Wide Fat neck vs Wide Thin

[Abe]

You can't find a new CE24 with a pattern regular or wide fat neck and this is a pitty. Thats why I stopped looking for a new CE24 as I can't stand its wide thin neck. Same with all SE models, with the exception of SE Hollowbody II which has a wide fat neck.

Yes it does and it's among the reasons the guitar fits me.

 

[Xtcclassic]

Guys there was never a 24 fret PRS that was available with a wide fat neck, wide fat was always a 22 fret only neck. 24 fret necks were available in wide thin or standard.

 

[Abe]

Someday I would like a PRS hollowbody guitar with 24 frets on a wide fat neck.

 

[SinSir]

Guys there was never a 24 fret PRS that was available with a wide fat neck, wide fat was always a 22 fret only neck. 24 fret necks were available in wide thin or standard.

The Santana sesingle cut trem and se santana has 24 fret and WF. There's also the Santana profile for core chunky and 24.

 

[Senor Verde]

This is why all my current PRS's are 2008 McCarty's or older. I prefer the good ol' fashioned Wide/Fat. There haven't been any of the more recent "Pattern" equivalents for me to try out in my area that I know of. I might like them a lot, or even better, but I know the traditional W/F will be agreeable to me.

 

[László]

No two people have the exact same hands, and we all have our individual comfort zones.

There are builders like Tom Anderson, who only accept special orders from dealers and don't make stuff to be shipped as "stock" models, so they offer quite a few neck choices. However, Tom's company only manages to produce 1200 guitars a year, and they've all got bolt-on necks that make production of the guitars with different necks an easier proposition.

That's Tom's choice, of course, but it limits sales, and I think PRS wants to be in the larger sales end of the market.

 

[Monahan]

Once upon a time I was of the mind that only fat necks were acceptable-- a '58RI LP was my main squeeze for about 15 years.

Then about a decade ago I began playing bass regularly; my favorite being P-bases and Stingrays (i.e. large neck shapes).

When I returned to guitar I picked up a CE24 with the wide-thin neck-- felt great! Still wanted a replacement for that old LP and ended up with a DGT.

All that to say, I now judge each guitar on its own merits-- maybe I'm just getting old, but I've found spec sheets to be less than helpful LOL!

 

[aamefford]

My experience is limited. I moved an SE Custom 22 along for a skinny neck, my S2 Studio is a pattern regular I think and is pretty comfy. My Santana is great. My favorite to date. If I ever find something just slightly less chunky than the Santana, that might be the win for me. That SE made my left hand hurt.

 

[Steves355]

Since I buy mostly online, and have no choice due to where I live, I have always avoided Pattern ( Wide fat) necks. Even Wide thin I avoided. People saying too or too fat hurts their hands.

Then I tried a Pauls guitar in person last year and immediately bought it. I also tried a Tremonti and hated the neck.

So Pattern, Pattern Regular, and DGT are my fav necks by far.

My 594 is a bit too chunky as is my rosewood Silver Sky from 2023.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I'm pretty flexible when it comes to switching neck profiles, I like all of them for different things


The neck on my SE SS maple is by far the chunkiest out of anything else I've owned past or present, barring the massive baseball bat neck on a thinskin tele I used to have

 

[Peacemaker]

I've got one pattern regular and two pattern thins...sometimes it's hard for me to tell the difference. I like 'em both.

What are your hands and fingers telling you about your preferred neck versus others? Does scale, nut width etc. impact this?

 

[Nice F Holes]

Wide thin is the only thing that feels relatively natural and comfortable to me. I have a tough time gelling with my SE HBII, and this neck shape thing is what took PRS off the pedestal for me (not trashing, just not that interested in the available combinations.) It makes me sad, I appreciate the guitars so much but at the end of the day, neck feel is like the most important thing.

 

[Greywolf]

you can always thin a neck down to suit your needs ....

 

[makam]

Wide thin is the only thing that feels relatively natural and comfortable to me. I have a tough time gelling with my SE HBII, and this neck shape thing is what took PRS off the pedestal for me (not trashing, just not that interested in the available combinations.) It makes me sad, I appreciate the guitars so much but at the end of the day, neck feel is like the most important thing.

As 'Greywolf' said. you can always thin a neck down to suit your needs.... but you can't make a thin neck profile thicker...

 

[Greywolf]

FYI .. I have a very large collection with a vast variety of neck shapes . While I prefer my rosewood neck Santana's and DGT shapes , after a few minutes even my baseball bat '55 LP feels just fine . Give it time.

Neck shaping is a bit tedius , but not difficult. GO Slow !! Once I'm down to a close shape, I usually lay a piece of 320 grit in by hand and run it up and down the neck as if I was playing to smooth it to what feels "natural " . On my own builds I always taper the neck heel to a smooth arc so it feels good when you are playing up high.

An SE isn't quite in the collector realm so make it yours!

 

[MarcWink]

I'm definitely partial to the Wide/Fat. I also rather like the Pattern Regular. I have a guitar with a Pattern Thin and I can get along with it okay, but if given my druthers I'd take a Wide/Fat. I can't speak to the Pattern, but I do also rather like the Pattern Vintage neck as well.