# Solo Guitar - Necks



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I've been searching for a Canadian supplier of guitar necks. It's not so much country of origin I'm concerned about, just getting decent quality necks here in Canada at a more reasonable cost than the big neck makers.

I ordered a licenced Fender neck from Solo Guitars yesterday.

The cost is pretty significantly lower than even a Fender branded neck say from Long and McQuade.

I should receive it in a week or so.

Has anyone here touched or used one of these? They appear to be made by Mighty Mite.



https://www.solomusicgear.com/product/fender-licensed-strat-style-22-fret-maple-neck-with-ebony-fretboard/


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## DaddyShred (Aug 11, 2019)

Milkman said:


> I've been searching for a Canadian supplier of guitar necks. It's not so much country of origin I'm concerned about, just getting decent quality necks here in Canada at a more reasonable cost than the big neck makers.
> 
> I ordered a licenced Fender neck from Solo Guitars yesterday.
> 
> ...


I've never heard a bad thing about the stuff that comes from Solo. 

My own experience with SOLO necks is great, although I've never ordered a fender branded neck from them.

Sent from my SM-N986W using Tapatalk


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

DaddyShred said:


> I've never heard a bad thing about the stuff that comes from Solo.
> 
> My own experience with SOLO necks is great, although I've never ordered a fender branded neck from them.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N986W using Tapatalk


I've had a few Mighty Mite necks so I'm cautiously optimistic. Ebony on maple for $250. CAD....

Meh, if it sucks, I'm only out that much. Worth it to know.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I haven't ordered a Fender lic either, but have had success with their cheapo ones. I'd be interested to know. Please give us an update when it arrives. 

It could be an option for me for an upcoming project.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I've been waiting for their Jazz Bass necks to be back in stock for a while now.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

ZeroGravity said:


> I've been waiting for their Jazz Bass necks to be back in stock for a while now.


Yeah I may have f^%ked up. I thought the neck said "in stock" when I ordered it, but it now says out of stock so unless they had one and I ordered it, I may be waiting...


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Milkman said:


> Yeah I may have f^%ked up. I thought the neck said "in stock" when I ordered it, but it now says out of stock so unless they had one and I ordered it, I may be waiting...


Hopefully you go t the last one


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

ZeroGravity said:


> Hopefully you go t the last one


Well, my mistake if I didn't. I'd feel better about it if they made it so you couldn't order stuff that's out of stock without at least a pop up warning you. It's pretty easy to send them money....


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Just got a Fed Ex shipping notice, I think I actually did get lucky and bought the last one they had (for now).


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I bought a lot of Mighty Mite necks back when I was building parts casters. Never had a bad one.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> I bought a lot of Mighty Mite necks back when I was building parts casters. Never had a bad one.


To tell the truth, neither have I.

I had one that developed a bit of fret sprout, but that was likely neglect on my part (lack of a proper humidifier at the time) and easily resolved.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

You USED to be able to buy new genuine Fender necks (MIM) for a good price on Amazon. That came to an end. They doubled in price. Great necks though


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Milkman said:


> Well, my mistake if I didn't. I'd feel better about it if they made it so you couldn't order stuff that's out of stock without at least a pop up warning you. It's pretty easy to send them money....


I have never been able to buy without the actual stock being available. It usually says "Out of Stock" and then you can add your name to a wait list. They will email you when they are available again. If they took your money, I'd be willing to bet, you've got one coming.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Yeah this is why people end up trying to get $1650 out of a partscaster, LOL.

When you're already closing in on a grand with just the neck and body....


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Lincoln said:


> You USED to be able to buy new genuine Fender necks (MIM) for a good price on Amazon. That came to an end. They doubled in price. Great necks though


Yep. I missed that particular window of good fortune. They are not cheap... err... inexpensive now.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

SWLABR said:


> I have never been able to buy without the actual stock being available. It usually says "Out of Stock" and then you can add your name to a wait list. They will email you when they are available again. If they took your money, I'd be willing to bet, you've got one coming.


Very good and thanks for the reassurance. I think you're right and that's as it should be. In some cases I would say yeah sure, put me on a waiting list, but it's nice to have that option.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Yeah this is why people end up trying to get $1650 out of a partscaster, LOL.
> 
> When you're already closing in on a grand with just the neck and body....


Parts went up, but peoples opinion of the value of a parts caster didn't change.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> Parts went up, but peoples opinion of the value of a parts caster didn't change.



Well, it's more a case of economies of scale and market values in my opinion.

A parts caster is really no different than many mass production guitars with the notable exception of a massively worse economy of scale.

You simply can't buy components at retail prices and expect to have someone pay that plus an additional profit.

Better to clearly understand the market price, ie, what the market will bear, and find a way to get your costs far enough below that....


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

SWLABR said:


> Yep. I missed that particular window of good fortune. They are not cheap... err... inexpensive now.


when I discovered eBay in the early 2000's, you could buy MIM fender necks & bodies for $150 easily. MIA stuff was $250 to $300
I bought a sh1t-ton of stuff from that Stratosphere place back in the day. Now their prices are nothing short of insane.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

I've had experience with some of their necks though it was many years ago. All fine with the exception of one that had the nut slut in the wrong place(!) making the gap between the nut and first fret too wide by the width of the nut- the front edge was where the back edge should be. Weird for sure. I'm sure they're all done on a CNC these days and that doesn't happen.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Lincoln said:


> You USED to be able to buy new genuine Fender necks (MIM) for a good price on Amazon. That came to an end. They doubled in price. Great necks though


They still pop up on sale for 300 bucks (give or take) from time to time. It just depends if the one on sale is what you're looking for.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Theres a guy in mississauga who always has fender bodies and necks for sale, it seems (facebook groups).


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Okay Player said:


> They still pop up on sale for 300 bucks (give or take) from time to time. It just depends if the one on sale is what you're looking for.


I always bought the vintage tele necks with truss rod in the heel, and 7-1/2" radius. They used to be just under $300.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Lincoln said:


> I always bought the vintage tele necks with truss rod in the heel, and 7-1/2" radius. They used to be just under $300.


They've got a maple soft v strat neck for $330 right now.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

These days people want $400 and more for USED necks. If this neck with ebony on maple is a nice one.....


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Allparts necks can be had on ebay and reverb for a good price. Most are not fancy but are made in Japan to a high standard. I sometimes buy the unfinished fat ones and shape them to my liking- $129US usually- around 230cdn by the time you have it in hand.


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## hondamatic (Feb 5, 2019)

The ones that intrigue me are the Solo Pro necks, MIJ, with unshaped paddles... for about Mighty Mite price.
Has anyone tried one?
It's a bummer they have heel truss rod adjustment, but other than that they seem sweet.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

hondamatic said:


> The ones that intrigue me are the Solo Pro necks, MIJ, with unshaped paddles... for about Mighty Mite price.
> Has anyone tried one?
> It's a bummer they have heel truss rod adjustment, but other than that they seem sweet.



I just sent one of those to my set up guy.

I'll let you know in a week or so.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Ok, super fast delivery. It was here waiting for me when I returned from a little business trip just now.

It is as advertised, a Mighty Mite neck 22 frets, ebony on maple. It's straight and flat.

Only one small issue which is at least correctable, if a bit surprising. The fret sprout on this sucker is so bad as to actually be visible to the naked eye (my photographic skills notwithstanding).

I can fix that obviously. Must have dried out pretty good on that boat ride from Indonesia.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Hmm, it looks like it has a split in the wood- right at the contour. Maybe it's the light? Seems clear on both pictures of the back of the neck.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

zztomato said:


> Hmm, it looks like it has a split in the wood- right at the contour. Maybe it's the light? Seems clear on both pictures of the back of the neck.



LOL, good eye.

I took a little 1800 grit to see if it was just grubby. Nope. Looks like it may have been glued.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> LOL, good eye.
> 
> I took a little 1800 grit to see if it was just grubby. Nope. Looks like it may have been glued.
> 
> View attachment 354894


Someone in QC needs a slap. Hopefully it doesn't open up over time. I'd be tempted to send it back though. Ultimately I think any split that is not fully sealed will impact sustain.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

zztomato said:


> Someone in QC needs a slap. Hopefully it doesn't open up over time. I'd be tempted to send it back though. Ultimately I think any split that is not fully sealed will impact sustain.



Oh it's going back alright, LOL.

No way will I put that on a guitar. The fret sprout I can fix. Even that crack, properly sealed....maybe, but it's brand new.

Two significant defects (maybe one really) = fail.

Now, I look at this as an opportunity for their customer service department to impress me.

I'm happy to accept a replacement even if I have to wait a few weeks, but hopefully one that doesn't have four inch frets on a three inch neck.

They offer to send me a replacement and it doesn't cost me any more....we're good.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

yeah, they make those necks in Indonesia where it's humid year round and then send them to Canada in the winter. Bound to have problems.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

zztomato said:


> yeah, they make those necks in Indonesia where it's humid year round and then send them to Canada in the winter. Bound to have problems.


Yup, I'm not really upset about it. It happens. How they react matters.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I didn't want to rain on all the positivity in here earlier on but this is exactly what I expected from Solo. one of the guys I played with a few years ago started buying B-stock from Solo to get a some practice in on finishing and assembling guitars. what showed up often looked and felt exactly like this. unfortunate


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

And, big thumbs up to Solo Guitars so far. That's how it's supposed to work.



Edit,

You know, with one guy, you'll want to reach through the computer and choke the living shit out of him, and then there's a guy like I just dealt with (Cheers Padraig) and you're almost glad it happened, LOL.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Ordered this one as a replacement and my contact at Solo will personally check it out before it ships.

The way I see it, even with the return, I'll still have a new neck quicker than most vendors could have shipped one in the first place.

Pretty cool.



https://www.solomusicgear.com/product/mighty-mite-mm2925-m-strat-style-22-fret-birdseye-maple-neck/


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Awesome to see that they are taking care of it.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Budda said:


> Awesome to see that they are taking care of it.


Me too, thanks.

I've sat through a few seminars on customer service and one thing they always tell you is that you should view any complaint as an opportunity.

For every person that will take the time to complain, two or three others may quietly go elsewhere. You don't necessarily know about those but you sure as hell feel them

It's in that vein.

So, resolve a negative into a positive and instead of me telling everybody who would listen what crap I received, instead I'm going to be a strong supporter and word of mouth....


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

While I was at it I ordered this kit. I figure even if all I get is a straight neck and an unfinished body for that price it's worth it to see.

The bridge and pickups will most likely be used for parts. I'll spend to get a good bridge and pickups, but wow, worth a look.



https://www.solomusicgear.com/product/solo-jem-style-diy-guitar-kit-basswood-body-maple-neck-vine-inlay/


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Ok, to close the loop, I received the new neck today from Solo. The one I returned was no longer in stock so I opted for a Birdseye maple on maple Mighty Mite they had in stock.

Now maybe this is a little bit of a squeaky wheel scenario, but hell, this neck arrived in much better condition. My contact personally dressed the fret edges and no doubt inspected the neck carefully.

I mean, this is a really nice neck for a reasonable cost.

I call that good service.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

hopefully this one works out


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Their Jazz Bass necks are still not in. So much for a winter project.....


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

ZeroGravity said:


> Their Jazz Bass necks are still not in. So much for a winter project.....


The global supply chain is in tatters. Talk to people working in the cycling industry about keeping stock in their stores.

Same thing here. If it's not in stock, I'd think twice if you're in any kind of a hurry.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

So how's that neck feel?? I want to order one, but they don't seem to have stock on anything too "chunky". 

What were your desired specs??


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

SWLABR said:


> So how's that neck feel?? I want to order one, but they don't seem to have stock on anything too "chunky".
> 
> What were your desired specs??



Well, my desired specs were a straight neck with decent fretwork. I'm not sure what the radius is, but that should be available for me to look up on their site.

As I mentioned, this one was looked at carefully and it shows. It almost feels like the edges were rolled. Certainly the fret edges were nicely dressed. It feels super smooth in my hand.

It will be a few weeks before it gets married to the body so I won't know how it plays for a little bit.

It has a beautiful grain. Looks great so far.

Edit:

Here are the basic specs:


C shaped Birdseye Maple Neck with Merbau “skunk” stripe
Maple fingerboard with 9.5″ radius
22 Jumbo – 2.9 mm — Nickel frets
Abalone Dots
42mm or 1-5/8″ installed PPS nut
Heel size approximately: 2 11/64″ wide by 3″ high and 5/8″ deep
Tuner Hole Size: 10mm
Single-adjust at headstock
Satin, Thin Polyurethane Oil Based finish
Licensed by Fender®


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Milkman said:


> The global supply chain is in tatters. Talk to people working in the cycling industry about keeping stock in their stores.
> 
> Same thing here. If it's not in stock, I'd think twice if you're in any kind of a hurry.


 Painfully aware of that too. I've have been looking for almost a year for an unpaved road capable gravel or cyclocross bike for my son who is built like a 6'3" spider monkey. Unless you want to spend big bucks on a $5K Cervelo, 3T or Open U.P. a 58-60cm sized bike is a very rare commodity and if one comes up it is either way overpriced or gone in sixty seconds.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

ZeroGravity said:


> Their Jazz Bass necks are still not in. So much for a winter project.....


Spring soon, so maybe next winter?


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

ZeroGravity said:


> Their Jazz Bass necks are still not in. So much for a winter project.....


J-Bass neck in Canada


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> J-Bass neck in Canada


3 in stock.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm sorry to say it, but these days more than ever I look carefully at stock levels, lead times and points of origin pretty carefully before ordering anything.

On hand inventory is powerful medicine now more than ever.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

In case anyone is looking, I just got an email that Solo has a bunch of restock in, including the Jazz Bass neck I was interested earlier, but time/interest has run out.


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## VHTO (Feb 19, 2016)

I’ve used two Solo Strat necks - one maple, one engineered rosewood. I no longer have the maple neck, but the rosewood one is with a family member and has held up well.
I also ‘ebonized’ the rosewood with India ink and stained the neck to match the body I was building. No complaints for $79 or so.
If you are going to put your own finish on the neck you will need to sand off the sealer it comes with.
As for the Mighty-Mite necks, they are a good value and I’ve never had a bad one. If you prefer a slimmer profile then go for it.


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