Strat Neck

Let's start of with a basic yet important fact. Authentic Fender Stratocaster necks are made from a maple wood, and the fret board is either made from rosewood or maple.

The fact that the Strat neck is made from maple is one of the many contributing factors that give that distinct Strat sound. (Les Paul guitars have a mahogany neck.)

The very middle of a maple log is the best part to make a Strat neck because it is less prone to warping. If your after the very best, try and get maple that has been slow grown because it will be stiffer and therefore make the guitar sound warmer. The rule of the thumb is; the closer the rings are, the better the wood is for making your Strat neck. Also try and get a piece with straight grain and without knots or defects.

The conventional Strat neck has an adjustable steel truss rod to adjust the bend of the neck. This is the most common option as it allows for many more adjustment options. For example, you can change your strings to a different thickness and then tweak the truss rod to allow for the change in tension.

Although less common, it is possible to have a non-adjustable rod made from carbon fibre which has the advantages of being stiffer and lighter than steel.

The sustain of a guitar is a measure of how long a note rings for after the string is plucked and is something that guitar players look for. To get a longer sustain, the entire guitar needs to be stiffened - i.e. the Strat body needs to be considered too. Therefore, if you know your neck is too flexible, replacing it with a stiffer one should give you more sustain.

The Strat pickup is one of the most important factors in getting the sound you want. However, buying the best pickup in the world and installing it on a Squire Strat is never going to sound as good as on an American Fender Strat.

One of the coolest inventions in guitar history is the Strat bridge. The Strat has what is known as a tremolo bridge that can lower the pitch of the strings with a mechanical arm. The main problem of this is that it can de-tune the guitar by using it. The Strat bridge is pretty unusual in that doesn't need a body cavity. Instead the strings are fitted from the back and fed through the tremolo block.