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I have a Squier Cabronita that sounds great but the neck is narrower and thinner than I like so I thought about getting a custom neck for it. I was thinking I would order an unfinished one from Warmoth and coat it in Tru-Oil myself. I don't have any experience, so I'm wondering if it's difficult to fit the neck to the pocket, i.e. how much I'll have to sand, whether that fucks with how the neck mounting holes in the align with those in the body, whether a factory-installed nut is any good or will I need to get the slots cut, etc. I don't care about resale value of the guitar, but I'd like to avoid investing money in a neck if it's unlikely a first-timer can pull it off.

your neck pocket is going to be a crap shoot. It could be too small and need to be sanded; it could be too large and need to be shimmed. It could be too shallow or too deep.

If you have a pair of calipers (or a micrometer and depth micrometer), I would measure the neck pocket and the heel of the neck and send those measurements to wherever you decide to buy.

If the holes end up being off, you can always fill and back drill through the body. If you don't have a drill press, I would suggest getting some bushing to "start" the holes and then hope the screw take the rest out when you install.

It can be a bit tricky depending on the exact pieces involved, but it's by no means impossible. Worst case, you'll have some dowel'ing and redrilling to do.

hmmmmm sounds chancy. I don't have a drill press or even a hand drill.

friendship wrote:hmmmmm sounds chancy. I don't have a drill press or even a hand drill.

I wouldn't attempt it then...

You could still get it, finish it, and then have a local tech install it for you. Might start to get a little pricey, but if you love the guitar...

Only thing I will say is buying a new neck can be daunting because of thickness and shape (uhuhuhhuhuhuuhuuhuhuhuh)

Good advice, thanks

The neck shape is the one thing I'm fairly confident about. I got really obsessed with neck measurements after I figured out that I like it thicc (hehehehehheheeeeheheehehheeh)

fwiw I've put Warmoth necks on Squier and MIJ Fender bodies without much issue. Warmoth fret work can be kinda iffy though. The Warmoth JM neck I have is unplayable right now because of bad fret work.

Skip the oil and go with a roasted maple neck instead.