Guitar neck profiles

cliffyspliff · October 2008

I am thinking of adding a new guitar to my collection in the not to distant future and was wondering........which neck profile would suit me best?

I know the obvious answer is to get out there and try every guitar in the shop to see which I like...... but i was wondering there were any basic rules to this question.....`C type necks suit smaller hands etc.etc.`......What system would a luthier use if he was making me a custom job from scratch.....Why jumbo frets as opposed to normal ones.......

Guess it would be cool to walk into the shop and ask for that PRS Modern Eagle 2 with a D shape neck and medium sized frets...... I know ive not got the £5000 ( thats pounds not dollars) it costs but hey we can all dream.

Any thoughts would be great.

ednrg · October 2008

There is no one answer to your question. It's all a matter of preference.

That's why they make guitars with all types of options. Check out all the options and their differences at this site:

http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=back_profiles

AlbertA · October 2008

\cliffyspliff\ wrote:

I am thinking of adding a new guitar to my collection in the not to distant future and was wondering........which neck profile would suit me best?

I know the obvious answer is to get out there and try every guitar in the shop to see which I like...... but i was wondering there were any basic rules to this question.....`C type necks suit smaller hands etc.etc.`......What system would a luthier use if he was making me a custom job from scratch.....Why jumbo frets as opposed to normal ones.......
.

There's really no shortcuts or golden rules here. You need to try as many as you can lay your hands on. Kinda like choosing speakers really.

iliace · October 2008

AA, fix your avatar. We want psycho teddy back.

cliffyspliff · October 2008

wow good link there ed......guess it says it all really

cheers

0Dannyboy · October 2008

:? I choose guitar necks usually by how my hand feels playing ...a neck thats setup for a shredder thats thin or narrow doesnt fit my playing style I use alot of bar chords and such playing rythm alot and a thicker wider 50 profile gibson neck doesnt make me grip as tight as a thin neck would therefore my hand gets less tired over time . also the shorter scale is nice for for my smaller hands...my buddys the oposite loves long scales and thin necks . he prefers them for lead work and he doesnt overbend his strings that way...diffrent strokes. :roll:

shredd · October 2008

I have huge hands, but I have always favored the \"slim\" neck profile and medium to large frets. I've yet to own a git'r with the \"C\" neck or a really fat one, but if I liked how it played, I would. I also have had a git'r with \"jumbo\" frets, and they didn't bother me at all. The only frets that bother me are the super-small \"fretless wonder\" types, that're barely there. I'm not precise enough a player for that. :oops:

cyclonic · October 2008

it DOES boil down to feel and personal preferance but here are some guidelines to go by.....

if you play country-you'll have a hard time getting the \"plink\" in your finger picking with jumbo frets.

if you play shred/metal-Jumboes will help you get \"off the note\" quicker because you will not require much fret board tone .it'll make 32nd notes more articulated :P

Fretboard radius-the flatter the board(14-16-20inch radius),the less of a chance of \"noting out\" on string bends .Lead runs fly in a flat board

Some people find flat boards less comfortable to play.

fretboard scale-

24 5/8,24 3/4 are gibson scale and if you have small hands and short fingers....this scall may be more comfortable for ya.

25 1/2 \" are fender scale and well.....agree with players with larger hands....but for people that play up at high end off the neck will find more room between frets

if black is the color for people that can't make up their minds :P then PRS ' 25\" scale does the same for guitar players :twisted: its a happy medium between the 2 most widely used scales.

note: i have noticed that if you play detuned past D standard,that the 25 1/2\" scale holds its intonation range better

as far as the back of the neck is concerned........

a thin neck like Ibanez,Jackson,BCRich-will allow for your hand to come around better but what you lack in wood will effect the durability and stability of the neck during its life.

how you trained your hand to position on the neck will dictate what style of contour fits best.wether its C,D,or V contour,only you can find out.

Now you have to take that knowledge and test drive everything you can and find out what specs feel best to you and then you can make a better decision as to what you really want

8)

OR

you can get a black PRS :P

cliffyspliff · October 2008

thankyou cyclonic thats a great reply.

Rawb · October 2008

ya cylconic good synopsis Thanks! Sure many of us will absorb that info 8) and put it to good use.

cyclonic · October 2008

no problemo guys 8)

i could of gone on until my fingers cramped but i figured it was a good start.

**note**...........a friend of mine wanted a harley.We went to a dealership and no one came to help us out so we were gonna leave whe i told him to sit on them.He fussed but then agreed to.I made him sit on at least a dozen.We went to another dealership where we got cold nosed because we pulled up in a 94 ranger and were not wearing penny loafers and ray bans :roll: BUT i made him sit on a dozen more bikes.Then we went to a harley dealership on the west side and i swear the sales guys fled like cockroaches when ya turn on the lights :shock: AGAIN! i made him sit on another dozen bikes.My friend positively had NO clue as to why :P Then we went to a dealership downtown that coldnosed me when i was looking :evil: but it was the last place in town and ebay was looking better :roll: So we walk in and the salesman runs up :shock: :shock: :shock: and asks what he wants and low an behold,...they had one

He sat on it and said.......\"hey!its got the seat i like,the wheels i like and the pegs i like and..............\"

At that point he had an epiphany.He realized that it took sitting on almost 40 bikes to realize what he DOES NOT LIKE! in order to successfully pic what he does like :idea: :idea:

this applies to a lot in life.........including guitars

shredd · October 2008

\cyclonic\ wrote:

He realized that it took sitting on almost 40 bikes to realize what he DOES NOT LIKE! in order to successfully pic what he does like :idea: :idea:

this applies to a lot in life.........including guitars

I need to try this with women. :twisted:

If only I could get one to return a phone call...sigh... :?

cyclonic · October 2008

\shredd\ wrote:

\cyclonic\ wrote:

He realized that it took sitting on almost 40 bikes to realize what he DOES NOT LIKE! in order to successfully pic what he does like :idea: :idea:

this applies to a lot in life.........including guitars

I need to try this with women. :twisted:

If only I could get one to return a phone call...sigh... :?

you could do like Woody Allen and adopt you a wife :P

Rawb · October 2008

\cyclonic\ wrote:

[
you could do like Woody Allen and adopt you a wife :P

:twisted: :twisted:

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Guitar neck profiles

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