rockmancentral Posted December 2 Share Posted December 2 I know this seems to be a "not recommended" topic to pursue, but I'm not worried about warranty support or anything like that. I thought the JTV-89F would be perfect since it has 24 frets and a Floyd. But I simply can not stand the neck on this guitar... it's as flat as an aircraft carrier and way too thin to be comfortable. I've asked before about a replacement neck, but last time I checked, there wasn't a viable option out there. I've been really considering to transplant the electronics from a JTV-89F into a PRS SE Custom 24 Floyd. However, I just noticed that the scale lengths are slightly different. The JTV-89F is a 25 1/2" scale length and the PRS is a 25" scale length. So my question is how much of a difference will that 1/2" make to the Variax models? Is it a big and noticeable difference or not so bad? Is it something I can somehow adjust for in the software? Another alternative I've thought of is to get a JTV-69 and swap the neck to a 24 fret, and maybe swap out the trem for a Floyd. This seems to be the easier option, though more costly since I don't already have a JTV-69. Any suggestions on this dilemma? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted December 2 Share Posted December 2 1/2" is pushing limits in regards to how much leeway margin there will be when setting the intonation. Doing a neck swap would complicate things. You would need a well tooled Luthier for that, so that it fits right in the body's neck pocket. Plus,... whatever you put the electronics in, the tone and overall sound will be different. Especially since the PRS body is a mahogany/maple combo and the 89F is all mahogany body. So in some bodies it's more noticeable, in other bodies not as much. Body acoustics are part of the modeling process. You would have to find a way to fit the 89F bridge in the PRS body (another job for the Luthier) in order to use the piezos, as they are matched for the inputs of the processor board (hence the colored connectors). It can be done. Care and intimate knowledge are required. Not for the faint of heart. Carlos Rios who plays for Stevie Nicks has two examples of successful transplants into SG copies, as SG bodies are symmetrical, they can be wired for a lefty player like Carlos. And yes, I've had the honor and pleasure of having them on my bench. Mr Taggert does good work, though I did some mods and repairs to the electronics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmancentral Posted December 2 Author Share Posted December 2 I appreciate the quick response!! My PRS has the same Graph Tech Floyd that is used for the JTV-89F, so that's not an issue. However, I did a test by changing the scale length in my Boss GP-10 to set it to the 25 1/2 scale length with the piezo's in my PRS (having a 25" scale length) and it did sound off. So transplanting into any guitar that doesn't have the 25 1/2" scale length is generally not going to work. I'm REALLY glad I discovered this before attempting it!! I really wish I could find a replacement neck for The JTV-89F since that would be the best solution for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted December 2 Share Posted December 2 Yes,... there is only so much intonation adjusting one can do before you 'run out of road' as the saying goes, as the intonation adjusting screw are only so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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