Novax Guitars Novax Nex

I wish I had waited a few days to write my initial review!

The tuning problems mentioned in my previous review are gone. It seems several factors were contributing to my problems. The main culprit being a series of bad string sets. It seems unlikely, but the last 3 sets of strings have have had major intonation problems. After switching from GHS Boomers to GHS Nickle wounds, my problems disappeared. I should have known better, because I've had this problem before. This is certainly not Novax's fault. I can't stress this enough; not all strings perform the same!

The instrument now performs EXACTLY as advertised. The clarity is much improved over my single scale-length guitars, and side by side comparisons with standard instruments have further illustrated the "in-tuneness" of the design.

When you install a Nex on your Strat/Tele, remember that many of the little details a luthier deals with to insure a top-notch guitar are now your resposibility . Be thorough and patient, and you will be rewarded.

Again, Ralph and Bill are great to deal with. They offered to do what ever it took to solve my problem. Their goal is a satisfied customer and nothing less.

This is a replacement neck for Teles and Strats made to Novax' specs. Mine was made by Warmoth and Novax branded, bought in July of 2002. Flat-sawn, 22-fret maple neck with a rosewood board. Frets are a little wider than 6105s and a little taller. Truss rod adjusts at the heel. Compound radius, with a standard Warmoth neck carve. The neck does not come with a nut or tuners, and it requires finishing. $550 plus $35 for shipping.

I've admired Novax guitars for years and thought this would be the most economical way to experience the multi-scale concept. I've been a player for 20-years, and this was one of the few new ideas for the electric guitar that caught my eye.

After receiving the neck, everything looked fine. The frets were finished perfectly as were the inlaid dots. Upon closer inpection I noticed that the heel was rounded for a Strat neck pocket instead a straight cut for a Tele. I was bummed, but was assured by Novax that his would have no effect on tone or playability.

Off I went with my Tele body and Novax neck to a local luthier to have the guitar assembled. He installed the nut perfectly and the action was set to my specs. The swamp ash body and Fralin pickups sounded great with the new neck. All was well until I had time to really listen to the guitar. After a week or so I noticed that the low-E string was sharp at ALL fret positions. OK no big deal, just an intonation problem. After a new saddle on the low-E things improved, but I'm still sharp. Not as much, but it is there.

Then I noticed something else that is supposedly inherent to the guitar. Nearly evey note from fret 1 to fret 3 is sharp. To play an open E in tune on this guitar is impossible. The major third is unbearable. A quick A/B with my recently set-up PRS was shocking. The PRS intonates near perfectly in all registers. I couldn't believe the difference. The tuner confirmed my hearing test; the PRS was more "in-tune" than the Tele. Initially this wasn't the case, but the new strings and set-up brought the PRS up to its full potential. The PRS does have a compensated nut (i.e. it's moved a bit closer to the first fret), and this may be its key to playing in tune at the first three fret positions.

The neck was put together well, and has a solid feel. I am concerned with its inability to intonate properly on the low-E.

I have no comment here due to the small amount of time (5 months) I've owned the neck.

This is where Novax shines. They have been helpful in trying to help me resolve the problems I'm having with the neck. Bill has phoned and emailed several times, and Ralph himself called me on a Sunday no less to offer advice.

As it stands, I would not recommend this product. At $585 for the neck alone, I feel I have nothing better than an off the rack budget Tele. A stock Warmoth Tele neck costs about $125, and I think I would have similar results.

I'm sure Novax is more than willing to help resolve this matter, but at this point I'm tired of messing with it. And with the price I paid for the neck and several trips back to the luthier, I have no desire to throw any more money at this project. Unfortunately I'm stuck with the guitar, but that's the price I pay for experimenting.

I can only comment on the replacement neck offered by Novax. I have not played one of their custom models.