Skinny vs. Chunky

[princeofdarkness56]

I have been a HFC for about a year and have read with interest when members talk about neck thickness. It seems to me most people prefer the chunky necks. Why ??

Is their a measurement that makes it official on skinny or thick ?

I have a 81 Special with a thin neck compared to my 83 Vector. I love the thin. To me it is so damn fast I can be all over the neck with ease. The Vector is fine but I prefer the Special. I really don't notice any difference in tone or sustain. What is everyones thoughts ???

[Steve Haynie]

For me it's not so much the thickness as it is the shape. I do find that I like the slightly thicker necks a little better, but I love my 93 Special with the thinner neck.

[jwhitcomb3]

I've played everything from very skinny (Parker Fly Deluxe) to super fat (Newport 12). I've played C shapes, V shapes, flat-wide, narrow-thick. I've got an acoustic with a very wide fingerboard (Lowden O32) and another acoustic with a very narrow board (Alvarez-Yairi DY-75). I can adapt to any of them. Neck shape is rarely a factor in buying a guitar for me. The only kind of neck I really don't like have a squarish profile...some 70's Gibsons felt that way to me.

I've noticed that when I play very thin necks my left hand will occasionally cramp up or feel fatigued. I don't notice that with fatter necks. I don't notice a difference in my playing speed on different necks...for me that has much more to do with action.

I like having a variety. All my guitars make me play differently.

On a custom order I'd probably choose a neck profile based on the body weight. I'd go with a medium on a light body to avoid neck dives. Otherwise chunky.

-Jonathan

[SirDouglas]

For me its not really the thinness but i do prefer the thin necks but the width matters more to me.... the wider the neck the harder it is for me to reach with the goofy webbing on my pinky finger.... but every guitar is different...

Sir Douglas

Randy

[bobsessed]

Like I said in a previous thread, I really don't understand all the worry over the size of a guitar neck. I've played every kind of guitar over the last 40 years...every kind. To this day I've seen exactly ONE guitar that had an "un-playable", big, fat, baseball bat neck. It was an acoustic made in 1960, in Japan, a real junker that nobody wants. Believe me, if your hand will go around any given neck, you'll most likely have no problem playing that guitar as well as you've played any other. Bottom line, I just concentrate on how the guitar sounds, and if I like it, my hands will find a way to compensate for anything I'm not used to. My 4 Hamers all have slightly different necks, they all sound wonderful (to me anyway), and if I had rejected any of them because the neck wasn't perfect, I wouldn't have these wonderful instruments. Eric Johnson I ain't! -Bob-

[tobereeno]

I'm more happy on thinner necks, but sometimes a chunky neck feels super comfy and novel. I guess that's because it's quite rare when I ever play a thick-necked guitar. I do have problems with cramping if I haven't been practicing a lot and I play a ton of bar chords while standing, but if I'm playing a ton it I don't run into that issue.

[ArnieZ]

I find with bigger, chunkier necks there is less hand fatigue and bennding is easier. It seems to require a great effort to apply the same amount of force on a skinier neck. I attribute this to an incresed amount of finger excursion to get to the point where you can really dig in. Maybe it's all in my head

ArnieZ

[Brownsound]

Used to be skinny but as I get older and my hands get out of shape from not playing several hours a day I find the fat necks easier on my hands and I dont sacrifice speed at all.

[jujisque]

I've got a bigtime hitch-hiker's thumb, so the cramping issue is bad enough for me on any neck. So, I really do prefer the thick necks (v shaped are my favorite because I place my thumb right on where the 'v' is)

[amstaf]

I like Hamers in general. The different necks are like different kinds of pizza. Today I want a combo, yesterday I wanted a plain cheese. Basically it's nice to play a guitar with a completely different feel.

[Scottcrud]

I like thin wide necks like on my Robin Raider, which has a similar profile of a Ibanez Wizard. I don't mind fat necks at all though, but I hate narrow necks like on 71-75 Gibson SG's, those necks suck for me.

As far as Hamers go, I liked the neck profiles of my 98 Phantom TV and the 95 Archtop GT, both had very comfortable medium profile necks. The 91-92 Centaura I had for about a week had a very strange neck that I did not like at all, it had no taper, it was the same size from the nut all the way up.

[atquinn]

I like wide-ish necks, the depth doesn't make much of a difference. That's why I can play my Hamers and my Parker, but can't deal with Ernie Ball Silhouette necks (to narrow for me).

-Austin

[formula73]

It's all about the girth, baby.

[RacerX]

I used to prefer thin and narrow, but as I got older, a little more meat feels better. I like the sustain and tuning stability that comes with a chunky neck these days. But most of the time the neck has to fit the guitar. My Jr. has a chunker, which feels perfect. However my main player (the FrankenVintage S) has a thin V Solid rosewood Schecter neck on it. Not shred thin but definitely a faster metal axe.

Bottom line, There are good thin ones and good fat ones

Pun intended :-)

Mark.

[Hamer95USA]

Hey guys,

Concerning guitar necks, I'm used to either Les Paul or super Strat type of guitars. Chunky necks or thin necks fit me well. I got used to all of the Hamer guitar necks in my collection easily except with my T-51. I'm still trying to get used to that guitar, but man, does she really ring!! Very resonant instrument. I'll get to know that guitar a little better in time though. My Les Paul Custom and '95 Hamer Studio are fun guitars with their chunky necks and stable tuning. My '90 Chapparal Elite 90 and Diablo II are my main workhorse guitars for onstage use. I like the necks on those guitar which are more Fender like in size and feel.

Guitar George

[BigWhiteB12a]

I like big, fat, chunky necks. Why? In part, because I think they sound better. YMMV.

More importantly, they don't hurt my wrists to play like thin necks do. YMMV, but mine doesn't, in this regard.

Different strokes........

[David B]

I like thick necks. They feel better to me. A thin neck would not stop be from buying a cool Hamer though.

By the way, what the hell is a fast neck? I have been playing for 25 years & I'm no faster on a thin neck than I am on a baseball bat neck.

[wyldbil]

Skinny necks, chunky chicks. To each his own! )

[Brooks]

i can play any neck,

but i prefer thin 24.75" necks,

they fit my small hands better.

i notice cramps/fatuige more w/ string guages

than neck sizes.

[Guest galejt]

Chunky. Women and necks. And I have better taste in both than all y'all.

[Armitage]

I like thin wide necks, V shaped ones too. I don't like D shaped ones.

[hudpucker]

Narrow at the nut but medium to medium-fat in girth.

I'm talking about guitars here.

I HATE wide, thin necks--those are instant pain for me.