Short Scale Neck for Warwick Corvette

[thebrig]

Does anyone know whether I could get a short scale neck made for my Warwick Corvette.
Would anything on the body need modifying, or can it just slot in?
I have neck and shoulder problems, so need to go down the short scale route,
but love my Corvette so much, that I don't want to change it.

[mart]

[quote name='thebrig' post='1005545' date='Oct 29 2010, 06:04 PM']Does anyone know whether I could get a short scale neck made for my Warwick Corvette.
Would anything on the body need modifying, or can it just slot in?
I have neck and shoulder problems, so need to go down the short scale route,
but love my Corvette so much, that I don't want to change it.[/quote]

If you take your Corvette to a decent luthier, they will be able to make a short scale neck to fit, and nothing will need changing on the body. The sound will be a tiny bit different, because the pickups will be in a slightly different place along the strings, as well as because of the shorter neck. But there shouldn't be any issues.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

You could just put a capo on at the second or third fret & retune. Don't think that would help the neck & shoulder problems though, maybe getting a lighter bass would be better.

[thebrig]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1006927' date='Oct 31 2010, 02:43 AM']You could just put a capo on at the second or third fret & retune. Don't think that would help the neck & shoulder problems though, maybe getting a lighter bass would be better. [/quote]

Thanks for the reply.
I've tried a capo, and it does help a bit, but it's a bit off-putting and just don't look right.
I've also tried lighter basses (many high-end), but I think it's the reach that is causing the problem rather than the weight.
And from a sound point of view, I just keep coming back to my beloved corvette.

[thebrig]

[quote name='mart' post='1006691' date='Oct 30 2010, 08:54 PM']If you take your Corvette to a decent luthier, they will be able to make a short scale neck to fit, and nothing will need changing on the body. The sound will be a tiny bit different, because the pickups will be in a slightly different place along the strings, as well as because of the shorter neck. But there shouldn't be any issues.[/quote]

Thanks for the reply.
That's exactly what I was hoping, I have contacted Warwick custom shop (still awaiting their reply).
I shall also be seeking out a decent luthier, if anyone could suggest one in the Herts/North London area, I would be most grateful.

[mart]

[quote name='thebrig' post='1006958' date='Oct 31 2010, 07:25 AM']Thanks for the reply.
That's exactly what I was hoping, I have contacted Warwick custom shop (still awaiting their reply).
I shall also be seeking out a decent luthier, if anyone could suggest one in the Herts/North London area, I would be most grateful.[/quote]

Warwick won't help you, I'm afraid. They have a standard policy that they don't sell necks unless it's a straight like-for-like replacement of a neck that's broken.

[thebrig]

[quote name='mart' post='1007075' date='Oct 31 2010, 10:19 AM']Warwick won't help you, I'm afraid. They have a standard policy that they don't sell necks unless it's a straight like-for-like replacement of a neck that's broken.[/quote]

Looks like I will have to find a good luthier.

[BigRedX]

You're going for 30" as opposed to 34" scale?

If you leave everything else the same, this will essentially shorten the neck by 2 frets. However looking at photos of the current Corvette BO on the Warwick site there does appear to be some extra fingerboard space after the 24th fret so you should be able to get at least one of these back and if your luthier makes you a new neck with the fingerboard overhanging the body you may well be able to get the 24th fret back as well.

However it will also move the heel and neck joint closer to the nut. If you rarely play above the 12th fret this won't be an issue though. To check out if it's going to be a problem tune down a tone and put a capo on the second fret. If you can still play everything you need without running out of frets or the heel/neck joint getting in the way then you should b OK. This will also give you an idea of how the tone will have changed due to the pickups being in a slightly different place in regards to the overall string length.