Asat neck patterns - help!

[NickHorne]

Having seen the photos on the Birdseye thread, well, it's a stunningly figured piece of wood, but it's got me really worried on another matter.
It's the rear view that has me worried, and asking for advice (again) about my upcoming custom order from far-away, darkest England, where G&L info is really hard to find.
I have a G&L Will Ray, and I love everything about its neck except that I could do with it being wider; hence my custom order (Asat Classic) will be for the 1 3/4" nut width.
BUT my WR's neck morphs smoothly into the headstock, without the bulging, almost "volute"-like step that's visible in the "Birdseye" picture.
It's a purely personal thing, I'm sure, but I'd much rather have the smooth transition. I tried a Tribute a while back, and it had the the "step" like in the photo, and I really couldn't get on with it.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that the WR has (or had) a "Comanche"-type neck. Is this right, and does it explain how mine flows so smoothly into the headstock? Is this how Comanches are, while Asats have the "stepped" area behind the nut?
I've never managed to meet another USA Asat over here to compare mine with, and I really don't want to get this order wrong!!
Help....
Best,
Nick

[SouthpawGuy]

It's possible that that particular guitar has a "V" profile neck. That might possibly exaggerate the "volute".

http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/US ... guitar.asp

[Craig]

I've sent your post to John and hope to get a photo of an ASAT
neck (#4 if possible) showing the area of your concern.

Stay tuned.

[jonc]

Hi Nick

I replied on the other thread but Southpawguy is right in that this guitar has a very deep "V" which is probably why you're seeing the neck-to-headstock transition looking the way it does. I never noticed it while playing and think that the picture makes it look like more of an "issue" than it is, but good that you're checking things out, and that Craig is reaching out to the factory on your behalf for a sanity check.

Jon

[NickHorne]

Thank you all for your efforts on my behalf!

It's a bit difficult here in UK.... just nowhere near enough USA G&L's around to get comparisons.

I do tend to play with my thumb along the back of the neck most of the time, especially for the kind of bluegrassy territory that this Classic will be for. This thumb position is also essential for some fairly major bends-within-chords around the first few frets. This is to be a kind of Clarence White-duty axe that I'll be adding a Hipshot B-bender to.

While my USA Will Ray Asat just lets my thumb glide along and onto the back of the headstock with just a little bit of a bump (much like a Fender shape), the Tribute Classic that I tried really freaked me out quite a bit - it was as if someone had assumed we all play with our thumbs round the bass side all the time. This big bit of wood suddenly pushed my fretting-hand reference point (my thumb) into a surprising and unhelpful place. Major physical / concentration / technique crash every time I got to open position!

I had somehow formed the opinion that USA Classics were different, and then the birdseye pic really got me scared that I could have got this totally wrong, just days before I was planning to hit GO on the order.

Maybe, if my WR has a "Comanche" pattern, G&L's might do a Classic with a 1 3/4 neck in "Comanche" shape for me?

G&L make seriously great instruments, just so few in UK it's hard to be sure of important details like this.

Struggling a bit! Thanks for all help.
Best,
Nick

[NickHorne]

comparison of yours truly with Clarence W not intended...

But for example: third string, second-fret, second-finger, whole-tone bends (say 20 per minute for 3 minutes), amongst other busy fingering, will work fine on a neck with ability to run thumb up its back (behind a-string approx); but on a neck that requires the thumb to come right around to the bass side, probably can't do 60 such bends at all with everything else that's going on. What I can do will certainly sound scrappy, and attempting it will cause forearm pain for some hours next day. Bummer. And hardly a respectful rendition of fun music.

Neck-to-headstock smoothness needed.
Sincere thanks for help and advice!!