Pre vs Post 1966 SFIVs, SFVs - 16th vs 18th fret - thoughts?

[Zelja]

Pre late 1966 the neck-body join is at the 16th fret & after that it is at the 18th, AFAIK.

For those that have played both is there any noticeable difference in feel, playability, sound etc due to this structural difference?

Any other changes made at the same time that anyone knows of - e.g. are the necks wider pre 1966 etc?

Cheers,
Z.

 

[matsickma]

You can get a feel for this neck placment in comparing a SF2/3 to a SF4/5 albeit the body weight and style differs.

M

 

[Kslam]

Hey Zelja, I've wondered that too. It was talked about recently in this thread. On that thread, I mentioned that 330/Casino enthusiasts prefer the sound of the "shorter" necks. The neck pickup placement is much closer to the edge of the body on the "longer" neck versions, which might make those guitars less chimey...but who knows? There are so many variations from guitar to guitar that are going to influence the sound. I have a 67 Stafire IV and a 67 Starfire V and they feel and sound very different from each other. I know that's partly due to the completely different bridges, but there are other factors too. For example, my tech claims that the inlays on the neck of the V, as compared to the dots on the IV, contribute to the guitars sounding different from each other.

 

[Kslam]

The neck pickup placement is much closer to he edge of the body on the "longer" neck versions, which might make those guitars less chimey...but who knows?

I should've also mentioned that the bridge pickup will be further up the neck on a "long" neck version too. On the post 66 Starfires the bridge pickup is just about at the edge of the F hole. On the earlier, "short" neck models, the bridge pickups is pretty much placed near the center of the F hole.

 

[fearless]

I've had Starfire IVs from '65 and '68. I found that the proportions of the shorter neck '65 made it a little strange to play seated with the guitar sitting on my lap. The '65 fretboard felt too "close" if I sat it on my right leg so I ended up sitting it on my left, which was kinda weird. The '68 felt a lot better balanced for playing sitting down and would sit comfortably on my right leg. For playing with a strap, both guitars felt fine.

I do miss my Starfire...