[Denandannie]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

My thoughts, in reverse order:

• Most modern semi-hollows have the bridge permanently anchored into the top, either with studs (into which the height adjustment screws/wheels are mounted) or by pinning the base - shouldn't be a problem finding something that suits your needs;
• I've been playing since 1962, taught in the public and private sector for 45 years, encountered countless fellow guitarists over my lifetime - and barring genuine medical issues, IME much of the professed need for ever-wider fingerboards among flattop=based steel-string players is rooted in poor left-hand technique (something those of us who were trained from the get-go on archtop don't generally have, BTW). I had the pleasure of meeting renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, who has a pair of mitts worthy of an NFL linebacker and has no difficulty whatsoever handling the narrow neck/string spacing of a violin, and many of the same people clamoring for bigger necks double on fiddle/mandolin - often quite proficiently, which smacks as much of compartmentalization as the aforementioned technical deficiencies. My suggestion is to adopt an orchestral-string players' technique - get off the flats of your fingers and up on the very tips (also improves articulation. BTW) - and while Eastman makes a line of semis with 1-3/4" necks, you may just find you really don't need as wide a fingerboard as you originally thought...

Thank you. Thinking about your thoughts, my fingers might be lazy. They don't always stand up. Something for me to work on.