The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    I believe Norah Jones plays a Fender Mustang because of the 7/8ths neck.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #52

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    I'm a man and I refuse to use many Ted Greene chord voicings as they could damage my hands. You have to know your limits. Then again, I usually play in group settings and his voicings are focused on solo guitar.
    Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 04-16-2014 at 05:00 AM.

  4. #53

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    mustangs had 1.5" or 1.625" nut widths

    Fender Mustang - ShortScale

  5. #54

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    Thanks, y'all. I'm going to keep an eye out for the narrow necked guitars you mentioned. In the mean time, I'll probably have some work done to the Jay Turser guitar, which is working out really well.

  6. #55

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    It's been a while so I thought I'd give you all an update. I have played the Jay Turser 3/4 guitars for about a year and I've been floored with my ability to practice and play again. (My left arm/hand was injured when I was in my late 20s.) I bought a 1964 Fender Duo Sonic a couple months ago, and it also has short scale / narrow neck. It has changed my life, and I am so happy!

    I know there will be guys here who will want to tell me that I don't need a guitar with a narrow neck, so my proof is this Sonny Stitt solo that I transcribed and played with the recording this fall:



    There is no way I could have learned this on a full size instrument. My guitar case is closed. Please bug the guitar builders to tap into this market and build some quality small scale / narrow neck guitars.

    Thanks, and I hope this helps some of you out there in the world!

  7. #56

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    You have really Nice technique Susan. Way to go. I love it.
    Keep Up the great work. You are an inspiration to all us little handed people!
    Joe D

  8. #57

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    i am 5ft6. went from a 335 to a casino and my band commented immediately that i was tighter but for jazz it was a bit metallic sounding.

    Neraly replaced it with a 330 that felt equally as good and not so metallic but i was wooed by the sound of my 175. the short scale is fantastic but i often think of getting the neck shaved a little.

  9. #58

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    Hi Susan,
    I hope that I can say without fear of contradiction that we are all glad
    to hear that you are happy with your playing , the phrasing is really
    good.
    I'll go as far as to say that many of us would be delighted to have the
    same skills, This is not being patronising, we love to hear the ladies put
    us in our place, after all Emily Remler did just that very successfully.
    congratulations on your achievements.
    We look forward to hearing more from you.

    Kindest regards

    Silverfoxx

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
    And those Gibsons run about $7,800, so I've got to keep looking.
    I see ES-140s on Reverb.com in the $2500-$3000 USD range.

  11. #60

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    I use a Forshage ergo guitar. It has a natural slope upwards, and is much more comfortable than other guitars. I have had problems in my neck and back forever, so I'm still working on increasing comfort. I've been currently trying to find the best chair.

    But I have been able to practice a lot more since attaining an ergo approximately 9-10 months ago. ��
    Last edited by srlank; 02-08-2016 at 12:27 AM.

  12. #61

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    Thanks for all the good thoughts and kind words.

  13. #62

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    that sounds great. congrats on finding something playable for you.

    maybe one of the new price-point archtop companies (loar, eastman, godin) will get around to a newe version of the gibson es-140. i don't typically prefer anything shorter than a gretsch scale, but i alsmot bought one a few years ago, it just played and soundded so nice.

    one just came up on ebay

    Gibson ES140 1954 Vintage Brazillian Fat Body Archtop Hollowbody Electric P 90 | eBay

  14. #63

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    I think the short scale and smaller body helps, but it's really the width of the neck that makes the biggest difference. I cannot go back to a regular 42mm neck after playing ones that are 37-39mm. I missed over 10 years of playing due to this injury (and my smaller body type). I'm just so happy to be back. So. Happy.

  15. #64

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    Quote Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
    I think the short scale and smaller body helps, but it's really the width of the neck that makes the biggest difference. I cannot go back to a regular 42mm neck after playing ones that are 37-39mm. I missed over 10 years of playing due to this injury (and my smaller body type). I'm just so happy to be back. So. Happy.
    Dear Susan,

    I'm really happy for you that you found a guitar that fits you. I have a Roger Borys B120 that was made for a woman jazz guitarist living in Vermont. It has a cardinal inlaid on the headstock and it does not emasculate me to have it and play it. In fact, I marvel at the woman's interpretation of a jazz guitar. It is important to find an instrument that allows you to express yourself without risk of injury nor compromising your expression.

    Scant few women jazz guitarists here. Don't mind us if we behave badly at times; it is just a boorish-man-being-stoopid-boorish-man-thing and we cannot help ourselves sometimes. If you accept that men have a tendency to behave mostly like jackasses amongst ourselves you will pay us no heed. Mostly mean no harm so don't shy away.

  16. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
    I think the short scale and smaller body helps, but it's really the width of the neck that makes the biggest difference. I cannot go back to a regular 42mm neck after playing ones that are 37-39mm. I missed over 10 years of playing due to this injury (and my smaller body type). I'm just so happy to be back. So. Happy.
    Welcome back to life with music Susan! It must have been terrible not to be able to play. And congrats on finding a suitable guitar.Stay happy.

  17. #66

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    Lark Street Music (http://www.larkstreet.com/stock.html) has a 1965 L-4CN for $3995 The nut is 1 9/16.
    Wanted: Good Guitars for Women (and folks with small hands)-l4cn-jpg

  18. #67

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    Quote Originally Posted by WilliamScott
    Lark Street Music (http://www.larkstreet.com/stock.html) has a 1965 L-4CN for $3995 The nut is 1 9/16.
    That is gorgeous. I like the pickguard, but I don't like the placement of the knobs.
    JD

  19. #68

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    Quote Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
    I think the short scale and smaller body helps, but it's really the width of the neck that makes the biggest difference. I cannot go back to a regular 42mm neck after playing ones that are 37-39mm. I missed over 10 years of playing due to this injury (and my smaller body type). I'm just so happy to be back. So. Happy.
    Welcome Susan and stay at it !

    I'm partial to L-4's, for a lot of reasons, and I'd try to play / try one if you can. Not sure about surface mount P/U's. Having recently played some new L-5's, configured both w/ surface mount and humbuckers, I just concluded the hoped-for acoustic sound - volume just wasn't there.

    I'd also say $3900. is about the money for a used blonde L-4CES, so if that approx. price isn't prohibitive, check one out !

    MHO, of course.

    Good luck !

  20. #69

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    Thanks, y'all. I don't think I'll be buying any guitars for a while. (Famous last words, I know.) I'm really happy with the Duo Sonic and I want to focus on practicing and playing. I did make good use out of the 10+ years I was injured; I wrote a couple guitar method books, built up a couple private guitar studios, and I'm half-way through my 10th year as the guitar instructor at Seattle University. Life is good. Finally.

    I've started on Sonny Stitt's tenor solo, and here's the 3rd chorus I just got today.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BBkx42TS...heguitarplayer


    Wanted: Good Guitars for Women (and folks with small hands)-unnamed-6-jpg

    Cheers!

  21. #70

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    I just finished learning Sonny Stitt's tenor solo on the Fender Duo Sonic:




    Yesterday, I took the guitar into the shop because the saddles on the bridge were not spaced correctly. My friend and guitar tech, Eric Daw, changed them out, along with the volume pot. I thought you might dig some of the pictures I took of the guitar all undone.

    Wanted: Good Guitars for Women (and folks with small hands)-unnamed-25-jpg

    Wanted: Good Guitars for Women (and folks with small hands)-unnamed-24-jpg

    Wanted: Good Guitars for Women (and folks with small hands)-unnamed-23-jpg

    I hope you all are well. Thanks for supporting me on my journey back to playing guitar again!

  22. #71

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    This is a long thread and I haven't read it all, so excuse me if my suggestion has been given.

    My suggestion is to find a guitar you like, and a neck you like, and you swap out the neck. That would probably be the most cost-effective way to get the perfect guitar for you.

  23. #72

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    @ snoskier63

    In the thread, you will learn that the guitar has been found: 1964 Fender Duo Sonic. Thanks for your suggestion. Most guitar necks are 41-43mm, and the Duo neck is about 38mm. The hardware must also compensate for the narrow neck, so it's not as simple as swapping out the neck.

  24. #73

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    Very cool guitar (very funky choice) and cool playing.

  25. #74

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    @Bach5G

    It wasn't really a choice, there just are not many narrow neck guitars out there. The guitar I played when I realized it was the narrow nut width that made such a dramatic difference for me was a 3/4 Jay Turser student model guitar. As you can guess, I dig the Duo Sonic just a little more.

  26. #75

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    Susan,

    The best guitar player I ever met was also the player with the smallest hands--of all of the players I have ever known. His fingers were so short that it was one of the first things you noticed about him. The guitar he learned on was a Gibson ES-350T (like Chuck Berry's) that had a "Byrdland" short scale. However, when I met him, Danny Gatton was playing Telecasters almost exclusively--which have 25-1/2" scales. Danny was not very tall and with his short fingers you'd think that a Telecaster would be too much guitar. Not at all. I honestly doubt I have ever heard anyone play a Fender guitar better than DG.

    The neck on a Telecaster or Stratocaster is so comfortable that the scale length is not all that much of a hassle. Gibsons, with 24-3/4" scales on many (most) of their models, are also comfortable.

    When I was ten years old and had small hands I started playing on a classical guitar with a 2" nut and a 26" scale. Grand barre chords were a real chore, but I didn't know any different, i.e., that my guitar had a long scale and a wide fretboard (standard, actually, for a classical instrument).

    I suspect that you could probably do fine on a variety of guitars...but play the guitar you feel happiest with.

    Cheers.