Multiple guitars - different neck shapes

[pipedwho]

Does anyone here have a number of TAGs, but with different neck size/shapes? I was wondering how I'm going to go between my Drop Top with a T/A Standard (even taper) and my soon to be built/completed Cobra S with a Happy Medium.

I have other guitars that have different size necks, but I never really thought about it much until I had to select one for my custom order. Anyone else in this situation, how do you handle it?

[ckofahl]

I have 6 TAGs, and only two of them have the same neck profile, i have no trouble going between any of them. Truth is each one is different, and the different necks provide a different enjoyable experience when I play. When I pick it up, the different necks say "hi i'm different, let's play". No problem

[tom]

i agree chuck. i usually go for something on the bigger side but i'm not particular. i enjoy the differences.

[dannopelli]

I have 6 TAGs, and only two of them have the same neck profile, i have no trouble going between any of them. Truth is each one is different, and the different necks provide a different enjoyable experience when I play. When I pick it up, the different necks say "hi i'm different, let's play". No problem

Ditto. I have had as many as nine at one time, have been through 11, and am down to four, (for now). I find going from guitar to guitar to be an adventure, and the chaning profiles part of that!

[LearnedHand]

I have access to a TAG with an even taper neck and I have a Cobra S with a happy medium carve. Any difference in feel is gone within a few minutes. I guess I am not that good enough to tell that there is any major difference between the two neck carves. I think you will find you new built Cobra S will feel at home in your hands because of your TAG having an even taper. It just might be getting use to the shorter scale length, and not the neck carve, where you might perceive a difference.

[Mister T]

I have 2 with the 60's vibe, 2 with the even taper and one with a neck shape that I am unsure of. Even the card that came with the guitar doesnt say...neither does the serial # database.

[pipedwho]

Thanks guys, I'm feeling a lot less nervous about this now. :)

[mbrown3]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. However, for me...guitars that don't have a neck profile I like always end up getting sold. I don't have any trouble playing on them or adjusting to them, and I can sound just fine with them. But when it comes to preference, 9 times out of 10 I end up picking up the ones that fit my hand the best, and eventually I get rid of the others.

[Casper]

On the contrary, for me, necks make or break the guitar and I have owned close to 18 different Andersons. I have had various necks on each. My favorite is my Classic with 1 5/8 62 Roundback. I have had that on a couple and it seems that that is my profile...however, I want something similar feel but slightly different. Danno wound up with one of my old loves..a 1 5/8 .050 over that felt wonderfully different. My biggest mistakes have been falling in love with the looks and features of my Andy's and not paying enough attention to how it feels for me individually. Throughout this expensive experience I have discovered that I KNOW I am a 1 5/8 nut player..now its just deciding how I want it. 62 RB is the standard for me, but I want something slightly different to compliment what I have. It takes going back and playing a guitar several times or knowing someone who owns many.....or unless your rich like me:rolleyes: you can just keep buying and selling until you get it right. Speaking of...I am fixin to sell a NAMM Droptop because the neck isn't right for me (another look purchase)..let this be a lesson to you young man;)
Shaun

[taclassic]

I agree with Casper. I have also owned a few Andys and one neck profile that never did it for me was the 62 roundback. That and the 1 5/8 nut width. I sold some awesome Andys due to the smaller nut width. My all time favorite is the 1 11/16 standard profile. Wish I had the cash to buy your Drop Top Casper.

[dannopelli]

I guess to each his own.

I am down to four all with different necks profiles. And two are 1 5/8, two are 1 11/16.

Who knows.

[tom]

everybody's different. i know guys that agonize over tiny differences and some like you danno that can play anything.

[dannopelli]

Not sure if I can play "anything". Maybe Suriel or Mike! But thanks for the compliment. (Actually I really do understand the context of the comment... Just thought I'd squeeze a compliment out! HA)

That's the beauty of life. Differences are what makes us special.

It is when we judge people in a perjorative way that problems arise.

Good thread Piped!

[pipedwho]

Thanks Danno!

I find with my other guitars I have 'moods'. Some weeks I'm preferring the skinny TA standard neck on my Drop Top, and other weeks I like the slightly different neck on my Schecter (which I've measured to be almost identical to the 25.5" Happy Medium).

I was just wondering what the rest of you guys thought. Until I knew that different neck sizes even existed, I always assumed one size fits all. When I found out you could custom order specific sizes and profiles, I then assumed that necks were like shoes, where there is one ideal size. Now I'm thinking that it's like when women wear comfortable clothing* around the house; sometimes they might wear tight fitting lycra and other times a loose fitting track suit. Seems related to the phase of the moon. ;)

*Obviously within a reasonable size tolerance.

[theatomicjeff]

I have also owned a few Andys and one neck profile that never did it for me was the 62 roundback.
+1. It was just a little too round for my small hands. Nothing but even-taper for me these days, from the regular size to the .030. The .050 is pushing the personal size limits but it's doable. For me, the neck shape is the #1 factor in my choices for guitars.

[LonestarGtr]

This is an interesting topic and Tom is right in that everyone is different and likes different things. To me, what matters is having a guitar that you "want" to play. The problem with myself is that I don't know that until I pick it up and play it a while. That being said, I've bought guitars that I'd never picked up before I bought them and they're now my favorite guitars (my Cobra and my Hollow T) and then I've played some in stores and bought them and then sold them later. I don't know what it is that makes a person (or me) keep one guitar over another other than just finding guitars that make you want to play music. Let's face it, I know about 5 licks and I can probably play those 5 licks on just about any guitar.

I have quite a few guitars at my disposal at times and I tend to gravitate to different ones at different times depending mostly on the sound I'm going for and yes, different neck shapes and tones bring out different aspects of my playing... perhaps I'll rely more heavily on licks 2 and 3 on one guitar and licks 1 and 4 on another. I don't notice the neck shape or thickness as much as I notice the nut width or scale length. As long as it's not a baseball bat or wafer thin, my hands can usually adjust (but boy, that lick #5 is a pain on a 1 5/8" nut guitar, ha!).

It's funny that the guitars I end up playing the most are the ones I've had to sacrifice something to buy. I've gotten loaners and freebies from other companies and some are very nice guitars, but if I've thought about it long enough and sacrificed my hard-earned money for it, I tend to keep it and play it more. Same with traded guitars, it's probably all mental, but if I trade for a guitar it's somehow easier to let it go.

I'm rambling now, but wanted to add to the debate. Unless you know a neck shape/nut width/scale length that just you just can't bond with, I wouldn't stress over it.

[Pietro]

I have different neck shapes on everything. I love them all and can play them all with no real difficulty. i play DIFFERENTLY on different guitars for different reasons.

My Godin Flat Five X has a shape I just love and play one way.

My US Masters Strat has a really wierd shape that I like even more and would probably play a very different way, also because of the longer scale length.

I just got a PRS that has a neck shape that I am just digging even MORE, and I can play nearly anything on it because of the great range of tones.

I have to admit, the neck on my Crowdster Plus is even better than all of them.

The only guitars I had that had neck shapes I didn't dig are gone... some just recently. But I feel like I can play anything except a V neck... had one, couldn't stand it...

[dannopelli]

Let's face it, I know about 5 licks and I can probably play those 5 licks on just about any guitar.

Riiigt...

And if you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell...


It's funny that the guitars I end up playing the most are the ones I've had to sacrifice something to buy.

I am blessed to have a bunch of guitars. I have four guitars that were gifts. One is an Anderson. Two PRS and one LP.

Now honestly other than the Andy and the PRS Hollow, the others are really not my faves in terms of sound or feel. Don't get me wrong they are wonderful compared to others I have played. Just compared to the others I own they are a bit down the list. But I'll never let them go. In fact I sold a LP Gold Top which was a better guitar than the LP Standard I kept.

I tend to gravitate to those guitars that I have some sort of emotional attachment. The Cobra that Roy helped me spec that has my birthday as a serial number. The Strat that I bought from a friend because I dropped it and chipped the crap out of it. And the four guitars that were gifts. I play these all the time.

I take two or three guitars to a gig. An acoustic if applicable might make a fourth. Always one guitar with a fixed bridge and one with a whammy. But I never really know until the afternoon of the gig which is going to be with me. Depends on my mood.

Oh and they all have different necks.

Like I said, some like one neck, some like many and some, like me have no clue till the last minute.

Differences make us what we are.

[LonestarGtr]

... which reminds me of the story of my hollow t...

the first Anderson I got was a drop top classic that I bought off ebay. It was great and had the hss configuration and a '62 roundback and a 1 5/8" nut that I just never really bonded with, even though I love the neck on my '62 reissue fiesta red strat. but I digress. I had been wanting a hollow t ever since recording with Dann Huff producing and drooling over his black hollow t. There was a beautiful desert sunset hollow t at my local store where I know the owner and I came home one day after seeing it on the wall and told my wife all about it and she said, "just go get it if you'll shut up about it!" in the nice way that only she can. I took that as the green light so I hopped back in the car and drove a little over the speed limit back to guitar heaven only to find that the guitar was no longer on the wall and Lisa, Mark's (the owner) wife said that someone just bought it off the internet. I never even got to take it down to play it.

So I was pretty bummed and had to go on the road for 3 days that night thinking that I just missed my chance, it wasn't meant to be, etc. I came home 3 days later only to find that same guitar in the case on my bed. Did I mention that I love my wife?? She called Lisa while I was driving to the store and had her keep it from me so she could surprise me with it. I think that was my birthday present and Christmas present all rolled into one that year. Anyway, that guitar isn't going anywhere. It's had a guitar tech's knee dent the top into the hollow cavity (brilliantly repaired, thanks Tom) and a guitar stand fly into it in a heavy wind and it's still the best guitar I have.

[Barry]

i agree chuck. i usually go for something on the bigger side but i'm not particular. i enjoy the differences.
I own lots of different neck shapes . I just adapt to what ever i'm playing . I too enjoy playing a variety of shapes and feels .

[Rob C.]

Reviving this thread.

I have the hardest time adjusting to nect size, scale, tension. If I play a couple of dates with my HDTC the next show with the Cobra I just go flying past notes with every bend.

I've become so used to the feel of the Happy-Medium with 1 & 11/16" nut - that's all I'll order now.

[mslugano]

Thanks for reviving this thread. Recently I have been trying to come to grips with a couple neck issues myself and find you guys thoughts very interesting.

As you can see in my signature, I have a ton of guitars...most with different neck shapes. I have found the shape not so critical (although my fave is TAG's +.030) but the nut width is really messing with me. I am finding that I prefer a wider nut which makes one of my TAGs and my Tyler problematic. Now, I am really considering selling them...and they are BEAUTIFUL so I hate to do it.

I have real issues with neck scale. About fifteen years ago, I found it was a challenge to switch between 25.5 and 24.75 scale guitars and decided to stick with longer scale. The problem was especially pronounced up above the 12th fret where the space between frets on the LP was just too tight and caused me to make mistakes.

Also, by the way, I find that I have a hard time playing anything but SS frets and BFTS (two major problems I am having with my Tyler). I just like the slick feel of SS and maybe a little snappier tone and I love the fact that they don't cause tuning problems as they wear out.

[Casper]

I had forgotten about this thread!
I think I have learned what makes me tick as far as finding a guitar I want to keep. And like Mike said, I think the situation that leads to the purchase creates an emotional bond that can make one accept minor issues (not the perfect neck, color, overall feel)
I just picked up an 08 Hollow Pro Am from my tech/salesman at a decent price. It has just a plain 1 5/8 nut maple neck and a nicely painted body..a far cry from the extravagant tops, bells and whistles that I usually buy..kind of the opposite direction for me..in fact I had nver played a Proam before this one. After I made the buy, played the first few gigs, I developed a comfortable peace about it and look forward to playing it more and more.
I think now looking back at the gambles I've made on guitars I wasn't sure about makes this all the sweeter..