Thoughts on neck width?

[cromulent]

I've been playing 43mm all my life, but went down to 42mm on my last build and have been enjoying it. Tempted to try a 41mm but that seems extreme (though didn't Gibson do a 39mm SG at one point??). Anyway curious what others think, especially since there are so many neck profile options as well, which are inextricably linked to nut width...

 

[Rick]

Never know until you try ...

 

[cromulent]

Let me put it another way...

Warmoth offers 4 nut widths and 8 neck profiles = 32 combinations. I can't afford 32 builds unfortunately...

 

[triple jim]

Your best neck width, especially at the nut, depends largely on the shape of the ends of your fingers. Mine are big and rounded, and I do best with a wider neck than most. I have a couple Warmoth necks that are 1-3/4" (44.5 mm) and that's my favorite width. My '76 Strat us 41mm at the nut, and I can't really avoid accidentally muting strings when playing near the nut.

If the narrower one feels better to you, then so be it. You'll know if you go too narrow!

 

[TBurst Std]

Go for what you know.

I would take one of the nut widths and try a different profile.

Ideally, it it down to a couple widths and profiles and your list has gone fro
32 to 4.

First, be able to truly document what you like about one vs the other. Until you can have that confidence that you can specify to some degree what you like best, you’re just spitting into the wind.

 

[Rick]

You gotta break some eggs to make an omlette

 

[mayfly]

Yea, I went through several neck profiles before I found what I liked. I got them from the showcase then flipped them later. Happy as a clam

 

[stratamania]

Also try visiting a guitar store to get a feel for what type of necks in terms of widths and profiles you like. Some Fenders and Musicman have narrow nut widths.

Personally I like 41mm necks, but for the Warmoth standard thin of the ones I have tried/own I find the 43mm feels good also.

Of course, what will work or meet one person's preference will vary for another.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I prefer 1-5/8" (41mm) and 1.65" (42mm), but I don't have big hands with fat sausage fingers, so your preference may vary based on that. Same goes for neck thickness & back shape.

 

[Waraxe]

I can say that there are a very few definite things regarding neck dimensions for me.

I tend to like and can play just about anything except for:

1 5/8 nut widths (too tight in the first 5 to 8 frets)
7.25 radius (my pointer has issues barring chords. I know, weird right?)
I prefer larger profiles in general, but shoulder size can offset a thinner neck for me.

From '97 to '17, I think I only played 1 11/16. I didn't know about 42mm, and 1 5/8, well.......

Then I got a few ltds with 42mm nuts, and my world didn't implode or anything. Lol they're cool too. I may actually prefer it now. It's hard to gauge unless you try the same guitar in multiple widths.

My first 2 warmoths necks were 1 11/16 (fatback 1st, 59 2nd), but I reeeaaally wanted to try the boatneck.

Based on aaron's video that said nut width affects the profile significantly, I wanted to err on the smaller side, and went with 42mm. I'm not sure how much difference it makes in the profile, but I am glad I went with 42 instead.....I think.
I would have no problem going 42 from now on, especially if it means the profiles are slightly smaller.

What I can say is that hindsight is a bitch. Back in '97 I went back and forth between boat and fatback. I shoulda done the boat back then. All the talk of a v shape scared me off, i think.
While I like all 3 profiles, the boatneck is fast becoming my favorite. The 59 was my fave for a decade, but now it is starting to feel a bit thin. The fatback now feels a bit too shouldery.

I think profile shape and overall size matter more than nut width for me, unless it's 1 5/8", which should be killed with fire. IMO, of course

 

[NedRyerson]

My Mockingbird (not a real BC Rich) has the 1 5/8"/41mm. Definitely plays a little differently than what I'm used to (1 11/16"). My fingers are long & thin, so reaching various points and places isn't an issue (yay!). Standard thin is definitely where my comfort zone is.

I can feel the 2mm difference, but I don't know for sure whether it affects my technique enough to have a significant preference one way or another. If I have a choice, I'll stick with 1 11/16, but I certainly won't turn down a 1 5/8.

 

[Spud]

I personally tend to find the 42mm nut width too confining. Just enough difference from a 43mm to bug me some.

 

[teleme01]

i put together 4 kit guitars and they all had 1 5/8" nuts, my first warmoth neck was 43mm, and the second warmoth neck has 42mm, for me the goldy locks is 42mm but i can adjust and play any one of those 3, larger than that would be too large for my small hands, and i havent ventured off of standard thin

 

[SoundAsAnOldEngineer]

My acoustic guitar (Lowden) has a 1 3/4" neck width and that suits me pretty well, so I wanted to get the same kind of neck on my Warmoth Tele.

An earlier version of my Tele had a 1 11/16" nut width with the '59 Roundback profile, and that was nice. I found a 1 3/4", 59 Roundback, neck in good condition on eBay and bought it. It was surprisingly chunky, and felt too big even in my large hands, and much bigger than my earlier '59 Roundback neck. I subsequently ordered a 1 3/4" neck with Standard profile from Warmoth, and that is perfect.

I'm happy now, but surprised that the profiles seem a bit inconsistent.

 

[Rick]

Generally speaking the width of a neck will impact the feel as to depth.

Unless you have monster hands, a 41 mm boatneck will feel different than a superwide boatneck.

Unless you use a profile like the wolfgang (based on my experience) the wider the neck width the thinner the profile is the way to go. It's not inconsistency, it's nature. That said, if you compare two "identical necks" there might be a tiny difference, but that's only because there are humans in the process, both in the creation of the neck, and using it. The human hand is amazing and feeling tiny differences.

Pesky humans.