So we all know that different guitars have different kinds necks, fretboards and frets. Ibanez have Wizard II necks which are very slim and very wide fretboards, Gibsons have the very meaty 50s neck and a slim tapered 60s neck, both have larger frets, Fenders have the usual necks and the V necks, and usually have unbounded and a more rounded fretboards compared to others, with thinner frets, PRS with 25" scale thick necks...etc.

I'm wondering how does different types of guitar necks(scale, sizes), fretboards(radius/materials) and frets influences it's sound and playability. I would like to know whats your choice of neck as well. Keep the posts coming thanks!

I'm not too bothered about radius and never made it a point to research on the subject as I believe, the less you know about it the less things you would have to worry about.

As for neck shapes, I've played V shape neck once and it's really uncomfortable. It takes time to get used to it and unless you have a big pair of palms, you would most probably prefer the D or U necks.

For materials... maple 1-piece neck for Fender and Ebony fretboards for Gibsons. Personal preference.

This post has been edited by led_zep_freak: Dec 9 2007, 12:57 AM

i prefer flat necks that you can find on ibanez, easy to play, fast, and very comfortable.

i'm not bothered by fret sizes, scale length and fretboard material...as long as it's flat (neck that is) i'm fine with it...

Thin necks, like on the Ibanez. 24 frets.

reasonable thin and flat, like the jackson pro

Not a big fan of flat necks, but I can see why shredders love them. They're so inviting and playing anything slower than 8nps on them is simply criminal.

I prefer the MIJ Fender necks, which apparently are Oval shapes. Slightly flatter than the U-shape I think.

So thinner necks are supposed to be better for faster playing but not so much for other types of music? I have mixed feelings about the 60s neck of a Les Paul because I thought even though they're great for rhythms, it is a bit thicker at the lower part which makes playing speedy high notes a chore. But now after trying a thinner neck I think it is even less comfortable, my hands can get easily fatigue with them.

I actually quite likes the finished maple fretboard/maple neck of the SX tele, I guess it's pretty much the same as a Fender but with a flatter fretboards and bigger frets. I think unfinished necks are fast but too slippery for my sweating hands

it completely depends on what I'm playing.
If i'm going for speed, pure speed, and not much sustain, I'll grab the thinnest neck around, which is currently my warlock.
If I want sustain for those long-drawn out Slash-esque solos(november rain anyone?), I'd look for something with a think neck. According to something I read, neck thickness and materials affect sustain drastically.

gibson 60's necks [or anything somewhat close to it] = awesome
not too thick not too thin, with nice and round fretboard radius. 24" scales are my best friend sucks having short fingers no? lol

fender necks are fine to the V necks feel a little awkward though.

my rg570's neck is awesome, but i somehow prefer my epi lp's neck.
suits my hand more i think.

Not too particular on the necks, but I find Fender's string spacing a little wide for me, but then I kinda like it's compounded radius.

I like both super chunky and super thin necks, can pretty much get use to them pretty quickly, as I frequently switched between a Les Paul and an RG some time ago.

I'm not an advocate of XXX-is-not-suitable-for-XXX-type-of-music-crap, your technique and amp settings makes much more difference than the wood of the guitar.

as for me its not really about the neck but the string spacing. F space seems abit too wide for me and messes me up when i do string skipping or sweeps.

+1
It's true that it's all in the fingers.

But still, if you compared a Les Paul equipped with EMGs VS a Strat with EMGs...... a Les Paul still have a much richer, warm tone.

Oi sesat thread =p no neck talks
i ban you XD
jkjk zomg banhammar!!! halp!!!

@echobrain
played too much with epi/gibby ?
same here, i find most trem equipped guitars having a wider spacing ><



doesn't anyone think playing one very thin necks gets your hand fatigued quick? or am I just weak =(
I think I'm weak =(

This post has been edited by sean392: Dec 9 2007, 07:52 PM

Wide necks might be more cumbersome when it comes to gripping chords, if you play alot of Hendrix style two-line melodies, also makes gripping those jazz chords though, especially if you need to use your thumb as well

and you still want a floyd rose guitar?
guess thats where kahlers come in
my kahler has a 2 1/64 string spread, basically same as tune-o-matics.

also if im not mistaken, the newer fender highway one's have a string spacing just as similar.

anyway, i got all different style necks.
baseball thick, gibson 60s slim taper, peavey pencil thin...
one thing they all share is the flat radius.
for me the fender 9.5" radius and its wider spacing isnt that comfortable.

You can actually pick out tone differences of guitars loaded with actives? Or it's probably me, since I don't listen to actives very much. All i hears is blast blast blast.

kinda depends. Thicker necks absorb more of the vibrations and transfer it to the body, instead of your hand feeling the full brunt of it. Probably why. but after loadsa practice with thin necks it shouldn't be a problem.

Can post a pic of your peavey's neck? I'm interested to see ho thin it is in comparison to the others.

Yeap I seem to like flatter freatboards too. At one time I was testing the Fender Tele and Strat in Bentley, at first I thought they're more or less has the same feel of the tele copy. But it wasn't the case, I actually felt it's harder to play. I feel that Squiers have the similar shapes too, that's why I think I couldn't bond with my previous Squier.

There was one time I tried the SX SG copy that has a friggin thick neck, quite hard to play. I guess they're modeled after the 50's.


This post has been edited by quarantined: Dec 9 2007, 11:05 PM

the thinnest neck i ever played ----- serpent ash's rhythm...whoops.. second guitarist's jackson stealth i think its something like 18mm on 12th fret..