Wait! Don't buy that new guitar, Fender is offering a massive 20% off parts and pickups at the Fender shop

A variety of Fender replacement necks on a colorful background

(Image credit: Fender)

Upgrading your guitar can be a much cheaper way of improving its performance than buying a brand-new instrument and thanks to this latest sale at the Fender official shop, you can bag yourself a massive 20% discount on official Fender necks, pickups, prewired pickguards and more. Whether you’re building a brand new instrument or just upgrading something existing, it’s the perfect way to get a better guitar for less.

This super sale is running from now until March 17th, so there isn’t loads of time to pick something up at a bargain price. We don’t often see discounts on official Fender necks either, so whether you’re a budding guitar builder or just want to change things up it’s a great opportunity to get a quality component for less.

Having upgraded a fair few guitars in our time, we’ve had a look at the sale and picked out four of our favorite upgrades that shouldn’t prove too challenging for any guitarist to fit themselves. As always we advise doing plenty of research before you undertake any of these modifications, as guitars can vary a lot from model to model.

Prewired Strat Pickguard Tex-Mex: $199.99, $159.99
Designed to straight swap with an existing Strat pickguard, a prewired pickguard is a great way to upgrade an instrument with a minimum of fuss. When swapping pickguards all you need to solder is the output jack and the ground wire and you’ll be ready to rock, putting this upgrade firmly in the grasp of any guitarist.

<p>These Tex Mex pickups are designed for hotter output, making them great for adding more grit to a Strat with vintage-style pickups. They’ve got a $40 discount too, which makes the kit very easy on the wallet. If you’re swapping this pickguard with any MIA, MIJ, or MIM Strat then it should be an easy straight swap, but do make sure to count the screw holes to ensure it will fit. Also if you’re looking at using this in a Squier, you may need to drill more holes as the sizes will likely be different.

P-Bass to J-Bass Conversion Neck: $399.99, $319.99
One of the easiest upgrades for bass guitar players, swapping a P-Bass neck with one from a Jazz Bass can massively improve the playability of your instrument. A lot of bassists prefer the narrower nut of the Jazz Bass, which tapers out as it moves towards the body of the guitar meaning you get excellent playability on the lower notes and more wood to hold onto as you go higher up the neck.

<p>This neck is excellent value with an $80 discount in the sale, and could totally revamp the way your P-Bass plays. Changing necks isn’t difficult at all either thanks to the bolt-on design, you just need to make sure you unscrew each bolt a little at a time to prevent the weight of the neck from stripping or damaging the screw holes.

Fender Pure Vintage 65 Strat: $199.99, $159.99
Changing your pickups is a little more involved than the other mods we’ve listed here, but it’s one of the most cost-effective and powerful upgrades you can make to a guitar. You might have a beginner guitar that needs a better tone, or you just want to change the character of something you love the playing feel of, whichever it is a pickup upgrade is the way to go.

<p>With a tempting $40 discount in the sale, these Pure Vintage 65 Strat pickups deliver classic Strat vibes at a cost that is much less than an actual vintage-inspired instrument. You’ll need to do some soldering and use a wiring diagram to install them, but there are plenty of tutorials online that can show you exactly how to do this. This pickup set should fit most SSS-style guitars, but as always do some research on your particular instrument before you buy.

Fender Player Tele neck: Was $299.99, now $239.99
It’s a divisive look but personally, we love a reverse headstock on a guitar. For us, it gives an instrument a modern look, which can totally revamp a tired, old instrument. Coming with a pre-installed truss rod and pre-cut ‘guide’ nut, this Fender Player Tele neck has got a huge $60 discount in the sale, a rarity when it comes to official Fender necks.

<p>You can choose to have a Pau Ferro or Maple fretboard depending on your personal taste or playing style, and it comes with 22 Medium Jumbo frets for a modern playing feel. Swapping with an existing Telecaster neck should be relatively simple, but do make sure you get a set of left-handed tuners otherwise the strings will wind the wrong way. If you’re looking at putting this neck on a guitar other than Tele, as always research will be your friend.

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