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Yesterday I had some time to kill while waiting for a friend and spent it at a nearby GC.
The neck profiles on the Epiphone Les Pauls and Casino really surprised me. The sales rep said a lot of the guitars are now coming in that way. It really surprised me. The back of the neck almost felt flat to me and it seemed extreme enough where I don't think my thumb could intuitively find the center of the neck.
For someone that likes a soft V like I have on my SCGC OM, this just felt very weird. Is there an advantage to that new shape that I am not seeing? I thought it would be best for lap style steel players.
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07-02-2017 07:24 AM
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Danielle,
i am with you. To me, neck profile is important. In fact, the main reason I keep or sell a guitar. As I get older, my hand gets more and more sensitive to neck profile. A flat, shallow neck fatigue's my hand quickly.
Joe D
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Why is a flat-backed neck called a D shape? Doesn't look like a D.
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I don't know why it's called that, because the shape of a letter depends on the font being used. But my Epi ES175 has a very flat neck, at least compared to my other guitars. My 1953 Epi archtop has a very rounded neck, and it's the most comfortable for playing chords. My Benedetto has a similar neck. My Eastman is somewhere in between. I'm not a fan of flat necks, but that seems to be what shredders prefer, because it may make playing single notes a little easier. Certainly it's easier for me to play single notes than chords on a flat neck.
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I hope I'm not the only person out there completely confused by discussion of neck profile--C, D, V, chunky, baseball bat, etc.
I only know what I like, and all my guitars are OK in that respect.
My ES-135, Peerless Sunset, Harmony Brilliant Cutaway and Godin 5th Ave. each have a comfortable neck that's like baby bear's bed--just right.
My Tele has a long and lean neck like a Tele should.
My classical has a fat and shallow neck like a classical should.
Some of the vintage Kay and Silvertones have what I would call a chunky, V-shaped neck. The only one I still have is set up for slide with a super high action. I wouldn't want to shred on them, but they're OK for chord-melody stuff.
I don't criticize someone who's obsessed with mm of difference in their guitars, but from my perspective when you start out on classical, then move to something much narrower, you can adjust to just about anything. Course I don't play for 4 hours a day either.
Maybe if someone could write up a list with definitions and examples...
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Doctor Jeff,
I completely agree about getting confused about the lingo! V is understandable, but C vs D is confusing
I like a nice thick neck. My ES 135 is my thickest neck and it feels great. I once was looking at a telecaster that I really wanted to buy (mainly because it was very cool looking), but it has one of those very shallow necks. I find those shallow necks fatiguing as well. I used to like a narrower fretboard, but I'm coming to prefer a wider fretboard too. Not quite classical nylon width, but not skinny.
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There's quite a few images scattered around the web, showing neck profiles. Generally the ones I found pertain to a specific manufacture. I see variations even for D. I just did a google search for images neck profiles D.
I see for the shape I saw some of manufacturers call it a modern flat oval.
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The Gibson shape is the C. Whereas, a number of Heritage guitars I've owned follow the D. The 18" Unity I would characterize as a U. My JP20 and Gb10 had a D. The 135 neck, which I love too, has a C but it's fuller.
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I guess I am one of the pickiest guy when it comes to neck and usually dislike when there is no binding...
I like the Gibson C shape best in slim '60s style, followed closely by the slim C-->tapper like on my Tal and the Warmoth Standard Thin like on my Part Caster.
Many guitars got sold because it either had a neck too wide like 1.8 of my Seagull, a rounded 59' C like my Gibson SG or worst a fat D shape like my Sheraton II (sad because it was a great sounding instrument).
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I *think* those classical necks are extreme examples of "D." Wide shoulders, flatter back. Anyone else?
Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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Sounds like they are targeting the shredder crowd with the thin flat neck, gawd those necks suck and hard on the hands over time. A lot of Ibanez guitars are like that, the named models like Benson have better (thicker) necks. I'm with you I'm a of fan of the Soft-V or a deep-C.
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I'm back to Large C shape necks .90-1.0" for Gibsons, 1" 1st-12th for Fender type, and .850- 1" for 1&3/4" width archtop.
I think most people tend to like Benedetto's profile .850- 1" C shape for 1&11/16" it has more of taper
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Confirm the 2 18 inch Unity's I own have the U seen in the graphic Joe supplied along with other attributes that make them seem perfect. The D shape does have a flat area at "the bottom" if you will... The C is rounder.
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I like D necks -- but then, bending is a big part of my style, and their broad shoulders make both bending and vibrato a breeze. I use the proprioception sense happening between my fretting fingers and my thumb to keep the latter near the center of the neck -- though it often does sneak up to the bass side. But with a more classical positioning, it isn't hard for me to stay centered and balanced. Both Gibson SGs I've owned had this sort of neck, and I like it because it is both blues-friendly and allows comfortable shredding too. Originally Posted by DanielleOM
My favorite shape is a deep-C.
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Having for years owned and played both classicals and 12-strings, I sure agree here -- you get used to one of those necks, you're pretty much going to be comfortable on anything aside from an Ibanez/Jackson/ESP style shred neck. And even those I can accommodate, if not bond with. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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I prefer the medium V shape and usually specify that on custom builds. It provides more leverage for the thumb and I find it to be less fatiguing.
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I hate the fact that my hand is so sensitive to neck profiles. I had to sell a perfect 90s Guild starfire just because of the neck. After hours of playing that guitar my hand would usually start cramping out. Otherwise the tone was beautiful, the look was beautiful... Such a shame.
I got a Gretsch hollowbody recently, and I never played a Gretsch with a neck i didnt like, but this one again is not very comfy. I already know its not a lifetime guitar for me.
Something about a shallow neck with flat radius and wide nut width is not working for me. V profiles are the worst.
The best neck is my Tele, 64 RI, narrow nut, full C and small radius- perfection!
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My hand cramps out after playing any neck for hours on end.
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My early 70's Greco 175 copy barely gets played because it has a very shallow neck - my hands cramp up on it.
The Gretsch G400 Synchromatic has a very nice neck. It's a fairly chunky C shape - so comfortable to play. If ever I was in the position to have a guitar built for me, that's the profile I would aim to have. My Les Paul Recording has a very similar neck, but the Gretsch just feels better for some reason.
My Gitane John Jorgenson has a thick 'U' shape neck - different , but I am used to it now.
The craziest neck is on my 1958 Hofner - a massive C shape neck. Pretty much a baseball bat.
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D shape is the shape I do not get along with and I refuse to play guitars with that shape. A nice, chunky soft V or U, or perhaps C is my choice
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I have an old Gretsch New Yorker low end archtop (may have been made by Kay or Harmony for Gretsch because all bindings are intact and the guitar is in one piece - not common for Gretsches of that vintage). I find it hard to say what neck shape it has because it varies up the neck from a nice C at the nut to a chunky U shape higher up and ending in a baseball bat at the heel end. Despite the seemingly obvious, I actually like that old cheap beater and have bonded with it since I bought it in London in 1992. It even sounds good with a floating PU.
I don't find it hard to adapt to different neck shapes. I have a 1961 Gibson 175 with its (in-)famous slim (from front to back) neck, a Painter with a pronounced D neck, a Strat with its standard neck, a Triggs with a medium C to the Gretsch with its C-D-U-baseball neck. I like them all.
Sendt fra min SM-T810 med TapatalkLast edited by oldane; 07-03-2017 at 04:11 AM.
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The necks on my guitars vary considerably, but I enjoy them all. I don't find any neck profile tiring. It usually takes a few minutes to adjust to a different guitar, after that I don't think about it.
My 1952 ES-350 is a thick U shape. Quite a handful, but i find it comfortable.
The 1961 L-7 is a D shape and pretty thin. Didn't think I would like it at first, but i adjusted quickly and find it very fast and easy to play.
I have a Fender Baja Telecaster ... chunky soft V, lovely neck.
Perhaps my least favourite is a mid 90s Strat I have. Its a C shape and pretty thin. I just find it generic and uninspiring to play.
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Interesting, Which model Benedetto is like that? Was it a custom order? My Bravo, although not a thick neck, is nothing like the new Epiphones I tried. Originally Posted by sgosnell
With those Epiphones it was almost like some one had taken a flat plane and run it down the back of the neck several times and smoothed things out a bit with sandpaper. I thought it was extreme. I am not sure when they started doing that. I know I have been played some of the low end Epiphones in the past but it's been quite a while.
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It's a standard Bambino. What I meant is that the neck is more like the old Epi, not the new one. It's a rounded back, not a lot of taper, AFAIK a standard Benedetto neck. I haven't played a lot of Benedettos, but I had one he made in 1978, fairly early, and it was not much different from the Bambino. I really like Benedetto necks. They're very different from the newer Epis, which are very different from the old New York made Epiphones, of which I have one. It's a very low-end student-grade model, but I really like the neck, and it's a great player and sounds very good.
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I have often wondered about the Bambino neck as it seems the standard offering is with an 1 11/16 nut. It seems with most other models from Benedetto the standard is 1 3/4. I wonder if it would feel like the Bravo or if that 1/16 would make things feel very different.
I like the Bravo neck. I can't figure out why, but things just seem easier with that neck than other guitars I have.
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