Ordering a new neck

[Muleya]

I’ve been thinking of getting a new neck for my 2011 Legacy HB. Partly because I didn’t put enough thought into the one I went with when I ordered it. I have a 1998 Legacy I purchased used and really liked the neck and wrongly assumed it was just a standard G&L neck. So I ordered my 2011 with the Classic C, but soon realized that is NOT the neck on my 1998, which is a bit thicker (not sure which one it is...it is none of the ones listed on the G&L website...its basically a thicker version of the Classic C). Anyway, in the past couple of years I’ve picked up a Gibson Les Paul and PRS that both have wider necks, and really like them. So when I saw the new G&L Modern Classic, at 1 11/16ths wide, I became intrigued. It’s actually a bit thinner than the Classic C, but I think that might be okay with the greater width.

So my question...I’d love to get some pricing options for a new neck and the local dealer who I used to order the 2011 is no longer a G&L dealer. Can I deal directly with G&L for this, or do I need to find an online dealer to get this information?

Thanks,
Jonathan

[Craig]

I’ve been thinking of getting a new neck for my 2011 Legacy HB. Partly because I didn’t put enough thought into the one I went with when I ordered it. I have a 1998 Legacy I purchased used and really liked the neck and wrongly assumed it was just a standard G&L neck. So I ordered my 2011 with the Classic C, but soon realized that is NOT the neck on my 1998, which is a bit thicker (not sure which one it is...it is none of the ones listed on the G&L website...its basically a thicker version of the Classic C). Anyway, in the past couple of years I’ve picked up a Gibson Les Paul and PRS that both have wider necks, and really like them. So when I saw the new G&L Modern Classic, at 1 11/16ths wide, I became intrigued. It’s actually a bit thinner than the Classic C, but I think that might be okay with the greater width.

So my question...I’d love to get some pricing options for a new neck and the local dealer who I used to order the 2011 is no longer a G&L dealer. Can I deal directly with G&L for this, or do I need to find an online dealer to get this information?

Thanks,
Jonathan

AFAIK, G&L does not offer replacements except under warranty. However, you might contact G&L Customer Support. Here's the link: G&L PRODUCT SUPPORT.

PS I really like the Modern Classic neck since I got it with my ASAT Classic Bluesboy 90 snd my Doheny.

IF you contact them, please let us know what they say.

[Tooslowhand]

I don't know what Fender does, but I always found that policy odd. There's a serial number issue, and I understand they don't want people building fake G&L guitars, but if the owner was willing to send in the original neck, what is the harm? It's even a bigger issue when someone has a neck break on their instrument and they can't get it properly repaired. Every once in a while a neck shows up in their on-line store which even further confuses things.

[DanDoulogos]

I don't know what Fender does, but I always found that policy odd. There's a serial number issue, and I understand they don't want people building fake G&L guitars, but if the owner was willing to send in the original neck, what is the harm? It's even a bigger issue when someone has a neck break on their instrument and they can't get it properly repaired. Every once in a while a neck shows up in their on-line store which even further confuses things.

I love my G&L guitars more than I love my Fender guitars. They're just better designed and built. It irks me therefore that ordering a brand new replacement neck for any of my Fender guitars is a trivial matter, but trying to find a neck for an older G&L guitar is an exercise in frustration and disappointment.

G&L's online aftermarket looks more like an odds and ends bin. They really should license someone to make quality replacement necks, and look after their online aftermarket presence. Let the market decide what needs to be in the store, and not the overstock bin.

[Fumble fingers]

I would ask your G&L Dealer , I had a neck replaced out of warranty on a 2000 Comanche and its was pricey with stainless frets but it is sweet and I didn't change size or anything


That said I have most of G&L neck sizes from Leo era thin necks , quite a few modern Classic ,one Classic C+ (very Large baseball bat ) and one 1986 Rampage with the old #4 neck that's real wide 1 3/4 nut but thin neck along with a LP copy and a Kiesel with Gibby scale and can play them all effortlessly and all of then feel right at home , but it took some time playing them all enough to get comfortable , myself the more variety you have and can play to get used to the better off you will be ..... **** Because you never know when the guitar player at the Show might break his wrist in between sets and YOU are forced on stage to play Slash's 59 Les Paul **** lol ... and save the day

[Muleya]

I’ll try emailing Product Support and see what they say. The thing I find interesting is that my guitar was one of the first guitars with the metal plate with the serial number, and I remember that Dude from G&L actually stated that one of the reasons they did that was so that if a neck was ever replaced, the plate could be attached to the new neck and keep the same serial number. Does anyone else remember that?

[Craig]

I’ll try emailing Product Support and see what they say. The thing I find interesting is that my guitar was one of the first guitars with the metal plate with the serial number, and I remember that Dude from G&L actually stated that one of the reasons they did that was so that if a neck was ever replaced, the plate could be attached to the new neck and keep the same serial number. Does anyone else remember that?

Yes, see: New Serial Number Plates.

[Muleya]

I heard back from G&L Support today, and they will replace the neck! However, it’s a bit pricier than I was hoping for...$500. I was hoping more like $350, maybe $400. You have to ship the guitar to them and turn around is 6-8 weeks. They take measurements to make sure it fits properly, then do the replacement before sending it back, so I’m sure that is part of the cost. I’m not ruling it out yet, we’ll see.

[Craig]

I heard back from G&L Support today, and they will replace the neck! However, it’s a bit pricier than I was hoping for...$500. I was hoping more like $350, maybe $400. You have to ship the guitar to them and turn around is 6-8 weeks. They take measurements to make sure it fits properly, then do the replacement before sending it back, so I’m sure that is part of the cost. I’m not ruling it out yet, we’ll see.

I had forgotten about this post I had posted at the beginning of the year: Replacement necks from G&L .... Your post confirms that G&L has been offering replacement 4-bolt necks this year.

Did they say you need to ship the complete guitar to them or just the body? If you get to keep the original neck, you can try selling it to
recover some of the cost to get the replacement.

[Aetrox]

So what did you end up doing? Just curious. I inquired about getting a replacement a while back. It was going to be very pricey! Ebony fret board hard rock maple etc. I was hoping to get two guitars with the same neck and this was going to match the specs on the one I really liked. It still is my fav, but I have learned to love them both in their own unique ways! However I will admit that I am ok with G&L not licensing their necks or any other parts. But then again I think of G&L as kind of a large boutique manufacturer rather than a small mass producer. By using this approach they are able to offer lots of customization per order and almost every guitar is actually 'ordered' rather than just boxed up and sent out. Plus this give the company the flexability to do some really cool 'sprint runs' like the 'Black Ice' "monkeypod" and the many other special production runs that have happened over the years. I would really hate to loose that creativity, which I believe is necessary for moral ( read quality control ) and innovation. Plus it is really neat to run across something like a 'Detroit' model and be able to recognize it. For what it is worth.

[Tooslowhand]

I didn't realize they were now agreeing to replace necks. I think the process they appear to be following ensures that it works out for the customer, even if the price is kind of steep. Licensing things for other manufacturers makes if difficult to control what gets produced, and the small number of pieces that would be produced probably isn't worth it for them. I'm happy an owner can get their guitar fixed if necessary.

[Muleya]

After a couple of months of weighing this option I have finally decided to send my Legacy to G&L for the neck replacement. The price is a little steep, especially when shipping across the country is costing me another $125! But it’s still cheaper than a new guitar, and I think it will feel like a new guitar with this neck. The other thing I’ve been telling myself is that it needed to have the frets leveled and dressed anyway, and that would have cost $100...helps me feel a little better about the cost.

I dropped it off at the UPS store this morning. With a week for shipping each way, I’m looking at 8-10 weeks, so it might end up being a Christmas gift to myself!

I'll post again when it’s back...possibly earlier if something interesting comes up during the process.

Right now just praying the shipping part is uneventful!

[Muleya]

G&L emailed yesterday that they received the guitar. They also said they have redesigned the saddles since I bought my guitar...I guess they are brass now...so they are going to replace my saddles with the newer ones! I thought that was pretty cool!

[anteriorl5]

No response from G L about making a neck for my '91 body, so I ordered one from Musikraft. Maple shaft, reclaimed "Brazilian walnut" board in chunky c profile 1 11/16" width. Headstock is "generic" so will have to cut the G L shape myself. $195 + 21.00 shipping.

[Muleya]

So I finally got my guitar back with the neck on it. In the end, I’m quite happy with the new neck, but there were some bumps long the way.

The good first...the neck is really nice. The back is probably the smoothest of any guitar I’ve had, very nice. And the edges are nicely rolled....certainly more so than the original neck on the guitar...very happy with that. At the fret ends are finished very nicely. It’s very comfortable and I like it much better than the original.

The interesting...they gave me a new serial number, which surprised me. they also replaced the plate with a decal, which I’m good with. I asked for a new spec sheet since the serial number changed, and they are going to mail that out to me.

The bumps...first of all, it took over 16 weeks from the time they received my guitar, compared to the 6-8 week time frame I was given. And they never reached out to me to update me. After 10 weeks I emailed them. They did email back in a timely manner and told me another 2-3 weeks. After another 5 weeks I emailed again and was told it was getting finishing touches and would ship out the following week...and it did. I asked for some consideration due to the delay, and they knocked $100 off the price, so in the end I’m okay with all that.

The biggest disappointment was that the neck was not straight when I got it back! I took pictures and emailed them. They emailed back quickly, blaming it on getting jarred around in shipping. I’m not quite sure I buy that....I could not get the neck to budge, even loosening the screws. But over the weekend I took the neck off completely. It still wanted to go back on crooked, but after a few tries, I finally decided to put one screw in and used it as a pivot point to try to get the neck to align more with the neck pocket. It took a fair bit of leverage, but I managed to get it a little straighter. And after playing it a while, I did that again and got it pretty well aligned and parallel to the strings.

They had offered to build another neck and try again, but I think it’s okay now. They did tell me there is a 4 year warranty on the neck,so if I have any issues in the next 4 years,just to let them know.

So in the end, I’m happy with the new neck and feel better about the fact that I paid $400 rather than $500. $400 is still plenty, certainly more than anteriorI5 paid for the Misikraft neck. Would I do a it again? I’m not sure...