hi everyone - i've been playing now for over 10 months and just got a Larrivee guitar over christmas. before that, i was using the yamaha beginning guitar. b/c i've been taking lessons and working on fingerstyle songs, the wider nut of the larrivee is so great and makes a world of difference. btw, as a little plug, i bought mine off of jim @ trinity guitars. i ordered it on a friday and it was received on tuesday, with an excellent low action that i requested. i just think that when someone in retail does a good job, they should receive a comment.
my question is, do some electric guitars come with wider nuts? i have a squier 51 and haven't been playing around with it all that much b/c i've been working on the acoustic so much. also, i find it awkward to play an electric (i'm assuming it will be something i'll just have to get used to but to me there is a big difference in how they feel when i'm playing them compared to the acoustic).
if so, do you have any companies/models to suggest?
thanks,
paul
Yeah, some electric guitar have wider neck
I played on a Squier, the sound was great, but I felt a bit squeeze on the neck (but I got use to it after a few minutes of play)
My guitar has a wider neck. It's an Ibanez SZ520. I like it, very easy to play. The neck is wider but also thiner than a Squier (ok those are opposite, but you understand what I mean? :roll: ).
" First time I heard the music
I thought it was my own
I could feel it in my heartbeat
I could feel it in my bones
... Blame it on the love of Rock'n'Roll! "
thanks for your reply. i did a bit of searching on the net and didn't find anything regarding this model having a wider nut. i guess for electrics it is not as well advertised as for acoustics. i guess i'll have to get around to trying them out at the store when i get more into it.
thanks again!
paul
Wider nut, wider necks, & also different shaped neck all give you a different feel & will affect your playability/comfortableness with the instrument. I have several different electrics, all w/ different measurements/neck styles to keep my brain guessing!
That way, if I don't get too comfortable w/ one style, I will be constantly discovering new things/ways to play. On the other hand, I guess you could also look at it as mixing things up too much. :mrgreen:
But, at this point for me, I'm burned out on "gigging", I'm just having fun now! :mrgreen:
Let me know what you find, pab.
I'm looking for a guitar with a wider neck too.
I do believe the Ibanez line has it.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
It's not easy finding neck width sometimes. I just looked on MF and Ibanez's site for the width on mine. No luck.
I started on a Yamaha starter electric. Hated it. Switched to the Ibanez GAX70 and it made a world of difference because the neck was wider.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
it's very interesting. acoustics with wider necks mention it in their advertising. i knew just by reading the pamphlets that the larrivee has one, and i know that seagull's (at least most) have them too. i know some martin's do and some don't (although their pamphlets don't talk write about it - you have to dig a little deeper).
why this is the case with electrics is curious. i will certainly take a look at the two ibanez guitars mentioned and maybe even write their customer service. it is amazing the difference the wider neck made for me with the acoustic, which is why i'm willing to spend some time doing research to find it out.
thanks!
pab
it is amazing the difference the wider neck made for me with the acoustic, which is why i'm willing to spend some time doing research to find it out.
thanks!
pab
What's even more amazing is how little the difference is that has that kind of effect. I think it's something like 1/16th of an inch.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
yes i know. that is amazing. it is the difference between muting an adjacent string and getting a clear sound. 1/16" is all that it takes, however since that is at the nut perhaps there is a greater difference as the you go down the fretboard. i'm not sure of that.
paul
About 5 years ago I learned guitar on a Strat knock off. After 6 months of that I bought my Gibson SG. It was easier for me to play chords on the SG because the neck was wider (strings spaced further apart) than the Strat.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Funny you should say that Corbind.
I just went out (Guitar Center) and bought a Ibanez GAX70 today (4 months into guitaring)
I'm a lot more comfortable with it. As a beginner I notice that it takes a lot less effort to fret the strings and the wider spacing between strings is why I went looking at the Ibanez line.
I did find another problem with it though. It seemed to be "top heavy"
In other words if I let go for just a second to change hand position it took a nose dive quickly (the fretboard) before I could get my chord.
So I took it back and there was an identical model that was heavier and that seemed to help in that it didn't drop so quickly.
The salesman was kind of baffled as to why the same brand guitar (GAX70) would have two different weights.
I've just had it half a day, but so far my judgment is I like the sound of the Strat better.
But I bought it so it would be easier to learn to play. I'll worry about sound later.
By the way, I've put Superglue on those "indentations" in my finger to see if that might help.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Welcome to the GAX70 club. I did about the same thing as you four years ago. It's really easy to play.
It's got a nice clean tone, but I never really got good heavy tones with it. I replaced the pickups a couple of years ago with some GFSs. I forget which ones, but at the time they were the 2nd heaviest ones they sold.
You might check the pickup height. I remember having to raise mine some and really liking the affect it had.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Funny you should say that Corbind.
I just went out (Guitar Center) and bought a Ibanez GAX70 today (4 months into guitaring)
...
I did find another problem with it though. It seemed to be "top heavy"
In other words if I let go for just a second to change hand position it took a nose dive quickly (the fretboard) before I could get my chord.
Ken,
First congrats on the new AXE :) Cool Man.
Second, I think you'll soon learn how to deal with a top heavy guitar, if you haven't already,
- can use the inside of your forearm on your picking hand
- pressed against the body of the guitar for leverage and to keep it from tipping over (head first)
Its just another 'feel' thing. Of course this really only works when standing and playing with a strap, versus sitting down, and of course, some guitars are very top heavy to the point of.....well. :)
Anyhoo, congrats on that new axe. :)
D-
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
Second, I think you'll soon learn how to deal with a top heavy guitar, if you haven't already,
- can use the inside of your forearm on your picking hand
- pressed against the body of the guitar for leverage and to keep it from tipping over (head first)
Its just another 'feel' thing. Of course this really only works when standing and playing with a strap, versus sitting down, and of course, some guitars are very top heavy to the point of.....well. :)
+1. You get used to it after awhile. On the other side, Les Paul guitar the necks want to rise!
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
By the way, I've put Superglue on those "indentations" in my finger to see if that might help.
Are u serious? :o
Is this something recommended by guitarists?
IMHO it would be better to let the calluses develop naturally. Protecting the fingertips (with whatever) will no doubt slow the process & affect the sensitivity & feel from your fingertips.
If the tips are too sore to play, give it a rest, (read some theory) or play for shorter periods until nature sorts things out.
You sure are determined tho! :twisted:
Cheers
Ola
“Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you.” - Winnie the Pooh
