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Attention Guitar Necks: It’s Not A “One Size Fits All” World

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Attention Guitar Necks: It’s Not A “One Size Fits All” World

It’s Not A “One Size Fits All” World

Guitar neck size needs to be matched to the player. The guitar neck is the part of your guitar that the guitar player interacts with most. It needs to fit perfectly and be comfortable.

Haywire Custom Guitars Custom Neck shave before and after

Haywire Custom Guitars Custom Neck shave before and after Photos

Every guitar player is different and so are his/her hands. It is not a “one size fits all” world.  If it were then you wouldn’t be reading this article. The guitar neck is the part of your guitar that projects from the main body and is the part that the guitar player interacts with most. Therefore feel, grip, sheen, finish depth, width, string gauge and fret size all determine comfort and play-ability levels for each player.
The term “neck profile” refers to the shape of the back of a guitar neck in cross section, and it’s often used interchangeably with the term “back shape” of which the “thickness” is an integral part.  I will refer to it simply as “neck shape,” although there are other important neck measurements with which “neck profile” shouldn’t be confused such as; nut width, neck depth and fingerboard radius. The shape of the neck’s bottom cross-section can also vary from a gentle curve to a more pronounced “V”. The top cross section refers to the radius. however there is no one perfect guitar neck shape for everyone.There is one perfect guitar neck shape for YOU.

Every guitar player is different…..

As a guitar player, comfort, sound, feel, speed, action, fatigue and overall feeling of reliability in the instrument are affected by the neck profile. Because of this there is no perfect guitar neck shape for everyone. Your neck profile should make it easy for you to comfortably reach all the frets. Bottom line: Neck profile and neck width is important; so pay attention to what feels right for you.

and so are his/her hands

Back Contour is the profile or grip shape of the neck. How much wood does it take to fill up your hand comfortably?  Too little causes quicker hand fatigue. Too much wood or too fat of a neck is even worse, you can’t reach around it. Do you play with your thumb over the top of the neck ?  Check out your favorite guitar and compare its neck thickness, measure it and Haywire Custom Guitars can duplicate it for you. Then we can add it to your second favorite guitar!
Haywire Custom Guitars neck and profile + back contours for ease of playing.

Haywire Custom Guitars
neck and profile + back contours for ease of playing

About the Author:

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md. and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

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