Guitar Neck Shootout: Fender vs Squier vs Mighty Mite
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- I happen to have three stratocaster guitar necks that were not attached to necks, so I thought I would do a comparison video of the three of them. One is a MIM Fender, one is a Squier and the other is an older Mighty Mite. All three necks have been used. I compare the; Fretboard, fret ends, inlays, nut, tuner holes, heel joint, finish and overall feel. You may be supersized from the conclusion I came to.
It was a little hard to be sure with the glare, but I got it right the very first time out! Awesome!
That’s the older affinity Squier. The older “by Fender” below the Squier logo was printed as by FENDER in letters until 2002. In 2002 and beyond, the Squier by Fender logo had the “by Fender” part with the official Fender cursive logo. The serial number layout in the back of the headstock did not include the Fender logo, so that’s the old school Squier. FYI, I was able to read the serial number and it was made in 2001.
Thanks for this video. It helped inform my guitar build decisions.
One thing I wanted to mention - Fender necks/guitars tend to have better resale value, regardless of how well they play compared with non-Fender brands.
Just fitted a Mighty Mite neck to my Strat . . . Love it. Thanks for the vid dude.
He should have compared them new. I got a mighty Mite. While it was straight and well constructed, the frets were terrible. It got it with jumbo frets, but they decided to throw a regular size fret at 20 just to make it interesting.
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out, but the rear shaping of the neck can distort the apparent thickness of the fret board. If the shaping stops below the fret board, and the neck then has the sides of the fret board at right angles to the plane of the fret board, if the fret board fret board thickness is constant then that is how it will appear. If the back profile of the neck continues around into the edge of fret board, then as the neck tapers, the fret board will appear to get thicker towards the nut.
The biggest problem I have found with various necks is whether or not all the frets are fully seated so the two shoulders of the fret are in firm contact with the fret board along the entire length of the fret. It is very common to find frets that have not been fully hammered/pressed into the slot, or frets which are loose and spring up at the ends. Particularly on after market necks. Necks made as part of an instrument to be sold as a complete guitar may have better fretting because the thing has to be set up and played before being shipped. Even then, if the guitars are set up with a high action out of the factory there may still be poorly seated frets. If frets are not properly seated it doesn't matter how much levelling, crowning or end polishing you do, you won't get a great playing neck.
Yes, the metal plug is for neck tilt adjustment. I think the screw that does the adjusting would chew up the wood.
Thank you again for such a clear and concise video dude. I have been looking for a rosewood strat neck, but I didn't know which brand to go with, Mighty Mite or Warmoth. You have just made my mind up for me.
Mighty Mite it is. Thank you again.
The fretboard being thinner closer to the body, on the Mexican, is a intentional design for more expensive instruments. It allows the guitar to be set up with a perfectly straight neck, and each fret is slightly lower than the previous threat causing the string to clear the Fret when oscillating from being strummed
Oh. I thought it was to compensate for the increasing neck width.
@@zfm1097 right on. I was talking front to back thickness. Not width
The chip out on the Squire neck has less to do with the quality of the wood, it’s the sharpness of the drill bit they used.
Flat frets is not an indication of leveling. After leveling the frets get crowned. If the frets look flat it's either a wide crown or fret wear.
22 frets gave it away to any strat player, best comparison I have seen for strat style necks !
A lot of cork sniffer guitarists turn their noses up at Mighty Mites because they don't have the fender logo on them, but in reality they're great quality necks, the 1 I got had a nice satin finish. I bought it brand new for around £100 for a tele build and it's better than the Warmoth neck I looked at that was around double the price. The only thing I had to do with the Mighty Mite was replace the plastic nut for about £7-8.
I like the Mighty Mite one piece maple necks. I have one with jumbo frets and it plays really nice. All it needed was a Tusq nut and a thin coat of Tru Oil. I actually put on more coats of the stuff that I would have liked, so I knock it down with a little steel wool every time I change the strings, hopefully it will get that raw maple feel after a while.
squared off frets is probably due to the neck being played so fret wear , if you take the time to level the frets you would normaly use a fret file to round them off again.
i am yet to see a guitar new with squared off frets.
The steel button is for the Micro-Tilt adjuster....which is not a feature on most MIM Fenders.
Kennis Russell I was thinking the same thing. I've never seen a micro tilt on a Mexican fender. Is it an older model? It's a feature they only use on most American models. My fender USA special telecaster doesn't have the micro tilt. To be honest. I've never met a person who's actually used the tilt. I've played around with it while setting up clients guitars and it's an interesting idea. Seems to take some time to get right. Very interesting seeing one on a Mexican neck.
Kennis Russell My Dave Murray signature Strat (MiM) has the micro-tilt.
Russell Wiggins it was probably off the plate would have the hole as he said off guitars. They might have covered it as a colour reject from USA shop. Lol
It’s the end of the truss rod!
The " steel button is NOT for the Micro-Tilt adjuster" it is the end of the truss rod.The round plate for a Micro-tilt is much larger... www.google.ca/search?q=micro+tilt+adjustment&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji9ZWx7p7ZAhWCk1kKHUWZAMwQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=539#imgrc=Iosww7N5muQ61M:
I have recently purchased a mighty mire rosewood fretboard strat neck. Quality seems good but the rosewood is not thick anymore like the one shown in the video.
I think there are new import rules on rosewood due to Indian export regulations. If interested look into the Hatch Act
Fret levelling without re-crowning is not good!
Gibson fretless wonders play and intimate perfectly, level frets with no crown only detailing and polishing, overcrowding a fret weakens it's structural integrity, things top making wear and grooving more prone
My Warmoth neck is the best neck I've ever played.
Thanks you for having an answer, science or not!
very impartial as far as possible. thanks.
I hate to be critical and often do not leave comments if they aren't kind but people believe RUclips videos and often think posters are people "in the know"
The neck is the most important part of a guitar weather you are a beginner or a pro.
There is nothing wrong with buying cheap guitars. I have a bunch of them. If you are looking for a replacement neck, generally it is because you want to keep the guitar. There is not much point in replacing a neck that wore out after only a couple of years for another one that is just as bad. The Fender shown here has been played, obviously for many years and it still has some life left in it. You can't do that with either of these other two necks because the soft fret wire will wear out long before that time, leaving you in need of a third neck or a very expensive refret.
Do some research before you buy. There are good "licensed" necks out there like Warmoth or even All Parts. They cost a bit more but they don't end up being wall art.
Awesome review!!! I need some Mighty Mite in my lyfe
Ahhh, but you didn't put tape on the back of the Fender neck heel and the Mighty Mite has 22 frets.
The larger head was not actually. I have a 60's strat that Gary lewis played and signed to me that has the old larger head prior to Leo selling the company.
Russell Wiggins * I didn't even notice that, I was just going off of head stocks.
Number 3 is Mighty mite. And they are some of my favourite necks.
That MIM is the Fender Micro Tilt adjustment feature. Not all fender guitars have this feature.
I knew which was which at 1:00. :-) Must be almost 50 yrs. around electric guitars. Thank You, really enjoyed it!
A shoot out is a term used to describe comparable items, to see which is better. Since they are used, you have no idea which is 'better'. But, you do show they interesting differences.
I knew right away the fat one was the affinity strat. I recognize them at first glance now, they're so pale and the finish is very unique to the affinity
The metal bushing at the heal is dual purpose. It CAN act as a point for the micro tilt found on some guitars, but more importantly what it IS on nearly all modern Fender necks is simply the nut that the truss rod screws into at the heal
No comments about Squier fast action thin neck? For me it is one of most important advantages in comparison to many almost beisbol bat feel strat necks... I find Squier thin necks specially good for neo classic fast runs... IMHO
Judging fret edges is only relevant on NEW necks. fingerboards shrink and expand over time.. it depends on weather
Depends on the quality of drying process as well, if fingerboard is not dry enough it will dry faster to the point when frets are sharp.
None of my old necks have bad fret edges.. while I've seen many new squires who had horrid fret work.
Usually, on a new neck, the wood shrinks because of the difference in humidity. The summers are hot and humid where I live. But in the winter, when it's cold and dry, I usually have to get my fret file out and trim some fret sprout. But, once I do this the first winter, I'll never have to do it again. I do have to adjust relief every season change though.
My experience: I love Indonesian Squier Bullet Strat necks. They are thin and fast. Those that can do the work just need to correct fret sprout, level, crown and polish and they are wicked. Good tuners will help any Strat neck. I like Fender locking tuners on all my six in line necks.
I was doing some trading a few years back, and the guy had a partscaster with a crappy plywood body. But, when I looked at the neck, I could just see and feel the quality. No name on the headstock. I thought it was a Warmoth. When I got home I found it was a Mighty Mite. I chucked the body in the trash. I did have to drill and fill the existing holes with glued in hard wood dowels. Then, I put it on a Fender body that I had from another deal and it is one of my favorite players. Very nice neck. Nice wood, nice fretwork. If the quality is still the same, I would buy another.I
The Mighty Mite neck he showed wasn't fret leveled because the tops of some frets were flat. They were just used and worn. The previous owner probably did a lot of bending. When you do a fret level, you don't leave the frets flattened off like that. You have to re-crown and polish them.
those affinity necks are goddamn amazing
you should have put tape on the holes on the headstock
Exactly . Different string tree layouts tell their own story
My Afimity Squier had the smaller diameter tuner holes because when I upgraded the tuners I had to ream them larger.
Thanks for doing this video! Great info.
for what you would pay for either of the other 2 you could get the whole Squier guitar lol. but I have to agree from here the mighty mite neck looks best.and yes that metal slug in the Mexico neck is for the tilt adjustment .
Just me guessing before the reveal, 1 is the Squier (becuz of the oversized head stock), 2 is the Fender (becuz of the truss rod port in the pocket area, which might even be an adjusting system like the 3 bolt 1970's Fender necks had on them) & 3 is the Mighty Mite (becuz the pocket area of the neck looked like an authorized licensed neck, really looked newer too, like a replacement neck).
Thanks for vdo I’ve been looking for this info.
Really good review, thanks.
The Mighty Mite was the only one with 22 frets and the fret inlays on the MIM look like chalk or dried tooth paste so that was easy. The Squire was the one left over.
will install a 22 fret neck alter anything on a guitar that had a 21? Come to think of it, there is some space between the neck pup and the fretboard so...
The 22 fret neck fits into the pocket the same way. If you look closely you will notice the 22nd fret overhangs the heel.
Mighty mite All the way, and Indonesia made squiers use mighty mite necks, mighty mite is located in the Court factory in Indonesia where squier bullet's, Sonic, and other squier models are made.. had a mim telecaster horrible frets and inconsistent thickness of fretboard, my squier bullet and Sonic almost perfect fretwork and consistent fretboard thickness...
矢指でね。。the squier headstock is very easy to spot. it's headstock is wider . i.e. at the "S" letter area. its curve is also wider at that area.
I appreciate you making this video I think it helped me make a decision. Just a word of advice - if you do more of these it might be a good idea to do a little research beforehand, it’s a click away this day in age. Ex: flat tops is not good because they will need to be crowned if you want to intonate. Fret sprout on a used Mexican is common but generally with the more you pay the more time that has been put into drying the wood properly. A used Mexican may have slight sprout but it’s easily correctable and probably won’t resurface. A Squier can feel fine day one but in 6 months could be almost unplayable
great comment, but you don't seem to actually know what youre talking about. "crowning frets", has nothing to do with the "intonation" of a guitar. so please do your own research before giving advice, on something you seem to not know about.
@@heres2ya flat fret tops *do* actually change the “take off” point of any fret (nudged towards the headstock the flatter/less-crowned any given fret is) and thus DOES affect intonation and that is a 100% fact
I am not into squire head stock shape.
Awesome video Ken :):)
That was just an awful way of checking fret leveling, but an okay way of seeing how much life is left on each neck. And the Squier wins since it had the least.
Most modern guitars have a very slight curve (side to side) to the frets. What you definitely do NOT want is for your frets to be leveled flat across. Much older guitars had flat faces, so that flatness would be desired for those; and the few modern ones still sporting a flat face. That would still not be what fret leveling is trying to measure.
You DO want them level in relation to each other along the path of each string, and that would take a straight edge, or at least to look at your frets from end to end: either the headstock to the bridge or vise versa. You can see if your frets are leveled from the side, but only if your guitar is strung and you can use the taut string as a straight edge, or you used an actual straightedge as mentioned before.
The best frets would be completely level in relation to each other with very minimal sanding needed shown, if any. Since this is something that may need to be done from time to time (very rarely), the more sanding your frets have gone through means the less life those frets have left. From what we saw, the Fender and most definitely the Mighty Mite require a lot of sanding on their outer edges to reshape their frets to have the proper curvature across each individual fret, and then a straightedge placed along all the frets to see if they are level with each other, or if not, which of the individual frets needed sanding to bring them in line with the height of their neighbors, i.e. fret leveling.
I have an 07 American Standard that does have the Micro tilt adjustment. I have seen some Japanese Fenders that have it, but never a mexican.
thanks for the vid
Good video but you forgot to cover the peg holes in the back of the headstock. The locations of the mounting screws or lack thereof gave it away
My MIM Telecaster has a much smaller feeling nect than any I've felt in stores. I have had work done on it, (string through body, Seymour Duncan PUPs, capacitors clipped. etc.) It definitely beats my Squier Custom Tele. But that's ALL my feel!
I only knew number 2 because it's my favorite of my guitars
These videos are helpful
3:40 SlAm! Bang! PoW! love it lol
Question for you and your opinion would a mighty mite neck go on a Squier telecaster body without much trouble? What should I expect to change?
Note the Mighty Mite is 22 fret vs the 21s of the others!
I got all 3 correct
Subbed - great show
It wasn't that hard to figure them out
Never use toothpick or skewers, cut plugs in same grain from same species.. use hide glue to install, cause yellow glues are soft.. hide dries hard and firm..best for tone and holding a new hole.
Kennis Russell, Thanks for the vid man. Could I shop around for a used squier without worrying if a fender neck would fit? I want to get a squier, and change the neck and pickups.
Kennis Russell, You're the man. Thanks.
I could tell the Mighty Mite because of the screw holes for the tuners
.
The jumbo headstock is the squier I can tell from the getgo. Blake Shelton is doing some pretty desperate things to supplement income these days Gwen Stefani must have expensive taste...
Quick question, so I noticed the mighty might has that Overhang by the high frets. Do they make them without those? I have a strat that I'd love to replace the neck on but all I see are ones with the overhang.
Wow... never looked much into simple detail, but I have played on all three types of these necks and prefer the Mexican in a satin finish. The squire feels cheap. MIM is in between for me.
I just got a £120 Squier Bullet guitar to tinker on until I save for another expensive one. (I keep selling them all when times get tuff🤪)
No joke, but it’s the best feeling neck I’ve ever owned. Play’s incredible! Tuning when using the trem is 💩 and the pickups are a little crappy, but how it feels is incredible.
Plays MUCH than my last guitar, that was a Fender 1960’s modified vintera.
Agree.. I've been trying to find a Fender strat that plays as good as my 2003 squire with no results.. I discovered that in early 2000's Squier Director decided to introduce "fast action" thinner necks totally different than any available Fender neck and more like modern shredding guitars... And I find it great... Even I have read that Malmsteen really uses more like D shape thin necks and not like the standard signature model which is available with C shape necks
@@juancarlosprevostzarate7077 Yeah, my Squier Bullet does have quite a thin neck for sure and a thin body, that I quite like.
The frets are cut perfectly and with even height, so there’s zero fret buzz. I just added a bit of lubricant to the string contact points and it stays in tune with heavy trem use.
I’ve just got a JV vintage 60’s modified (the new made in Japan one) and it’s awesome. It cost me over £1000. But I wouldn’t say it’s that much better “playability wise.”
In fact their about the same, just in different ways. Obviously the hardware, wood and construction is much better on the JV, but the Squier still holds it’s own for £120.
I still play both 😆🎸
@@jazznotes3802 understand exactly what you mean.. my bullet is 2003 and has thin neck and thin body which I like as it is very light.. my other guitars are a Jackson Chris Broderick with Floyd and custom Dimarzios and a Dean Mustaine... But it's been months that I only play my squier... So pleasing to play and the standard single coils sound also very good... Strange but true...
@@juancarlosprevostzarate7077 My Squier has cheap “ceramic pickups,” giving it a slightly fuller sound than a traditional stat, but for me that’s good. (As I play mostly rock)
Tomorrow I’ll be fitting the “YJM Fury Loaded Pickguard” into my JV Strat, (as I’m not into the stock bright sounding vintage pickups) they’re “stacked humbuckers” but with the same single coil magnetic window. Basically a slightly hotter and rounder/fuller sound, with plenty of lower mids and they’re noiseless, so no more hummmmmm.
@@jazznotes3802 Will sound great with those noiseless fury pickups... Good luck with that and your comments on the results will be more than welcome... I would like to buy a Fender that is as comfortable to play as my 2003 Squier, because since several years I am only using thin neck guitars mostly for metal... My next step is to have either a Fender or a Squire scalloped and with HS-3 or Fury pickups, but It must be a thin neck guitar... that is most important thing for me and I am not sure if any Fender model will be useful for me... I am not exactly an exclusive Fender guy but mostly metal and neoclassical oriented...Good luck with your JV...
I really enjoyed this and will subscribe
But get a better camera please
i got em all right!
Where the heck can I get a fat maple neck? Like on Robin Trowers Strat!
cant order rosewood to australia. sigh. Will be a while until i get my next guitar.
the key to a neck is Neck Heel width. what is the width on the Squier? I know the cut is different than on a Telecaster. I just need the width of the Heel. Starts @ 11:45
* I am 1:25 in to the VIDEO and I can tell you this fee experience that #1 is the squier number 2 is the made in Mexico and #3 is the mighty meet ... now continue the video and see if I'm right or wrong. I will be very surprised if I'm wrong.
* yeahhh I was right... like always.😉
lol! given the mim is very likely a MIA which has constructed in Mexico (shows how poor the quality fell on Fender for a while, Gibson has been going through the same quality issues recently).
Kennis Russell, Fender and Squire are in their stride quality wise at moment
I'm not fan of the Fender noiseless pickups over the previous versions (oddly fitted in the Mim's and squire classic's)
But the MIA necks are better, not £1k worth better though
(I spent a fair bit time holding each version to find the sweet spot, for my tastes, the Mim standard maple varnished fret board and velvet rear Neck, was near enough).
The squire uses the bigger headstock no?
But this isn't very accurate because like you said they were all used before you got them you have to take in consideration the way it was treated beginner thrown in a corner or in a case , how much play and hours it has in the neck and frets how old it actually is the humidity of the original owners location and even style of music a heaven metal player might wear it out some frets lot sooner above the 12 th fret say to a beginner that was just strumming choreds or a guy who was going 3 chords on punk songs lead player or rhythm they all have to be taken in to account or should have been done brand new from factory but it still gives an ok what you might find on used necks but you can't say one is better than the other I've played squire bullets that luthiers own and they play better than my American strat
Just saying
The two strings tree gives the squier away... Affinity lol
The mighty mite has 22 frets!!!! Thanks for introducing me to them!
I have a 06 highway one and it dos not have a microtilt adjuster
from the research I've done most of the mim necks are made in USA and shipped to the Mexican factory ?
Is this just an ad for mighty mite? I’ll stick to OEM and Warmoth necks thanks.
1 is squire 2 is fender and 3 is mighty mite
How about headstocks Paul Reed Smith vs. Music Man
I quessed all three right! :)
Those are all made from flat sawn lumber. Quarter sawn necks are far better for strength and resistance to bowing.
It's not a very fair comparison if they are used or second hand necks.
the microtilt button could be an early mexican strat,?? the first strats where made in the us and then shipped to mexico for assembly !!!!then prodution was transfered to mexico
one thing I like to pay most attention to doe's the truss rod work
Flat top frets are not good... Squire wins there.. not the others because they got ‘leveled’... if they got flattened, they need dressing to round them back up.
Can you make one about different stratocasters? I mean most regular fenders or squiers, are the bodies exactly the same shape?
Sometimes I see different bodies, some more stylized than others, some stratos with horns slightly better or more refined/modern in shape, others with shorter horns, less curves that seem to belong to the 50's.
Somebody told me, dont be silly, all stratocasters fenders and squiers have exactly the same body, every inch the same!.
The difference between fender and squier bodies is that squier guitars have thinner bodies, but only a few mm.
The squier bullet and affinity have pretty noticeably thinner bodies than a normal strat. The squier classic vibe has the rounded off contours to mimic a vintage style, although i've never seen a vintage style strat with contours rounded off as much as the classic vibe.
Let me make my point. Just compare these 2, the first one has too thick horns and is like a fat guitar, overweight. I would not buy.
shop.guitarpoint.de/media/images/popup/Fender78StratOWRW_S892440_2q.jpg
And this one is totally stilyzed, like a fit guitar which does exercise and keeps its body in shape. I would buy this guitar only for the body shape.
images.reverb.com/image/upload/v1481046541/vospa4bljejd1eisq32d.png
img.yapo.cl/images/01/0146756886.jpg
It depends on the year it was made too. From the late 1970's to late 1990's, strat bodies became really bulky and squared off compared to the 50s and 60's versions. Strats from the 2000's on went back to the more rounded style.
Why no writing on the back of the MIM neck? The MIM neck looks like a piece of junk!
facts
I have a Squire Affinity Strat and it has the thinnest neck I've ever seen. I hate it. My American Standard Strat has a really great neck. I want a warmoth when I can afford it.
In early 2000's Squier Director decided to release fast action thin necks which I find extremely confortable for neo classic fast runs in comparison to thicker necks in most Fenders, which I find great for more bluesy playing style...
Based on radius of the fretboard, it would appear thinner at the heel because it is wider. That’s just normal geometry.
1 is a squire 2 is a made in Mexico 3 is midy majasty
7:22
Remind me to never ask you for dimensions using calipers. Everything will be 1" over size. Kick your decimal point 1 to the left when you read anything below 1"
Uh, Allparts? Warmoth?
Warmoth
I knew #1 wasn't Fender, because Fenders only have one string tree.
String tree holes, fret numbers gave it away -
Fender is going the same way as Gibson sadly.
number of frets is different!
1 is squier 2 is USA 3 is mighty might. squier has 2 string trees USA generally 1 and new mighty might 0
I got all the numbers right lmao!
Me too. The 22 frets tipped me off.
Mighty mite has an extra fret.. is the scale length different?
It's just an overhang.