Replacing Concord neck

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, and hope I can get some help (and someday help some others)...

I have Concord I that I love, the problem is that the 14th fret got all bashed up, so I removed it. After talking to repair guys, they told me fixing one fret is a big job, and that I may as well just get a new neck considering. I am wondering if a standard Strat/tele neck will fit without fuss onto my Concord?

Has anyone replaced the neck on one of their Westones?

Thanks.

Lots of guys here have done fret jobs and im sure they'll be able to advise.  One fret should not mean you need to replace the neck.  If youre you're already thinking about changing the neck then why not try the repair first.  The wort that can happen is that you need to go ahesd with replacing the neck. The positive is that if it works then youve got a new skill.

Hi,
well what I was told is that to get the new fret to be level with the other frets takes a lot of work, and the cost is more than what a new neck would cost.

You are probably right though, I should try to fix it myself, I have just been hesitant to invest in the specialized tools.

Regardless, do you know if a fender neck will work as a"drop in" replacement?

the concord neck has a squared heel that resembles a telecaster design. the width of the heel is 2 3/16", same as fender necks.

although, you may want to be aware that the concord 1 is a short scale neck at 24" and the strat or tele neck is 25 1/2" scale. 

another big difference will be the shape of the back of the neck. a fender neck or a fender clone neck will not have the special taper to the back the way a westone does. it will feel quite different to the original concord neck. 

a cheap neck is just that, a cheap neck. you may still have to do a fret level on the replacement neck, among other adjustments, to make it work.
and nobody makes a replacement neck that matches the shape of a westone original. your guitar will feel different with an after market neck.
a good quality neck will cost much more than a fret repair

i think you should find a different luthier that is willing to fix your fret. 
fix the fret, get a decent level and polish, and it will feel like a new neck. but it will be the one that belongs on the guitar. 

and then you are good to go for another 100,000 miles 

yep, what he said.... 

I think that someone is trying it on with you. If it is one damaged fret, then only one fret needs to be replaced and levelled.

We are talking 30 minutes work here and that includes finishing the fret ends.

It is something that you could easily do yourself.

Hoax

Bloody hell.... find another repairer, mate; your present one is an underhanded, prevaricating prick!

What they said.
Give 'im the boot!

corsair wrote:Bloody hell.... find another repairer, mate; your present one is an underhanded, prevaricating prick!

don't sugar-coat it, just tell him what you really think!

A Fender Mustang neck will fit but they go for more than a Concord I is worth.. 

There's loads of info. on you tube you can follow if you want to have a go yourself. It's not at all a  hard job to do. Just buy the same size fret wire.

Or as the lads say take it to another repairer, yours seems a bit of a lazy git. Useless.

I'll do it for £80 

ha, thanks for the responses.

I was told the same thing by at least 3 different repair guys. No one recommended it. There is also some damage to the edge of the neck at the fret (I pulled the fret out because strings would get hooked on it).
I guess a strat/tele neck isn't drop in. What a pain.

Why didn't you say that in the first place!  

The neck was also damaged.

Still your in the States. So a Mustang neck is not out of the question over there.

Post a picture up when you can.

Well, it's not so damaged that it kills the deal on replacing the fret. None of the techs mentioned the wood damage as the reason it wasn't worth doing.

I would post a pick, but I don't have the guitar right now. And older pics don't show the damage. I am searching for another Westone. A Paduak is my dream (haha). I think I will have to scour garage sales...

The edge of the neck/fretboard can be filled with a dropfill of superglue most likely, IMO it will be really hard/costly getting a neck as good as a concord.
No harm in trying a tiny refret job yourself, nothing ventured nothing gained!

Hmmm...I haven't really thought of the neck as very special. Do many people change the pickups? I changed mine (to Golden Age Strat style), and the guitar made a huge leap in tone.

Yep, I have a Concord II with a Dimarzio fs-1 in the bridge and an Irongear Pig Iron in the neck, soon gonna put a GFS 60's 70's grey bottom in the middle.
the Pig Iron is superb!

What I'm dreaming of is a Paduak I with an old Bill Lawrence blade cream humbucker. I'm pretty superficial.