecaster Replacement Neck (2022 Updated)

Female guitar player here that also likes working on my guitars and getting the best sound and playability I can. I have a Player Series Strat I bought a couple years ago because I loved the color of this Strat.

I never could find a color Strat I liked til I found this one. Love the guitar. But it came with a maple neck, all gloss. I do prefer a satin finish on the neck for obvious reasons. I saw this neck and definitely wanted a Pau Ferro.

Liked the blocks too. Thought it was worth the investment into this guitar. Had already replaced the 2 single pickups with Yosemite’s and the humbucker was replaced with a Shawbucker. Big improvement.

So the neck investment was worth it to me. I ended up doing a full upgrade with locking tuners also I absolutely love. This guitar hasn’t been in my arsenal for my music jobs but it will be now. This neck feels excellent in addition to looking good.

The fret edges were also “dressed” much better than the neck that came on the guitar. Top quality Fender neck I highly recommend. Installation was very easy, just set up may need a pro. Also get a pro to slot the nut, you’ll be better off.

Musicians Friend was excellent on helping with this purchase as always.

If I had dreams about a fender strat neck, it would be exactly the same as this one. The Roasted Maple color is Marvelous. The Stain Finish on the back feels beautifully soft on my fretting hand palm when it comes to feel, and very smooth while playing.

I fell in Love with the narrow tall frets for the first time when I got my Fender Road Worn 60s’ Strat, and the narrow tall frets on this neck made me love it even more. it has the best of both worlds.

it’s better than medium jumbo frets, because while playing it’s like my fingers are playing on a trampoline (if that makes any sense), my fingers never touches the wood of the neck, so my playing is faster, more comfortable, and smoother.

And it is thinner (narrower) than Jumbo frets, so it’s not chunky or bulky under my fretting fingers while playing or sliding over the neck. The Best part is: I bought this Strat neck to put it on my Black Telecaster with a black pickguard, and my god, it’s even better than I ever imagined it.

The roasted maple neck on a black guitar body is the perfect match, it’s extremely beautiful. And the Strat neck on a Telecaster body is an idea that I got when Fender Custom Shop released Eric Clapton’s Blind Faith telecaster, and whoever said Clapton is God knew what he is saying, putting a Strat neck on Telecaster body is a brilliant idea when it comes to playability, sound, and looks.

So, putting this new Roasted Maple Strat neck on my Telecaster made it the best Guitar I have ever, seen, played, and owned. it’s my Number ONE guitar now. If you made it this far in my review, and If you are interested to see how it looks, e-mail me and I can reply with a picture.

Thank you ver much. Cheers.

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood.

I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson.

use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.

After getting this neck professionally installed and set up by an experienced luthier I am very happy. I thought I could install it myself but it required more expertise than I possess to get the nut slots perfect and I also had to spend some time and money finding tuning keys that were made for the 60s style predrilled holes.

The tuning keys from the original 2020 Jazz neck would not work. Couldn’t have done it without the help of the luthier. That being said, this neck is awesome to play. It transformed an ordinary MIM Standard Jazz Bass into my favorite bass.

And I have three other Fenders that cost a lot more.

I bought a fender body and slapped on an unbranded scalloped neck to try it out. decided it wasn’t for me, and wanted a true strat. I always liked the oversized headstocks, and the roasted maple just looks SOOO good.

I took it to a pro for the install since it was going to require a 4th hole to be drilled in the neck, as I wasn’t comfortable doing that myself (especially not on a fairly expensive neck). Anyway, this thing plays incredibly well.

The frets did not really need any work. I don’t know how much the neck is contributing to the sound, but the guitar absolutely sings. and it is absolutely gorgeous.

I got one of the last Professional necks, but the Professional II is identical in most ways, except the neck plate screws have an option for a squared-off neck, along with screw hole for rounded off neck too, so five screw holes.

I needed that, because this 2011 Squire thin line custom vibe “Nashvillized” mahogany telecaster (long description – eh?) body needs four evenly spaced screw holes to mount the neck, since it doesn’t have the rounded-off lower corner for playing comfort that Professional II bodies have, which require an offset screw hole to mount.

In any case, this neck is obsolete, but since it’s virtually identical to the Professional II with the exception of the neck plate screw holes, I can opine on what’s otherwise the same neck. They say the Pro-II has “rolled edges” on the fretboard, but this Professional neck is rolled too, so not sure why Fender marketing made it appear this was something new (?).

Marketing is not known for accuracy or honesty, FWIW. The Squire neck is a thinner, had a thick layer of polyester finish, and the frets were filed down to the point it was difficult to bend. This Fender Professional neck cost me as much as the used 2011 Squire thin line custom vibe “Nashvillized” (not by Fender) telecaster cost me, this neck was a little less expensive than the Pro II, which makes sense – Fender always increases prices with new models.

I used Fender “classic” tuners, which are the old style but fit the modern routes on the Professional (and Professional II) necks, which I prefer to modern locking tuners, but you might prefer them. The back of the neck is as soft as a boob, THAT soft, which I love.

The fretboard is has a gloss urethane finish, but it’s thin, and helps make it more durable. The frets are old style narrow, but plenty high for bending, and the fretboard radius is 9 1/2″, which helps with ease of bending, and not fretting-out on big bends.

The nut is bone, so no complaints there. I have my Nashvillized Squire Thinline Telecaster in my lap, and can’t stop playing it since picking it up this morning. The neck was riding too high in the pocket, so I let the expert luthiers file make it fit properly, something I could have done – but don’t trust my old self to do anymore.

They filed the bone nut to perfection too. I’ve got some stratocaster highwood saddles, which I may put on the six-saddle bridge for better tone. Even though they are for a strat hardtail size, they may work on this bridge.

They come with the traditional telecaster three-saddle bridges, but previous owner put in the six saddle bridge instead. I was going to take it off and put back on a traditional telecaster bridge, but remembered I have Highwood saddles for a strat, but the strats don’t need them as much as this telecaster does! In conclusion, great neck, well worth the money, because necks are the most important part of an elecrtric guitar – it’s where your body interfaces with the instrument.

I’m singing to the choir here, because obviously ya’ll want a better neck – why you’re here! Finally, it’s only a touch more chunky than Fender 60’s strat necks, and feels great to me with my medium sized hands.

I would think this would satisfy most players preference, although it may be too thin for some and too chunky for others. If you imagine a slightly chunkier 60’s “C” shape, this is it.

So I had worn frets on my old Squire Stratocaster neck. I could have had a refret job, but that was the logical choice! I decided to go for a Fender MEX neck, that’s an UPGRADE! So whilst in transit from America, I thought it might not fit exactly somehow.

It’s not like close enough is going to be good enough! I pondered and cogitated thinking that I had made a grave mistake, especially as the Stratocaster Forum members unanimously disapproved. Well, it fitted perfectly and after a nut file out (expected) the sound, feel and tone is massively improved.

I can’t overestimate the outcome. Heretical as it apparently appears, I am so happy with the tone and feel. So that just goes to prove, that you can buy a cheap guitar, wear it out, then replace the neck and transform the way it plays and feels with an expensive neck.

Boom!.

Very nice and beefy neck for telecaster type guitars. High gloss (poly), so modern feel when playing. Imo very comfortable u-shape profile. Colour is quite pale compared to the other vintage type fender necks.

Very handy feature that the nut has pilotted grooves.

Everything is perfect on this item. I expected nothing superb, just overall but the quality of the piece is AAA, the wood grain is beautiful, the finish on the neck is AAA and the most important thing is the feel that is actually SUPERB.

It weighed about 1LB is extremely light weight, and the balance is perfect!.

This neck Fits like a glove, has a fantastic radius (9. 5) which in my opinion is a lot more comfortable than the original 7. 5. The craftsmanship is excellent. The best replacement for my old Telly HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is the best Tele neck that I have ever bought for this price. I build custom telecasters. I buy necks from all manufacturers. And from lots of countries. This is a ONE PIECE, VINTAGE MAPLE, CONSTRUCTION With a real nice vintage soft V contour.

And 22 frets ! Try to even come close to this price, with those specs. I checked the frets with my tools and they are installed very well. The ends will have to lightly filed for smoothness, but not much.

This neck will please even those of us that are real picky. The finish looks like a rubbed on oil type, done thin. This way you can use an oil or probably an alcohol based stain, if you want to. I will finish these in a penetrating oil, or rub-on true oil type.

These necks can be a really nice upgrade, without busting the bank! I think Mighty Might has a great replacement vintage style neck here.

I purchased long time ago the birds maple eye and was much better quality, this it’s just good to learn to do whatever you want. If you get this one, you have to expect to work on it and invest time to get a very GOOD neck.

Another important thing to consider is the fact I got a mighty mite ash tele body and doesn’t fit well. lol really? Same brand and there is a little gap on the neck pocket. So, be prepare. I like the fact that it’s a good piece of neck to work and learn with no stress about the price you paid for it.

I just sanded, stained, oil, and I did all the fret job of course and I’m more than happy looks and plays awesome because I customize it for my playing. If you want to receive a neck just to swap it and ready to go, this it’s not your right option.

Very good quality for the price. Nice grain on quality Maple. The finish is very nice and smooth. Fretwork is very good. A minor amount of filing may be necessary due climate shock. If you have been wanting to try a “V” shaped neck on a Telecaster, this is a great option.

Price is good, quality is good, playability is good.

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a “Fender” neck.

I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here’s just a quick Pros and Con of this product.

PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck.

Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn’t get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing.

Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn’t feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets.

Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don’t understand why the NUT isn’t slotted at least for common string size.

It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn’t come out too well and I’ve had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted.

No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn’t too much of a problem but it’s scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I’m very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.

Beautiful neck, however it didnt fit my new squire tele without shaving some of the neck pocket down vertically. Side to side it fit fine, actually perfect. Also, the nut needed to be filed slightly for 10s but thats not a big deal.

Otherwise its beautiful.

I took a chance on this standard replacement neck for my MIM Telecaster. Have been trying to find the right neck and, unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the 50’s Classic series neck as AMS did not have one on a payment plan.

The newer MIM stuff are much nicer than what they used to be to my surprise. The product was clean with no bumps or bruises and installation was easy. AMS’ payment plan is stellar for low income, working musicians like myself and I am more than happy with both product and support from AMS.

Thank you.

Fret work is just about perfect on mine. I put it on and set up was great out of the box. The maple is unusually white. No yellowness at all like most raw maple – not sure why. The size and specs seem right on, except, its listed as a 43mm nut width, it may be closer to 42.

The string spacing is fine on my fender body. I would buy it again.

Guitar neck is a great value for the price. If you are willing to out a little work in you will have a very good neck. I would but it somewhere between a good squier neck and a MIM fender neck. Nice satin neck for smooth gliding.

Mine did need some fret leveling but it wasn’t terrible. I also replace the nut with a graphtech nut but I do that on all guitars. Be comfortable with drilling neck holes of you decide to purchase, always a little nerve wracking.

Amazing quality! The neck fit perfectly in the Squier body I mated it to, The cut of maple is beautiful with lots of grain. Now to the best part, The frets were Leveled, Dressed and polished! The nut was cut perfectly.

I had to do nothing but drill holes to mount it. A slight quarter turn of the truss rod and it plays like silk. To say I’m pleased is an under statement. Perfect!.

I purchased the neck with tuners and spacer installed by Bitteroot Guitars. They did a perfect job and included an Allen wrench for the truss rod and even a drill bit for the spacer install. I’ve purchased several necks and this is the first that included (adjustment) tools.

Neck feels and looks great. Customer Service was great too. I would not hesitate buying from Bitteroot Guitars again. -JJ.

This is a great neck replacement or for a new build. If I’m super picky, it’s not 100% perfect but very close. A small lump at the heel and some small spots on the board on a couple of fret spaces. Fret tangs are not nipped and the nut slot is a tad loose for Tusq nuts.

But I can work around those issues no prob.

Nice neck, smooth finish, seems like great quality. I’m still in the build process, so it’s not on the bass yet, but I think it will work great. Like many others, the difficulty is finding the machine head tuners that go on the neck.

The peg-hole size is. 743 in, which is an odd drill. I tried 2 different types of tuners (Fender classic, Highway One), both didn’t fit the peg hole (too small). It turns out the Highway One tuner was the correct one, but you have to make sure you get the.

743 bushings, or order the bushing separate, which is what I did. The bushings that fit are: part # 001-9509-049, Fender vintage bass tuner bushings, The Tuners that fit the pre-drilled holes are: part # 003-6400-049, Genuine Fender MIM/Mexican Standard & Highway 1 Bass Tuning Machines.

This was confirmed by Fender (I asked), but make sure you also get the correct bushings as the ones that came with this order were the 18mm ones. Installed the bushings by using YouTube video techniques of a longer bolt, with a washer, through the bushing to a piece of hardwood, with a washer and nut, and gently tighted the bolt until the bushings were flushed.

I did lightly sand the peghole to remove some clear-coat. All good, but finding the correct tuners was a tremendous pain. I don’t know why that couldn’t have been clearly identified on the neck posting.

Finally. an actual soft V that is period correct unlike those that are on the Roadworn Series and Classic Player strats. I mean those necks are O. K. and somewhat period correct (albeit they are awfully small) but this neck is great.

If you like a smaller neck then this neck is not for you. On the other if you like the feel of a neck that fits just right in your large hands then this neck is for you. The other nice thing about this neck is that even though it’s period correct, it didn’t stop Fender from bumping the radius up (9.

5) for faster lead lines and zero fret out. Good job FENDER on this neck and the American Original 50’s and 60’s Stratocasters. Lastly, I would love to see all of these necks and Stratocasters made in Mexico at a more affordable price point.

I mean. seven hundred for just the neck (and it was six). IMHO, this is WAY to high for most people (at least it is for me, a working musician) to afford. so I only gave it four stars because of this.

Still, all in all I have to say. this is a great neck and the american original strat is a great series of guitars.