The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 02-23-2020, 12:38 PM
wguitar wguitar is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 1,810
Default Comfortable Neck for Aching Hands

What guitar neck do you like the best when your hands & thumb start to ache? I tend to like the neck on my Martin 00-28 (2016).
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-23-2020, 02:27 PM
Borderdon Borderdon is online now
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 1,666
Default

The neck on my ‘73 000-18 is amazing, by far the best of all the acoustic guitars I’ve played.
__________________
"pouring from the empty into the void "
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-23-2020, 02:33 PM
Misifus Misifus is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Mineral Wells, Texas
Posts: 3,178
Default

I find, as I grow older (78), that my hands are more likely to cramp on guitars with thin or narrow necks. My models that have a bit more wood on the neck are far more comfortable.
__________________
-Raf
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-23-2020, 02:37 PM
Feste's Avatar
Feste Feste is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Third Coast, USA
Posts: 1,568
Default

Both my McIlroy Aj25 and my Brook Taw have very comfortable neck profiles that are on the thinner side.
__________________
"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."
New Album
Pandora
Spotify

FOR SALE:
MIKTEK CV4 Tube mic
Various Shock Mounts
2019 Alvarez ABT60 SHB-E Baritone guitar
Shoot me a PM if interested
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-23-2020, 02:42 PM
Methos1979's Avatar
Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Seacoast, NH
Posts: 8,070
Default

I can acclimate to most necks fairly readily. Too-thin necks (think Taylor) I tend to like the least as it seems like my hands cramp more for some reason and I don't have big hands. My Cole Clark guitar necks are very comfortable but even on those I found I tend to get a little bit of knuckle pain around the middle finger on either side. But since getting my latest Martin which has a mod V neck with a PA taper that is extremely comfortable. I'd always preferred a neck with a soft V and I've had Martin mod V's that were good and not so good but this combination of mod V with PA taper is just really nice and very comfortable for me.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-23-2020, 02:50 PM
jrb715 jrb715 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Southern California
Posts: 1,209
Default

I have smaller hands, so pretty much have the opposite response to those with larger hands. Cramping happens for me with chunky necks.

Best neck for me is the Collings Mod-V on my OMs.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-23-2020, 06:04 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,888
Default

Love the chunky and wide neck on my older Seagull Folk.

To my knowledge I've never tried a pronounced V neck. I often wonder how I'd like one.

Things I think help (beyond preference on neck shape). At least decent fret height, appropriate action height (including nut slots!), and lighter tension strings. As Steve DeRosa has often pointed out here, you can even skip the last one if you are not a string vibrato bender.
__________________
-----------------------------------
Creator of The Parlando Project

Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-23-2020, 06:32 PM
noledog's Avatar
noledog noledog is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Florida's First Coast
Posts: 7,530
Default

Takamine's asymmetrical ergonomic design on their Japanese Pro Series.
__________________
NOLE TUNES & Coastal Acoustic Music one love jam!
Martin D18 & 3 lil' birdz; Takamine KC70, P3NC x 2
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-23-2020, 07:21 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Misifus View Post
I find, as I grow older (78), that my hands are more likely to cramp on guitars with thin or narrow necks. My models that have a bit more wood on the neck are far more comfortable.
Exact opposite problem - the slimmer the neck the easier/longer/faster I can play, and probably the main reason I've gone almost exclusively to electric over the last 3-4 years...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-23-2020, 08:34 PM
Malcolm Kindnes Malcolm Kindnes is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,963
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Misifus View Post
I find, as I grow older (78), that my hands are more likely to cramp on guitars with thin or narrow necks. My models that have a bit more wood on the neck are far more comfortable.
I absolutely agree with this, 1 7/8 nut and chunky neck please.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:53 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=