Radius of neck on Legacy

[GnL guitar hobo]

I'm buying the Legacy, but I don't know what size radius neck I should ask for.

12" is like a Gibson Les Paul
9.5" is more like an older Strat
7.25" is vintage Tele all the way.

I have small hands and short fingers, which one should I order on my new Legacy semi-hollow.


Thanks guys.

[Fumble fingers]

you need to try them , I had them all and I prefer 12 and 14 , but it's a preference thing

[GnL guitar hobo]

you need to try them , I had them all and I prefer 12 and 14 , but it's a preference thing

I'm not able to do that. So I'm just ordering the 7.25 size.

Thanks

[KenC]

I'm not the best source of advice for new G&Ls (I stick to the Leo era instruments), but I would suggest thinking about the neck profile more than the neck radius if you're concerned about fitting smaller hands. Most of the newer G&Ls I've played have baseball bat necks compared to the old ones I'm most familiar with. I don't know the current numbering system well enough to make a recommendation, but some of the other folks around here can point you in the right direction.

The radius will factor more into your playing style than your hand size.

BTW, it is usually dead around here on the weekends. You might want to wait until Monday to see if anybody chimes in.

Ken

[NickHorne]

To expand a little on Ken's reply: as you may well know, the smaller fingerboard radius simply means a more curved fingerboard, and not a smaller neck dimension in terms of depth or width.

See Craig's recent info here in the Knowledgebase / General G&L Questions for the various actual neck widths, shapes and depths that are currently available.

The small radius will be comfortable for chording, but will be more prone to "fretting-out" (choking) when you bend, and will require a somewhat higher action setup in order to avoid this if you do bend much in your music style(s).

The other radii, 9.5 and 12, will both take bends better, with the 12 the best of all.

But if you do chord much, and are not chasing a sub-miniature, super-light action, the 9.5 could be nice for you.
For flat-out speedy bendiness, however, it's probably the 12.
Though I believe that Hellebender Jerry Donahue, for example, likes a small radius (!) which just proves that all this territory is incredibly personal....

Ideally, try to play some different somethings, whether G&L or not, just to get a physical feel for different radii. And try to make note of how the width and depth feel at the same time, as these things all contribute to the overall feel of a neck.

[Fumble fingers]

All my new number 1 necks feel darn near the same as my Leo era Broadcaster and Cavalier , not sure what neck you tried that felt like a baseball bat compared to Leo era ??

[Craig]

I'm buying the Legacy, but I don't know what size radius neck I should ask for.

12" is like a Gibson Les Paul
9.5" is more like an older Strat
7.25" is vintage Tele all the way.

I have small hands and short fingers, which one should I order on my new Legacy semi-hollow.


Thanks guys.

You do need to study the new neck profiles and the optional neck radius option and
the new instrument specifications, thoroughly.

Here is the new standard neck on the Legacy Semi-Hollow:
Neck profile: Modern Classic
Radius: 9.5”

Here is the description of the Modern Classic profile:

Modern Classic - 1 11/16” nut width with 1 5/8” string spacing allows a generous edge roll for superb comfort without string fall-off.
Fairly slim with mild taper from 0.820” at 1st fret to 0.870” at the 12th fret.

If you ordered your Legacy Semi-Hollow with just the 7.5" radius option added, you will get the Modern Classic profile with a 7.5" radius.
I would think the 1 11/16" nut width might be too wide for you.

Hope this helps.