G&L neck profiles for very small hands

[dizdgl]

Hi,

I have average width hands with very short fingers. Lengthwise my hands only measure 16 cm. Yep, they look weird.

The necks that I have found comfortable are those of Squier Strats, MIM strats and Ibanez. Recently, going through forums, I found out that pretty much the smallest G&L necks (#1a and #1b) are prob even a tiny bit bigger than Fender's 'Modern C'. This is a real bummer as I've been looking for strat type guitars that have smaller necks than Fender's AM STD.

Those of you G&L pros out there. Can you confirm my understanding? If so, when you custom order a G&L can you ask them to make the neck a smidgen smaller than as the profile outlined? Maybe like 0.780" - 0.860" (mix of #1a and #1b)??

If this is not possible can anyone here recommend great strat type guitars with pretty thin necks?? I just really have trouble doing thumb over chords thats higher than the 5th fret on my current guitar which is a Schecter (really sick of it actually, feel like smashing it all the time). If infact the #1a and #1b aren't smaller than Modern C, then I guess I'll just get an AM STD as they can be bought cheaper anyways.

[louis cyfer]

it is not the first fret that matters, it is the higher frets from what i understand, so the slim c should be fine. it is the lack of taper, and not the small starting number that makes a neck feel small. the .820 to .870 actually feels smaller than the .790-.870. thinner than that you need usacg and get the graphite stabilizer bars, under a certain thickness the necks are no longer stable and the smaller the neck the worse the sound usually. i paid almost the same for my american standard as my asat sh bluesboy. the guitars are not even comparable. i have very big hands and doing thumb over chords (fretting the 6th string with the thumb) is still not very practical above the 5th fret. btw, the schecters i have played have a wide slim neck, which makes that type of chord more difficult imnsho.

[dizdgl]

Hi Louis, thanks for the info., again Can you confirm that the 'Slim C' is smaller or at least the same size as the American Standard?? thanks.

[louis cyfer]

Hi Louis, thanks for the info., again Can you confirm that the 'Slim C' is smaller or at least the same size as the American Standard?? thanks.

i am getting .910 at the 12th fret on my am standard. that's with my calipers. so the slim c would be smaller at the 12th fret.

[dizdgl]

Thank You very much Louis. Didn't think you'd actually get the calipers out. Now I can rest easy again

[Philby]

Louis is right, it's not the width at the first fret that matters but other factors such as the taper up the neck, whether the board has rolled edges, and thickness from front to back.

My hands are not huge by any standards, but I find the neck profile and how the edges are rolled to be a better predictor of comfort than absolute measurements. Edge rolling is especially important if you're using the thumb over technique for chords. Trying to throw your thumb over a sharp edged, narrow depth neck is not comfortable no matter how narrow the neck is in width (I have a Fender Strat Plus exactly like this). My '95 S-500 has a very narrow width neck, but it is not as comfortable as some of my other bigger necked guitars because the flat radius feels kinda sharp at the fretboard edges, and it is kinda narrow front to back. I wish it had a bigger neck. I don't know if the G&L neck profile has changed since then.

FWIW, I like the necks on the new Mexi and USA strats as well. They're very comfortable for smaller hands.

[dizdgl]

The G&L USA's are edge rolled right?

[KenC]

Try an old G&L if you get ever get a chance. My ASATs in particular have very thin-feeling necks all the way up - very different from current ones I've tried. The new ones feel huge in comparison.

Ken

[Boogie Bill]

i have fairly small hands, too. I would say, look for a Leo-era Music Man or G&L, or a Legacy-body from the early- to mid- 90's.

My two MM Sabre IIs have slim, narrow necks, with rolled edges. Many of the Leo-era guitars also have very slim, thin necks. I have three BBE Legacy-bodied guitars from prior to 1995 and two of them have what I call the "Stupid Slim" profile. The one 3CSB Legacy I call "Leslie" is probably the slimmest, and it is a '94. After about 1995, they seem to be bigger, and then getting progressively bigger/fuller after about 2001--there's been a trend for several mfgs. to make fatter necks.

Some of the 1960's Gibsons have very slim necks, with widths at 1-9/16s"--or less. The Larry Carleton Signature ES-335 is spec'd at 1-9/16s". The vintage USA Deans had a very nicely rolled edge that was very comfortable for my hands.

Good luck.

Bill

[dizdgl]

Ok, thanks for the inputs guys. However, it is pretty impossible to look for these guitars as my city has no dealers and I can't try the guitars online Prob will go with the #1a but now I'm still tossing up between G&L and AM STD. Finding the perfect guitar is hard let me tell u

[KenC]

Are you in the US?

[dizdgl]

Nope, Australia.