Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey Guys,
i m working on my first guitar build and i have allready routed the body outline plus neck.
So now it comes to neck pocket routing and i realize that this was one point i havnt thought about well.
I made a one piece 7ender Style Neck and as a guide for the pocket (while designing the body) i used a neck plate which is about 6,5 cm.
Now i checked that a strat or tele neckpocket is about 7,6 cm long.
So i m a bit unsure if i can go on like that and have a bit smaller neckpocket between 6,5-7 cm and its just a little that doesnt matter (like i think)
..or do you have some other experience? Ahh Btw its a 22 Frets and 24 3/4 "scale

Thanks for helping

Both tele and strat pockets are 3 inches long (my tele plans say 3.002 inches). They are slightly different shapes - strats are curved, teles flat which means that a strat neck will fit a tele but not the other way. Strats are 22 frets, teles usually 21 but a 22 fret neck can be installed if the fretboard is allowed to overhang the body. As you also know, Fenders are usually 25.5 inch scale length but you can make other scales work by either moving the bridge or the body join or both.

If you don't have good plans it is worth downloading the D sized tele pdf at tdpri.com for reference.

ps - before I forget my manners, welcome to OLF

pps - if you don't have it and you are building your first electric, get Melvyn Hiscocks book.

What Freeman says is true, but that's dependent upon other factors as well. What really matters is the scale length. Do you already have your bridge placed?

No, Bridge is not placed. My Question is more about designing the neckpocket according to stability and sound...how long should it be to get a stable construction and good sustain and which size you wouldnt go smaller than....??? Is it fine as long as it fits with a neck plate?

I wouldn't go any shorter than the 3" Fender spec.