Neck Swap Question

[eddy8dynamite]

Greetings All - looking for some sage advice here.
I have two ASAT's that I'd like to swap the necks between. One of the necks is a hair wider than the other, and doesn't quit fit into the body of the other. If I really want to put it on, would I be wiser to sand down the neck or the sides of the body pocket?

Thanks,
Ken

[NickHorne]

I would resist the temptation, without any doubt!

If one fit needs easing, the other one must surely be loose, and more prone to moving about from jolts in transit etc.

And there is a very real risk of chipping off a chunk of finish almost anywhere on the body around the pocket. G&L's finishes are hard, which is great in most ways, but can chip in chunks if you're unlucky when making mods etc. I have very slightly eased necks in the past, though only on nitro finishes which are relatively elastic and fixable. I used a small cabinet scraper on one side of the pocket (just to get the neck to angle over a tiny bit more to one side), going VERY slowly and gently. I'm not sure how you could get a straight, flat edge with sandpaper.

Sanding the neck will look pretty bad unless it's done really well AND you get lucky matching the finish.

But I can't over-emphasise how large the risk is of a very sad accident; you really could be left looking at your great Asats and thinking "if only..."
And a good-as-new fix to a chipped body finish may not be straightforward, or even possible.

Lots of guitar stuff is fairly safe learn-as-you-go DIY if you're sensible, but I really don't think this is, unless the body is a bit relic'd in use and you don't mind risking a bit more...

And that other guitar will be a loose fit too.

The old risk / reward ratio doesn't work out, to my mind!

[eddy8dynamite]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not to too inclined to make any permanent modifications, but when looking at the tolerances, it seemed like a small change - 2.226 mm on the neck, 2.219 mm on the body. However, in real life it looks like more than a smidge...