Sound vs neck

[OlivierC68]

Hello everyone,

 

I have a problem i'd like you folks here help me to solve. (maybe that sentence is not absoluteluy correct - well, i'm french, so ... forgive me ).

 

Here we go:

 

I already have a gibson songwriter deluwe, which sound I enjoy even if I sometimes find the neck a bit hard to play, but i cant tell exactly why. But, well, I still can play on it

 

At the same time i LOVE the sound of the J-45, different of course and , for me, complementary.

 

But I can hardly play that guitar because of its neck - it seems quite the opposite ot my SWR's neck : too small, too round, i dont know what else (as a matter of fact, my favourite neck is the 60's profile les Paul, but I know it cant be put as such on a acoustic guitar).

 

So help me lads, please : what's the solution for me if I still want to play on a guitar that sounds at least like a J-45, but which would fit my big thin hands?

 

Thanks for your wise advices and everything you could explain on neck profiles and so on...

 

Cheers from Paris

 

Olivier

[Mojorule]

Salut Olivier! Votre première phrase est presque sans faute (il ne manque qu'un premier 'to' avant 'help'). This being so, I will continue in English. I think it would help to know more about which dimensions you find problematic when it comes to the J45 neck. One description that generally does not appear in reports on this particular item is 'small' (well maybe when it comes to necks from the 1960s, but not necks on current models or on the 1940s and 1950s models which seem to be their main inspiration). Is the neck too short for you? That could be a problem for some, as they prefer a longer scale length - say your Songwriter Deluxe's 25.5", as opposed to the J45's 24.75". On the other hand, given that you like your Les Paul neck (also 24.75"), then I doubt scale length is at stake. Also, I would expect a 60s LP profile to be thinner than that of a J45, and so smaller front to back. The nut width of the LP is also narrower at 1 11/16" as opposed to the J45's 1.725". So to my mind your ideal neck sounds smaller than that of a typical J45, not larger. But my mind is not yours. So, how is the J45 neck small for you?

[BigKahune]

Sounds like you're asking for a slim profile (60s LP neck) with a wider nut - between 1.625" & 1.825" . (1 5/8" & 1 7/8")

 

To get a feel for wider nut widths, take a look at some hybrid classical guitars that have the nut width less than 2", but in the "larger" width noted above. Taylor has some models like that (NS74ce) as well as other manufacturers.

 

When you settle on a comfortable setup, you could check out a custom order through an authorized dealer or direct from Bozeman.

[OlivierC68]

Thanks for these answers .

 

So : it's not the width that makes problem, nor the scale, correct - I played before my SWR on another acoustic, a Taylor, that had a smaller neck (both width and scale) and, well, it did it ok.

 

So it's the shape, essentially, that makes me feel like my hand is stuck on the neck and that my fingers have no space to land. What they call "confort round profile" whereas my Swr has a "round"?

 

I didnt have the opportunity to try the "v shape" that can be found on some special models, among which the "true vintage" if i'm correct? But I fear it would be worse (tried a "v" on a martin several times and... found it very hard to play).

 

So you tell me one can ask a special model from the factory, something like martin0 online custom shop ?

 

Or is there a guitar that would have a close sound to the J-45 but that would have a better playablity ?

[Mojorule]

Thanks for these answers .

 

So : it's not the width that makes problem, nor the scale, correct - I played before my SWR on another acoustic, a Taylor, that had a smaller neck (both width and scale) and, well, it did it ok.

 

So it's the shape, essentially, that makes me feel like my hand is stuck on the neck and that my fingers have no space to land. What they call "confort round profile" whereas my Swr has a "round"?

 

I didnt have the opportunity to try the "v shape" that can be found on some special models, among which the "true vintage" if i'm correct? But I fear it would be worse (tried a "v" on a martin several times and... found it very hard to play).

 

So you tell me one can ask a special model from the factory, something like martin0 online custom shop ?

 

Or is there a guitar that would have a close sound to the J-45 but that would have a better playablity ?

 

 

I think you need to get down to Woodbrass at the Porte de Pantin/Cité de la Musique. Never been, as it's been a long time since I was in Paris, and the store is relatively new, but I have been tracking certain guitars on their website for a while. They should have a decent range of instruments, though currently probably not all that you need. Worth asking when they are likely to have what, though. If you want to try the 'v' profile on something like a current standard J45, then you want to try the Woody Guthrie Southern Jumbo. This is the model which most interests me, and I have found out that its internal build is essentially the same as the standard 45 (same bracing pattern and materials, as well as body shape). The only differences would be finish (VOS, so slightly less glossy), a belly-down bridge, and a V neck. The 45TV has different bracing (based on the Advanced Jumbo), so will sound different before you factor in individual guitar differences. In any case, there was a recent thread in which several experienced Gibson players concurred that the neck profile on the TV is almost exactly the same as that on the Standard. Unfortunately I am in a place where I really cannot try either a 45 Standard or a Woody, so can't comment on the differences between the necks. Others here will be of much more help. I've heard, though, that the Gibson V is less pronounced than the Martin V, and that it's not really all that different from a round profile. Of course, whether that makes it closer to the 'rounded' or 'comfort rounded' profile is another question. Unfortunately Woodbrass don't appear to have a Woody at present (and haven't since before Christmas), but again it might be worth asking them if/when they hope to take delivery of one. But you may find a wide range of profiles in their shop, and as Big Kahune points out, Gibson do make custom orders. There are some posters here who have ordered directly from Bozeman, but Woodbrass might have enough clout as a dealer to organize something along those lines for you too. Mais enfin, que sais-je?

[OlivierC68]

Well, thank you, I'll check the Woodie Guthrie if I can, right now I have tried many guitars and I think i'm gonna give Santa Cruz VJ a try ....