Recommendations for an electric

[jobberone]

New here and thinking about picking up a guitar again. Played a long time ago and not particularly well. Now I have some trouble with my hands and I want an electric with a narrow neck and easy to play say a bar chord. And why start with a Les Paul? Because I want one although if I'm told to go another direction I probably will.

 

Anyone got any ideas what kind of neck I need and the above considerations? Help me find the right guitar for me, please.

 

Thanks.

[FennRx]

if you want a Lester with a thin neck, look at used Classics or used Standards with the 60s neck. i personally dont think thr 50s neck is very large and i have smaller hands. you should go to your local gc and play them all and see what you can handle.

 

the other option is to look into Strats...nice thin necks and not as expensive; esp the made in mexico ones. not sure if you want to spend >1200 (for a classic/standard) on your first outing.

[deepblue]

I used to be pro 60's slim taper, but now that im used to my R9 with that 59 rounded "baseball bat" I find it

quite comfy. In fact my hand doesnt cramp up as easily.

[jobberone]

if you want a Lester with a thin neck' date=' look at used Classics or used Standards with the 60s neck. i personally dont think thr 50s neck is very large and i have smaller hands. you should go to your local gc and play them all and see what you can handle.

 

the other option is to look into Strats...nice thin necks and not as expensive; esp the made in mexico ones. not sure if you want to spend >1200 (for a classic/standard) on your first outing.[/quote']

 

 

so the Strats are thin and less expensive. I've never wanted one but who knows. I really can't play well so the type guitar is really not that important. I just always wanted one. Like wanting a 69 Camaro.

[jobberone]

I used to be pro 60's slim taper' date=' but now that im used to my R9 with that 59 rounded "baseball bat" I find it

quite comfy. In fact my hand doesnt cramp up as easily.[/quote']

 

So you think that thinner might not necessarily be the best for cramping and carpal tunnel huh. That's interesting. I wonder why that is?

[urbs]

If you want a les paul and got the $$ I say go get yourself one . I agree with FennRx though , got to play a bunch to get the feel for the right one .

[Rigormortis]

I agree that thinner isn't necessarily easier. I think a deeper profile neck opens your hand a bit more. If you aren't a shredder, you probably will appreciate that. Play a few types and see.

 

As far as suggestions go, if you want a Les Paul, then go for it. They are relatively common and likely to be found in varieties at a good store. Go play them. Don't buy a guitar you haven't played. (I'm actually very remote--days of travel away from a guitar store of substance--but I would still not buy another guitar I hadn't played first.)

 

As far as my second choice for you--a Gibson SG. It's simple and light and has the same neck options as the LP. If you get the bolt-on Epi, you can swap out for custom necks. SG's are super nice and very cool.

 

I'm a Strat player myself and love them, but I would not recommend a Strat to someone starting out, since it is more complex than needed and a bit high maintenance. I recommend a Telecaster, which will fit all the custom neck options you could dream up and is not at all fussy.

[rocketman]

For me this is relative because I can sometimes play my wide and thick-necked acoustic for days without cramping; then one day I over do it and I'm out for a few days (happened tonight actually while I was finger picking too much while keeping my fingers in the same place for too long). I really don't think that a neck size is going to make your cramping problem that much better or worse. The time you play and the things you do while you play probably account for 99% of it in my opinion. I can play Jimmy Buffett type music all day on my acoustic, but if I play Yngwie Malmsteen type runs for half an hour on my Strat, then I will start to cramp up.

[buchananblues]

sounds like you have a decent budget, I would say try as many as you can until you find the ONE that feels right to you. You might have to play alot of guitars (that can be fun).

Good Luck.

[tulsaslim]

Love those '60s slim-taper necks. Much easier to play than the baseball bat '50s. I've owned both & won't buy another '50s neck.

 

Of the slim-tapers, the LP Classics are the slimmest.

 

The 335 neck is killer, too.

[ChanMan]

+1 on the '60s neck Standard.

 

 

You might also want to play an Ibanez. Their necks seemed waaay thin to me.

 

 

Of course, compared to the Lester, the tone will blow, but hey...

 

 

And lastly, Buchanonblues states my thoughts most succinctly. I played guitars for a year and a half looking for the LP you see in my avatar. For me, it is THE ONE... and I had a BLAST shopping for it

 

 

Good luck... and enjoy the hunt!

[stymye]

I have several different guitars , tone is in the ear of the beholder.

If an LP was the only thing that sounds good and everthing else "blows", music would get boring real quick.

 

I have a fat(guitar) neck and small hands but I find any les Paul very comfortable to play.

I also find the super thin neck shredders easy to play.

I think it has more to do with ability than size of neck.

 

look at Esteban , he shreds on an acoustic...lol

[Guitarooster52]

Weird but I also have a pretty fat neck on my LP, and I also find that I don't cramp up as easily with it. I've got real small hands.

[Dynadude]

Thinner necks will make your thumb work harder, and tend to be easier to damage. Thick necks make it harder to use your thumb on the top string, but are tougher to damage.

 

I prefer something in the medium range. Not too thin, not too thick.

[phil325]

 

The 335 neck is killer' date=' too. [/quote']

 

what do you mean by "killer"? as in they are a good choice for thin necks as well?

 

i tried an epi dot and those were ridiculously fat necks for me. guitar sounded great though but then again i haven't been able to try a gibson version yet

[jobberone]

Wow, what a great forum. Can I ask advice for an amp and mic? I'm going to sing to myself for now and I'll not be playing a guitar live for anyone. I've someone who wants me to do vocals for them but I don't have any real time behind a mic and I've never purchased or managed any equipment other than acoustic guitar. I'm reluctant to buy on the advice of a salesperson only. Again great forum.

[rocketman]

Wow' date=' what a great forum. Can I ask advice for an amp and mic? I'm going to sing to myself for now and I'll not be playing a guitar live for anyone. I've someone who wants me to do vocals for them but I don't have any real time behind a mic and I've never purchased or managed any equipment other than acoustic guitar. I'm reluctant to buy on the advice of a salesperson only. Again great forum.[/quote']

 

Are you asking about a guitar amp? If so, it all depends on your style. I play all kinds of music. I never thought I'd love a modeling amp but after playing the Line 6 Vetta II, I had to have it. My advice is to play a bunch of them (I easily played over 50 of them before deciding) and then see what fits your needs and budget. As far as a mic the only one I've ever used for vocals is the classic Shure SM58. In my opinion it's the best mic ever made for the price.