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Post by cashandkerouac on Mar 3, 2007 12:17:30 GMT -7
Well, we all know how material differences will change the tone and sonic character of the guitar, but neck size seems to often not get the attention it deserves. i used to like smaller necks becuase i thought they were easier to play and less cumbersome. as my guitar skills and dexterity on the fingerboard have improved (relatively speaking) i find that i am really digging the larger necks. not only is the string spacing so much better and more comfortable on a wider neck, but the bigger and fatter necks kill the smaller ones in terms of tone. i am very interested to get other thoughts and opinions on this topic. thanks.
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Post by mooretonerocks on Mar 3, 2007 12:47:55 GMT -7
I'm taking the plunge with a 10" radius and jumbo frets. i have smaller hands too and have been with medium frets, and 8.5 radius. Hopefully i will adjust ok. All tone freaks seem to swear by the beefier necks with wider spacing for bends and sustain.
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Post by Joey Beverages on Mar 5, 2007 19:59:23 GMT -7
interesting question - does size matter? .... when it comes to tone, personally, I think it (tone) is in the hands ..... ;D
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Post by Hohn on Mar 6, 2007 14:54:10 GMT -7
I'm convinced that neck size does matter. Not as much as wood quality, but it does matter.
The best sounding guitars I've played all had very resonant necks-- you can feel the tone inthe headstock, even.
The extra wood of a bigger neck helps-- IF it's good wood (dry, high grade, etc).
jmo
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Post by jwr on Mar 6, 2007 16:11:59 GMT -7
I just played a couple of Grosh strats and thought that the larger of the 2 neck sizes I played was more desirable. Better sustain, tone and feel.
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Post by BW on Mar 7, 2007 7:48:36 GMT -7
When Scott Lentz replaced the neck on my ol' wore out '63 strat with one of his, I realized the neck has WAY more to do with the sound of a bolt-on guitar than I'd ever realized. It just seems more resonant and sounds 'bigger' if that makes any sense. I played Ronnie Crecelius' tele the other day and MAN what a nice (big ol') neck it has. Couldn't figger it out though, it sounded MUCH better when HE was playin' it.....When I got to the gig I pulled out my mid 70's tele and the neck felt like a toothpick compared to his. I've grown to like the thin, tall fretwire (6105), it seems to 'note out' a little truer than the 'jumbo' wire I grew up on in Gibbo's. Seems like you have to dress/refret more often though.
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Post by hdahs143 on Mar 7, 2007 8:04:28 GMT -7
I remember when I first got my Tele, I thought the neck felt like a baseball bat sawed in half compared to other necks I'd played. But now that I've had it for years, I think that part of that tonal improvement comes from the fact that with a beefier neck like that, you can really dig in and play the thing.
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 7, 2007 8:41:35 GMT -7
It's a tough call. unless you could a/b a guitar with both necks you really couldn't say. You would also have the same wood involved. What if the big neck is light wood and the skinny neck is a denser wood? Buddy's experience is about as close as most people can get to an actual a/b experience and yet there may be the difference in woods and also truss rod routs inside the neck. It can all play a part. Myself, I prefer a bigger neck but that's more for support of my hand than anything else. Buddy mentioned the 6105 frets. I also like those a lot but after only a few months I've already inflicted significant wear on my Lentz. I think I'm going to stick to SS frets from now on. My Anderson has 2 years of solid playing on it and no wear at all! I'm thinking about ordering a Grosh hollow carved top Tele. I'll gladly spend the extra $100 for Stainless frets.
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Post by hdahs143 on Mar 7, 2007 9:11:08 GMT -7
+1 for Stainless frets. Luv 'em
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Post by BW on Mar 7, 2007 9:29:53 GMT -7
Scott won't use 'em, says they're too hard to work and they sound real bright. Never tried 'em myself, so I can't say. I know a lot of guys love 'em. I'm witcha though Billy, seems like I always need a fret dress. Matter o' fact, my HSL is out in California now gettin' a tune up. Now if I only had a tour to get out on and wear 'em down again....
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Post by Strato on Mar 7, 2007 11:18:35 GMT -7
+1 for Stainless frets. Luv 'em I was always told that stainless frets make your guitar very bright... is this true?
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 7, 2007 11:37:44 GMT -7
Unless a person a/bs a guitar before and after a fret change to stainless it's hard to know if they are brighter. I figure that's what the treble knob on the amp is for. On my Anderson I think I notice a ping on the first of the note acoustically but my Lentz has a very similar sound. BW: Scott and lots of other old school guys won't use the stainless. I think it's probably more to do with wearing out their tools than anything else. I'm actually thinking of putting down my Lentz over this fret wear thing. I forgot how having a dress and polish every 3 or 4 months pisses me off! Also it always takes me a couple of weeks to get readjusted to the difference when the guitar comes back. I've even been contemplating sending my Lentz to someone for SS frets, and while they're at it filing the frets lower in the middle for a flatter radius. I'm not a fan of the 9.5" radius.
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Post by jwr on Mar 7, 2007 12:40:24 GMT -7
Just ordered my Grosh Retro Classic with 6105 and a Med/Large neck. Played a medium neck and it just didn't have the tone of the beefier Med/Large. Went with SS frets too. I don't want to have to refret the guitar for a long, long time. His fret work is truely amazing.
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 7, 2007 13:03:20 GMT -7
I'm seriously considering ordering a new Grosh. I'm wanting a good jazzy toned guitar but don't want to deal with a fat archtop. Grosh will make a hollow T with a carved spruce top, mahogany back and neck with wrap around bridge and a 25-1/2" scale with two Fralin humbuckings. No one else will do this guitar, that I've found. Groshes are very high quality. I'll probably order the Big V neck with some tall SS frets and a 12" radius.
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Post by hdahs143 on Mar 7, 2007 15:43:07 GMT -7
I really dont think there's much of a discernable difference. I think alot of that info comes from guys who don't want wear their tools out, and put the extra work into the job.
I don't notice any difference between my Anderson, and my guitars with regular fret material. I do notice that my Andy really does play like butter, and after 2 years of regular playing, I dont have any string dents in my frets.
As far as the AB comparison, the guitar tech where I work has been doing quite a few stainless refrets lately, including his own guitars. I'll get his opinion on the brightness issue, and report back.
Harold
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Post by rcrecelius on Mar 7, 2007 18:19:02 GMT -7
I played Ronnie Crecelius' tele the other day and MAN what a nice (big ol') neck it has. Couldn't figger it out though, it sounded MUCH better when HE was playin' it.....When I got to the gig I pulled out my mid 70's tele and the neck felt like a toothpick compared to his. I do love that fat neck...and I thought it sounded better when YOU were a slappin them strangs! BTW...after hearing you play my guitar out front I can see why you/we sometimes have trouble hearing ourselves onstage...out front it was a big beautiful full sound but when I was playin onstage, it wasnt nearly as full to me...of course it was in a tin building which added to the problem...we were trying to keep the volume down as much as possible.
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Post by hdahs143 on Mar 8, 2007 21:23:35 GMT -7
As promised, I spoke with the guitar tech where I work today about the brightness issue with stainless steel frets.
He felt that if anything, they added a certain clarity to the sound. In other words, a good kind of brightness, not bad.
There you have it from the horses mouth.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Mar 9, 2007 5:43:36 GMT -7
A larger neck likely contributes to better tone from the guitar but I would not count out other factors either as Billy mentioned and an A/B like BW had certainly proves there is a difference between necks whether it be size or type/quality of wood and construction methods .
One of the important issues with a larger neck in my opinion is overall comfort if playing for any length of time , I find my hand cramps up quickly in the thumb/index finger muscles playing a thin neck VS a fuller one and I don't have big hands !
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Post by beej on Mar 11, 2007 18:56:10 GMT -7
I'm seriously considering ordering a new Grosh. I'm wanting a good jazzy toned guitar but don't want to deal with a fat archtop. Grosh will make a hollow T with a carved spruce top, mahogany back and neck with wrap around bridge and a 25-1/2" scale with two Fralin humbuckings. No one else will do this guitar, that I've found. Groshes are very high quality. I'll probably order the Big V neck with some tall SS frets and a 12" radius. I have the Grosh Set neck, full hollow, with spruce top/mahogany body with the fralins - does cool jazzy tones but can still rock out. Very cool guitars
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 12, 2007 7:53:29 GMT -7
That's EXACTLY what I wanted to hear! Except the set necks don't come in 25-1/2" scale so I'll have to order a bolt on neck T model. Thanks!
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Post by jwr on Mar 12, 2007 10:54:32 GMT -7
I see a lot of Don's guitars in my future.
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 12, 2007 11:42:37 GMT -7
High quality, not unreasonably priced and shorter wait than a Tom Anderson. It's all good!
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Post by jwr on Mar 13, 2007 12:10:49 GMT -7
4 months is the wait on my Retro Classic. It's a relatively short period of time considering the superb craftsmanship that goes into his instruments. Although, when it comes time for a Tele I think it's gonna be a TA. UNREAL Tele's man, they just play and sound amazing.
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Post by Curt on Mar 13, 2007 20:54:19 GMT -7
Dunno?? My neck is kinda long and skinny and I pull some decent tones.......
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Post by johngourlay on Mar 17, 2007 2:39:05 GMT -7
I'm getting asked to get the kind of tone/sound that Schenker has/had in UFO. The neck on my firebird is as slim as Heidi Klum's legs but bassist says that's the reason why I can't get the sound. I've never played a Flying V but can't understand why either of my humbucking axes or my digits don't do it? Billy, ANOTHER guitar? Where's this going to live? With the Kitchen, bedroom or living room collection?
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 17, 2007 7:07:17 GMT -7
I know. Kind of silly to want another!
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Post by johngourlay on Mar 17, 2007 12:29:41 GMT -7
Go for it Billy! You are all the backing I need to enable me to get another geetar, I've only got 6 (not counting acoustics). Hope all is well. John Boy.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Mar 17, 2007 14:54:48 GMT -7
Billy you will have to start buying more amps to keep the guitar to amp ratio 2-1 ;D
John , did you ever take a second look at the LP Elegant or that squire ?
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Post by johngourlay on Mar 18, 2007 12:44:24 GMT -7
Nitehawk: Yep heavy consideration but realised I'm just tone chasing. I had last Fri off work and amongst other things put all my guitars through both amps. Bottom line is I like 'em all and could not justify changing/PX. The elegant is a beaut as is the Esquire, I also tried out a Custom Shop Black Beauty. The latter being GORGEOUS. I was working in Toronto in 1990, my wife came out and loved Canada, where are you in relation to Toronto?
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