What is the best guitar neck shape? (Fixed Audio) 

Over the last 2 decades I've bought every guitar I ever wanted. And found out which neck profiles are perfect for my hands. Now I am selling the guitars that don't have my preferred neck, no matter how much I love the guitar. The neck is more important than the look or pickups or other factors. With the right neck, it feels part of me and that's the guitar I want to play the most.

“More wood is often better.” Jonathan, straight faced then busts out laughing half a second later. I had to hit the pause button twice cause I was laughing so hard. I’m pretty sure this is pretty close to what would have happened if Beavis and Butthead graduated from high school. And that’s why I love y’all. “Hey, Beavis, he said more wood,”

That's a fantastic Jar-Jar impression.

Love watching these videos, first thing I do when I get to work in the morning!

Jackson's "Speed Neck" profile with their 12-16 compound radius fretboard is probably my favorite guitar neck and radius of all-time 👍

Every shape is the best shape! I have a bunch of guitars and I’m happy that all of them have a completely different neck profile, because that’s one of the most important things to give them their own unique character. And I play differently on all of them, but that’s exactly why I love them so much. 😊

I just bought my first 335, a custom shop 59 reissue and it has the absolute perfect neck shape for my hands and I have tried a bunch of different necks on other guitars but to me the profile on this 335 is perfection. Btw, just started watching you guys's videos recently and this is probably my new favorite guitar channel.

I was playing a resonator with a hard V neck the other week. I really liked it.

I have a strat with a Deep C and tbh i hate it most of the time because its too big. I have a Tele from the Mod shop and its neck is too small, so Im gonna try the modern C and hopefully its a good in between

I have small hands so what is the best neck shape for someone that has a problem with their reach around?

I always said I’d never play an SG because of the neck. a few days ago played one for the first time now I have one coming in the mail. Felt like heaven.

Where does the Martin modified low oval fit into this? Is it pretty slim?

Replacing the neck of my 97 Fender American Std strat. Suggestions for a replacement neck? Looking at Fender, Warmoth..

im using c shape strat 9.5 radius but wanna buy 59 custom shop strat it sayin large c shape 9.5 radiuea ,never tried large c i wonder how big diffrence

As I’ve gotten older I find the fingerboard side of the neck matters a lot more than the back. A weird neck shape used to be a distraction but now it’s something I appreciate and affects how I play

Every thin neck i've had ends up cramping my hand after playing for 30mins. I have found the fret board radius is just as import as the neck shape as well. My favorite neck shape is the PRS Pattern neck. the 10 inch radius feels amazing for thumb over playing, chording, and leads. perfect. (for me). I've also found that the thicker necks are more stable through the seasons and require less adjustment.

The early 80’s Kramer Baretta was shaped after a 63/64 strat I sold one than was a tad too thin but still have another neck that is delightful. My favourite neck jumps between my 51 V Esquire, 50 massive C Broadcaster and my Collings I35.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Fender Mod Shop. Custom shop is too pricey for me and I’m not enamored with the production models. Does anyone own one? How did it work out? Looking at teles by the way.

I have a Gibson SG from the early 70s that has a neck with the narrow nut width of 1 9/16 inches. I love it so much.

What Would my 57' reissue strat be? D shape? Soft v? What about an 81 les paul d shape aswell? My jimmy page has a oval c 7.25 i like it. I perfer certain neck shapes for certain guitars

I remember the first custom shop fender I got my hands on. 2005 ‘70 closet classic jazz bass in blonde. It was my bass player’s dream bass that he had worked his ass off for. I’ll tell ya- I immediately felt a difference and started my own journey to being fortunate enough to own several FCS guitars.

A friend bought a '62 reissue Fender Strat with the "C" neck many years ago. As soon as a played it I knew that was the one for me. I recently bought an Epiphone Junior with the baseball bat neck, and I kind of love it also.

I used to work at McFadyen Music! Which McFadyen are you referring to? I worked for Van Sachs in Charlotte.

On a Strat, Eric Johnson's 57 style soft V neck shape and 12" fretboard combo. On Tele, the Hotrod 50 and 60 D shape necks, with compound radius 7.25 -> 12". I always find that neck shape and the fretboard radius interact in my head when it comes to "comfort". And yet, I have a bunch of Godins that work too, just not as well.

After getting used to my strat's neck for years, (modern D) I played a custom shop tele with a U shape and here I am researching necks. Since I'm stoned I'll try and detail that special "something" i felt playing it. First off the chunkier neck sang. The bends felt so natural and the vibrato resonated through the wood. I thought my purchase of an ultra strat would be my last stop but dammit, now I want options lol

The Fender Artist guitars seem to feature quite a few modified 'V' shape. I have that on my Baja 50's Tele and it's such a comfortable, reassuring shape. Fits the hand so well.

Can anyone tell me what the LP Std 50s is closest to? I have one and a Traditional that’s even a wee bit bigger( in my mind at least) but honestly when I ordered it in( the New Std 50s) I was expecting it to be …. Big(ger) so like I’m thinking R8 is maybe bigger? I’m looking for a bigger LP neck is my point. I have a couple 60s style necks. I can hardly play them anymore. So R8?

with my limited exposer to necks... my fav is Gretsch Thin "U" on the Streamliners.

Warn to almost the wood is what I’m after. You guys are 13 year olds at times, it is heroic!! Recently there is nothing I look forward to more every day than your ramblings….thanks for making the effort. I totally relate fellas - keep shining.

Great channel, you guys make me laugh. Great Gungan impersonation. 😆 I wanna try a V neck now, seems crazy.

I haven't played enough necks shapes to say I have a favorite, but I do like that each of my guitars are different.

The video is quintessential Casino Guitars! I loved it 😍

We just got home from Myrtle Beach. Passed the Southern Pines area in the middle of the night.

I also like whatever's v is on the Clapton sig. That's a very nice guitar that not a lot of people talk about.

I'm partial to the v shape necks. I have a American vintage 56 strat that I'm pretty sure has a 10/56. A 57 custom shop strat with a soft v that does feel heftier than a 10/56. And a clapton strat with the clapton v that definitely has a harder v but feels smaller than my other v necks.

Well I thought it was a soft V, but after I stopped by the shop yesterday and bought my first CS, it’s definitely the ‘59 Esquire C. If you are in the market for a custom shop, do yourself a favor and go to Casino Guitars. Baxter was so nice it was unreal, he even walked me to my car when I was done and showed me old venues where SRV played years ago. By far the best shop I’ve been in

My main guitar since the 90s was a 1976-1979 Epiphone Scroll SC-550. I fell in love with the wizard-like profile of the neck. So thin and nice which is amazingly comfortable for a small woman. It seems unusual for guitars of that time to have that thin of a neck. Is it?

I love the Fender 9.5” inch radius. Anything flat flairs my RSI. Modern C and Soft V (Buddy Guy Signature Neck) are all I have in my collection.

The modern C thumb reach around I love it!

for my strat and tele , i have bought the allparts lindy frailin necks , it's an u shape kinda neck but then tweaked by lindy to a more kinda off v shape , if you love chuncky maple necks these are perfect necks for you're tle or strat , i personally will never change to another neck anymore .

great video nice job

I have an '83 Washburn Force 3 that has a V shape for the first 4 or 5 frets and then rounds out to more of a C the rest of the way. Feels really good. Not much published about these, but I think they were MIJ....... very well built and the pickups sound very good....

When You Think Your Alone in a Bathroom Stall and Feel a Hand on Your Shoulder 🤣 !!

Hey guys, what became of the Gretsch Rancher that used to hang on the wall?

Holy Crow!! I came for the neck shapes and left convinced he IS the voice actor for Jar Jar Binks!!

For me the Fender 10/56 is the GOAT. Also love the 57 Soft V, EJ Strat, 65 AVRI, American Professional, and Baja Tele. All on the larger size.

I found the perfect neck for me on my 83 Dan Smith era Fender Strat. The 2 knob version. 12" radius and a V. It's perfect for me

I got to a point when I was doin a lot of fly in dates and Nashville work that I only ever could carry 2 guitars and a pedalboard at most on most gigs …. Then after a couple years I not only burned thru those frets …. I realized I had such a hard time adapting to my other guitars Then I started forcing myself to play all of them Even now I force myself to change guitars (not just for tuning purposes) but also for sound and feel …. It is real that every guitar does something different and they all feel diff, but we get used to what we use the most. Now I can pick up just about anything and get to know it. And use it

The first 7 or 8 years I played, I had to have a neck that was really small. Then, I fell in love with the pattern regular on my PRS singlecut. Looking at it, it looks like it'd be too big for my liking but it's perfect. It has a little chunk to it but it doesn't feel chunky at all. The 59 roundback Warmoth neck that's on my telecaster feels similar to the neck on my PRS and it's amazing. It's definitely a little chunky but still not fat. My neck preferences have definitely changed. The beefier necks (not fat but in the middle) seem to make me more accurate and I can play forever and not cramp up.

I like them all except the super flats. My Strandberg Bodin 8 neck was odd at first but now I love it. I have an old Fender 50’s Tele MIJ with the hard V and while very different it’s still a great player.

Entertaining as ever.

the 52 soft V and 56 medium V are my favorite neck shapes. Thin necks tend to make my arthritis flare up.

You guys are hilarious and I learned more about necks. I have a Brian Moore 8.13 which gives me everything I need tonally but the neck is a bit too small for my big Goony Goo-goo hands. Not sure if it's the shape or radius. I just know that it's not a comfy as my Strat or Les Paul. These videos are really helpful to me so keep them coming. And BTW, the last joke about Radius is my next video so thanks! LOL...

Great video! I bought a few Japanese Fenders, Gibson and Epiphones. I also modded all the guitars, and now I feel like neck is the most important thing, not only the shape of the neck, but also when shaping tones. I hate thin neck in general because it doesn't seem to absorb enough tone and the feel. It never feels juicy enough.. I wish I could have some custom shop guitars to compare with, but they are too expensive for me...

The C is the most popular but I recently picked up a Dean Chicago Standard ML79…the V neck on that thing is amazing!!! I’m in love 😻

Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks! Thanks for all your content! I feel comfortable being a not normal guy now!

I remember McFadden’s music in Fayetteville. Lol. I went there when I was stationed at Bragg back in the day. It was next to the hooters. Lol

I grew up playing Jackson’s and Charvels. I really tried to get into fenders. I thought I liked the neck on some, but thought I didn’t like the strings, then I thought it might be the scale, then I thought it might be the frets, then I realized it’s the radius. 12 and up for me. I’m curious to try some of the weirder necks like Strandberg.

I'm 6'6" have big hands and have been playing for close to 40 years. I never used to pay much attention to the shape, or size of a neck, but one neck shape always made me hate their guitars. Those are Epiphone's flat, wide u necks! They dig into the area between my thumb, and forefinger, and I can't play them. One year ago next week was when I truly noticed for the first time how great a neck can feel when I took delivery of the 2020 Epiphone 59 RI, and my Eastman SB59. Not huge, but the perfectly rolled edges, and larger C shape make them the most comfortable feeling necks I've ever played. I was happily surprised when I took measurements and they're almost identical! Thanks for your time! Keith in...... Provo, Utah?

I’ve played a SRV Strat once and I love that neck carve

I've been playing guitar since 1975. For the last year and a half, I have been playing bass mostly, with my 1973 fender telecaster bass. Recently I took out my classic series 60s tele, and the neck felt so slim. I sold it quickly and bought parts to assemble an early 50s type tele. The neck is the fender/mex fat 'U' neck. More fat wood sure is more better.

I buy warmoths. Last one I got was a 59 contour that I shaved some of the underside of the neck like the wolf gang assemetrical contour. I did it while neck and strings were on guitar and taped off butt and headstock. Fits like a glove.... but more vintage and bigger than a Wolfgang or SRV.

FWIW, I had a Peavey Classic 30 in the early 90s and it sounded great.

My favorite is a Fender 60’s oval C. I tried a Gibson rounded C I didn’t like it, it didn’t seem like it should be too big I think the shoulders on that neck might be hefty? I’ve never played a big Fender U but I probably wouldn’t like that either. I like the Gretsch U necks, but the one I have is from 2017 so I don’t know if that’s smaller than the older ones.

I’m a fan of the Gibson slim-taper. Modern C is okay too.

I mostly play Fenders. About 10 years ago I wanted to step out and get a humbucking Gibson. I played a friend’s SG and hated the way the neck and body were raked. Then I played a Les Paul Standard but didn’t like it. Finally I tried a Les Paul Traditional and once I had that baseball bat of a neck in my hands I realized I had found an incredible guitar…especially for rhythm. Still play Fenders.

For a shakey-shakey vibrato, a big neck is smooth as butter. However... the accountant says if you mass produce with modern C's, you can get one extra stick for every 100. A hefty SRV asymmetric is groovy man.

U is the best for me. Big hands and long fingers and my first guitar was a flamenco style acoustic.

I have a squire tele with a “slim” or “modern” c and I hate it honestly. My hand cramps or gets sore after 15, 20 mins of playing. I really want to replace it with a v or u shape neck.

I really used to think Ibanez was the standard for speed and comfort. 😅 I even just bought a new Artcore based upon this idea. I live with a tremor disorder from exposure in the military and comfort tends to be point number one when purchasing a new guitar. I recently acquired a Dean ml79 and the V neck is the most comfortable thing I’ve ever played. I’m now looking at some of Fenders options with the V neck. I’m thinking the EOB. 😊 12:57

The most different guitar neck I have is a Brian May Guitar. Love my chunky Les Paul neck, but I don't have issues playing a range of necks. Not sure if it helped, but I began on a classical (i.e., flat fretboard) before progressing. Hard to talk about necks without also talking about radius.

I just got a used Warmoth thin line Tele with a deep v 1" neck and I love it. My CV tele always seemed small but it played well enough for the last 12 years. Now I know better.

What ever neck was on my Big Apple Strat was the best. And my new Squire Strat thing with p-90s is very, very nice. I also love the necks on Ovations.

Bonus comment… my fav neck carve is either a 60’s oval C on my 63 tele with .83 at the first and .90 at the twelfth ORRRR a 63 strat with .87 at the first and .97 at the twelfth

Early 60s oval on my CS tele's are the best to me. I do like the new Deep C modern necks on the Fender Pro Series 1 and 2 telecasters though as well. I got short fingers though.

My first guitar was a '54 Strat with a fat deep "U". My second was Gibson Byrdland. 30 years later, I played Japan made Fender Strat with a '57 hard "V" neck. I was poor and could not afford it. I can afford it now, but haven't found one again.

That Jar Jar is awesome!

Please do a show on radius,love all your stuff keep you the good work

Probably the best bromance on RU-vid

Warmoth 59 round back, but the key is to get the 1 5/8 nut width. This combination has a nice comfortable roundness without feeling overly girthy.

I can tell you that I do prefer a V, a Clapton is tiny to me. And I do prefer a larger C as well. Felt a ‘59 Les Paul once, and also thought that was small. So where do I belong? Is a 10/56 big enough?

I thought my preference was for a Modern C. Then I got my MIJ Telecaster and fell in love with its U shape.

Chunky neck lover by the time I got to trying some. The Carmelita neck carve with the very slight v is my favourite so far. 10/56v is pretty close. I mainly prefer c’s and slight v’s but not tried out a hard v yet. I’ve not got on too well with d’s and u’s for most of the stuff I play because I want to get my thumb over the top.

My problem is I’m a violinist first, which is like, your hand barely touches. So I have no frame of reference as to how much of my hand should be touching the guitar neck. I’ve read your palm should never touch, which I’m used to. But beyond that? Don’t know. I don’t have a Fender, but my guitar’s neck depth is 0.87" at the first fret and 0.94" at the 12th fret. So… “large C” in Fender terminology?

Started off with a 96’ MIM F with a V and surprising also the Cort acoustic also has thin V like. And finally got a upgrade with a MIM Tele with a C , man I’m both happy 😊 playing my guitars 🎸 🎸 🎸🎸🎸

I used to have a “Dean from Hell” that had a V shaped neck. It’s the only guitar I’ve played with that type of neck and I absolutely loved it. Now I just play baseball bat necks

12:17 Yes, 100% ! At last! I was waiting through the whole video :-) I'm playing the wrong room here but I love the Jem/Wizard neck with a flatter radius... (and also the Modern-C)

Yay fixed!!!

I need to go to a big enough store that has one of everything so I can try them all out. I'd really like to put together a Warmoth partscaster, but want to be 100% certain before I drop that kind of money on a neck

Back in high school I got an original Ibanez Wizard 1 neck off of a forum for an RG project I was putting together. It was SUPER thin and had this rounded, almost soft V profile to it. Sold it a while after when I parted the project out. Right out of high school I buy a 1992 RG565 expecting that same sweet neck profile. Nope. Still super thin, but it's relatively flat and not at all what i remembered. It then dawned on me that someone had shaved that first neck down. Nowadays I like a nice round and meaty C profile, but what i would give to get my hands on that shaved down Wizard neck again.

I would love to hear their thoughts on the "Strandberg" Neck carve.

I like them all except #4

Typically I like Modern C necks on account of having short fingers, but recently I used an "Even C Medium" shape in a partscaster (1⅝" nut width, .840″ depth at the first fret to .920" depth at the 12th) and really liked it, it was especially good for a Hendrix/SRV style of wrapping a thumb for chords and doing double stops, etc, where with the modern C's I felt like I had to do more "classical" positions both because the nut is typically wider at 1.65" and because I'd have less control over my other fingers during thumb over playing which limited chord phrasing and soloing in some ways.

I just recently purchased a early 70’s Epiphone EA-250…it has one of the smallest necks I’ve ever put my hands on for a full size guitar. The thing is, no matter what you pick up, after a few minutes you adjust and play…every guitar feels slightly different.

The best necks I've ever played were on Kramers. They just nailed it as far as my hand goes. I have big hands so a chunky neck doesn't bother me and I like a bit of chunk because it feels like I have something in my hands. Thin necks just feel weird, and as Phil McKnight put it about Ibanez's Wizard necks, "It's like [playing] a line of saltines glued together." The weirdest neck was one of those necks that's cut like the Nike swoosh, thin on one side and thick on the other, but I did play one that was like a soft V on top and a C on the bottom, and that was kinda cool. I wonder if therapists turn tan imagining the Hawaiian vacation home they could afford if Baxter ever walked into their office?

Started my recent search for an offset body with modern C with a large radius fret board and wound up buying a Tele with a U and 7.25 radius. So it goes.

I played a Charvel strat neck for many years. Thin and wide. Now, I'm all about the super fat C or the big boat neck on a Fender style bolt on. Gibsons are different for me. I like the 59' LP shape a lot. But I have a 61' spec 335 with the slim taper. It's great for that guitar. I would never change it even if I could.

In the early 80's I had an American Dean Z that had the best V neck ever. Still love that neck. But have fallen for the early 60's Fender C and PRS Wide Thin neck as my gig comfort necks.

I have a really old California Strat style guitar and it has a thick, chunky baseball bat neck and the resonate is unmatched by all my other guitars. I still have it and I won't get rid of it because it was built better than most. I also got it for $75. I think it was an awesome accident.

Love the R8 necks of recent gibsons!