Big Fat Necks... Who likes them?

[Mikegarveyblues]

Was just reading an interview with Mark Knopfler in which he stated his preference for large necks and big frets. He stated how he feel he plays better / faster on a guitar with a larger neck than a more svelte one.

I have to say, this is my experience. Not always the case though. I owned a guitar with a large neck years ago and hated it but something seems to have changed over the years and these days I prefer something that fills out my hand more. I've mentioned before how much I like the Bernie, but the thing that really does it for me is the neck profile. It's almost perfect save for the slightly small frets.

I've also got an SE C24 with a wide thin neck and yet I find myself struggling to like it in the same way. I do play it - and it's a great guitar, but I don't get the same joy from playing it as I do with the larger necked Bernie. With the Bernie playing feels much more natural, more effortless.

So how many of you prefer a larger neck? Any of you found you've changed preference for neck shapes / sizes over the years?

It almost seems counter-intuitive to me as I've got average sized hands but I just don't get on with skinny necks...

 

[captdg]

I have small hands like that stupid burger king commercial.. I would love to be able to have my thumb come back and over the fretboard..One good thing about fat necks is I find that I dont miss-pick a string from being close together as much...Does this make sense?

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

I have small hands like that stupid burger king commercial.. I would love to be able to have my thumb come back and over the fretboard..One good thing about fat necks is I find that I dont miss-pick a string from being close together as much...Does this make sense?

I can understand that. When I had my tech fit the Tusq nut on my Bernie he widened the string spacing. I've got fat fingers so that helps!

It's interesting... I've got a cheap Yamaha Pacifica that I used to love. Had it for a while and I used to enjoy playing it but i'm finding my hand cramps up when I do these days. It feels tiny at the nut end. Almost child like.

 

[Goldtop]

I love a big neck on a guitar. Some might call it a HUGE neck. In all the years I've been into guitars, I've only found a few whose necks were even close to being big enough for me. One was a G****n LP, and the other was a Stripped 58 with the Pattern neck carve. I tried a Bernie once and I liked the neck on it, but it could have been a little bigger to suit me.

I don't know if it's been proven or not - or if it even could be - but to me the neck makes a huge difference in the sound and tone of a guitar. And not just in the materials, but the dimensions themselves. Much more important than some might think, at least IMO.

I'm not a technician-type player by any means. I'm more of a slower, bluesy, feel player, so a big neck isn't a problem for me, in spite of the fact that I have ugly, stubby fingers.

Lloyd

 

[jlogicalor]

I prefer the thinner necked guitars. The larger necks cause me to have a lot of wrist pain for some reason. The pattern thin neck on my custom 24 is the most comfortable neck I've ever played.

 

[Goldtop]

I can understand that. When I had my tech fit the Tusq nut on my Bernie he widened the string spacing. I've got fat fingers so that helps!

I guess I do too Mike. When I first watched your video of the Bernie demo, I kept thinking 'my fingers look like his'. That's NOT to say that I'm anywhere near the player you are; I just mean we both seem to be a bit 'digitally challenged'. :laugh:

Lloyd

 

[captdg]

Steve Martin, a damn fine Banjo player used to say he like women with no necks. something about they not being able to turn their head.. Why did I just blurt that out?

 

[jfb]

Wide Fat is the only neck for me.

 

[andy474x]

I have small hands, but I still get along with the wide-fat really well. But the baseball bat neck that can be found on LP's is a bit much for me. I dig the wide thin too, they're both nice.

 

[RickO]

I hate them. I have small hands and get along much better with a regular or wide-thin.

 

[Egads]

I like 'em all. My first PS was wide thin, since then, I've had most of them. I also like baseball bat-sized necks on old beat-up Teles. I just play differently and use the different guitars for different purposes.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Not a real big fan, but I like the W/F on the Gucci Top. The whole guitar reminds me of my old LPC's but without the annoying bits.

 

[cjmwrx]

I used to be a thin neck guy. But, my hands were cramping on longer sessions. Fat neck solved that. My hands are bigger than I think they are.

PRS is the only guitar I prefer a fat neck. Then again, the last year, they've been all I've played minus my Strat from now and then.

Had a LP Std with the Asymmetrical neck and I just could not get a long with it. I could play it just fine, but it never felt comfortable.

 

[watelessness]

i love me some wide/fat. i rarely play with my thumb on the back of the neck. rather, my thumb wraps around and i clamp all my chords. yet for some reason i can play the DGT carve the same way.

 

[11top]

Hard to beat the LP '58 profile. I recently got a 408 Braz and the profile in oiled RW is very comfortable.

 

[veinbuster]

I like a wide neck, but not especially fat - I don't consider the PRS wide-fat to be very fat.
Some of the appeal to a wide neck may be the result of playing double bass for quite a few years and owning only a classical guitar for some time. The classicals are a bit over 2 inches wide and my favourite steel string neck is 1 7/8.

 

[11top]

I don't consider the PRS wide-fat to be very fat.
.

+1

 

[JMintzer]

I... Like... Fat Necks and I cannot Lie...

Wide Fat
'58/'59 LPs
Nocasters...
Fender Full C...

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

I guess I do too Mike. When I first watched your video of the Bernie demo, I kept thinking 'my fingers look like his'. That's NOT to say that I'm anywhere near the player you are; I just mean we both seem to be a bit 'digitally challenged'. :laugh:

Lloyd

Ha, ha! You're not wrong!

I remember when I first started playing in my mid / late teens. I was convinced the reason why I couldn't play was because there was something up with my hands. Every pic of a guitar player seemed to show someone with long, thin digits playing ridiculously complex chords!!!

That said, on some very rare occasions I have come across some pieces of music that i'm physically unable to play. There's a chord Joe Satriani plays in some song that I can't stretch to for love nor money.

Interesting reading replies, particularly #10 and #11. Perhaps there's much more to it rather than the obvious.

 

[MykeWright]

I can play equally badly on almost any neck, but I feel most comfortable on something Wide/Fat or a little bigger.