I'll soon be ordering a custom neck from USA Custom Guitars and am seeking advice from experienced players on the neck size and shape.
This seems to be a pretty good place to find guys that have been around the block enough to know that what works for the individual isn't always what the companies are pushing to the consumers. I'm hoping that some of you might be able to offer your insight as to what neck profile might work best for my needs.
In an effort to keep subjectivity to a minimum, here's my hand measurements (I know you're all on the edges of your seats as the suspense is killing you):
Width across palm at widest point is about 3 3/4 in.
Length from bottom of palm to tip of middle finger is about 7 in.
Length of middle finger (palm side) is about 3 1/8 in.
Length of thumb (palm side) is about 2 1/2 in.
I'm interested in being able to play with comfort for hours on end as opposed to shredding for a few minutes (and with my shredding ability, make that a few seconds).
I play with a lot of thumb over the top for blues bends and chords with the thumb on the low E. Sometimes I play a note on the low E while bending up or pulling down other strings (SRV-ish with pushing up, while Arlen Roth comes to mind with the pull down technique). I also use my thumb on the low E while at the same time playing partial barre chords with my index finger, using my other three fingers to move about.
When my thumb is not on top and in the "classical position" I use a lot of partial and full barre chords.
I switch back and forth between "thumb on top" and "thumb behind" quite often. Is there a neck shape that would allow a smooth(er) transition between these two thumb positions?
Whether my thumb is in back or over the top I play a lot of chord melodies with frequent use of partial barres and bends/pull-downs.
Reading over how I describe my style, it dawned on me that I type better than I play. Perhaps I'll make a better living in advertising than in playing. As long as nobody insists on audio files to back up my description of my style, I'll be OK. Now, moving on...
I'm pretty much sold on the compound radius of 7 1/4 to 9 1/2 . Can anyone think of any reason why not to go with this? I'm thinking that the more curved radius would help with my partial barre technique as the index finger naturally curves if the thumb is on the low E.
My current guitar is a 90's Carvin with a 14 or 15 radius and a thin, flat oval shaped neck. These are my main concerns/problems with this neck:
1. I develop an ache in the palm of my fretting hand when chording and/or bending (develops after 15 or so minutes). There just isn't any wood for my hand to touch back there. It starts off as mild discomfort, then works its way into a cramp. I'm thinking that a different shape/size to the neck would solve this.
2. A similar discomfort working its way into a cramp occurs when rolling from one string to an adjacent string with the same finger (e.g. thepinkie finger used for arpeggios). Could this be a radius issue?
3. I have very limited finger movement when using the thumb on the low E. My fingers (especially the index) don't seem to wrap around the bottom of the neck as much as I'd like; the bottom of the neck doesn't offer me enough clearance. I'm thinking anasymmetrical neck or a V shape at the bottom would allow my hand to wrap around easier. Also, might a more curved radius allow the index more comfort with barres (while the thumb is still on the low E)?
The Carvin neck seems to have not enough wood where I need it (the center) and too much where I don't (the edges).
I'd like to have as much wood as possible (most of you seem to think more wood in the neck improves the tone) while having the shape assisting my playing style instead of limiting it.
Can anyone recommend a neck width at the nut? I already have the Glendale bridge-plate on the way (if this makes a difference in spacing) so the bridge width is predetermined at this point for classic tele spacing.
USACG has this page to help out
www.usacustomguitars.com/contours.html
and Warmoth has this
www.warmoth.com/guitar/ne...k_profiles
I'm pretty much leaning in the direction of an asymmetrical "Texas Blues" (i.e. SRV) or a V shape (the '54 perhaps?), perhaps a midway point between the two. I know that the people at USACG can tailor the neck to the individual, so pretty much any variation(s) are possible.
Any insight offered as to neck size and shape would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
This seems to be a pretty good place to find guys that have been around the block enough to know that what works for the individual isn't always what the companies are pushing to the consumers. I'm hoping that some of you might be able to offer your insight as to what neck profile might work best for my needs.
In an effort to keep subjectivity to a minimum, here's my hand measurements (I know you're all on the edges of your seats as the suspense is killing you):
Width across palm at widest point is about 3 3/4 in.
Length from bottom of palm to tip of middle finger is about 7 in.
Length of middle finger (palm side) is about 3 1/8 in.
Length of thumb (palm side) is about 2 1/2 in.
I'm interested in being able to play with comfort for hours on end as opposed to shredding for a few minutes (and with my shredding ability, make that a few seconds).
I play with a lot of thumb over the top for blues bends and chords with the thumb on the low E. Sometimes I play a note on the low E while bending up or pulling down other strings (SRV-ish with pushing up, while Arlen Roth comes to mind with the pull down technique). I also use my thumb on the low E while at the same time playing partial barre chords with my index finger, using my other three fingers to move about.
When my thumb is not on top and in the "classical position" I use a lot of partial and full barre chords.
I switch back and forth between "thumb on top" and "thumb behind" quite often. Is there a neck shape that would allow a smooth(er) transition between these two thumb positions?
Whether my thumb is in back or over the top I play a lot of chord melodies with frequent use of partial barres and bends/pull-downs.
Reading over how I describe my style, it dawned on me that I type better than I play. Perhaps I'll make a better living in advertising than in playing. As long as nobody insists on audio files to back up my description of my style, I'll be OK. Now, moving on...
I'm pretty much sold on the compound radius of 7 1/4 to 9 1/2 . Can anyone think of any reason why not to go with this? I'm thinking that the more curved radius would help with my partial barre technique as the index finger naturally curves if the thumb is on the low E.
My current guitar is a 90's Carvin with a 14 or 15 radius and a thin, flat oval shaped neck. These are my main concerns/problems with this neck:
1. I develop an ache in the palm of my fretting hand when chording and/or bending (develops after 15 or so minutes). There just isn't any wood for my hand to touch back there. It starts off as mild discomfort, then works its way into a cramp. I'm thinking that a different shape/size to the neck would solve this.
2. A similar discomfort working its way into a cramp occurs when rolling from one string to an adjacent string with the same finger (e.g. thepinkie finger used for arpeggios). Could this be a radius issue?
3. I have very limited finger movement when using the thumb on the low E. My fingers (especially the index) don't seem to wrap around the bottom of the neck as much as I'd like; the bottom of the neck doesn't offer me enough clearance. I'm thinking anasymmetrical neck or a V shape at the bottom would allow my hand to wrap around easier. Also, might a more curved radius allow the index more comfort with barres (while the thumb is still on the low E)?
The Carvin neck seems to have not enough wood where I need it (the center) and too much where I don't (the edges).
I'd like to have as much wood as possible (most of you seem to think more wood in the neck improves the tone) while having the shape assisting my playing style instead of limiting it.
Can anyone recommend a neck width at the nut? I already have the Glendale bridge-plate on the way (if this makes a difference in spacing) so the bridge width is predetermined at this point for classic tele spacing.
USACG has this page to help out
www.usacustomguitars.com/contours.html
and Warmoth has this
www.warmoth.com/guitar/ne...k_profiles
I'm pretty much leaning in the direction of an asymmetrical "Texas Blues" (i.e. SRV) or a V shape (the '54 perhaps?), perhaps a midway point between the two. I know that the people at USACG can tailor the neck to the individual, so pretty much any variation(s) are possible.
Any insight offered as to neck size and shape would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
