A "Bigger" Neck

[Yardbird Mac]

I have an "03" MIM Strat. that has some upgrades: Calham steel tremolo block, Graphtech steel bridge saddles with graphite slots, Graphtech string trees, Kinman noiseless pickups, replacement neck - switched from maple fretboard (original to this guitar) to an "06" rosewood fretboard.

I've decided I want to keep this guitar. I love the way it sounds, but I think I would like a wider - thicker neck. My hands tend to cramp playing this guitar and I think a wider/thicker neck might be a solution. Where should I go shopping for another neck? I'm open to a flatter radius (12") or even a compound radius.

Thanks!

[chuckocaster]

Warmoth and USA Custom are usually the top two companies people buy necks from. Both make good products, offer lots of options, and provide finishing.

[wingnut1]

I see a lot of Fender necks for sale on ebay, you might be able to pick up a SRV neck on their.

[Don]

I ordered a USACG neck for my Hwy1 Strat and sold the original Fender neck for what I paid for the USACG neck!

[wingnut1]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1992-USA-Fen...item53fc9cc6dc

[Don]

Ouch!!!

[blackonblack]

I have a Warmoth boatneck in Canary on mine. Canary wood doesn't require a finish. Love it.

[Erock_Germany]

Watch this video - I have a Strat with a big Nocaster neck and it does make a difference IMHO.

The Noneck is really big. The Large 59 and Boat Neck (it is not really a V it is a fat neck with less shoulder) are both great options...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA-CX44fqj4

[Doc W]

Wingnut, are the SRV necks wider or is it just that they have a thicker profile?

[Doc W]

Mac, I have an Eric Johnson neck on my Strat and I really like it. It is not super thick but more substantial than I have played in the past. It is a soft V and feels good in my hand. It also makes my fingers "stand up" a little more, which has improved my playing, and is less tiring to play than a thin neck. Counter intuitive, I know, but it is a very comfortable neck. It also has a 12" radius.

I liked it so much that I had the same profile put on the neck of my Rutter's Tele. Try one out in a guitar shop and if it is not perfect for you, at least you will have a starting point.

If you want custom-made, USA Guitars is a great place to shop for necks. Check out their site for info on different neck profiles. It is very helpful.

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/contours.html

[Yardbird Mac]

Mac, I have an Eric Johnson neck on my Strat and I really like it. It is not super thick but more substantial than I have played in the past. It is a soft V and feels good in my hand. It also makes my fingers "stand up" a little more, which has improved my playing, and is less tiring to play than a thin neck. Counter intuitive, I know, but it is a very comfortable neck. It also has a 12" radius.

I liked it so much that I had the same profile put on the neck of my Rutter's Tele. Try one out in a guitar shop and if it is not perfect for you, at least you will have a starting point.

If you want custom-made, USA Guitars is a great place to shop for necks. Check out their site for info on different neck profiles. It is very helpful.

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/contours.html

Thanks!!!

I've been away from the Forum for a few days... I'll check it out.

[Don]

Mac, I have an Eric Johnson neck on my Strat and I really like it. It is not super thick but more substantial than I have played in the past. It is a soft V and feels good in my hand. It also makes my fingers "stand up" a little more, which has improved my playing, and is less tiring to play than a thin neck. Counter intuitive, I know, but it is a very comfortable neck. It also has a 12" radius.

I liked it so much that I had the same profile put on the neck of my Rutter's Tele. Try one out in a guitar shop and if it is not perfect for you, at least you will have a starting point.

If you want custom-made, USA Guitars is a great place to shop for necks. Check out their site for info on different neck profiles. It is very helpful.

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/contours.html

I have USACG necks on two guitars. I really like them.

[NoNeck60]

Watch this video - I have a Strat with a big Nocaster neck and it does make a difference IMHO.

The Noneck is really big. The Large 59 and Boat Neck (it is not really a V it is a fat neck with less shoulder) are both great options...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA-CX44fqj4

+1....but Erock..when did you get a Noneck Strat? I love mine..this is my second one too.
FYI though, unless you custom order the Noneck through the Music Zoo, you're gonna get a 9.5' radius, not a 12"

[refin]

BIG necks are called NO necks?
(just funnin' )

I have 2 Allparts TMO-FAT necks for tele....I hear they are the same for a strat.
Don't know the width,but the depth is a HANDFUL.When I got the first one,I asked myself.."What have I gotten myself into?"
Now,I am really familiar with them.There are so many other great choices out there,as many previous posts have shown.....by people who have probably tried more necks than me.

[Erock_Germany]

BIG necks are called NO necks?
(just funnin' )

I have 2 Allparts TMO-FAT necks for tele....I hear they are the same for a strat.
Don't know the width,but the depth is a HANDFUL.When I got the first one,I asked myself.."What have I gotten myself into?"
Now,I am really familiar with them.There are so many other great choices out there,as many previous posts have shown.....by people who have probably tried more necks than me.

The Noneck jargon Comes from "Nocaster" - the interim Telecaster that had no name on it due to the copyright problem with the original name Broadcaster that was protected by Gretsch who AFAIK had a drum set with that name...and these guitars had a notoriously fat neck...

But you knew that....right Refin?

[Yardbird Mac]

After all this time I've pinned down a replacement neck for my MIM Strat. that's to my liking. I was in LAY's Guitar Shop in Akron, Ohio on Thursday to have new pickups installed in my 2003 Les Paul Standard when I spied a Strat. with one of LAY'S own necks installed. It's an all maple neck and fretboard made with highly figured flame maple with a gloss finish. I'm going back there on Monday to pick it up. Since my assembly skills are lacking I'm going to have then install the neck and do a complete setup.

I think this neck will more than suit my purposes. I don't recall all of the exact dimensions, but it's the same radius, width and thickness as a Gibson Les Paul 59 reissue.

I'll give more details and a tone report when I've had a chance to put the guitar through its paces.

[Yardbird Mac]

I got back from LAY'S about an hour ago and the new neck is attached. I just finished a brief run through a couple of amps with this guitar. First off, it's a lot "snappier" than the rosewood fretboard/neck I had on it. I can't believe how "alive" this guitar is now. The cleans are outstanding... very articulate. The neck install + setup was a little expensive (for me anyway), but well worth the $$$.

A week ago I was giving serious thought to just parting out the guitar and calling it quits on this Strat. It;s definitely a keeper now!!!

Tomorrow I'll set the action just a little higher. I'm not used to a Strat playing this easy!

[DanD]

BB King to Billy Gibbons after BB played Billy's guitar, "Son you workin' too hard"

Why not leave the set up as is for few days and see if it isn't doable? May end up liking it.

Congrats on the neck. Lay's does wonderful work.

[Doc W]

My main guitar for years was an old ES-345 with very thin neck. I found out not all that long ago that I prefer a big neck. It just makes my hand stand up more which causes less cramping and make me more accurate. YMMD.

[Don]

I realized some time ago, that if I was going to afford a nice playing, nice sounding ES-335, it'd have a fairly small neck. The neck on my Epi Elitist 335 is just barely big enough.

I'm all for a Strat playing easy, btw! The big USACG boat neck on mine has a 7-1/4"-9-1/2" compund radius fretboard with tall 6105 frets on it and an .009" string set.

[DanD]

I just recently started setting my 25.5" scale guitars with 009s instead of 10s and 11s.

Also been bringing the action down and playin' with a lighter touch.

Here's to Blues Boy

[Yardbird Mac]

BB King to Billy Gibbons after BB played Billy's guitar, "Son you workin' too hard"

Why not leave the set up as is for few days and see if it isn't doable? May end up liking it.

Congrats on the neck. Lay's does wonderful work.

I've had a few days now to put it through its paces. I did raise the action just a little for 2 reasons... #1. there was too much string buzz on the low "E" string (I'm not a real heavy picker so this action was a little too low), #2. The "B" and "E" strings sounded a little choked above the 14th fret, and my fingers had tendency to slip of of the strings attempting high bends with vibrato.

I'm using .010 - .046 gauge strings and they almost feel too light... but I'm not going to go with a heavier gauge... my hands/fingers aren't very strong.

The thing that baffles me is how much latitude I seem to have tone wise. When I roll the tone off it mellows out very nicely, especially when playing clean. The neck pickup sounds huge and rich.* In short, it does the Strat thing very well and I can easily dial it in to Les Paul territory! It sounds real smooth with the gain turned up a little high on either one of my MESA Express 5:50s

Even though I just had some upgrades done to my Les Paul Standard, I think I'm going to play the Strat exclusively for a while to get acquainted with this "new" guitar.



* I can now get into some older Peter Green type tones (i.e. Fleetwood Mac's studio version of "Albatross") with the clean settings.

[DanD]

[DanD]

...

The thing that baffles me is how much latitude I seem to have tone wise. When I roll the tone off it mellows out very nicely, especially when playing clean. The neck pickup sounds huge and rich.* In short, it does the Strat thing very well and I can easily dial it in to Les Paul territory! ...

A good Strat is a wonderful thing. In this interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO0N7Gc8uTw

Peter Green says he used a Strat on Albatross for the main guitar part.

[Yardbird Mac]

Update...

After 2 month of playing this guitar, I'm totally pleased with the feel and tone provided by the new neck. I'm using 10 - 46 strings (alternating brands) and I'm blown away by the tone this thing has. To me it sounds like a Strat should sound. I haven't determined if it's the actual wood in the neck, or if it's the size & shape of the new neck that's made such a significant improvement (or a combination of both).

In retrospect and comparison, the FENDER necks I've had on this instrument seemed to choke the the tone. Now, I don't miss my G & L Comanche anymore.