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Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
I drive lots of rental cars & while I can drive them all, sometimes I get one that's just "easy" to drive. It reacts predictably & there's no unexpected drama.
Of course sometimes you might WANT a bit of drama or excitement from you car (or guitar), but that's personal preference. Without it you might use the word "bland" or "sterile".
I've had a few technically perfect guitars that I just found uninspiring, but I've also had a couple that I had to "fight" with a bit that I really enjoyed.
Agree neck profile is a matter of taste - But the ability to have a slick action, free of string rattle/fret buzz, sure makes a guitar easier to play
The guitar is hard enough to play anyway, without having it made harder with a poor set-up
@southpawmark - Play a few guitars and you'll see that some suit your more than others - We all have different size hands - Regardless of how much you know, or don't know about guitars - Regardless of how good you are as a player, the one thing you can easily experience is does this guitar feel comfortable and effortless to play - If you are struggling to play it then it is probably not for you (assuming it is well set-up) - Try something else - Your hands never let you down when it comes to evaluating how a guitar feels, plays and performs
To a lesser extent, a comfortable body shape, slick neck finish, right scale length for your hands, your preferred neck angle and control layout.
I agree with others that neck profile preferences are personal - but ‘basics’ that maximise ease of playing are a well cut nut, level/correctly crowned frets, low action and correctly set intonation. Frets are also a matter of taste - but low/narrow vintage Fender style frets are harder to bend on than larger ones.
I am still searching for a neck profile that feels comfortable to me LOL.
It's not a case of vastly different neck shapes, actions or widths, and different scale lengths have never bothered me. It just seems to be the case that one guitar is literally "easier to play" than the others but I can't put my finger (so to speak) on the difference.
My view is that people persist with guitars that don't suit them and often they do this through ignorance.
When I did a bit of teaching some time ago one of the first things I did with any student was to say 'can I have a look at your left (playing) hand please? I would then give them an indication of what they might look for in a neck shape/scale length based on their physiology. I'd also hand them a well setup guitar that had the attributes and let them have a feel. At least people were then making an informed decision..
You can certainly tell from looking at someone's hand what's probably going to be the easiest/most appropriate for someone to play.
As stated playing the guitar is hard enough without making it any harder.
I have small hands with big palms and short, thin fingers. The correct neck profile, nut width, scale length (less so) for me is the difference between being able to play something and not!
Si
You'll know when you find it.
Apparently I have slightly larger than average sized hands in terms of overall length , wrist to tip of middle finger is 195mm compared to 189 & slightly wider than average width palms at 90mm compared to 84mm.
However my fingers are shorter than average with my middle finger being 85mm compared to 95mm (long palms) & my finger tips are fleshy & wide.
My span is 8 1/4"" compared to an average of 8 & 1/2"
This is probably why I find I touch/mute strings I am not fretting & even with my thumb well over the neck I touch/mute the treble E with my palm.
Any suggestions on neck shape/dimensions based on that ?
Personally I prefer narrow necks with a small circumference (shape is less important). A narrow fretboard helps my (short) fingers reach the low E string comfortably without fouling the other strings, and a thinner neck also contributes to my ability to reach round the neck easily. In the past I've struggled with thin/wide necks, and thick necks (e.g. 50s LP). I find thin/narrow necks most comfortable, but fuller/narrow necks are fine too.