Effect of back contour, nut width and fretboard radius?

[Caisa]

Hi,

I am gooing to order a goncalo or rosewood Tele neck, but I am not shure about contour, nut width and radius...

I think I would like the '59 round back, but do not know how much the nut width and radius will have an impact on the feeling. I think a 1-11/6 will feel meatier than a 1-5/8 both with 59ers contour.
Will the fretboard radius also have an effect? What can you recommend me? My hands are pretty normal, not really big but not small at all...

Thanks a lot for reading and sorry for my &%$S english.

Kind regards from Germany

Stephan

 

[Paul-less]

Well, what guitar do you have right now? What's the neck like? What do you like or dislike about the neck?

 

[Caisa]

At the moment I play a Mighty Mite Tele neck (maple). The problem I have, I can not measure the thickness of the neck properly. It feels like it is a bit beefier than my Fender Strat Deluxe from the 90s, but maybe the new neck could be even a "bit" beefier at all. I think nut width is 42mm so in between 1-5/8 ans 1-11/16... radius ist straight 9.5
I am a little bit afraid it might be to thick if I choose 59ers contour with 1-11/16 and compound radius, especially for playing "thumb over" around the 12th fret...

Thanks
Stephan

 

[Paul-less]

Does Mighty Mite put neck specs on the heel of the neck? It could be an easy "remove 4 screws" type deal to check it out....

As for me, I have massize hands, I wrap my thumb around boatnecks with no problem.

 

[Tonar8352]

I think a 1-11/6 will feel meatier than a 1-5/8 both with 59ers contour.

You are correct the wider nut width on the same neck gives it a "meatier” feel.  It will feel more like a Gibson neck especially with the compound radius.  If you like a more traditional Fender feel get a 1 5/8.  If you like to do huge bends like major thirds with low action get the compound radius.

I have had almost every variation of Warmoth neck in my hands over the years. The most comfortable feeling neck I have is a 1 5/8 59 round back with a 7 1/4 radius (2nd strat from the right) but it is not great for big bends. I have a 59 round back with a compound radius that is a joy to play because of the huge bends I can get with it and it feels great also (see the upside down CBS headstock).  I also have 1 5/8 boats that are great feeling necks too (the first 3 from left to right) and they have compound radius so I use those for big bends.  I like fat necks I do not like wide necks because I have small hands. Also, do not forget how much fret size impact the feel of a necks. I use 6100 on my necks exclusively but many of the necks I finish for other people have all different sizes and that effects the feel in a huge way. 

The bottom line is even among Warmoth necks there will be slight variations in any given profile due to finish sanding at the factory.  Look closely at all these necks and you can see there are variations. The first Tele almost has a V feel to it but it is a boat like the 2 next to it. The second Tele is one of the fattest boats that I have encountered and the third boat on the strat has kind of a D shape feel to it. On the two 59 round backs the CBS has slightly larger shoulders than the other one. I have found that I can hang with almost any neck as long it has a 1 5/8 nut with 6100 frets. 

I'm sure your 100% more confused than before but I hope I gave you a few things to think about.

 

[JamesL]

I agree with what Tonar said, I feel that the frets have a bigger effect on how a neck feels than anything. SS6100's is where it's at

 

[NLD09]

Hey Tonar, I have a question. Do you feel that the backwards headstock changes the feel or sound of the guitar, or do you not notice?

 

[stefan]

Hey Tonar, I have a question. Do you feel that the backwards headstock changes the feel or sound of the guitar, or do you not notice?

My money is on:

feel: it puts the tuners upside down
sound: 0 change

 

[Caisa]

Hi Tonar,

thanks for posting here...

Can you try to explain in which way the feeling changes from medium jumbos to the huge 6100 stuff? I play only medium jumbos so far.
A straight 7.25 radius is not the deal for me, because of the fretting out while bending. The straight  9.5 from the Mighty Mite neck seems to work for me, never played a compound neck but I think it will give it a try. Can you play thumb over even with a compound 59ers neck up around the 12th fret with your relatively small hands?

Maybe I have play a Gibson at my local music store to get that feeling of a 59 roundback, compound neck with 1 11/16 nut right? Do all the Gibson Paulas have that neck shape?

Thanks
Stephan

 

[Jusatele]

I like frets around 6105 and a thin profile,nut width does not bother me as much, but then I started out playing classical guitar and those things are as wide as an aircraft carrier so anything narrower is a joy.
Again, a lot of it is physical size, and style of playing. you can get a good feel of size and feel at any guitar store, fret size comes on as your personal style develops. You can be playing for years a certain size fret and pick up a similar neck with different frets and go GAGA over it. I would not discount any neck until you play it a while also.

 

[Kostas]

The back contour is very important for me. I still haven't found the ideal shape. All my Warmoth necks are fatback but I would like it thinner and more C than U. The assymetric SRV I tried feels even "better" to me than a C.

The '59 is close to the PRS fat profile. If you can try one in a store you 'll see how it feels.

Almost all Gibson guitars have 12'' radius. Play a Gibson and see if you can feel the difference between 12" & 9.5". I can only feel the difference with the 7.5" and with 16" and over, when it gets flat. I always choose a straight radius between 10 & 12. I have a Gibson with 12" and my three Warmoths have 10.5'' & 11". Not much of a difference. Also, I always choose 1 11/16 nut and I would choose bigger if there was more wood on the neck. I like space between the strings.

I like big frets too but I'm afraid to try the 6100's cause I feel I won't like 'em. I'm definitely not into small frets. My Gibson is almost 20 years and the frets have been shaved twice so I have an idea how small frets feel. I always go for SS frets for the lowest wear.

 

[Caisa]

Hi Kostas,

thanks for your suggestion. I think I will try to play a PRS or Gibson with fat back contour an look how it feels.
Why do you prefer the straight radius over the compound?

The Mighty Mite neck I have here, seems to be pretty close to the std. thin contour W offers. But nut width an radius is different and the effect of them seems not to be negligible.
At the moment I think I would like to try a '59 contour with SS 6105 frets (the really huge stuff I am afraid of too), compond radius and 1-5/8 or 1-11/16 nut width... not shure about that. Is the PRS neck you mentioned also 1-11/16?

 

[Tonar8352]

Can you try to explain in which way the feeling changes from medium jumbos to the huge 6100 stuff?

. 
I used medium jumbo frets for years; like one would find on a Gibson Les Paul and they are fine but bending is much easier with large frets.
I had to learn to have a lighter touch and to get my fingers right in behind the frets to get the best tone but the switch was well worth it for me. I never liked all maple necks prior to using 6100 frets wire now I love them because my fingers are not dragging across the sticky surface of a lacquered fingerboard.

Do you feel that the backwards headstock changes the feel or sound of the guitar, or do you not notice?

Yes to both, that guitar affectionately know as Max, (its a long story) is an incredible instrument. I am not sure if the CBS headstock does not have an impact on the tone also but that strat I the best sounding strat many of us in my circle of tone geeks friends have heard. Unfortunately the upside down body is not the most comfortable body compared to a standard strat and it also limits access to the upper frets.  I'm in discussion with someone to build one with a reverse CBS headstock on a regular strat body so I'm looking forward to hearing how that one sounds in comparison to the upside down thingy.

 

[Jusatele]

Tonar, you mention maple necks and finish, I know what you mean there, I have always played rosewood because of the unfinished feel
My last neck purchase, going on my first full build was goncalo alves, and I now can say I love the feel of a totally unfinished neck.
Something about the feel of the wood I think makes the axe that much more easier to play.
Again though we are talking feeling, which has no basis in fact, it can be effected by personal desire and taste

I do not think that my teenage years, when I developed TASTE for Fender style necks was effected by anything more than the fact that I always had Fender guitars around.I did own one LP in the era of my life but never gave the neck much thought. I cannot say what shape it was. What I do know was I was totally in love with the Teles of the day, the late 60s and early 70s.
I now like a slightly larger fret and know why, but that was my biggest influence on necks.

While taking a lesson Saturday morning, both my teacher and I were on accoustic as we were working slides in some unusual tunings, the conversation turned to which finger to drag, when we switched guitars we both switched fingers as the neck profile made it a factor. So again style efected the choice


just a few thoughts for the debate