Guitar neck shape

[DianeA]

Having subconsiously made my way from a purple Hannah Montana guitar to a (really lovely) Fender acoustic to my (wonderful) GS Mini, (fantastic) Alvarez, and (really awesome) Guild (mostly) because of this forum, I now recognize that you'all are leading me to making better and better noise (music).
Today, because some of you have recently written about it, I wonder if I could improve even more by researching the best neck shape for my hand.
What determines the correct guitar neck shape?
Thank you!

[Bob from Brooklyn]

While it is certainly worth exploring I think we tend to dangle carrots in front of ourselves a bit much these days.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

It's different for everyone, I like mine chunky and full in the hand, but most people seem to like them narrow and skinny. I honestly find an old fashioned fat neck much more comfortable.

[Gee Man]

I would argue the shape of your hand determines correct neck shape, on an individual basis. That said, I found a couple of years ago that the Martin Mod V in a 1 11/16" is perfect for me, the problem is I can't just get that neck on my other guitars, so you learn to play what you have.

I will say, it would be a useful endeavor to visit as many music stores as you can and try every acoustic they have, you might surprise yourself as to what works for you. And remember, this is all for fun, so enjoy the experience for all its worth.

[blindboyjimi]

Comfort. For me at 6’2”, I have a large hand and I feel that if my palm is full I can play longer. When my palm collapses I have more cramping or just discomfort. Also, the fleshy part of my hand can mute the treble e when I use my thumb to fret the bass e string. So I’m in the bigger full C or Modified V category and I prefer a wider nut as well. 1 3/4” to 1 7/8”. No guitar in my collection has a thin neck.

My classical guitars are 2.05” but those are played in the classical position with the thumb following the middle finger on the back of the neck. So play a bunch and see what feels the most comfortable and which ones make you play best. Perhaps you can play anything if you have a moderate sized hand.

[warfrat73]

Originally Posted by DianeA

What determines the correct guitar neck shape?
Thank you!

Correct is whatever you find comfortable and seems to get out of your way, and you're not going to know until you've tried a bunch.

The only easy generalization here is that if someone has really small hands, then a big full thickness neck with wide string spacing probably isn't the best choice. But, then again, the internet is littered with videos of 5 year olds playing on big classical guitar necks better than I could ever do, and they seem to manage ok on them.

[DianeA]

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

Comfort. For me at 6’2”, I have a large hand and I feel that if my palm is full I can play longer. When my palm collapses I have more cramping or just discomfort. Also, the fleshy part of my hand can mute the treble e when I use my thumb to fret the bass e string. So I’m in the bigger full C or Modified V category and I prefer a wider nut as well. 1 3/4” to 1 7/8”. No guitar in my collection has a thin neck.

My classical guitars are 2.05” but those are played in the classical position with the thumb following the middle finger on the back of the neck. So play a bunch and see what feels the most comfortable and which ones make you play best. Perhaps you can play anything if you have a moderate sized hand.

I will go do research at the music stores because like you noted, sometimes I also notice that the fleshy part of my hand gets in the way. Yay! Maybe there is yet another new guitar in my future!

[mawmow]

I turned to fingerstyle some fifteen years ago, got some forty acoustic guitars
of different body shapes, from dreadnough to OO and large nylon necks, but I
never found I was less at ease on a particular neck shape, from big C to flat C
and modified V.

[tbeltrans]

Ultimately, to know if a particular guitar will be a comfortable fit for us is to play them. I buy locally so I can try before I buy. We can talk specs all day, look at guitars on various sites and watch youtube videos, but the final arbiter is our hands on the instrument.

There are simply too many variables to easily explain why a guitar with a narrower string spacing can feel more comfortable than a particular instrument with a somewhat wider spacing. Specs can make a good guess, but it still comes down to actually playing.

Tony

[zombywoof]

No research I know of other than playing the things. Me, I tend to like my necks fatter. Prefer a round shoulder C or soft V carve with a depth at the 1st fret in the .93" to 1.0" range. The thickest neck on any guitar in the house clocks in at 1.06" at the 1st fret. Feels like home to me. Problem is fat neck guitars (at least by my definition) are not as common as they once were.

[sailor_74]

i spent today trying guitars and neck shape and nut width was very much on my mind.
having tried lots and owning a variety ive settled on Martins 'modified low oval' as my favourite, this was only discovered after many hours trying guitars in shops and making the odd purchase that turned out not to be ideal.
whilst i found a lovely Gobson L-00 that sounded fantastic i decided against it because of the neck feel.
i dont think you can research the best neck shape for you hand on the internet, it really needs practical research. bear in mind also that your tastes may change dependant on the type of music you play as well as any improvements you make over the years.

[Zissou Intern]

I'm with Malcom and Blind Boy Jimi; I prefer full profile necks that fill my palm. I liked wide, thin necks 20 years ago, so my favorite neck on my 2004 D18GE wouldn't have worked for me when it was built. It is a full, rounded Martin ModV. I also find that the fretboard radius is a comfort factor as well. I can play a 12" radius board, but I prefer the Martin 16" radius. I also do better with 2 1/4" to 2 3/16" string spacing at the saddle.

I think you will play better when you find the ergonomically correct geometry for you.

[s2y]

A lot depends on how you play. Most guitarists don't pay much attention to technique until something hurts. Very few guitarists put thought into why a neck works or doesn't work.

If classical left hand technique is utilized, most neck shapes should work to a certain extent. My hands don't like big necks because my hands are small. V necks annoy me since I want to play with my thumb down the center of the neck.

[The Bard Rocks]

I cannot recall having a guitar whose neck bothered me, but comments such as we have been reading are fairly common. My takeaway is that for some of us, neck shape does not much matter, that we unconsciously adapt to whatever we have. But definitely not everyone is this way. And of course we do not know which camp you are in.

My suggestion is to search for guitars with very different neck shapes. If you can, get several in front of you at once and play each of them for a while, 15 minutes, an hour. Think only of your comfort and not how they sound. These aren't ones you are looking to buy. Take notes. Then if you can reach a conclusion, you will be able to focus your search for the one you will be best satisfied with.

[jaymarsch]

I came to understand the range of guitar neck shapes that work for me from playing many guitars and paying attention to the carve and feel of the neck (sharp vee, soft vee, C shape, D shape, modified low oval, flat, etc) along with nut width, scale length and neck taper.
My Alvarez parlor has the chunkiest neck that I play. It is not as chunky as some necks but has a bit more shoulder than I like on the top. I don’t wrap my thumb over the top like some players and I don’t do well with a pronounced vee shape. A subtle vee shape I can live with.
My suggestion is to play a bunch of guitars without thinking too much about it and let your hands and ears tell you what feels and sounds good. Then take note of the neck shape, nut width, and scale length of that particular guitar. Over time you will discover what works best for you. Have fun on the adventure. :-)
Best,
Jayne