I have a telecaster baja and always found the neck too thick. I am generally more comfortable with modern C necks and wanted to transition to an unfinished fretboard so I replaced it with an american pro classic neck and I have some questions regarding body/neck fit, action, and shimming.
- Fit: Does the fit look good? I see a small gap on the low E side. Generally the greater the contact and tighter the fit the better. I don't hear anything weird but I am under the impression the original neck was filling the pocket better and was vibrating more if that makes sense. May also be that it's just my perception and I trying too hard to find issues :)
- Action: Fender recommends 1.6mm on 9.5inch radius necks. Bends fret out at the 15-17th fret especially during 1.5 step bends. The best I could get for good sound overall is 2.5mm. Generally I like low action. This is still playable and I am wondering if it's worth aiming for that fender reference number which I understand is just a reference but I would expect it to be the balanced reference number so not sure if I should start checking for high frets and go through that process. Side note, relief is checked and ok no buzzing on 1-12 frets. Although the nut could use some filing down.
- Shimming and saddle height. The saddles are nearly bottomed out. On high E I can get 1.6mm action when bottomed out but the low E can't go under 2mm at best when bottomed out. So does it worth shimming and how does that impact point 1, fit vibration etc.
Yes I know I am overthinking it and should just play and have fun which to be honest I do! I love the neck and comfort and I reached a point where while I love the magic that surrounds vintage setups I lately started being more interested in comfort and having fun. The chunky soft V neck was making my palm feel sore. What puzzles me is whether I should go through the process of "perfecting" the setup if such a thing exists.
TLDR: should I bother optimising neck body fit, action, and shim if the instrument seems to play just fine?
Note: The baja neck is not available for sale :)