-2- Woods: Maple, Rosewood
-3- Frets: Jumbo, Medium Jumbo, Vintage Tall, Narrow Tail
-4- Tuners: Slotted, Locked, Staggered
-5- Skunk Strip: Transition 60’s Optional; Ever after typical

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=1= FENDER MOD SHOP NECKS COMPARED

NO.	STRAT NAME	SHAPE	FRET BOARD	FRET NAME	FRET WxH	Limitations
1	Channel Bound	C – Modern	Rosewood	Medium Jumbo	.103″ x .046″	right hand; rosewood; $50
2	Mahognony	C – Deep	Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.55″	rosewood; $100
3	Maple ’50s – Lacquer	V – Soft	Maple	Vintage Tall	0.083″ x 0.45″	maple; vintage chrome tuner; $150; 21 frets
4	Maple ’60s – Lacquer	C – Thick	Rosewood	Vintage Tall	0.083″ x 0.45″	rosewood; vintage chrome tuner; $150; 21 frets
5	Maple	C to D	Maple Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	none
6	Maple – Reverse Headstock	C – Deep	Maple Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	none
7	Maple	C – Deep	Maple Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	none
8	Maple – Black Headstock	C – Deep	Maple Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	$50
9	Maple- Block Inlays	C – Deep	Maple Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	$50
10	Maple	C – Modern	Maple Rosewood	Jumbo	.110″ x .055″	right hand; CBS headstock
11	Roasted Maple	C – Deep	Maple, Rstd	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	varied & unique; $50
12	Solid Rosewood	C – Deep	Rosewood	Narrow Tall	0.094″ x 0.54″	varied & unique; $200

1.1 Mod Shop Guitar Necks Snapshots- Click to Enlarge

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1.2 Neck Cross Sections: Custom Shop & Mod Shop Necks  – Click to Enlarge

1.3 Pre-CBS and CBS Era Headstocks

A key feature that distinguishes Strats is the two Strat headstocks  from before and after 1965. Prior to 1965, Fender was an independent company, but after that date Fender was absorbed into the CBS conglomerate, which owned a broad range of companies including other musical instruments and their signature Columbia Broadcasting Network for television and radio.

Reportedly, the larger headstock was added after 1965 by CBS to make the guitar more identifiable by its larger headstock. Many collectors consider the CBS era from 1965 to 1985 to be lower ranked guitars with the pre-1965 guitars as the best; the 1985 to the president being second best; and the CBS era 1965 to 1985 to be least desirable. Here is a comparison from gearpage.net.

 

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=2= WOODS
-1- Maple in one solid piece is used for the entire neck.
-2- Rosewood fretboards are overlaid on a maple neck.

The two woods vary by tone and feel.

2.1 Tone

Rosewood:  smoother, warm, balanced mids and highs, complex harmonics, warm, rich tones, leveled, high-end harshness.

Maple: clear, articulate, brighter, tangy, snappy, punchy, lighter in the lows, dipped in the mids, a tighter top end, more reflective sound and zingier high end.

2.2 Feel

Rosewood fretboards are uncoated while the maple fretboards are coated with nitrocellulose or lacquer. Rosewood is a bit rougher allow the strings to bite into the wood while maple is more slippery. The technique to stretch a string to bend notes is different on each fretboard. There is less response on rosewood, but better control while there is more response on maple, but requiring more finesse.

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=3= FRET SIZE

3.1 Fender.com Fret Sizes Explained

The main fret wire maker, California-based Dunlop Manufacturing Inc., produces five main fret sizes. Listed by part number, name (where applicable), crown width and crown height, they are, from smallest to largest:

6230: The smallest fret wire found on older Fender necks (.078″ x .043″).
6150: Vintage jumbo. Much wider but not as tall as 6230 (.102″ x .042″).
6105: Modern narrow and tall; very popular (.090″ x .055″ cited below .094 x .055 below)
6100: Jumbo. The largest fret wire available (.110″ x .055″).
6130: Medium jumbo (106″ x .036″  revised as .103″ x .046)

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3.2 Fender.com Fret Sizes Compared

The numbers used below generally correspond to Dunlop’s fret size numbers; however, actual fret dimensions can vary minutely from lot to lot.

Table 3.2 Fender Fret Sizes Compared

Size Number	Width X Height	Description	Used On
6190	.084″ X .039″	This is one of the smallest fret wires. Typically just called “Vintage Size”.	Vintage style Fender necks. American Original models.
6150	.103″ X .046″	Medium Jumbo. Fender’s most commonly used fret size on our most popular models.	Most modern Fender necks. American Ultra, Player series, Vintera models
6105	.094″ X .054″	Narrow Tall. Used on a number of signature models, and a good choice when vintage frets feel too small.	American Professional, Deluxe, SRV, Roadworn, Highway One Texas Tele and many Custom Shop instruments
6100	.110″ X .055″	“Super Jumbo”. This stuff is really huge.	Yngwie Malmsteen and by request on Custom Shop orders

 

3.3 The Fender Custom Shop Catalog (2020) – Custom Shop Frets 

Custom Shop frets are made from only the highest quality nickel, and can be made in a variety of different heights and thicknesses. Larger frets tend to account for easier string bending. Smaller frets are “true to vintage” in many cases, and facilitate easier chording.
Medium jumbo frets are designed to be the perfect marriage between small vintage frets and modern jumbo frets. (Dunlop Fret Wire parenthetically noted).

-1- W – 0.085” x H – 0.045” = Vintage (45085)
Our smallest wire, slightly larger than Fender’s original wire.

-2- W – 0.095” x H – 0.047” = Medium Vintage (47095)
Slightly lower than 6105.

-3- W – 0.095” x W – 0.055” = Narrow Tall (6105)
Our most popular wire. A good alternative if vintage wire feels too small for you.

-4- W – 0.104” x H – 0.047” = Medium Jumbo (6150)
A popular middle of the road wire, not too wide, not too tall.
Also available in Stainless Steel on Master Built guitars only.

-5-W – 0.110” x H – 0.057” = Jumbo (6100)
Our largest wire that gives an almost scalloped feel.
Also available in Stainless Steel on Master Built guitars only.

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3.4 Fender Support Email #1  and Fender Support Email #2

-1- W – 0.083″ x H – 0.045″ = vintage tall frets
-2- W – 0.094″ x H – 0.054″ = narrow tall frets
-3- W – 0.103″ x H – 0.046″ = medium jumbo frets
-4- W – 0.110″ x H – 0.055″ = jumbo frets

Note: Mexican Strats (MIM) are medium jumbo.

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3.5 Comprehensive Comparison of Fret Wire – lutherie.com

-1- W – 0.078 x H – 0.043″ – Contemporary Martin Guitars
-2- W – 0.080″ x H – 0.037″ – Vintage Martin Guitars
-3- W – 0.110” x H – 0.055” – Gretsch G5420T

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=4= TUNERS

The Fender Mod Shop has three tuner options:

-1- Classicgear Vintage Chrome Tuners with slotted posts
-2- Standard Staggered Tuners with two heights and drilled hole posts
-3- Deluxe Locking Tuners with locking posts

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The tuners are typically illustrated from the headstock’s rear for cosmetic purposes as shown above with the posts obscured. The photos below are selected to show the differences in the posts, which is the structural part which actually tunes the string.

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-4.1- Classicgear are vintage tuners have slotted posts. The tuners can be maddening for the first time and require some getting acquainted. Some people really like them while others debate their benefits.

The end of the string is inserted in the top of the posts and then bent to one side of the slot. The string is then held in place with one hand and tightened with other hand until the string grips the post, no longer requiring the string to be held. Here is a tutorial with links to youtube.com how on how to do use these posts.

Mexican Strat – 2013 – Slotted Tuners Click to enlarge

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–4.2- Deluxe Locking tuners are notched with holes: being smaller at end of the post and then bell out again, allowing the string to be bend and then bind with one turn because the dial on the rear of the post grabs the string. Less  subsequent winding is required.  An added advantage is that on floating tremolo guitars, there is reduction in slippage, having less tuning problems when the tremolo is used. The notching is similar to the staggered tuners.

Fender online catalog – Locking Tuners Click to enlarge

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–4.3- Standard staggered tuners come with a post with holes in three heights allowing the strings not to use string trees on the headstock. The string trees add tension and friction to the strings when using the tremolo. The results is that tuning issues occur. Note that the heads are notched like the locking turners, but do not have a dial that grabs the string. Also in the photo to the left, the string tree is shown to the rear of the headstock for reference purposes. Typically, the string trees are removed when using staggered tuners.

2012 Fender American Standard Strat Staggered Tuners Click to enlarge

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=5= SKUNK STRIP

Skunk strips are almost always found on Fender Strats. The early Strats had skunk stripes from 1954 until the late 50’s and then in 1959 stripes were on again and then off again, sometimes requiring special orders. The change from no skunk strip to a skunk strip occurred when necks with a rosewood fretboard were added to Strats. A slot was created down the front on the neck for the truss rod and then a rosewood slab and later a thinner piece of rosewood was glued on top of the entire maple neck.

The Maple ’60’s Thick C Stratocaster with lacquer neck is the only Mod Shop Strat neck that does not have a skunk stripe. Here is the photos from the Fender Mod Shop for the neck:

The Maple ’60’s Thick C Stratocaster with lacquer neck is the neck found on the right hand and left hand American Original 60’s Strat. The American Originals (including Telecasters, Jaguars, and Jazz Masters) are reissues of the guitars at the end of the Fender era.  At that time, Strats were at their apex of development just before the sale of the company to CBS, when Fender went into a slow decline in quality and lost it way. Later, Fender was sold and developed its original mojo.

Fender markets the American Original ’60s Stratocaster that has the neck as described above. That guitar also has ’65 Gray-Bottom Single-Coil Strat pickups, which may or may be similar to the Pure Vintage ’65 strat pickups; but only comes in a limited number of colors with pink begins he signature color as shown below.

A note of caution: This link shows Maple 60’s Thick C with lacquer neck sold separately matching by name the ones sold on the Fender Mod Shop; but not all necks sold separately with matching namesake are the same ones sold at the Fender Mod Shop.

For example, the Fender Mod Shop Channel Bound neck only has one neck radius of 9.5″ as confirmed by email to Fender support staff; but the neck as sold separately as a  the Channel Bound Neck  Production Model Stratocaster has a compound radius of 9.5″ to 14″.

And so, I confirmed my key questions about the Maple ’60’s Thick C neck with an email to the support staff related to lacquer and the neck profile. The rosewood fretboard ks not lacquered while the maple neck was indeed lacquered.

Here are some GuitarHq.com photos from 1962, 1961 , 1960, and 1959. These show Pre-CBS era Starts without the skink strip.