Mai-Guitar

How Wide Is My Neck Pocket?

I get a lot of questions asking about neck pockets. There are a lot of variations.

For the older Ibanez JEM and Ibanez RG models, with an Ibanez AANJ neck pocket, the necks are 56mm. This is roughly necks more than 10 years old. Those necks are normally all maple on the back (no stripes).

Our AANJ bodies match the neck hole pattern on Ibanez neck that are made in Japan (MIJ). The lower end models trend to have slightly different hole patterns. Sometimes only one hole is different. Sometimes more. We recomend using a neck that is MIJ. For other necks, you might need to fill an redrill your neck holes.

At some point the prestige models switched to 58mm. Then the Ibanez Team J Craft models were all 58mm. This happened sometime around when they made the Bad Horsie (chrome covered body). An Ibanez Team J Craft neck has a couple stripes that go up the back, and though the headstock.

For 6 string models, I usually start with a 56mm pocket. If someone has a 58mm neck, I can do a quick mod with a hand router at no extra cost. If I know a neck is a 58mm pocket, I can do the mod during production on the CNC, which is a better way to go.

For 7 string models (Universe), I don’t have as much experience. I’ve done about 15 or so. I originally started with a 64mm pocket for an AANJ. I found this was too narrow and most 7 string neck are 66mm or 68mm. I usually ask you to measure your neck.

We can make a body that fits an Ibanez Square Heel neck. This one is on the JEM guitars and called a cutaway heel. Some RG guitars have a Ibanez Tilt Joint neck. We don't use that one on an RG, but have it on a 540p.