I have hands on the smaller size and over the years have found that A) You dont need to grip the neck with a deathgrip, very light grip works fine. B) You can adapt to any neck it just takes some time. I have an SG Standard with a thick neck and at first it was hurting my hand but I adjusted my grip and pressure and now it is my favorite guitar to play. Dont give up on something if it doesnt work perfectly from the start, give it time.
of course if anything is causing you intense pain or any pain at all be very careful and dont overdo it. I have just found that usually the pain is coming from me overexerting but there are indeed some guitars that are just simply very uncomfortable to play no matter what.
I like different neck profiles for different guitars. My LP has a thick, rounded style neck and my Ibanez Genesis has a super thin wizard neck. Both are great, just different, and inspire me to play differently.
I enjoy> C shape, D shape and Compound. What matters most to me is the thickness at the 1st (as thin as 17mm) and 12th fret (as thick as 21.5mm). I will use a card scraper to anything that is over 22mm at the 12th fret. Huge Huge difference. Appreciate the video!!!!
I actually like lots of different neck profiles because they make me play and create differently. I can see where some only want one they are intent on shredding at super high speeds, which I am not, but I love the variety and luckily they dont hurt my hand.
After 20 plus years of buying, selling, trading and building guitars, many of them expensive boutiques, I’m definitely in the super soft V camp. A chubby soft shouldered C is acceptable too. I prefer a narrower nut width. 42mm max. This neck shape is not super common across mainstream guitar models. I firmly believe a larger segment of people would be happier with their guitar if their neck was closer to the aforementioned specs.
For me personally the neck profile is most important, while I don't care for the radius. Since a few if I like a guitar with bolt on neck I just buy it (usually the necks are to thick for me), carve it down and refinish it. My self carved are all kind of asymetrc D-ish and really thin. We're talking Ibanez here. For Les Paul style guitars the 60s slim taper profile is like it was just invented for me.
I never cared about neck shapes until I turned 30 because it took that long to realize that I had a preference for certain profiles. I like them chunky but not huge like my old martin backpacker lol. I have no problems with a thin C, but a thin D with sharp edges and a flat radius really feels strange. I love my Mexican EOB strat's neck, very unique profile that just fits right. I play mostly bass in bands right now and I feel like my hands prefer a slim rounder neck. I get hand pain from both the fat neck on my Arai Diamond hofner rip off and my thin Ibanez BTB 805ms's neck but feel great on a slimmer / rounder neck profile. Never had this problem with guitars, so Scale length is a thing here too. Very good video! SUBBED!
8:28 I have an 🇺🇸 strat and I like it . A Mex strat neck is ok BUT when I first put an 🇺🇸 professional 2 telecaster in my hands, it was heaven, fits like a glove. I knew that telecaster was my guitar ( shhhh don't let my strat know 🤣😂) Actually I picked up an Ibanez prestige AZS and I was surprised that I liked it, cause I don't like PRS, Gibson or squire, the necks suck ‼️
Excellent discussion. Each person’s hands are different. I hate a V neck. Several other necks I like. Takamine acoustics have a different kind of asymmetrical neck which I also like. Far above looks or even sound of an instrument, I go for comfort. If the instrument is comfortable to play, I like it and will play it for hours. You are correct in showing us that hand massage people do when they are playing something uncomfortable, that does not fit their hand.
I have big hands (Size XL gloves) a wide neck E-E strings cramps my hand within a few minutes. Having said that I was told my entire life you'll like this neck because you have big hands.
This video is depressingly accurate. I play my kieseil on stage and record my Les Paul almost exclusively. Because lp sounds so good, but 50 neck is unbearable to play, it's just too fat. And there is no compromise, if you need an early lp sound you have to play that neck. Oh well.
I get along with many different shapes of necks just fine. The only line I draw is on the thin cross section and wide radius shredder types. Those feel terrible to me. That said, my hands don't cramp up or feel bad if I'm going from a 59 to 60s LP, or a soft V to a modern C strat. Each has some features that work better for a specific thing, bending or chording or barring.
That's my experience as well. I own 16 guitars currently and many of them have a very dramatically different neck profile which allows me to approach my guitar playing from a different perspective. It allows me to tap into a different playing style. In other words it's a benefit.
Neck shapes are pretty much nailed down…you can usually get measurements …what messes me up is fret size…one makers jumbo is another’s medium jumbo and so on…I recently bought a guitar that was spec’ed jumbo frets and the frets feel smaller than a fender’s…frets are all over the map…great stuff brother 😎
Fret makers usually list sizes in height width and tang. Stew Mac tubes come like that and Jascar. Guitar manufacturers translate them into medium jumbo, jumbo, narrow etc it it maddening. The other issue is the material percentages for nickel silver. I like the frets to be hard as possible with out using stainless for durability.
Great insight! I recently found out how much more playable my Strat is compared to my Jaguar. Initially, I assumed the Jag would be easier to play due to its shorter scale. In first position, it definitely is easier to play. However, the Jag is harder to play for me in upper registers. Another thing I discovered about the Jag is that even though it has a shorter scale, the vibrato makes the string length considerably longer, which results in higher string tension.
The set up here is going to be sold. The new building will be 1200 ft2. I'm currently in 2 12'x20' buildings and a 12'x20' garage. Everything except the drill press and bandsaw are on wheels. It has served me well but it is time to grow.
Probably the most important element of a guitar and it's hardly ever talked about. I found virtually nothing online describing neck differences between SG's other than some are skinny and others fat. I did find an SG (type) with an asymetrical neck profile however. Not made by Gibson.
100%! Customer satisfaction & loyalty are hard to come by these days-----opportunity awaits guitar stores that integrate a sizing guidance service into their customer service toolbox. Can't believe it's not a thing.
Great information here. The neck on the guitar makes the biggest difference in how it plays. Is there a consensus on best neck profile shape and radius for people with smaller hands?
This is very good info for beginners. I also have a theory that Asian guitars have always had smaller necks due to Asians being generally smaller people. In terms of resale when the economy isn't crap, if you buy at a decent level a good brand, in general you should get the majority of your money out. Best to go to a store and spend some time, as well as like attracts like and we tend to shake out similarly in friend groups, so try your friends stuff as well.
Awhile back I got this vintage j50 with the 1 9 16 neck. The tone is extraordinary but it is a challenge. Very unusual instrument. What were they thinking during this time
Depending on the year it was made will determine the scale . Scale was always calculated from the formula. So if a new master Luthier took over at Gibson it was built to his specifications. divide any scale length by the constant 17.817, you will get the distance from the front edge of the nut to the first fret
As a lefty, I'm pretty much screwed. I have a tele that I Cant play to save my life. It is extremely difficult to articulate notes on. On my other two guitars, they play "faster" but both have Floyds which I don't like, making them both difficult to play.
They can't custom fit your hand at retail. People didn't used to anal retentively obsess over these details the way they do now. Today, the internet has made everyone an "expert". If the neck on a given guitar is THAT bad, the player can always get it sanded or shaped. Or, they can just go online and get a custom-everything neck for $600 or $800 dollars.
@@e.l.norton You just lamented the online-ness of guitar buying then suggested the solution is to buy a custom neck you've never held. You completely missed the point of the video. People always obsessed over the necks of guitars. How resonant a guitar was and how it felt were what determined whether you bought it or not. The "just buy an $800 custom neck for the guitar you just bought that doesn't feel right" approach is what this video is addressing.... it's an ass backwards approach to buying a guitar that doesn't make any more sense than buying a guitar and then flipping it when you find out it doesn't feel right.
Everyone is going to "prefer" whatever neck shape they were raised on. Since most kids learn on something like a modern Strat with a modern C shape neck profile, most adult players prefer that shape for life. I have had potential buyers walk away from a great deal on a great guitar because I made the mistake of carving the neck too thin, thinking that that is what modern players like. Most don't.
I don't think that's necessarily true. I grew up on modern Fenders and now I'm in my 40's I like big old fat necks. I still have a preference for Fender but the necks I prefer are wildly different from the 90's Japanese Fender necks I grew up on.
I would agree strongly with this statement and will add more information. I've been playing guitar for more than 50 years. I currently own 16 guitars. I would advise every guitarist out there that they should keep an open mind on the subject of neck profiles. My guitar span a wide range of neck profiles and I like that. I consider that to be a benefit. Why? Because it allows me to achieve a different playing style on each guitar. I find that the different profiles allows me to harness a different style of playing through my hands. It also allows me to exercise different muscles in my hand and arm and it leads to me playing a different style which is partially a function of that different neck profile. Don't limit yourself unless you absolutely feel that is the way to go. Just keep your options open. What I'm saying is different neck profiles can actually help you play guitar better.
This is so true, not enough information and attention is paid to neck profiles. If you have small hands this really matters.
I have hands on the smaller size and over the years have found that A) You dont need to grip the neck with a deathgrip, very light grip works fine. B) You can adapt to any neck it just takes some time. I have an SG Standard with a thick neck and at first it was hurting my hand but I adjusted my grip and pressure and now it is my favorite guitar to play. Dont give up on something if it doesnt work perfectly from the start, give it time.
of course if anything is causing you intense pain or any pain at all be very careful and dont overdo it. I have just found that usually the pain is coming from me overexerting but there are indeed some guitars that are just simply very uncomfortable to play no matter what.
A great app would be to take photos of your left hand and for it to tell you which neck you want
Brilliant
I like different neck profiles for different guitars. My LP has a thick, rounded style neck and my Ibanez Genesis has a super thin wizard neck. Both are great, just different, and inspire me to play differently.
My friend bought me a CV squier tele, I told him thank God the neck felt good I had never played one before.
The other important point is that the neck is the most important part of the guitar. Then weight. If you can’t get passed those 2 things it’s a no go
I enjoy> C shape, D shape and Compound. What matters most to me is the thickness at the 1st (as thin as 17mm) and 12th fret (as thick as 21.5mm). I will use a card scraper to anything that is over 22mm at the 12th fret. Huge Huge difference. Appreciate the video!!!!
I actually like lots of different neck profiles because they make me play and create differently. I can see where some only want one they are intent on shredding at super high speeds, which I am not, but I love the variety and luckily they dont hurt my hand.
Your videos are great! You can tell that you’re very experienced and practical!! Thanks for all your info , pointers , and insight !
Thank You!
After 20 plus years of buying, selling, trading and building guitars, many of them expensive boutiques, I’m definitely in the super soft V camp. A chubby soft shouldered C is acceptable too. I prefer a narrower nut width. 42mm max. This neck shape is not super common across mainstream guitar models. I firmly believe a larger segment of people would be happier with their guitar if their neck was closer to the aforementioned specs.
For me personally the neck profile is most important, while I don't care for the radius.
Since a few if I like a guitar with bolt on neck I just buy it (usually the necks are to thick for me), carve it down and refinish it. My self carved are all kind of asymetrc D-ish and really thin. We're talking Ibanez here.
For Les Paul style guitars the 60s slim taper profile is like it was just invented for me.
I never cared about neck shapes until I turned 30 because it took that long to realize that I had a preference for certain profiles. I like them chunky but not huge like my old martin backpacker lol. I have no problems with a thin C, but a thin D with sharp edges and a flat radius really feels strange. I love my Mexican EOB strat's neck, very unique profile that just fits right. I play mostly bass in bands right now and I feel like my hands prefer a slim rounder neck. I get hand pain from both the fat neck on my Arai Diamond hofner rip off and my thin Ibanez BTB 805ms's neck but feel great on a slimmer / rounder neck profile. Never had this problem with guitars, so Scale length is a thing here too. Very good video! SUBBED!
8:28 I have an 🇺🇸 strat and I like it . A Mex strat neck is ok BUT when I first put an 🇺🇸 professional 2 telecaster in my hands, it was heaven, fits like a glove. I knew that telecaster was my guitar ( shhhh don't let my strat know 🤣😂) Actually I picked up an Ibanez prestige AZS and I was surprised that I liked it, cause I don't like PRS, Gibson or squire, the necks suck ‼️
If you have pain while playing maybe try an asymmetrical neck profile. It naturally puts your left hand in a better position and is very comfortable.
I always wondered why I never bonded with my Strats. They always had Modern C profiles. Once I tried a Soft V, it all made sene.
Same here, i didn't realize it until I got my Clapton Strat and it was just more comfortable
Excellent discussion. Each person’s hands are different. I hate a V neck. Several other necks I like. Takamine acoustics have a different kind of asymmetrical neck which I also like. Far above looks or even sound of an instrument, I go for comfort. If the instrument is comfortable to play, I like it and will play it for hours. You are correct in showing us that hand massage people do when they are playing something uncomfortable, that does not fit their hand.
I have big hands (Size XL gloves) a wide neck E-E strings cramps my hand within a few minutes. Having said that I was told my entire life you'll like this neck because you have big hands.
This video is depressingly accurate. I play my kieseil on stage and record my Les Paul almost exclusively. Because lp sounds so good, but 50 neck is unbearable to play, it's just too fat. And there is no compromise, if you need an early lp sound you have to play that neck. Oh well.
I wish I would have know this years ago- would have saved loads. Thanks for the lesson on necks!
I get along with many different shapes of necks just fine. The only line I draw is on the thin cross section and wide radius shredder types. Those feel terrible to me. That said, my hands don't cramp up or feel bad if I'm going from a 59 to 60s LP, or a soft V to a modern C strat. Each has some features that work better for a specific thing, bending or chording or barring.
That's my experience as well. I own 16 guitars currently and many of them have a very dramatically different neck profile which allows me to approach my guitar playing from a different perspective. It allows me to tap into a different playing style. In other words it's a benefit.
@@Joe-mz6dc exactly.
Neck shapes are pretty much nailed down…you can usually get measurements …what messes me up is fret size…one makers jumbo is another’s medium jumbo and so on…I recently bought a guitar that was spec’ed jumbo frets and the frets feel smaller than a fender’s…frets are all over the map…great stuff brother 😎
Fret makers usually list sizes in height width and tang. Stew Mac tubes come like that and Jascar. Guitar manufacturers translate them into medium jumbo, jumbo, narrow etc it it maddening. The other issue is the material percentages for nickel silver. I like the frets to be hard as possible with out using stainless for durability.
@@talonguitarworks7514 ….agreed
@@talonguitarworks7514 what’s your opinion on stainless?
love your channel, no non-sense guitar wisdom. Thank you
Great insight!
I recently found out how much more playable my Strat is compared to my Jaguar.
Initially, I assumed the Jag would be easier to play due to its shorter scale. In first position, it definitely is easier to play.
However, the Jag is harder to play for me in upper registers.
Another thing I discovered about the Jag is that even though it has a shorter scale, the vibrato makes the string length considerably longer, which results in higher string tension.
Excellent, informative video…thank you!
My hands know..all I have to do is grip a guitar neck up and down the board. Never fails.
Thanks for making video. Would love to have your set up!
The set up here is going to be sold. The new building will be 1200 ft2. I'm currently in 2 12'x20' buildings and a 12'x20' garage. Everything except the drill press and bandsaw are on wheels. It has served me well but it is time to grow.
Probably the most important element of a guitar and it's hardly ever talked about. I found virtually nothing online describing neck differences between SG's other than some are skinny and others fat. I did find an SG (type) with an asymetrical neck profile however. Not made by Gibson.
Slash's guitar wasn't made by Gibson either
@@talonguitarworks7514 Yeah, the one Appetite. I think he was also given a Max Burst for Use Your Illusions. I found a Tokai SG.
Contour interval, oddly satisfying.
usually 21-22mm at the first fret and 23-24mm at the 12th
nice video neck profile most important thing amazing how many people dont care enough about it
Why isn’t this readily available already? Why don’t music stores match your hand to a guitar? Bicycle shops do this.
100%! Customer satisfaction & loyalty are hard to come by these days-----opportunity awaits guitar stores that integrate a sizing guidance service into their customer service toolbox. Can't believe it's not a thing.
Great information here. The neck on the guitar makes the biggest difference in how it plays.
Is there a consensus on best neck profile shape and radius for people with smaller hands?
How to save thousands... Stay out of guitar stores, period!
😂😂 so true ‼️🤣
Don't tell me how to live
dumbest idea i ever read...
Anymore it’s stay off the internet. 😂
Thank you
This is very good info for beginners. I also have a theory that Asian guitars have always had smaller necks due to Asians being generally smaller people.
In terms of resale when the economy isn't crap, if you buy at a decent level a good brand, in general you should get the majority of your money out.
Best to go to a store and spend some time, as well as like attracts like and we tend to shake out similarly in friend groups, so try your friends stuff as well.
Great info!
Awhile back I got this vintage j50 with the 1 9 16 neck. The tone is extraordinary but it is a challenge. Very unusual instrument. What were they thinking during this time
Depending on the year it was made will determine the scale . Scale was always calculated from the formula. So if a new master Luthier took over at Gibson it was built to his specifications. divide any scale length by the constant 17.817, you will get the distance from the front edge of the nut to the first fret
As a lefty, I'm pretty much screwed. I have a tele that I Cant play to save my life. It is extremely difficult to articulate notes on. On my other two guitars, they play "faster" but both have Floyds which I don't like, making them both difficult to play.
Block the Floyd. Happy days.
MY GF is lefty and primarily a keyboard player but I had to build her a start style guitar so I feel your pain I believe 2% are lefty models
This is why as a lefty I chose to play right handed. Life is so much easier.
Guitar dealers need to learn more about fitting players to necks.
They can't custom fit your hand at retail. People didn't used to anal retentively obsess over these details the way they do now. Today, the internet has made everyone an "expert". If the neck on a given guitar is THAT bad, the player can always get it sanded or shaped. Or, they can just go online and get a custom-everything neck for $600 or $800 dollars.
@@e.l.norton You just lamented the online-ness of guitar buying then suggested the solution is to buy a custom neck you've never held. You completely missed the point of the video.
People always obsessed over the necks of guitars. How resonant a guitar was and how it felt were what determined whether you bought it or not.
The "just buy an $800 custom neck for the guitar you just bought that doesn't feel right" approach is what this video is addressing.... it's an ass backwards approach to buying a guitar that doesn't make any more sense than buying a guitar and then flipping it when you find out it doesn't feel right.
Great vid
Everyone is going to "prefer" whatever neck shape they were raised on. Since most kids learn on something like a modern Strat with a modern C shape neck profile, most adult players prefer that shape for life. I have had potential buyers walk away from a great deal on a great guitar because I made the mistake of carving the neck too thin, thinking that that is what modern players like. Most don't.
I don't think that's necessarily true. I grew up on modern Fenders and now I'm in my 40's I like big old fat necks.
I still have a preference for Fender but the necks I prefer are wildly different from the 90's Japanese Fender necks I grew up on.
@@adamimberti6948 You and a few other people.
R8 owners nodding sadly in agreement
Pro Tip. Play all your guitars often. Rotate them you shall get used to all your neck profiles. It is just that simple!
I would agree strongly with this statement and will add more information. I've been playing guitar for more than 50 years. I currently own 16 guitars. I would advise every guitarist out there that they should keep an open mind on the subject of neck profiles. My guitar span a wide range of neck profiles and I like that. I consider that to be a benefit. Why? Because it allows me to achieve a different playing style on each guitar. I find that the different profiles allows me to harness a different style of playing through my hands. It also allows me to exercise different muscles in my hand and arm and it leads to me playing a different style which is partially a function of that different neck profile. Don't limit yourself unless you absolutely feel that is the way to go. Just keep your options open. What I'm saying is different neck profiles can actually help you play guitar better.
Bingo!! I have lots of different guitar neck profiles and love them all.
@Joe-mz6dc I have seven guitars and I don't practice enough.
Me also and have no excuse
What about cramping? It does not go away. I have only one guitar.
Only buy Gibson or Martin ! Every other guitar in history will lose money really, really bad.