SG400 Advice Needed - sorry its a longish one

[andyonthejob]

Hi all, i`m new to the forum and new to playing too. I bought a secondhand 2004 SG400 from a shop in Leeds and although struggling at first due to having hand the size of shovels and fingers like sausages i`ve managed to make some pleasing steps forward over the last few weeks.

 

Only thing is, i`m getting increasingly frustrated as I just can`t hold the strings down without fouling another. I have tried moving my fingers up or down to clear the one i`m not meaning to contact but as it clears the one opposite touches. I kept saying I needed a wider neck without knowing they were out there and having googled it seems like it may be the answer.

 

Trouble is, I took the advice of the seller about a guitar with a one piece neck being better than a bolt on one when parting with my hard earned .......

so my question is :

 

Can anything be done for my SG400 or is the neck there to stay. I don`t know what size it is nor do I know what size I would need but would think the widest ?

Any help or guidance would be really appreciated.

Thanks Andy

[ICH]

Welcome to the forum.

 

First - getting the neck changed on a G400 would cost more than the guitar is worth, and more than a similar quality guitar with a wider neck. A lot of players prefer fixed neck over bolt ons, and you can't easily change the neck of a bolt on for a wider version - it won't fit.

 

Two - I have large hands and fingers like sausages, and I play a G400 (The ivory custom model) amongst a few others (mixed fixed and bolt on).

 

You could trade in the G400 in p/x for a new guitar (or sell it privately if you can get a better deal that way). Or, if you can afford it, you could keep the G400 as a target for your improved playing (which WILL happen if you keep it up).

 

One day soon you WILL be able to play it.

 

In the meantime you could channel your frustration into the ( I got these fat finger) blues.

 

ICH

[alanssaab]

your fingers need to learn how to behave when fingering chords and doing chord changes , practice is the only way forward , the neck on my sg400 is wider than my epi lp or my strat and i'll throw my yamy apx acoustic into that as well , i have small hands and my fingers have had to learn how to play on a neck thats slightly thicker and wider hth

Alan

[jammybstard]

It's easy to start looking for problems with the guitar when your finding it hard at first but the truth is a wider neck is probably not going to make a massive difference.

 

Your left hand (Assuming your right handed) should be relaxed; If your hand is tense and pressing down too hard on the strings you wil start to foul the adjecent strings. keep practicing the same chords in simple patterns like GGGG-DDDD-CCCC over and over, as your fingers learn the chords your hand will relax.

 

Hendrix had massive hands and he didn't do too bad!

[antwhi2001]

G400 necks are about as wide as they come. It just takes lots of practice, especially with big fingers. By lots, I mean more than an hour a day for several months. If you don't fancy that, you won't master it. On the positive side, there have been plenty of big blokes who have made great guitarists with standard sized guitars. It just takes work.

[Sjael]

I have fairly large hands, and it did take a while to get used to it. I find it's a lot easier to play metal though, where you often need to strings a lot :P

 

Unfortunately I have yet to find a use for being able to hit the 1st and 8th frets at the same time though.

 

You could also get a wider spaced nut, although it won't change a whole lot.

[ChuteBoxeHero]

Andy, I'm in the same boat as far as hand size goes so I can definitely sympathize when it comes to playing. I also have an G400(2008) as well as a couple of Strats and the G400 neck is much more comfortable to play. Much more room in my opinion. Give it some more time and practice and you'll find it gets easier. Teaching your fingers to do something like play the guitar is tough and kinda awkward. Definitely give it some time.

[jammybstard]

You could also get a wider spaced nut' date=' although it won't change a whole lot.[/quote']

Hows that? surely a wider spaed nut will move the 1st and 6th too close to the edge of the fretboard.

[brianh]

Just hang with it for a while longer.

 

SG necks are wider than many and it's really more about practice, practice, practice.

 

Welcome to the forum!

[andyonthejob]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. I`m not about to give up, after meaning to do it for years and spending too much time on cars and bikes as a hobby i`m loving it and honestly not looking to use an excuse for not getting it right straight away.

 

Thinking I could play after only a month would be arrogant and short sighted. I know i`ve a long way to go and if the conscensous is that my SG is ok for larger hands then i`ll bite the bullet with no excuses !!

 

Just wondering if i`ll have Thunderstruck nailed by next week

[olds_cool63]

Hey, andyonthejob..I know exactly what you're going through.

 

i've been playing since I was a wee lad back in '72! Some guitars are just better than others for different hands. I just got rid of a Strat for an SG-310. The SG's neck was sooooo much better for me, being much wider and all.

 

The SG400 was on my list, but I felt the SG310 was a touch wider. Only you can tell what's gonna work for you, dude.

 

Can you dig it?

[disaster]

The SG is a fine guitar, the neck is thin but not overly narrow for an electric. However there are other types of guitars out there......

 

When you're in the mood stop by your local guitar shop & pick up (or ask to try) a classical guitar. This is a nylon stringed guitar with a MUCH wider fingerboard. It has a different sound & vibe but you may prefer it for getting started. Once you've figured out some basics on the Classical try the G-400 again. You may find it goes easier since you'll only be concentrating on getting used to the feel of the neck & fingerboard. You'll also find that the nylon strings are much easier on your fingers & easier to learn on.

 

If classical isn't your thing & you're determined to go electric see if you can find a PRS SE series guitar to try. (I'm not sure how readily available the PRS guitars are in the UK.) Almost all of these models have what PRS calls a Wide/Fat neck carve. The neck is much thicker than your G-400 & it is a little wider. Mayabe not a lot wider, but every little bit may help. Try it & see what you think. I preferred the sound & quality of the PRS over the G-400 but the G-400 thin neck suited me better & sold me on the guitar.

 

Good Luck.

[andyonthejob]

Thanks for the advice Disaster it won`t hurt to drop in to a few shops and see.

 

I don`t want to blame my guitar coz I know a large part of my problem is no doubt me but I look at it logically and when i get my finger square on say the 3rd string/2nd fret using barely enough pressure to get a clean note from the string I foul on an adjacent string.

So still keeping the same pressure on the string I move away from the string i`m fouling just enough to clear it but then find i`m litterally half a mill to a millimetre from the string at the other side and that`s whilst placing my finger at 90degrees to the fretboard to avoid any accidental overlap.

 

I accept that it`s a skill and i`m nowhere near yet but just a little more room would make so much difference at least like you say in the early stages. I`ll have day in town looking at some others if only to convince me that the SG is the one for me.

Andy