[mountain2012]

Is it possible to swap the neck on my Jaguar HH with either a '62 or '66 Jazzmaster reissue neck? The necks have the same radius. Not sure if the spacing of the Adjusto Matic bridge or pickups on the Jag HH makes a difference.

http://www.fender.co...rtno=0259200306

http://www.fender.co...rtno=0100800806

http://www.elderly.c.../FC66JM-CAR.htm

[Richie]

Radius isn't an issue, Jazzmasters and Jaguars are different scale lengths, a Jazzmaster neck is an inch and a half longer so if you straight swapped without moving the entire bridge to compensate you'd never get your intonation right and the guitar would always sound horrendously out of tune.

[mountain2012]

But if I swapped the necks then moved the bridge to compensate, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of trying to achieve a 25.5 scale?

[Richie]

... Eh?

Maybe I should have made that clearer: to get proper intonation with a Jazzmaster you need 25.5 inches between the nut and the bridge. With a Jaguar you need 24. This isn't to say the neck itself is a full inch and a half longer, that's just how it adds up including the bridge distance from the neck pocket. If you put a Jaguar and Jazzmaster body side by side, the bridge is closer to the neck pocket. So if you just swapped the neck like you apparently want to do, it won't work, and the guitar won't intonate. Them's the facts, it will not work without routing and filling to move the bridge. At that point you might as well just put Jaguar pickups in a Jazzmaster.

[mountain2012]

Thanks Richie, that makes sense.