chasAK Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 What acoustic guitar has the best neck profile in youropinion? This assumes a good setup on the guitar. I tend to like the necks onTaylors, they are very playable for me. I have smallish hands and do not care for the baseball bat necks,but I guess one can get use to anything reasonable. I like the profile on myj45 mc. The j45 standards and TVs all seem to be similar. chasAK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I know what I don't like - skinny necks. V or modiied V is preferred here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 No best about it - going to depend on the player. For me the nut width is probably as important as the neck profile. I prefer a 1 7/8" or 2" but can certainly live with something like a 1 3/4" or 1 11/16". Although I am pretty adapatable, no matter how the neck is shaped, nut width much narrower than that is probably not going to make me as happy as I could be. The neck, maybe it is because I have spent so much time with pre-War guitars I prefer (or perhaps am just used to) V and big old fat Louisville Slugger necks. I guess my favorite though would be a very chunky soft V neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 My 2001 SongBird Deluxe has the '60's slim-taper neck which I absolutely love! The best neck profile (IMHO)Gibson ever made! That's my vote! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol fred Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Charlie, the best neck profile is the one that YOU are comfortable with, some things really are that simple. Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasAK Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 Ol Fred, thanks for the encouragement,I am very happy with the playability of my j45. I was just wondering whatopinions others have. I know it has been inferred that a fat neck producesbetter tone. I have a hard time followingthat reasoning. I think your left hand (or for south paws right) dampens any significantaffect on tone. Also, as Zombywoof stated, the with is very important to playthe 1.725 with fit me fine but I would not want to go any smaller nor would I wantto go up to 2 inches. chasAK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 What acoustic guitar has the best neck profile in your opinion? .... Profile - I like the "C" profile. But I'm going to go into it a bit further - Thickness - I really like the 30/60, which is a Gibson electric form that is .030 of an inch thicker from front to back then the 60s slim taper (.765"), all the way up the neck, making it about .800 thick at the nut. Anything near .800" at the nut is perfect for me. My '08 J-200 is a bit thicker at .820" thick at the nut, but still in the my favorite range. I've got an SG with a 50s rounded - about .850" at the nut. That's getting thick, but still comfortable. My '65 Melody Maker is a 60s slim taper at .760" - it feels really thin, but it's no problem to play. I've got a Tele with a vintage fat neck (baseball bat) that's 1.000" thick at the nut. Whoa! But I like playing it. Those hundreths can feel like a lot. . B) Nut Width - I'm happy at 1 11/16" (1.6875"), but I've got guitars that range from 1.625" up to 2". Radius - I like 12". My collection ranges from 7.5" to a compound radius that goes 12"-16” on my Jackson that I really like. Best overall neck profile IMO is a .8" thick "C" with a nut width of 1.6875" and a radius of 12". . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 .... Question, if you might know...is the 60's Thin Line the same as what you noted in your linked post, of the "60's Slim Taper"? .... Yep. I've got a caliper lying around I take measurements with. There's actually a bit of variability in the necks of any given type. And that 60s-slim (AKA slim-taper, thin, etc) falls away from the fretboard edge pretty steeply. The 50s is like a "D" profile and the "C" is right in between the two profiles diagrammed below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 What's the best neck profile?....the one that "FEELS" the best...I have a lot of different widths and shapes...I like them all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 . Here's another chart that should help. It mixes Gibson, Martin and Fender terminology. You can see that the "U" shape had deep sides that fall away straight from the fretboard edge for long distance. The "D" shape has sides that also fall away straight from the fretboard edge but not as far as the "U" making it more rounded. The "C" shape quickly curves away from the fretboard edge. The 60s slim taper is a thin (reduced thickness or slim) "C" with the sides tapered so they curve away from the fretboard edge toward the center line quickly (and so the term "slim taper"). Once these shapes first appeared, they sometimes went in and out of favor, or reappeared at a later date somewhat modified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Thanks for that chart, BigKahune - nicely done. At the present time, I like the neck on my 1959 Gibson LG3 the best - it is the best I have played in the limited number of older Gibsons that I have tried. It reminds me a bit of a Les Paul Standard that a friend had years ago that I coveted! I guess it is the late 50's D shape from your chart. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasAK Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 BigKahune, thanks for the great information. Trvir, no fearof hijacking the tread, ask on. This is what I was looking for. I'm thinkingthe j45 standard is more of a 60s slim taper than anything else. I don't wantto bother to loosen all the strings to put my caliper on the neck at the 1stfret. What is everybody else's preferred neck, or does it matter to you? chasAK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 . Here's another chart that should help. It mixes Gibson, Martin and Fender terminology. You can see that the "U" shape had deep sides that fall away straight from the fretboard edge for long distance. The "D" shape has sides that also fall away straight from the fretboard edge but not as far as the "U" making it more rounded. The "C" shape quickly curves away from the fretboard edge. The 60s slim taper is a thin (reduced thickness or slim) "C" with the sides tapered so they curve away from the fretboard edge toward the center line quickly (and so the term "slim taper"). Once these shapes first appeared, they sometimes went in and out of favor, or reappeared at a later date somewhat modified. So, probably a dumb question, but I like the neck on my 1959 Gibson LG3 the best of all my guitars, which we are assuming is a version of the above '50s Rounded D Shape'. Is there a decent Gibson electric with the same neck for fingerpicking blues on electric guitar instead of acoustics? I know zip about the Gibson electrics but 20 odd years ago I had a Les Paul Custom, which was obviously from a Gibson bad spot......apart from weighing in at about what seemed like a hundred pounds, the neck was ok (ish), the pickups ok (ish) for rock blues, but fingerpicking was never going to happen! I have a Strat and a Tele (with spiders living on them in their cases 'cos I haven't played them), but those 2 guitars are pretty useless for fingerpicking, especially the skinny neck Tele..... I'm guessing some of the earlier jazzer models would do the trick, but I don't want a collector's item - I want something newish to play at a bar straight in to a tube amp etc....not worry too much about, but with a nice sound. BluesKing777. OH, I saw John Fogerty doing ok fingerpicking a custom made Dolphin electric guitar, so it can be done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I agree with all the folks who said feel is the best profile. I am partial to the 60s slim but I like a change too. I'm not one for too much technical data. For me it's all about the feel. I find that different feel brings out different playing style. I like the wider necks for the stretchy jazzy chords or something more narrow for lots of barre chords. It's all good. They all have their own personality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerohead Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Yep. I've got a caliper lying around I take measurements with. There's actually a bit of variability in the necks of any given type. And that 60s-slim (AKA slim-taper, thin, etc) falls away from the fretboard edge pretty steeply. The 50s is like a "D" profile and the "C" is right in between the two profiles diagrammed below. We are talking about neck profiles and you post a pic of Homer Simpson's underwear! What gives? Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 So, probably a dumb question, but I like the neck on my 1959 Gibson LG3 the best of all my guitars, which we are assuming is a version of the above '50s Rounded D Shape'. Is there a decent Gibson electric with the same neck for fingerpicking blues on electric guitar instead of acoustics? I know zip about the Gibson electrics but 20 odd years ago I had a Les Paul Custom, which was obviously from a Gibson bad spot......apart from weighing in at about what seemed like a hundred pounds, the neck was ok (ish), the pickups ok (ish) for rock blues, but fingerpicking was never going to happen! I have a Strat and a Tele (with spiders living on them in their cases 'cos I haven't played them), but those 2 guitars are pretty useless for fingerpicking, especially the skinny neck Tele..... I'm guessing some of the earlier jazzer models would do the trick, but I don't want a collector's item - I want something newish to play at a bar straight in to a tube amp etc....not worry too much about, but with a nice sound. BluesKing777. OH, I saw John Fogerty doing ok fingerpicking a custom made Dolphin electric guitar, so it can be done! I also like to fingerpick electric, and Chet Atkins was doing it rather nicely before Fogerty got off the Bayou, so it definitely can be done. My Howard Roberts Fusion probably has a 59 Les Paul neck profile. It is very close to the profile on my Woody Guthrie. Probably a bit slim compared to your LG3, but perhaps the year is actually telling here, and maybe the electrics weren't that far from the acoustics by then in terms of neck profile. Worth trying a 59 LP profile in any case. Lots of current Lesters with it, though the advantage of something like a Howard is that it has a bit more body on which to rest your picking arm. Smaller than a Jumbo, obviously, and across the bout also smaller than a 335, but with more depth than the latter - enough body in all dimensions to feel like a real guitar. Maybe close in width to your LG too (14.75 inches or so). Also, I like to have a bit of air in the guitar to make dynamics more noticeable, especially for fingerpicking. Also worth trying a 335 with a 1950s neck profile (not sure if this is the same as the 59 LP, or closer to the fatter 58 LP). So a Historic 1959 reissue from Nashville (ask J45 Nick for advice) or a 1950s Fat Neck from Memphis for starters. Howards are now out of production, but cheaper if you can get one, so worth hunting down to try. Nice guitars. The Norlin-era and early Henry J ones also have a nice unbound fingerboard, which given the fretwear on mine would be an advantage at present. Also Maple centreblock instead of the chromyte that mine has. Probably one of the few Norlin-era designs which really was good. Of course all Gibson electrics will have a narrower nut than 1.75, but I find 1 11/16 quite manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I also like to fingerpick electric, and Chet Atkins was doing it rather nicely before Fogerty got off the Bayou, so it definitely can be done. My Howard Roberts Fusion probably has a 59 Les Paul neck profile. It is very close to the profile on my Woody Guthrie. Probably a bit slim compared to your LG3, but perhaps the year is actually telling here, and maybe the electrics weren't that far from the acoustics by then in terms of neck profile. Worth trying a 59 LP profile in any case. Lots of current Lesters with it, though the advantage of something like a Howard is that it has a bit more body on which to rest your picking arm. Smaller than a Jumbo, obviously, and across the bout also smaller than a 335, but with more depth than the latter - enough body in all dimensions to feel like a real guitar. Maybe close in width to your LG too (14.75 inches or so). Also, I like to have a bit of air in the guitar to make dynamics more noticeable, especially for fingerpicking. Also worth trying a 335 with a 1950s neck profile (not sure if this is the same as the 59 LP, or closer to the fatter 58 LP). So a Historic 1959 reissue from Nashville (ask J45 Nick for advice) or a 1950s Fat Neck from Memphis for starters. Howards are now out of production, but cheaper if you can get one, so worth hunting down to try. Nice guitars. The Norlin-era and early Henry J ones also have a nice unbound fingerboard, which given the fretwear on mine would be an advantage at present. Also Maple centreblock instead of the chromyte that mine has. Probably one of the few Norlin-era designs which really was good. Of course all Gibson electrics will have a narrower nut than 1.75, but I find 1 11/16 quite manageable. Thanks Mojo The HR is a good idea size wise - the trouble with the Chet is the size. They are a bit scarce down this way. A local pawn shop has a 1954 Gibson ES125 (ad says the top is slightly sunken????) that I may go have a try. Wow - they LOOK cool!!!!! Expensive experiment probably. Another local shop is flogging the Godin 5th Avenue cheap copies - may give them a test run: http://www.acousticc...com.au/archtops Hard to ignore that damn 125 now, oh, oh, oh - a bug has bit me! It would be a 120 mile round trip to try it...... BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 . Interesting. Looking forward to finding out how your possible purchase goes BK. Here's a few more measurements. The reissue measurements listed below are from a poster over at MLP who averaged several guitars of each model - R8 - - - - - - - - - - .925" R7 - - - - - - - - - - .920" R9 - - - - - - - - - - .910" . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Well, I have driven the miles and miles to the music shops and I am back with just strings (12 strings Elixirs for the Gibson B25-12N). I went to a pawn shop where they have a Dobro a friend is interested in - he tried it the other day and wasn't sure, but I thought it was pretty good. That broke the ice in the shop for me, then I asked for my real target: 1954 Gibson ES125 like this one from eBay: Not this one though.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-GIBSON-ES-125-/251074018177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a752d7b81#ht_500wt_1057 Well - perfect! The neck was like playing my er, well, Gibsons! Sound was that lovely old smoky blues singer thing. I want it! That's what I am looking for and my car whisperer that I mentioned in another thread had better get back to me real soon or guess what? He will be unemployed and I will be the owner of a 125! I then tried a mid 60s Gibson ES125 and it was ok and $500 cheaper, but with the skinny neck. I went to another shop to try the Godin Somethin'orotherwhat'sitcalled that is sort of like the 125. 5th Avenue, that's it. They wish! Cheap and cheerful but not what I wanted. Quickly played a J45 Legend they just got in. Perfect! Neck -WOW! Had it all, but not what I'm looking for today. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Well, I have driven the miles and miles to the music shops and I am back with just strings (12 strings Elixirs for the Gibson B25-12N). I went to a pawn shop where they have a Dobro a friend is interested in - he tried it the other day and wasn't sure, but I thought it was pretty good. That broke the ice in the shop for me, then I asked for my real target: 1954 Gibson ES125 like this one from eBay: Not this one though.. http://www.ebay.com/...1#ht_500wt_1057 Well - perfect! The neck was like playing my er, well, Gibsons! Sound was that lovely old smoky blues singer thing. I want it! That's what I am looking for and my car whisperer that I mentioned in another thread had better get back to me real soon or guess what? He will be unemployed and I will be the owner of a 125! I then tried a mid 60s Gibson ES125 and it was ok and $500 cheaper, but with the skinny neck. I went to another shop to try the Godin Somethin'orotherwhat'sitcalled that is sort of like the 125. 5th Avenue, that's it. They wish! Cheap and cheerful but not what I wanted. Quickly played a J45 Legend they just got in. Perfect! Neck -WOW! Had it all, but not what I'm looking for today. BluesKing777. Well, a bit of an update - NGD!!!!! Woke up really, really early this morning. Coffee, practice the Blues King for a bit, open a Stefan Grossman book and there in the photo opposite the music I was playing was a guy playing what appears to be Gibson ES125! Kind of set me thinking...... Had cereal, shower, drove the zillion miles to the shop - possible second person to arrive at the shop - bought the 1954 Gibson ES125! So I know that technically the new guitar announcement belongs in a different forum (Archtop Forum?), but I was talking about it here first. So I played it for while acoustically, and one of the main attractions of the guitar initially was that the neck is pretty well identical to my other 50's Gibson acoustics. Then plugged it into my Mesa Boogie .22 calibre (22 watt tube amp) that I have hardly touched in years. Spiders and bugs had to move out! There may be a dog hair stuck in the amp's master volume, but there is dog hair everywhere at my house, even in my car's fuel system....I am not interested in the jazz clean sound - I am trying more for the John Lee Hooker/Lightnin' Hopkins/ bluesy sound. The setting I had when I gave up for a while before was more like the guitar sound in Tom Waits' "Heart Attack and Vine". BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Fantastic news! This is totally one of the right places to post, as many of the folks here also appear on the Hollowbodies forum too, and are among the more knowledgeable individuals to be found there. Just copy the post there too, as some of the good people there don't check in here so often. I've forgotten when they introduced the TDC variant, but have a feeling it was around in 1954. Do I take it yours is non-cutaway and one P-90, though? Or have you got 2 P-90s and a cut? Whichever, it's worth it for the original P-90(s), as well as the neck, I'd say. Savage! No wonder you're getting that Tom Waits sound. They've been scientifically found to be hotter than PAFs, and if I remember rightly hotter than modern 490s. Well, a bit of an update - NGD!!!!! Woke up really, really early this morning. Coffee, practice the Blues King for a bit, open a Stefan Grossman book and there in the photo opposite the music I was playing was a guy playing what appears to be Gibson ES125! Kind of set me thinking...... Had cereal, shower, drove the zillion miles to the shop - possible second person to arrive at the shop - bought the 1954 Gibson ES125! So I know that technically the new guitar announcement belongs in a different forum (Archtop Forum?), but I was talking about it here first. So I played it for while acoustically, and one of the main attractions of the guitar initially was that the neck is pretty well identical to my other 50's Gibson acoustics. Then plugged it into my Mesa Boogie .22 calibre (22 watt tube amp) that I have hardly touched in years. Spiders and bugs had to move out! There may be a dog hair stuck in the amp's master volume, but there is dog hair everywhere at my house, even in my car's fuel system....I am not interested in the jazz clean sound - I am trying more for the John Lee Hooker/Lightnin' Hopkins/ bluesy sound. The setting I had when I gave up for a while before was more like the guitar sound in Tom Waits' "Heart Attack and Vine". BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 . Well alright BK! I was hoping you'd go with the Gibbie. You must be having fun playing with it and tweaking the ampped tone. Don't forget to post us some pics. . B) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Do I take it yours is non-cutaway and one P-90, though? Or have you got 2 P-90s and a cut? Whichever, it's worth it for the original P-90(s), as well as the neck, I'd say. Thanks MR and BK, It is the original fat body, non-cutaway, one P-90 - easy to play as an acoustic guitar if I want.... Looks (though we have a Gibson remember) exactly like this one from Gary's Vintage Guitars: http://www.garysguit...-es-125-gat0217 Could be a long day working on this thing while the geetar is waiting......Pics later. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Here is a comparison video I found! Gibson ES 125 vs Godin 5th Ave Kingpin: I tried both these. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccartymind Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 On 5/18/2012 at 1:53 PM, BigKahune said: Yep. I've got a caliper lying around I take measurements with. There's actually a bit of variability in the necks of any given type. And that 60s-slim (AKA slim-taper, thin, etc) falls away from the fretboard edge pretty steeply. The 50s is like a "D" profile and the "C" is right in between the two profiles diagrammed below. "Falls away from the fretboard edge pretty steeply" is a great description! I recently purchased a J45 that I loved the sound of but the slim taper neck hurt my hand for this reason. I still might buy it back cause I love the sound but I find a rounder neck that doesn't fall away so steeply feels better. But I think that's just what I'm used to. The question is can one's hand/arm get used to anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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