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We're probably not talking about the same guitar because the only 3/4 size I can find right is this one, which has the 1 3/4" nut width according to the article: Alvarez AP70 Review / Reviews / Gear / Acoustic Guitar
Let me know the model number of the guitar when you get a chance. Thanks so much.
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04-11-2014 03:27 PM
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OK I looked it up - it's not a Yairi. It's an Alvarez Masterworks MSD1. Solid woods, 1-5/8 nut, which is about 41mm I think. Still a LITTLE bigger than you want. Very little. It feels tiny and cramped to me, and I'm 5-7 (but I have big hands
Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Thanks for correcting that.
I know that 41 or 42 or 43 don't seem that far away from 37, but I can say that for me it has made all the difference and that's what I'm looking for. I'll keep in mind that Alvarez for other folks, and I may just have to settle with upgrading the Jay Turser I've got which fits me so well.
I really appreciate all the info and ideas. Please keep it coming. I'm heading offline to teach and play now. Thanks.
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One suggestion is go to Warmoth or USACG and buy a body and a neck and parts and assemble your own or get a tech to assemble it. They sell conversion necks that are 24.6" scale, 1 5/8 nut, and any back profile you want. I'd suggest a thinline tele body for jazz. If you buy all new parts and don't go hogwild on body wood, you should be able to get one for around $1000 + assembly and setup. Both companies suggested are within an hour of Seattle.
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How about a Squier Vintage modified Tele thinline?
24.75" scale with 42mm nut width.
If you want, get a luthier to thin the neck width.
It's possible to thin the neck, here's a strat neck that a pal 'widened!'
So reducing a neck to say 36/38mm width wouldn't be too hard. I guess it comes down to costs.
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I don't know your budget, but maybe get in line with Steve Holst (I suggest a phone call). He's a very flexible builder and does great work. He's close enough to Seattle that you could drive down and really make sure the neck shape is going to work for you before he finishes the build. Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
Thanks for your input on the pickup. I know that it's doable, and I'd like someone to take the challenge.
I'm pretty serious about finding (or asking someone to build) a high quality 3/4 size guitar. I make my living teaching and playing, and having an awesome (or a few awesome) guitars that were playable would make my world complete.
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i see that usa custom guitars (based in puyallup) has a 24" short scale neck with a "vintage narrow" nut width of 1.650 (41.91mm). a step in the right direction. since they are sort of local, maybe you can pretty please them into making something skinnier for you.
they also make a "downsized t"- a tele with a 15% smaller body and a shagwire (jaguar), if you're into that sort of thing. maybe you can spec something out and not have to compromise on the quality.
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I'm fairly sure that if you contacted the friendly guys at USA Custom Guitars, they would build you a neck to your precise specs. For my money they're the best after-market neck builder for electrics. You would then need a strat or tele style guitar to attach it to.
They do bodies too. But it's also fairly common to attach a high quality USACG neck to one of the very popular Warmoth bodies.
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There's a listing on Ebay for an ES140t. The t stands for thin. That might work for you.
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These are pretty cool, not expensive but rare in good shape. These are single pup arch tops, and the nut width is usually 1 10/16", but may vary a bit.
1962 Natural Guild m-65 3/4 Size Freshman
Vintage Guild 1962 M 65 M65 Natural Freshman 3 4 Size Guitar w OHSC Excellent | eBayLast edited by AlohaJoe; 04-13-2014 at 04:44 AM.
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Daisy Rock Guitars specialise in guitars for women (finishes can be a bit lurid, dayglo Barbie pink etc), but they do make Semi-hollow and LP styles.
Also - Rickenbacker, especially the Susanna Hoffs model.
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Mini-me!
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Why not send a request to Lora at Yunzhi?
handmade Jazz Guitar, View jazz guitar, YunZhi Product Details from Beijing Yunzhi Hengwei Music Instruments Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com
Just do a search at in the forum.
/Rune
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Thanks so much for all your thoughts and replies, especially the ones that address my need to find a guitar with a neck in the 37-38mm range. I notice that a lot of suggestions here are for guitars that have necks that are not in the 37-38mm range, so please keep replies coming only for guitars that have a neck in that range. I know that folks have good intentions (and some guitar builders do too) by suggesting instruments with smaller bodies, that really isn't a factor for me. It's the neck. I want to be able to play Ted Greene voicings like my male friends and to do that, I need a narrow neck. I found the JT, which works well for me and I hope to find several good quality instruments to perform on. I also hope to pass all this info on to builders and other female musicians through my blog.
Last edited by Susan Palmer; 04-14-2014 at 11:51 AM.
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i'm not convinced it's necessary to make a guitar neck smaller because you have small hands. There are plenty of virtuoso child guitarists that play full size instruments. And there are adults who play 9 and 10 string guitars and basses.
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Hah, I bet a lot of us here wish we could play Ted Greene-style voicings. Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
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@jzucker: The cool thing is that I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm just asking for suggestions for guitars with smaller necks. If you've got one, let me know. Cheers!
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I think whether someone with smaller hands needs a smaller neck depends on their technique:
- if using a 'thumb-behind-neck' position: neck size is pretty much irrelevant; but
- if using the 'wrap your thumb around neck/cradling neck with hand' position, then I think neck size matters.
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I wonder if you could modify a tenor guitar ...
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Just looking for guitars with necks 37-38mm, folks! Thanks.
How neck width, scale length, and body size relate to a person's size and technique sounds like a great topic for another thread.
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I'm just trying to point out that you may want to re-think the reason you "think" you want a small neck. Not saying your wishes are invalid. Originally Posted by Susan Palmer
When I studied with Dennis Sandole, I used to play a lot of voicings with my thumb wrapped around the neck. Dennis convinced me that it was possible and faster to play any chord voiced like that without wrapping your thumb around the neck.
Now if you're talking about vertical stretches, then you probably want something like a byrdland or es350 with the 23.75" scale. Warmoth may make a neck like that.
Just as an FYI, Danny Gatton played plenty of ted green style voicings and had the hands of a small child.
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I'm just asking for folks to suggest guitars that have necks in the 37-38mm range. If you've got one, please let me know. I'm not interested in debating here why those guitars work for me and other women I know.
Cheers, I'm off to teach.
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perhaps you guys aren't familiar with women, but it doesn't help to tell them why they shouldn't want something they want, even if its wrong. north korean gulag toddlers playing classicals with 2" nuts doesn't really help her in any way. that's not what she wants.
rondo music has a couple of guitars that claim to have a 1 1/2" nut, which is a less than a smidge over what you're asking for, but they probably aren't much better than your jt, if at all: Hawk MN 3/4 CAR Red Short Scale Guitar w/Bag - RondoMusic.com maybe you can harvest the neck for another project.
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@feet: If you substituted the word "people" instead of "women," you would have something there.
But I get your point and I appreciate your kindness. Thanks for your narrow neck guitar suggestion.
I had a great day teaching with my Jay Turser guitar and the Ted Greene chord book. It's so awesome to finally hear these sounds!
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Gibson used necks with 1 9/16" nuts for a few years in the 1960's - that's 39.6875 mm.
Because they were hand-sanded, sometimes they came out a bit bigger, sometimes a bit smaller.
There are also Kalamazoo-made Epiphone models that are equivalent and have the same specifications.
These Gibson and Epiphone guitars are often available at relatively attractive prices because these small necks are not that popular these days. Some are worth a great deal of money to collectors, but many are perfectly good, very inexpensive guitars with excellent build quality and great-sounding pickups.
My understanding is that models that were made to this specification cross through the entire Gibson catalogue, and include versions of the following models:
SG,
Firebird
Melody Maker
ES-120T
ES-125
ES-140T
ES-175
ES-330
ES-335/345/355
ES-350T
Barney Kessel
Trini Lopez
Byrdland
L-5
L-7
Super 400
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