No neck preference - Am I odd?7

[MIGAS79]

I was switching between guitars today, seeing how different they were with different effects, etc. i learned two things: 1) I love all 3 because they do different things, and (2) I also like all three necks, which are very different from each other. My Baja Tele has a thick soft V, the Guild S-100 a thin, fast neck (its an SG type guitar) and the Gretsch is a pretty thick C.

I see some who prefer a certain neck type. Maybe part of it is that I’m not exactly a great guitarist, but I don’t seem to mind going from one to the next. I will say the necks seem thd steer me in a certain direction as far as what I play though.

Is it odd to essentially not care?

[DukeX]

I don't care about the neck profile or fretboard radius--maybe because, although I've played a long time, I'm just not that skilled.

[Davis Webb]

Comfort is key. If you are comfortable, all is well. I have a ganglion cyst on my right hand and if the neck radius as bad, I get pins and needles.

[LouieAtienza]

You do care, but you care for each neck for different reasons. That you can enjoy variety is a good thing; each guitar could potentially bring out different things. May not be the best way to further your skills however if your goal is to improve.

On the other hand a great guitarist will prefer one profile to another, but they're so good they can play on anything and sound good.

[MIGAS79]

I notice scale length differences - prefer shorter but my Tele is going nowhere!! But one neck to the next seems like an easy transition.

[jdto]

I am no great player, but I am quite sensitive to neck profiles. Thin necks aggravate my wrist arthritis and repetitive hand strain injuries. Fatter necks mean I can play more and for longer

[raysachs]

I’m pretty picky about the feel of an electeic’s neck, but I’ve found a variety I like a lot. I have a strat and a tele, both 9.5” maple fretboards - love em both. The strat has a fat soft-V, the tele is relatively skinny. The fat soft-V feels nothing like the Baja tele’s fat soft-V, though, which I’ve also owned and loved. Can’t go by the description - each neck plays a little differently. I’m fine with a lot (but far from all) of 9.5” and 7.25” Fenders but have never been able to play a 12” Fender fretboard without it feeling really alien. But I have a 12” ebony board on an Ibanez semi-hollow that I completely love.

That said, I’ve rejected more guitars because the neck didn’t feel right to me than those I’ve really liked. But there’s no rhyme or reason to it, no spec that always works or spec that never works. But I seem to know pretty quick when I pick one up if it’s a potential keeper or not.

On acoustic, I seem to be a bit less picky...

-Ray

[Golffishny]

I never cared about neck profiles until I had hand surgeries which limited my dexterity. Even so I was aware that some profiles worked better for rhythm vs lead playing.

[roylor4]

I wish it didn't matter to me, but profile is a big thing to me, as is a satin neck.

I prefer a meatier profile on both acoustics and electrics. I'm also a sucker for satin finished maple necks on electrics. I have a G&L Ascari that only sees action as a slide guitar because it has a thin and glossy neck.

[davidd]

I have so many different neck profiles and widths and the only one that gives me a problem is the 1 3/4" V on my Epi EF500. I have had it for 12 years and I still can't get used to it. Fat, skinny, narrow or wide doesn't bother me too much but that V is a pain.

[Bob Womack]

You know, it really seems that many factors inteact. I can play many combinations but I found one that really enables me to play lead faster and more naturally. That is Gibson's '60s slim taper neck with their 24.75" scale and jumbo frets. I got that on an ES-335 my wife bought for me and it is amazing. I play a combination technique that places the thumb behind the neck for some work and wraps the thumb for other. The slim neck tends to make me shift to thumb behind quicker. The jumbo frets require less pressure, and in fact, demand less pressure or you pull the string sharp. Here is an eye-opener: the slim taper isn't the most comfortable neck for me. I've got a 1970s Gibson with a slightly thicker neck that actually gives more support for rhythm stuff but it isn't as fast or natural for lead.

I can do Fender's slightly v shape on a Tele. I've got slim Taylors that can fatigue me a bit. I recently added a slightly thicker-necked Taylor 12 Fret short scale with a slight V that is extremely comfortable as well.

Funny stuff.

Bob

[ghostnote]

I don't care about it at all. Some necks are a little easier to get around on, but I still play them all. How a guitar sounds is more important to me than neck shape. I figure that I can learn to adapt to different necks, and if a guitar has a great basic tone, it's worth my effort to do so.

[muscmp]

i don't know if i've even thought of neck differences when i'm changing from one to a different guitar, even electrics. however, larger bodies bring on my bursitis and i can only play my hd28 for 1/2hr or so until i need to change to a smaller one.

play music!

[MIGAS79]

I will say, I will attempt to only acquire guitars with satin neck finishes going forward. I have relatively sweaty hands and gloss isn’t my favorite. Unfortunately all three of my electrics are glossy but I’m still happy with them.

I really never thought about different necks. I was reading the Reverb listing for the telecaster and noticed it said it was a soft V. It wasn’t until picking it up and actually paying attention that I noticed it. Funny how only then did I notice how different they are.

Probably shouldn’t open any more cans of worms in this thread, but I don’t particularly notice a huge electric string difference from brand to brand. Definitely do on acoustics, of course.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

You do care, but you care for each neck for different reasons. That you can enjoy variety is a good thing; each guitar could potentially bring out different things. May not be the best way to further your skills however if your goal is to improve.

On the other hand a great guitarist will prefer one profile to another, but they're so good they can play on anything and sound good.

What great insight, Louie. I never thought of it that way but I believe you are correct.

I have a variety of neck sizes. For Gibson comparisons, I can go from the 50's Les Paul thick neck to the slim profile SG neck. I do prefer the slim profile but have no problem with the thicker necks. The thicker neck wants me to play more blues based riffs.

Mitch (OP) - Enjoy your guitars and the finding the nuances of each.