Guitars/Brands with necks like Gibson Standard?

[woodpecker87]

Hi All,

I figured I would ask here as many of you have handled/played/owned many many many more guitars than I have even encountered in my life.

I am wondering what other guitars or brands have necks that feel very similar to that of a Gibson J-45 Standard (current model production).

I have cycled through a few guitars, mostly on the lower end, but I currently have a Gibson J-45 and a Martin CEO-7.

I love the CEO-7 except for... you guessed it, the neck. I do OK with it, and finger picking present no issues, but something about the combination of 1.75" nut width and slightly chunky mod-V neck mean that when I am strumming and playing something like an open C, I pretty much always unintentionally mute the bottom E string. As you can tell, I don't have very large hands.

However, I recently got a J-45 and... wow, the neck fits perfectly! It is extremely comfortable for everything. I'm thinking the combination of ~1.72" nut and the slimmer profile neck is what I'm after.

I also had a Martin X series (000-X2) that had a 1.75" nut but the low profile Martin neck and that was... OK... but I think I still prefer the narrower nut.

I played a couple guitars with 1-11/16" nuts at a guitar store not too long ago and I got along just fine with them, they were not too narrow.



So what other brands/guitars have necks that are the same/similar to my J-45?


Thanks in advance!

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by woodpecker87

Hi All,

I figured I would ask here as many of you have handled/played/owned many many many more guitars than I have even encountered in my life.

I am wondering what other guitars or brands have necks that feel very similar to that of a Gibson J-45 Standard (current model production).

I have cycled through a few guitars, mostly on the lower end, but I currently have a Gibson J-45 and a Martin CEO-7.

I love the CEO-7 except for... you guessed it, the neck. I do OK with it, and finger picking present no issues, but something about the combination of 1.75" nut width and slightly chunky mod-V neck mean that when I am strumming and playing something like an open C, I pretty much always unintentionally mute the bottom E string. As you can tell, I don't have very large hands.

However, I recently got a J-45 and... wow, the neck fits perfectly! It is extremely comfortable for everything. I'm thinking the combination of ~1.72" nut and the slimmer profile neck is what I'm after.

I also had a Martin X series (000-X2) that had a 1.75" nut but the low profile Martin neck and that was... OK... but I think I still prefer the narrower nut.

I played a couple guitars with 1-11/16" nuts at a guitar store not too long ago and I got along just fine with them, they were not too narrow.



So what other brands/guitars have necks that are the same/similar to my J-45?


Thanks in advance!

Depends on what you consider standard Gibson. For me, it'd be 24.75 scale and 1.72 nudwidth with either a '50s neck of a slim tapered one, but not all Gibson guitars exhibit those characteristics.

[woodpecker87]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

Depends on what you consider standard Gibson. For me, it'd be 24.75 scale and 1.72 nudwidth with either a '50s neck of a slim tapered one, but not all Gibson guitars exhibit those characteristics.

Correct - I'm referring specifically to my J-45 with 1.72" nut and slim taper neck profile. When I said 'Standard' I was just referencing the current modern J-45 which is just called 'J-45 Standard' (and not the 50s or 60s model). Unfortunately I can't edit the title of my post to specify current J-45 Standard.

[woodpecker87]

any suggestions on specific brands or models to look at? Any body size or price range is fair game (even though I may not be quite ready for a boutique guitar yet).

[rmp]

A SJ200 Standard would make a good roommate for your J45..

just sayin...

[zombywoof]

While Bozeman is great when it comes to selecting names for their necks, they are seriously unhelpful when it comes to describing or providing specs for the various shapes and sizes. I am assuming though the neck you are looking at is what Bozeman dubs the slim taper. These are very skinny necks with a depth at the first fret which generally clocks in at around .80" to .84". If that is to your liking and you wanted to stick with Gibson, you would just need to seek out other models with that neck such as the L00 Standard.

As to other guitars finding out such info long distance is easier said than done as neck specs other than nut width are rarely provided. One of the few stores which provides more detailed info about necks though is Wildwood. It would be a good place to go look to at least get an idea of what other guitars have necks which you might find comfy.

[woodpecker87]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

While Bozeman is great when it comes to selecting names for their necks, they are seriously unhelpful when it comes to describing or providing specs for the various shapes and sizes. I am assuming though the neck you are looking at is what Bozeman dubs the slim taper. These are very skinny necks with a depth at the first fret which generally clocks in at around .80" to .84". If that is to your liking and you wanted to stick with Gibson, you would just need to seek out other models with that neck such as the L00 Standard.

As to other guitars finding out such info long distance is easier said than done as neck specs other than nut width are rarely provided. One of the few stores which provides more detailed info about necks though is Wildwood. It would be a good place to go look to at least get an idea of what other guitars have necks which you might find comfy.

Thanks for the tip on Wildwood, I'll check them out. I'll keep heading to the local shops whenever I get a chance to get a feel for more brands/necks and see what else I can find that's similar.

[Wellington]

Originally Posted by woodpecker87

Hi All,

I figured I would ask here as many of you have handled/played/owned many many many more guitars than I have even encountered in my life.

I am wondering what other guitars or brands have necks that feel very similar to that of a Gibson J-45 Standard (current model production).

I have cycled through a few guitars, mostly on the lower end, but I currently have a Gibson J-45 and a Martin CEO-7.

I love the CEO-7 except for... you guessed it, the neck. I do OK with it, and finger picking present no issues, but something about the combination of 1.75" nut width and slightly chunky mod-V neck mean that when I am strumming and playing something like an open C, I pretty much always unintentionally mute the bottom E string. As you can tell, I don't have very large hands.

However, I recently got a J-45 and... wow, the neck fits perfectly! It is extremely comfortable for everything. I'm thinking the combination of ~1.72" nut and the slimmer profile neck is what I'm after.

I also had a Martin X series (000-X2) that had a 1.75" nut but the low profile Martin neck and that was... OK... but I think I still prefer the narrower nut.

I played a couple guitars with 1-11/16" nuts at a guitar store not too long ago and I got along just fine with them, they were not too narrow.



So what other brands/guitars have necks that are the same/similar to my J-45?


Thanks in advance!

Well, I own a 2020 USA Guild dreadnought which on paper is a 1 11/16, and that's just fine I like 1 11/16 and I love the feel of that neck shape etc but a couple days ago i measured the nut width with my calipers for another member looking at the same guitar and lo' and behold it's actually a 1.72! Makes zero difference to me. On my particular Guild it's a true 1.72 anyway, and if a person wanted to there's room to widen the string spacing.

So, maybe try some current USA production Guilds?
My model is a D-40 Traditional.

[LAGinz]

You might want to consider that a key factor here might really be the neck radius. I have relatively small hands, and have definitely (by process of elimination) found this to be the case for me. Especially with chording. The Gibbies you’re talking about have a 12” radius neck. Martins and Taylors have either 15 or 16 inch radii. Most Gibbies have 12 inch radius necks, as do most Eastmans.

[b1j]

1. I’m no help because I prefer the chunky neck of the 50s Original series (my J-45 and also my 1952 Martin, which differs from that of the contemporary 0-18). Gibson calls my neck profile “round.” Others call it a baseball bat. Different strokes. I don’t know anything about the CEO-7 neck. But I second Wildwood. I find their neck stats very helpful and wish others, like Sweetwater, took the time to list them for their stock. But it’s true that the various and sundry profile names among builders can shed more shade than light. Keep at it. Study the inventory of Wildwood and Maury’s Music. Look at what other big shops say. Google it. Soon you’ll have the lingo down.

2. Woodpecker, you can change your thread title. Go to your first post and choose Edit. Then look for Go Advanced next to the Save button. That will give you full control to revise anything in the post, including the title.

[Jack the Pearl]

I live down here on the dark end of the street. Wid all de po folks. I own one of the last BG-160s "imported" into Arizona. It's not an expensive guitar (about $1300), and you probably can't buy one. They're out of production.

But I had a Gibson J-50 a few years back that had one of those necks that was so right for my hand that I never took a tape measure to it. It was just "right" in my hand so I didn't care about inches and millimeters and profiles or marketing department names. The neck on my BG-160 is the same.

You asked about guitars with necks like a Gibson standard. I suggest you play some Blueridge guitars, and leave your micrometer at home. You'll know if you find one. Near as I can tell, they no longer make any guitars with a 24.75" neck scale so you may have to hunt. There's always used.

If you find a Blueridge neck with that "perfect" size and shape, you won't care that it's not a museum piece with a price tag to match. Good hunting.

[Zissou Intern]

As mentioned above, the current Guild D40 and D50 would have similar neck widths and profiles to your J45's "slim taper". You might want to look at pre-reimagined D18, D28, and D35 from the late 90's and early 00's. The D16s built in the late 80's and early 90's are real gems, and they are 1 11/16" at the nut with a not-too-full neck profile. The Eastman E10/20SS models have thin C shaped 1 11/16" necks. While they both look like your J45, they don't sound like it.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by b1j

1. I’m no help because I prefer the chunky neck of the 50s Original series (my J-45 and also my 1952 Martin, which differs from that of the contemporary 0-18). Gibson calls my neck profile “round.” Others call it a baseball bat. Different strokes.

This is a perfect example of why specs are needed. The neck on a 50s Original J45 has a round shoulder V carve (I have heard this described as mid-century modern) which hovers around .90" at the 1st fret. So based on your frame of reference you describe it as chunky. That is certainly a whole lot fairer than "baseball bat." My oldest Gibson which I also find the most comfortable to play is a 13 fretter with a round shoulder soft V neck with a 1 13/16" nut and a depth of 1.05" at the 1st fret. So based on my frame of reference I would say this gets you into Louisville Slugger territory. The only Gibson I can think of which has a neck which comes close would be the Historic Collection '34 Original Jumbo. And it is precisely that neck which is what I find attractive about that particular offering,

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by woodpecker87

Correct - I'm referring specifically to my J-45 with 1.72" nut and slim taper neck profile. When I said 'Standard' I was just referencing the current modern J-45 which is just called 'J-45 Standard' (and not the 50s or 60s model). Unfortunately I can't edit the title of my post to specify current J-45 Standard.

Understood. Actually, I own two Gibson acoustics. . . and their necks and scales are quite different. My J-15 is 1.72 and 24.75; my Hummingbird Pro is 1.69 and 25.5. The neck profile of the Hummingbird Pro is quite slimmer than that of the J-15, although the J-15's neck profile isn't that chunky compared to other Gibson acoustics.

[Rogerblair]

My current-model J45 is my favorite neck shape. However, as Wellington mentioned, the Oxnard Guild dreads have a wonderful neck configuration as well.
Not sure about the small body Guilds, however.

Check them out if you get a chance.
Roger