Epiphone Necks

[DragonAss]

Bought several Epiphone guitars and my Les Paul Studio really hurts my hand to play, I cramp between my thumb and forefinger; however when I play my Fender Stratocaster my hand doesn't hurt at all allowing me a longer playing time. My question is, are all Epiphone necks the same or are there option out there for the player to choose a thinner neck. My fingers are short and stubby and I think the radius of the neck is the issue in question. What help can the community provide to help me eliminate this problem?

[brad1]

The necks vary depending on year, model, factory, time of day ( ) etc.

Not sure if it's the radius bothering you. Epis have a larger radius, meaning the neck is more flat. Fenders have a smaller radius, meaning more curvature on the fretboard. My MIM Fender strat has a thinner neck on it than most of my Epis do.

 

You probably need a a fretboard that is less wide, or less thick. A thinner, narrower neck is what you may need.

And the only real way to find out what is best for you is to try it out first hand. Descriptions online are not consistent, or reliable.

Good luck with those fingers of yours! Hope you find a comfortable neck.

[merciful-evans]

The necks vary depending on year, model, factory, time of day ( ) etc.

Not sure if it's the radius bothering you. Epis have a larger radius, meaning the neck is more flat. Fenders have a smaller radius, meaning more curvature on the fretboard. My MIM Fender strat has a thinner neck on it than most of my Epis do.

 

You probably need a a fretboard that is less wide, or less thick. A thinner, narrower neck is what you may need.

And the only real way to find out what is best for you is to try it out first hand. Descriptions online are not consistent, or reliable.

Good luck with those fingers of yours! Hope you find a comfortable neck.

 

Yep. %100 agree with all of that.

[capmaster]

To my experience playing posture is the main point. In particular, picking positions between breast bone and navel are crucial for me as well as a comfortable up-angle of the neck - I guess it is between 20 and 30 degrees. Fine-tuning of strap length depends much on the instrument's build. Les Paul guitars call for locking the strap to the guitar - for most players the upper strap button is unsafe for a decent playing position.

 

The neck radiuses of my Fender guitars and basses range from 184mm to 400mm respectively 7.25" to 15.75" including a compound-radiused board with 254mm to 356mm respectively 10" to 14" from nut to 22nd fret. Gibson and Epiphone instruments are mostly 305mm or 12" but also include one compound-radiused fretboard. Neck profiles range between Ibanez Artist style, Gibson early '60s, Explorer shape, '60s Slim Taper, Asymmetrical Slim Taper, Axcess, '50s Rounded, Fender Modern C, and an Epiphone '60s D-shaped neck. They all play quite nice with all their different fret wires between "Fretless Wonder" and Super Jumbo. I think it's mostly a matter of mindset when shouldering the instrument.

 

I prefer playing standing over everything else. Putting the instrument on my right thigh will do for a few minutes and some simple pickings, but when playing sitting for an extended period, I put it on my left thigh.

 

My fingers are stubby and quite long but of very limited reach. Unwitting muting of strings is my biggest problem since I started playing, and that makes extremely short fingernails and a proper posture very important for me. Wider string spacings would be fine, but I would have to have the money to buy custom-built guitars exclusively, and also custom-made wider locking nuts casted for my Floyd Rose guitars... :unsure:

 

I think it's best you try to find your personal comfort zone for each guitar model. It will be worth your while!

[Pete B]

Bought several Epiphone guitars and my Les Paul Studio really hurts my hand to play, I cramp between my thumb and forefinger; however when I play my Fender Stratocaster my hand doesn't hurt at all allowing me a longer playing time. My question is, are all Epiphone necks the same or are there option out there for the player to choose a thinner neck. My fingers are short and stubby and I think the radius of the neck is the issue in question. What help can the community provide to help me eliminate this problem?

How are you playing it, on a strap or sitting?

[Col Mustard]

Bought several Epiphone guitars and my Les Paul Studio really hurts my hand to play, I cramp between my thumb and forefinger; however when I play my Fender Stratocaster my hand doesn't hurt at all allowing me a longer playing time. My question is, are all Epiphone necks the same or are there option out there for the player to choose a thinner neck. My fingers are short and stubby and I think the radius of the neck is the issue in question. What help can the community provide to help me eliminate this problem?

 

My suggestion is to work on your hand position and your playing posture... agree with the post above.

If you keep your thumb behind the neck, the size of your hand becomes unimportant, because you have so much

more reach than if you attempt to play with your hand all cramped up. If you force yourself to start all over and play the

guitar with the end of your thumb on the back of the neck, your hand will be freer, and more relaxed, and you can reach

farther, and a small hand has no disadvantage. Use your thumb like a pivot, and your range of motion increases by leaps.

 

What I'm saying is that there's likely to be nothing wrong with your guitar. The human hand can play any instrument from a double bass to a mandolin... with no problems.

It's all in your technique. I see so many posts by guitarists who obsess about a few millimeters of wood in the width or depth of the neck carve.

It's my theory that most of these are self taught guitarists. If you took lessons from a good teacher, the instructor might get you on the right path

so you would not get so sore. The real benefit to this would be that your style and technique are likely to take off and grow rapidly once you make up your

mind to do it.

 

This is something you can try if you want to eliminate the problem. If you look at it this way, it puts the power into your hands. It gives you a way to do something

about it. And your music will benefit.

 

If you refuse to see it this way, and figure that there are just some instruments that you can't play... then your music will suffer and the problem will continue.

Many musicians I know play guitar, violin, mandolin, and maybe keyboard. They switch from one to the other easily, and the idea that a neck might be too thin or

too thick would never occur to them. Me, I play acoustic, electric, and bass. All my instruments have necks of different shapes and lengths, and I never think about

that either. I just play them. You can do it too.

[GILLMAN ROYCE]

Hand position + mind set( overcoming the guitar X doesn't feel/look like guitar Y ) = adaptability. Or, you can buy two of the same model and change the pickups . Yamahas are very consistent throughout the catalog, especially the older stuff like the Pacifica & AEX series - tele's hollow bodies etc.

[Pinch]

Check out YouTube for proper stretching exercises, including massage of that muscle attached to the thumb!

[iankinzel]

OP was from over a year ago, but in case anybody else is looking...

 

Slimmest: Les Paul Custom/Custom Pro & Sheraton II/Sheraton II Pro (very slim D-shape with flat-ish back on the neck)

Standard Slim: Les Paul Standard/Plus Top Pro, G-400/G-400 Pro, ES-339, Dot (somewhat slim C-shape - more rounded than LP Custom/Sheraton, somewhat thicker but not by much)

Standard Thick: LP Traditional Pro, '56 P90 Pro (somebody with small-ish hands like mine will notice there's a bit of heft)

Thickest: Les Paul Custom 1955 Limited Edition (you can play baseball with this thing)

 

This is generally speaking, YMMV, etc