# Fender now selling Sub-Sonic baritone (27.5'') conversion necks



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 19, 2020)

https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/fender-announces-2020-collection-accessories-namm-2020/

"The bolt-on Subsonic Baritone Neck can be easily transplanted to any Stratocaster or Telecaster guitar, providing it with a longer 27.5-inch scale length for fuller bass tones.

_The Fender Subsonic Baritone Necks are now available and list for $299.99."_


----------



## budda (Jan 19, 2020)

Hmm.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 19, 2020)

A basic spec’d fretted, finished, with nut Warmoth baritone conversion neck is about $300 delivered. It'll be interesting to see how these turn out and what the specs are.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 19, 2020)

The Warmoth ones are 28.6'' long, vs these which are 27.5''. Though I'm assuming this will be 22-fret vs the Warmoth's 24.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jan 19, 2020)

MaxOfMetal said:


> A basic spec’d fretted, finished, with nut Warmoth baritone conversion neck is about $300 delivered. It'll be interesting to see how these turn out and what the specs are.


ehh I've picked up a pile of warmoth baritone necks with the nut and jumbo stainless frets for like 220$. I don't think these will really occupy the same space as what warmoth offers.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 19, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> ehh I've picked up a pile of warmoth baritone necks with the nut and jumbo stainless frets for like 220$. I don't think these will really occupy the same space as what warmoth offers.



What is the market other than "longer scale, ready to install, Fender compatible neck" for either product? 

Both are official (one Fender made, one officially licensed), Fender compatible baritone conversion necks for about $300 delivered. 

The $300 price was for a finished (e.g. warrantied) neck.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jan 19, 2020)

MaxOfMetal said:


> What is the market other than "longer scale, ready to install, Fender compatible neck" for either product?
> 
> Both are official (one Fender made, one officially licensed), Fender compatible baritone conversion necks for about $300 delivered.
> 
> The $300 price was for a finished (e.g. warrantied) neck.


My point is that why would people pay more for set specs, when they can get stainless frets or different fret sizes for a cheaper price. Most people I've talked with other than some vintage focused players tend to dislike finished necks. 
It just seems redundant given how most people interested in licensed parts/partscasters already know about Warmoth. If they were significantly undercutting Warmoth then I could see these being way more popular in those circles.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 19, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> My point is that why would people pay more for set specs, when they can get stainless frets or different fret sizes for a cheaper price. Most people I've talked with other than some vintage focused players tend to dislike finished necks.
> It just seems redundant given how most people interested in licensed parts/partscasters already know about Warmoth. If they were significantly undercutting Warmoth then I could see these being way more popular in those circles.



We're in full agreement then.

Fender is way late to the party. Though, it would be cool if these get added to the Fender Mod Shop.


----------



## Winspear (Jan 19, 2020)

I do think the fact that Warmoth don't offer an option in the 27" ballpark is a big plus for Fender here. Even as someone who often loves 30", there are many cases where I'd consider a 27/27.5" lovely but a 28.625" way too big. I don't know how much of a concern that is to the general baritone building crowd though


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 19, 2020)

Winspear said:


> I do think the fact that Warmoth don't offer an option in the 27" ballpark is a big plus for Fender here. Even as someone who often loves 30", there are many cases where I'd consider a 27/27.5" lovely but a 28.625" way too big. I don't know how much of a concern that is to the general baritone building crowd though



The former is why I agree. There's some people that want the extra length for more tension + 24 frets. And there's others that can't adjust to a 28.6'' scale length. Good to have options.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA (Jan 20, 2020)

to answer the question why someone would buy this over a warmoth?

simple...people will pay extra for the fender logo on the headstock


----------



## dr_game0ver (Jan 20, 2020)

Except that in Europe, Warmoth parts are worth f*ck all. That logo will make a huge difference in resale value. Sad but true.
Also, where are these necks made? Are they just Fender US compatible?


----------



## iamaom (Jan 20, 2020)

dr_game0ver said:


> Except that in Europe, Warmoth parts are worth f*ck all.


Nah it's the same way in the US too.


----------



## diagrammatiks (Jan 20, 2020)

I wonder how they scienced this. The warmoth neck works because it's exactly 2 extra frets.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 20, 2020)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> to answer the question why someone would buy this over a warmoth?
> 
> simple...people will pay extra for the fender logo on the headstock



The price is the same, if anything the Warmoth will usually be more. 

So what are you talking about?



dr_game0ver said:


> That logo will make a huge difference in resale value.



Eh, over here used Fenders drop value about as quickly.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 20, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> I wonder how they scienced this. The warmoth neck works because it's exactly 2 extra frets.



By adding 1 fret instead of 2.


----------



## cardinal (Jan 20, 2020)

I thought I fret extra was closer to 27" than 27.5". But either way I vastly prefer 27.5" to the full baritone length for my purposes.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 20, 2020)

cardinal said:


> I thought I fret extra was closer to 27" than 27.5". But either way I vastly prefer 27.5" to the full baritone length for my purposes.



Yeah, it's somewhere right in the middle, but adjusting <.5" across the scale is fairly easy, especially when working with a large bolt-on heel.

All you have to compensate for really is bridge placement, and even then, given the adjustability of the average bridge you find on Fenders, it's a non-issue. 

Novax used to offer fanned fret conversion necks and all it took was some movement of the bridge saddles to dial in the "in between" scales.


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 20, 2020)

MaxOfMetal said:


> By adding 1 fret instead of 2.



It baffles me that Warmoth still doesn’t offer a +1 fret baritone conversion neck


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 20, 2020)

Bearitone said:


> It baffles me that Warmoth still doesn’t offer a +1 fret baritone conversion neck


Chances they'll do it now?


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 20, 2020)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Chances they'll do it now?



Probably not. I don’t want one personally but, it’s just odd to me they have that gap between 25.5 and 28.625.


----------



## CptnBps (Jan 20, 2020)

This looks really interesting to me because as much as I love my Jericho Edge baritone, I'm just a lot more comfortable with the way my strats feel. Not only that, but importing Warmoth stuff to the UK costs a fortune. $80+ shipping, $88+ import fees, plus the original price makes a $290 cheap conversion neck into a $466.33 (£358.67) investment. Fender's £299 ones are a bargain by comparison.


----------



## lewis (Jan 22, 2020)

Would go Fender over Warmoth every time


----------



## Zhysick (Jan 22, 2020)

I would say that the piece of the cane for Fender is the neck profile and radius.

As far as I remember (might be a few years since I checked Warmth for the last time because import taxes and shipping to EU make Warmth useless here) if you want a 9'5" radius you have to pay extra and the neck profile is different being the "standard thin" thinner than the modern-C and any other extra cost also so... If you want a "normal feeling Fender shape but longer scale neck" this is going to be at least 100$ cheaper I guess... That without taking into consideration the extra costs of shipping if buying outside USA so in EU, as Warmth is stupidly exprnsive, that Fender neck IS the option (and with the proper feel for a Fender player)


----------



## Kaura (Jan 22, 2020)

I wonder if these would fit in a Squier Bullet Mustang. Been really thinking of getting one of those as a mod guitar and this neck would make it far more interesting to play.


----------



## Choop (Jan 22, 2020)

Kind of cool--makes me want to throw together a sweet partscaster using a stock body from ebay.


----------



## CptnBps (Jan 22, 2020)

Choop said:


> Kind of cool--makes me want to throw together a sweet partscaster using a stock body from ebay.


Baritone Jim Root?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 22, 2020)

Choop said:


> Kind of cool--makes me want to throw together a sweet partscaster using a stock body from ebay.





DrSadisticPhD said:


> Baritone Jim Root?









Or a John 5.

Fuuuck me that's a future project for sure.


----------



## Dayviewer (Jan 23, 2020)

^ You could have done those exact things with Warmoth parts earlier though, except if that extra scale length bothers you.

I completed my Warmoth Baritone build last year, the scale length does takes a bit to get used to but it's no problem at all, I do have long arms and big hands though so maybe that helps, dunno 
Pic:


----------



## Dayviewer (Jan 23, 2020)

I should add though I hope this does well enough for Fender to consider putting some actual baritone models out there again. It was one of the main reasons I did my build.


----------



## diagrammatiks (Jan 23, 2020)

MaxOfMetal said:


> By adding 1 fret instead of 2.



Wait a minute is the neck 27.5 that doesn't sound right. One more fret would be 27. 

@Winspear how?


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 23, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> Wait a minute is the neck 27.5 that doesn't sound right. One more fret would be 27.
> 
> @Winspear how?



Add a fret then move the heel slightly. Adjust the bridge saddles from there. A <.5" variance isn't hard to work. Only they're shifting everything, not just adding a fret.


----------



## Winspear (Jan 23, 2020)

Yeah, the adding a fret behind the nut and keeping everything else the same is the most simple approach and keeps the last fretwire in the exact same spot, but there's no reason you can't utilize the bridge intonation play a little and also shift the frets along from the heel position etc for small changes in scale design. Pretty sure Warmoth have a 25.5>24.75 conversion neck for example


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 23, 2020)

lewis said:


> Would go Fender over Warmoth every time


Don’t see why. Warmoth is licensed to make Fender replacement parts. Same shit


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 23, 2020)

Bearitone said:


> Don’t see why. Warmoth is licensed to make Fender replacement parts. Same shit



I can see Warmoth being less attractive for folks outside the US. We're spoiled over here.


----------



## lewis (Jan 23, 2020)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I can see Warmoth being less attractive for folks outside the US. We're spoiled over here.


This /|\


----------



## Church2224 (Jan 23, 2020)

Does anyone have the link where the necks are on the Fender Site? 

A baritone Jim Root Strat sounds.....incredible.


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 23, 2020)

The option of making a Jim Root baritone has been available to you for ever since the Jim Root sig was released. Go to Warmoth and order a baritone conversion neck right now if you want. Pick your woods, get stainless frets, glowing inlays, and a reverse headstock. Go nuts lol


Church2224 said:


> Does anyone have the link where the necks are on the Fender Site?
> 
> A baritone Jim Root Strat sounds.....incredible.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jan 23, 2020)

Bearitone said:


> The option of making a Jim Root baritone has been available to you for ever since the Jim Root sig was released. Go to Warmoth and order a baritone conversion neck right now if you want. Pick your woods, get stainless frets, glowing inlays, and a reverse headstock. Go nuts lol


^this. I only do warmoth builds because I have a very specific idea/aesthetic in mind that I can't get from production guitars.


----------

