Necks. Profiles, radius and scale lengths.

gilby

I'll be on the look out for a new guitar soon. I'm a fussy bugger (due to tendon issues) and do think I'm over thinking things but hey ho, let's ask the question.
I definitely prefer "chunkier", I much prefer gibson scale length to fender. My current guitar fits this description but has a very flat radius (13 3/4 I think) and I'm beginning to think a bigger curve of 9 1/2 of even 7 1/4 vintage style would help my tendon issue.
The 50's classic tele felt good to me but I would prefer a gibson scale.
Any suggestions out there of guitars that may fit the bill.
I know I could go for a tele and buy a conversion neck but I'm pretty tight when it comes to shelling out the readies. Would prefer off the shelf guitars. Top end budget £500 ish (and no middle pickup).

Just thought, perhaps I should look at 24inch scale fender offsets. (Might have answered my own question)

Cheers

the_jaffa

Sounds like a Jaguar of some sort would be worth checking out. The Squier VM ones have a decent sized neck with a 9.5" board radius so fit the bill and play really nicely.

HAL9000

^ This. Jaguars and Mustangs both have the 24" scale lengths, and are available (depending on model) with 7.25" or 9.5" fretboard radii.

I  did recently try out the Fender Blactop Jaguar and the Fender Pawnshop Mustang...

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/guitars/jaguar/blacktop-jaguar-hh-rosewood-fingerboard-black/

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/guitars/mustang/pawn-shop-mustang-special-rosewood-fingerboard-3-color-sunburst/

The Mustang is made in Japan and was a superb guitar. I absolutely hated the Jag though - it just felt uncomfortable and surprisingly cheap and nasty.


[edited by ddlooping to remove an invalid character in one of the links]

grungebob

Only the original blue and red mustang specials are made in Japan and have heel access truss adjustment newer ones are mim with top of neck truss access. Some prs se have chunky necks (well the 22 fret ones do) with a 10 inch radius and 25scale necks,may be worth a shot. I've had blacktop jaguar and it was a very nice guitar,I replaced the neck hum for singlecoil and loved it until I got my Kurt cobain jaguar and had no need for 2.

gilby

Thanks guys. The prs avenue is something I hadn't considered, jags and mustangs I'll admit to having little knowledge of apart from the fact they look cool and quirky, particularly the mustang.
A short 24" scale isn't what I feel I need, it's something to explore. As I said earlier, I prefer a gibson scale to a traditional fender.
A lot of the offsets suggested are out of my price range new but I prefer the used route anyway. The pawnshop mustang with p90s I like the look of and I'm sure the prices will drop in time.
Right, I've got some playing about to do, I'm unemployed next month, technically homeless but a new guitar is on the cards. (See, got my priorities right haven't i ?)

Catthan

The 60s player series teles are nice, well buil, vintage-vibed and come with a 7.5 (.25??) radius which I found very comfy as I'm going through tendon rehab stage myself.

You wouldn't pay more than £350 - £400 minty used or £480 new for those.

During tendon rehab I started noticing things, mainly that 9.5" is the top radius of F style gtrs I can play and that 7.5" is the best.

I got the problem in my wrist and it kinda felt like the fingers had to reach higher up to play on the low strings on flat radii thus bringing my wrist to an uncomfortable position, at least felt like it during the early tender rehab stage; with 7.5" the hand comfortably wraps around the neck. But then you may need high action 'cause bends tend to fret out which will put more tension on your fingers and negates the benefit but that's also debatable. Guess it depends on how and how much you bend.

Neck width didn't seem to affect me much though I keep away from chunky necks. Some say that chunky necks help avoid hand cramps (don't know if those are the ones also saying that chunky necks sound better too)  but to me feels uncomfortable when my thumb is too far from my finger tips, specially when I play standing.

If you play mostly open chords then I get it but if you like to do some lead work across the whole neck width then I don't see how it would help. Me at least..

Having said that, there are shredders who do like fat necks, Paul Gilbert and Doug Aldrich come to mind.

But if I placed my hand like the latter does, it would probably be the last 30' of guitar for the rest of my life and I'm not even 30.. 

To sum up, if you have a tendon sensitivity you need to pay attention to a few things, see what agitates the condition and chose accordingly. For my condition, small radii feel better.

Brgrds,

 

 

gilby

Cheers Catthan. I tried the fifties and sixties tele side by side (and the 60s again recently). I much prefer the 50s.
My tendon problem isn't wrist related, it's my elbow and it's work related.
I did get some wrist problems with a skinny necked squier, much less of a problem with a thicker/fuller necked guitar.
I've got quite large/long hands, some people can play anything, some people are fussy, some are restricted. Neck preference is such a personal thing.

Evilmags

If you look around the net you can find teachers who specialize in working on technique so as to minimise such problems. Might be a better long term investment. 

stickyfiddle

Have you tried a Brian May gutiar? I can't remember what radius they have but certainly have really big necks and short scale

gilby

Sound advice Evil. I'm about to relocate back to Essex next week and have been intending to get proper lessons at last...........once I've found work !

gilby

Never considered a Brian May. I've never really considered one purely on the grounds it's Brian Mays. It's a fantastic looking thing in my opinion but .....well it's Brian Mays. Everyone will expect me to be a copyist (if only). Love to see one in a different colour, vintage white would be cool.

gilby

Just nosed, they do alt' colours !
£649, a little over budget.

crunchman

I had problems in the past with guitars with shallow wide necks.  Depth on the neck is definitely a good thing as far as I'm concerned.