Please recommend guitars with a thin & narrow neck (NO Taylors)
 

Hi, I bought a Taylor 110E online after a month of searching online and reading many good reviews about it and for its thin narrow neck and low action. But I was very disappointed when I played it, the sound was way too bright and tinny and lacked warmth and "depth" and was impossible to record with. I thought it would mellow with time but it hasn't after 4 months of playing. I'm not exaggerating when I say I regret buying it.. for the overly bright and tinny sound and the fact that I'm a beginner who paid $700 for a guitar that is completely the opposite of what I wanted. :(

So I decided to buy another guitar but I'm not sure what to buy.
I'm looking for a guitar with a thin and narrow neck, that has a warm, deep and rich sound.. something that is the opposite of the Taylor guitar sound as the overly bright sound of Taylors obviously isn't my taste.

I play mostly strumming, and my budget is $500 to $700.
I liked the sound of a low-end Seagull I saw on Youtube but I can't remember the model.


My purchase will be based on your recommendations as all the guitar stores in my area have a limited selection of guitars.
Thank you in advanced :)

Hi Flower, welcome to the AGF :)

Based on the facts that you've already had one disappointment, and can't get to try out many guitars near where you are so will (presumably?) be buying online, I'd strongly recommend that you ensure you buy from a seller that has a good returns policy, so that you will have a chance to see if you like the guitar before you decide whether to keep it or not.

Blueridge might be worth a look - they tend to have quite thin necks.

Fliss

Welcome to the AGF Flower.

Have you tried some different strings on it, something the manufacturer rates as a mellower tone of string?

My eyes got opened recently when I tried some medium gauge strings on a few of my guitars. I had always stuck to one string set and all of a sudden, I discovered my guitars could sound much better than what i had previously heard from them.

Maybe a set of medium strings like the GHS Vintage Bronze would help you get a more mellow tone.

I agree that you should try some different strings if you haven't already. Some very mellow (non-tinny) ones that I like are Martin SP phosphor bronze (I think maybe the model # is 4100 for lights and 4200 for mediums). As mentioned above, mediums may better-suit your ears.

As far as guitars with nice, skinny-feeling necks, most dreads in the Guild line have a nice feel to me. I would also suggest the Yamaha L series dreads (or any Yamaha dreads for that matter). The Seagull S-6 Slim, as I recall, has a very nice feel.

Check out an Alverez. I recently brought one home because I fell in love with the tone. Great price too but I ended up taking it back to the store because the neck was a bit small for my big hands and it hurt my wrist to play it for extended periods. Not for that I would have kept her.

Definitely try some Phosphor/Bronze (PB) strings first, to make sure that doesn't fix the problem for you.

Do you have a preference for new or used? I admit I'm biased, but the American-made Ovations have some of the fastest necks out there, and I'll be putting up 3 or 4 really nice ones for sale in the next couple of weeks. ;) http://www.pic4ever.com/images/kaffeetrinker_2.gif

Thank you all for the responses and the welcoming :)


I tried many brands and guages (all phosphor bronze though) but not the GHS Vintage Bronze, thanks for the recommendation I'll give it a try.

I just searched Youtube and found many demo videos for Alvarez guitars, watched some and I fell in love with the tone. They're much cheaper than my Taylor but (to me) sound much better and richer than the Taylor 110. I'm definitely considering an Alvarez as a possible next purchase. Thanks :)

THANK YOU! That is the Seagull model I was talking about :D I'm adding it to my list of guitars for comparison.

I tried many kinds including Martin SP Phosphor Bronze (which is what I use now) but will have to try stratokatsu's suggestion to see if it helps. If you have any strings suggestions I would appreciate it :)

CA Legacy pre-Katrina model
 

Have you tried a CA Legacy pre-Katrina model? They have 1 11/16th necks and ebony fretboards.
Peace,
Rip

Ditto Fliss' recommendation...Blueridge guitars have very slender necks. They also seem to have a little darker tone than Taylors.

Good luck in your search.

Like everyone else, switch strings first, my recommendation are DR Sunbeams. Round core, easy to play, good sustain and they are definitely less bright than most other PB strings. Mine also seem to sound good for a long time.

As for narrow neck guitars, Guild made a lot of guitars over the years with 1-11/16 and even 1-5/8 widths on some acoustics. And most of the Guild necks I've played are not chunky... but since Fender has pretty much run Guild out of business, you'll have to buy used.

You may want to wander over the the LetsTalkGuild forum and see what they say.

John

I'm not fond of the idea of having to wear a strap while sitting and playing one, but if I change my mind I'll pm you :).

Maybe what would help you out best is a nice road trip to the nearest big city, and make it an all day affair. Hit all the music stores you can find, I'm sure forum members can help you find the good ones.

If you go and play a bunch of different guitars, one you may have never thought of could be the perfect one for you. Plus you could trade in your Taylor for it and may not cost you anything at all.

I recently went acoustic shopping and ended up coming home with a Dean exotic Koa concert cutaway. I would have never even considered it if I hadn't played it in real life. I chose it over an Alvarez of very similar wood, and shape.

The neck on my Ibanez Montage is so thin, after playing it quite a while I find it hard to play barre chords on my Breedlove, which I had thought had a pretty fast neck. :( The Montage may not be what you're looking for, though, but it's very versatile for gigging. I'm not sure whether Ibanez' other acoustic models share that neck profile, but if they do, they'd be worth checking out.

The Montage is demo'd here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aaeL3d9TuEw

You definitely need to try one of the contour backed Ovations. You'd be surprised at how comfortable they are. :)

I heartily agree with your assessment of the 110e sound, and from my experience, you won't be gaining much with a Seagull. Also, the Seagull "slim" neck, is not all that slim.

I believe that what you are describing is a Blueridge, I don't own one, but have played a bunch of 'em. The BR series guitars that I have played have a fast, thin neck, and even the laminated models have a much fuller and more balanced sound than either the 110e or any of the Seagull models. If you want it to plug in, you will need to save some of your budget to add electronics. The laminated models would give you plenty of room to do that, and if you look patiently, you should be able to find a solid wood model ... either a BR-140 or BR-160 ... that would fit your budget with room to spare. Many people don't like the thin neck, so you might even be able to find a Blueridge owner interested in trading for your Taylor.

I personally would not depend on Youtube videos to judge the sound, and they certainly won't help you judge how comfortable you are with the neck. The only real way to know what you like is to play 'em!

I would recommend a Blueridge, very slim necks, easy to play, string spacing is tight, but I really like the thin profile. Depending on your budget I recommend the 140 or 160 models, spruce tops with mahog and rosewood respectively. I should also mention they have excellent tone, resonate all day, and sound best with Elixir lights IMO.

I just ordered an Alvarez Masterworks series with the same slim neck, it is model no. MD70, Cedar and Rosewood. Either of these two lines should be exactly what you're looking for.

Good luck!

You might look for something in the Yamaha L series, as well. They sound really good and play very easily. My LS6 has a nice neck. If you want to spend a bit more money, try to find an LL16 or LJ16.

I have one of these and am very pleased with it. It's a lot easier to play than the standard Taylor necks. In the past, I've owned a 410 CE and 414 K (Koa with pinless bridge before Taylor discontinued the pinless bridges in '97). Both of those Taylors wore my hand out and forced me to either give up on trying the few songs that I could easily play on my Takamine EF341 using my thumb technique on my fretting hand or use different fingerings that made it more like work than the fun I was just loing for at the time.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...mymartin-1.jpg

This MIM Martin has a Fishman "blender" inside--meaning a saddle pickup as well as an internal microphone which you can switch and blend to achieve a variety of amplified sounds. It sounds very good unplugged too and is light. It's a Martin Xc1T Ellipse. If you use "Martin XC1T Ellipse" as a search criteria on the YouTube site, you will find a bunch of videos of guys playing these. I put a few links below too. They sell for betw $799 and $899.

Taylors are great guitars but my left hand just seems to be clumsy in the open position chord forms at the end of the neck where my playing technique includes using my thumb to "walk" down and up some bass routines. I don't know if it's the radius of the neck or the nut width or what but this Martin lets me do what I like to do and get it right without my left hand tripping over itself and getting tired. Give it a listen. FWIW.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFLtSGoLgw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf10qhMtlGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b21vRZv11w

Yairi's are hand built guitars made in Japan. They are a quality guitar and very undervalued in this country. Consequentially you can get used ones at a very attractive price.

The typically have thin necks front to back and side to side. My DY-91 has a 1 11/16th neck width. They play very easy.

There are a couple of very nice ones on E-Bay right now.

One is a 1983 DY 75 model

It can be purchased in your price range.

Here is the item number 230279126189

There is also a very nice DY-57 in your price range.

Item number 300246878077

This one is sitting in Palos Verde Estates. I know the area and it is strictly a bucks up neighborhood. Can you say fully gated community. It sits on the knob just west of Long Beach. It is some of the most expensive real estate in Southern California. So the odds that this old Yairi was pounded around are slim. It looks like a great deal to me. If I were in the buying mode I would be all over this one.

Another vote for trying a Blueridge.
Their skinny necks are one of the reasons they don't appeal to me. :P

On the other end of the spectrum, Petros's have very skinny necks...which for some reason I don't mind at all.

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Blueridge here too. I have the BG 140 and love it. Sounds great and plays just so so easily.

Most of the new Alvarez guitars, as far as I know, have the 1.75-inch nut width but otherwise has a fast neck, so that may be too wide for someone. The older Alvarez models seemed to have the 1 11/16 nut. I don't know when the switch was made or on what models.

<replied on purpose>

I don't know if flower is even around anymore. His last activity on the forum was around three years ago.

I have a Takamine GD model that the neck is not much different than my Strat. But unfortunately it is pretty bright sounding, so it doesn't get much playing time.

Do you like the Dread size? What I would recommend is, after trying new strings, either return or sell the Taylor and add that money to what you already plan on spending for a new guitar to step up into something that a) You'll love and b) play for a really long time.

In terms of tone, obviously, I would look at Martin and at your price range, you should be able to find something nice (used). However, I would look at some other brands - Yamaha LL16 AREs are really nice. I would also check out Larrivee. But what you should do is really take the time to go try out as many guitars as you can, sleep on it, play some more, and then make a decision. It's a fun ride - enjoy!

Guys, this is a ZOMBIE THREAD :rolleyes::p:confused:

It appears this 8 year old zombie thread was resurrected by accident - probably no use giving advice to the OP as that time is long gone