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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Ok I know this subject has been broached before but I cannot find it in any searches. Do most of you prefer one neck width on your guitars or does it not matter. I played my old Rokkommann for years (1 7/8) and always thought it was the easiest guitar to play. I got my 1767 and struggled with the narrow neck for a while but now it feels like butter. When I go back to the wider neck of the old guit or my 1115 I find it takes a while to adjust. Is it just that I am do not have enough experience or do I have to get used to it?
Second question it regarding the term "fingerpicking" guitar. I have never quite undersood this in reference to a wider neck. Are folks saying the extra space between the strings makes it easier to pick, or that the wider neck makes the left hand notes easer and cleaner to hit. Or both. I frankly never notice a difference on the right hand but the left hand as stated above is pretty dramatic although I never seem to notice a big problem with the narrow neck once I am used to it. Anyway, just some thoughts.
PS I never had this problem until I joined this board and found myself with multiple guitars :) |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Covered many times before, but one of my favorite topics ...
First of all you can't simply talk about neck width. You really have to take into account the profile. For me, the profile is more important than the width. Someof it is just personal preference. I hate any kind of V, soft V, modified V, whatever. The Takamine asymetrical profile is extremely nice and makes perfect sense when you consider the natural shape of your palm. I also recently got a Guild which has a super nice profile neck. Basically a Flat-C almost like a Les Paul.
As far as nutwidth itself I used to be a numbers guy, but I now just go by feel. Again the "number" is highly influenced by the profile. So a 1-11/16 on a custom legend in reality feels to me the same as a 1-3/4 on some other guitar. I bounce back and forth easily between 1-7/8, 1-3/4, 1-11/16 guitars as long as the neck feels good in my hands. I have many guitars that I couldn't even tell you what the nut width is, it just feels good. The Guild that I mentioned about just feels awesomein my hands and I have no idea what the spec'd nutwidth is.
A VERY important design consideration of the guitar is the string spacing at the saddle and I think here Ovation compromises a little too much for the sake of cost and commonality. Their spacing is tight to begin with and they use exactly the same spacing on 1-11/16 and 1-3/4 nut guitars. So you think you are buying a 1-3/4 folklore because it's a fingerpicking guitar and that's total bullshit. You really want the ability to spec out wider saddle spacing if you really want a fingerpicking guitar. To Ovations defense they historically have catered to the electric guitar player who wants a plugged in acoustic guitar, so I get that.
My advice 1) forget the numbers, grab some guitars and play what feels right in your hand, 2) pay more attention to neck profile and less to nutwidth, 3) if you want a fingerpicking guitar spec out wider spacing at the saddle.
Just my opinions. |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | I must say you seem to have hit the nail on the head on just about all accounts that I can think of. My 1767 plays very similar to a 2008 collectors I tried. I did not even think there was a neck width difference because of the shape of the back of the neck made them feel so similar. A 1614 and 1115 is different all together as they are not only wider but flatter across the back. Feels much different to me. I have to also agree about the fingerpicking and the 1614 as the difference in string spacing near the saddle is really not noticable.
Good points across the board, thanks for the response. I was thinking the 1614 would be a better guitar for "fingerpicking" since that is 95% of my playing but I really noticed no difference on the right hand. Although it is a very nice guitar to play in its own right it feels quite a bit different in the left hand. |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | The short answer to both of these questions is whatever suits you.
I play solely solo fingerstyle and like both a 1 11/16 neck and a 1 7/8 neck.
Yes a wider nut gives you a little more room but equally a narrower nut means you have to be more accurate!
I like the contrast between both nut widths, all depends on the tune, my mood etc on which one I choose. I prefer a shallower neck profile just because it means have more hand/fingers left over to grab the notes!
The answer is try/buy some of each. |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Buy some of each, you are just a trouble maker. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I find that a 1 5/8 neck is cramped. In the old days it wasn't a problem. |
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Joined:
October 2008
Posts: 489
| When I switch guitars, it takes me a minute or two to acclimate myself to a new neck width, action, etc. After I do that, it really doesn't matter; they all play just fine. |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 262
Location: VENISE-EN-QUEBEC CANADA | man this is why I like this forum so much,so much info for us newcomer's.and i agree the back of the neck seem's more important than the rest. the thicker it is the harder it seem's to play
Daniel |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Note to be a pimp for Takamine (ok, so I am) you really need to check out this neck profile.
Takamine Profile
I actually didn't know about this and started playing a few Takamines and really liked the feel of the necks. Didn't know why. Then found out what may be part of the reason I like them. It really makes perfect sense if you think about it. On my next custom order Adamas I'm going to request that they copy this profile.
By the way, the illustration on the website is really exaggerated. Unless you are looking specifically for it you'd never notice that the neck carve is assymetric. |
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Neck width?