Who Has The Widest Necks?
 

I've got a buddy looking for a really wide neck...something like a classical guitar but with steel strings. Does anyone make a steel string classical, or who makes the fattest guitar necks for steel strings?

Thanks!

Do you want acoustic or electric? I know where there are some electrics, but no acoustics. :D

I believe some Martins come with 1 7/8" necks, but I may be wrong. Send him over to the Martin web site and look at the guitar specs for the different models.
I know Martin has 1 13/16" necks, as my 00028GE has one as do the current production 00028VS's.

There is always the custom builder route to.

talking acoustics here...

martin huh? i thought gibson had pretty wide necks...or is that just their electrics?

Powerlifters, generally... the ones in the Olympics have HUGE necks.

:D

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Now are you talking neck WIDTH which is measured at the nut from one side of the finger board to the other, or neck profile thickness-how FAT the neck is -(front to back thickness)? When people use the term "neck width" they are generally talking about the nut width.
Classical guitars are known for their 2" width at the nut, and I thought that was what you were referring to. They can be thin or thick necked-generally tending towards fatter necks.

Most Martins have either a 1 11/16 or 1 3/4" nut width. Most Gibsons, if I am not wrong, are sightly narrower than 1 3/4"

If you are talking about neck THICKNESS then Martin offers many different neck profiles, from their "Vintage V" which is a moderately full neck with a slight "V" ridge down the middle to their "low oval" profile. The old vintage Gibsons classically had a "baseball bat" neck, ie very full. Modern Gibsons have gone over to a "slim neck" profile (which I can't stand).
Taylors have their standard neck profiles-which are slim, of a "fuller profile" which I haven't had the chance to try yet.

Collings tend to have a nice medium full profile , basically a modified form of the Martin "V" to my hands. Goodalls and Lowdens have a full "D" shape to their profiles. SCGC medium full, a bit like Collings.

You can have a "wide" neck (ie 2' at the nut) with either a very thin, relatively flat neck or with a very fat rounded neck. Likewise you can have a very "thin" neck (such as 1 5/8" at the nut) with a very thin or fat neck.

I prefer a 1 3/4" nut width with a moderatly full neck. Many people like 1 3/4" nut widths with a skinny neck. Lots of folks like a narrower nut width (1 11/16" is common) with a fat full neck, many prefer it with a skinny neck.
It is about whatever feels most comfortable to the player.

Great analysis/comparisons among all the builders Jeff. I happen to respond more to THICKNESS rather than WIDTH, the thicker the quicker the cramping. Everyone is unique when it comes to hand size, finger shape, play alot of guitars to see what "fits" you best.

Which is exactly the opposite of how my hands react.
Definately a matter of personal fit.

If you’re after a classical feel, a 1 7/8th nut is the way to go. While a typical classical guitar is about 2 inches, the strings are also almost three times the size of a steelstring. A 1 7/8th steelstring will have just about the same sting spacing as a 2 inch classical.

For a long time my main guitar was a Taylor ordered with a 1 7/8th nut. The trick is making sure you order the guitar with a 2 and 3/8th bridge spacing. Otherwise the right hand won’t notice the difference. I’d argue that the right hand is where the money is in terms of a classical-ish steelstring. After about two years I went back to 1 3/4, though I do sometimes miss it.

My Dove has a pretty wide neck. You might check out some old school Gibsons. Make sure you find one that sounds good though. From what I hear, older Gibsons are hit and miss as far as quality.

:D :D :D :D

Just like one of my neighbors!!

They're not luthier quality or Taylor or Martin quality, but Seagull guitars have 1 7/8 inch necks. I have a nice S6+ spruce I'm selling. Try www.seagullguitars.com to see.

Martin really doesn't make many models with necks wider than 1 3/4" nut size. There are currently three with 1 7/8" and three with 1 13/16" nut. All of these are 12-fret, slotted headstock models. This does not include the 12-string models, which are all 1 7/8".

I believe that the standard Seagull nut width is 1.8", which puts it somewhere between 1 3/4" (1.75") and 1 7/8" (1.875").

Mac Carter

Generally, most Martins are 1 11/16. That's kind of a standard with a lot of steel strings. Some Martin's are 1.75 and wider
Garrisons are 1.7
Taylors, generally, are 1.75, a few narrower.
Tacoma, mostly 1.75, some narrower.

Actully, Martin does not make a guitar with a 1.67" (1 2/3") nut width. The standard size for Martin and many other makes is 1 11/16", which is 1.6875".

I got my information about Seagulls normally having 1.8" nut widths from Seagull's spec sheet, which is here:

http://www.seagullguitars.com/specs.htm

Othe than a couple of 12-strings and one specialty model at 1.9", all the rest seem to be 1.8". I don't see any 1.875" models.

Mac Carter