Guitar neck thickness should be chosen for what best fits your hands, not the “tone” it has. This should be the major consideration in the choice of your new neck thickness when shaving down a thick guitar neck. The timbre of a fat neck may be noticeable. However, most of the tone comes from your playing technique, your grip, your attack, technique and your hands–not the wood.
If you don’t feel comfortable with your guitar neck then your best playing will never happen.
When we do guitar neck reshaping and neck shaves, in general, they are intended for musicians who are working and need a good tool for work. As a result, the neck will feel better and they will be more comfortable with their guitar. Thus, job performance will be improved. A guitar is a tool and not intended to be entered into a beauty contest. However, if your neck thickness is an impediment to your playing, then having a neck shave is the right decision for you. The sole purpose of neck shaving is to help you be more comfortable with your guitar.
What would help immensely, if you can do it, is to identify a neck that you just love and measure it.
Measuring a neck that you like:
Using a pair of digital calipers.
Take measurements from dead center of each fret section.
1)- Move the strings off the fretboard
2)- Measure between the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets
3)- Record and send me the measurements of your favorite neck and we’ll duplicate it for you.
Send your desired thickness in between the frets on the 1, 3, 5, 7, 9th and 12th frets and we’ll fill in the blanks. I want to assure you it will be in good hands here in the Haywire Custom Shop.
After a neck shave, a finish is applied simply to prevent moisture from absorbing into the neck wood. If you are a guitar collector, guitar neck shaving or reshaping may not improve the resale value of your instrument. Remember, anything that you change on an original instrument could take value away. This operation is intended for pro players needing a helping hand for better comfort for performing. Collectors love all the flaws in an instrument, they don’t really care about comfort.
If your neck thickness is an impediment to your playing then have it shaved
Send your guitar neck to the right place. Have them shave it down to a slightly less chunky profile. If done properly neck shaving will make it more comfortable to play. Shaving down a thick guitar neck won’t do any structural damage as long as it’s not too deep. The neck will then feel faster after the surface preparation, sanding, and the Satin finish applied after the re-dimensioning is accomplished. Sometimes, a new profile will mean much more to a player than the overall thickness reduction. So, while it’s on the bench for shaving consider a “new profile” for more comfort.
Shaving down a thick guitar neck can be the best option for a player. Save a guitar shave a neck! After the neck shave, it will then play and feel better for that player. A guitarist’s tool is not intended to be entered into a beauty contest. His/her guitar is a work tool used to get across a musical point, to entertain and ultimately pay the bills. If your neck thickness is an impediment to your playing, then guitar neck shaving is the right decision for you. We’ll shave your guitar neck to help you become more comfortable with your guitar and finally, you’ll play better.
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