Fender Bodies, Necks and Bridges

The MIM/American Battle of the sizes….

This would be a HUGE page but I’m going to start with some of the things I’m working on now which is typically MIM vs US Special vs US Performer – Note there are MANY variations on this.

Tremolo Arms in US are 10/32 threaded

Body and Neck Compatibility

One basic rule to start with. It’s dicey to mix MIM and American Necks and Bodies but it will sometimes work. Usually due to the size of the neck pocket. I’ve tried to put a US Special Necks on MIM bodies (for example the new Player series) and they won’t fit, the pocket is too small.

However, an American (US) body will often accept an MIM neck but, I’ve put a MIM Classic Player 50’s neck on an American Special with absolutely no problem.

That said, sometimes the pocket can be really tight. I tried to put an AM Special neck on a newer performer body, VERY tight fit but it worked, and the cut is slightly deeper, there was a little space at between the end of the neck and the body cavity (the screw lined up fine).

Side Note: I’ve not dealt with Squires because I don’t work on them. I’ve had tons of issues with sizing on Squires and there value and quality is low.

PAINT JOBS

The Paint work on the US series seems superior to the MIM’s but there are better and worst results. I have some some paint jobs on older US standards that don’t hold up very well but others that have done extremely well. Usually the Deluxe models have excellent quality paint jobs. Often the issues that occur are paint cracks in the neck pocket, rippling in the finish and more.