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Post subject: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 12:14 pm
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I have a small, but growing guitar collection. Like every other blues guitar fan, it's a bit Strat-heavy. The more I play my other guitars, (An SG, a Les Paul and a Tele), the more I appreciate Strats.

So far, I have three Strats:

A 2006 Jimmie Vaughan in Olympic White (my favorite)
A 2013 Classic Player 50's in Two-Tone Sunburst
A 1996 Buddy Guy (Black with White Polka Dots. Got it for a steal and really like it. Am thinking about swapping the pickups with Dimarzio Areas.)

So, here is my question for the serious Strat experts here:

All three of these guitars have 9.5 radii maple necks, medium jumbo frets and a "soft-v shape." The v-shape is definitely my favorite neck.

But are they identical? I can't tell a difference between them. Many players rave about the Jimmie Vaughan neck (which they should--great neck), but I never hear them mention the Classic Player 50's or the Buddy Guy--which seem to be identical. Are they the identical neck, or can I just not spot the subtle differences?

Thanks!


Last edited by dante1963 on Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:37 pm
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BTW: how do you guys post pics? I was going to upload a picture of the Strats, but can't seem to find a way to do it.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:17 am
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Use imgur. As new members, I don't think we have the permission to upload images.

Not a strat expert, so take my opinion as just a general idea. They're going to be close. Close enough that for someone like me who's a Gibson guitar guy, would not notice a difference unless the finish was different. I have a 50s neck on my Gibson and I could tell the difference between other 50's necks. Some 50s neck are real baseball bats, others like mine are a little thinner at the top etc. The difference will be small but meaningful for someone who's spent hundreds of hours on a neck. Even if the marketing tells you they are the same, I would try to test it for yourself because I doubt it will be the case.

PS: Just read your entire post. Here's what I think: if you're a good guitar player, dismiss the exact specs because your judgment is more important since the difference will be tiny anyway. If you're not a great player and therefore don't trust your feel yet, wait for an answer or contact Fender.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:26 am
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To upload pictures, upload them to photo bucket or similar than paste the link in your post.

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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:34 pm
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Here are the pics. (Thanks for the tip!)

Image

And yes, that's also sound advice--I expect someone with more fretboard time than I have would definitely have a better sense of the subtle differences.

I was just curious if they were identical or if I just can't tell. (I'm still new enough to playing that I tend to doubt my own judgement.) And, if they are, are there are any other models out there with the same neck? I know the Clapton has a different fret size, and *I think* a slightly different radius.

The Tele (a Baja) also has a v-neck, but I can definitely tell the difference there. It feels quite a bit more chunky (which I like) than the Strats.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 4:03 am
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No all V necks are not the same.
To date I've spent extensive time with a 56, a 57RI, a 57HR and a Baja Tele. All are very different.
It comes down to how energetic the person on the sanding wheel was that day.
My Baja is more like a huge D than a V. He must have dozed off that day

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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 9:26 am
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I know that they make a Hard V neck and a soft V neck. I also believe that your original v necks had the 7.25 radius opposed to the modern 9.5 which will make a difference in feel.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:46 am
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What is about the pickup currently in the Buddy Guy Strat?


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 11:56 am
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The pickups are ceramic, and are the same that come on the standard Strat. They aren't awful, but the bridge and middle sound just a touch muddy to my ears. The neck pickup, I actually like--particularly using a Tube Screamer.

But I'm considering dropping in a Dimarzio Area loaded pickguard into it. I love the sound of those and it looks like a simple project.

Since I really like the way the neck feels, I think upgrading the pickups wouldn't be a bad idea.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 11:58 am
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All three of these are listed as "soft-v" and have the 9.5 radius. The Baja, I agree--the neck feels quite a bit chunkier.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 1:24 pm
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dante1963 wrote:
The pickups are ceramic, and are the same that come on the standard Strat. They aren't awful, but thee bridge and middle sound just a touch muddy to my ears. The neck pickup, I actually like--particularly using a Tube Screamer.

But I'm considering dropping in a Dimarzio Area loaded pickguard into it. I love the sound of those and it looks like a simple project.

Since I really like the way the neck feels, I think upgrading the pickups wouldn't be a bad idea.


I have a set of Area Ts in my Thinline Telecaster. I really like them. For a brief time, Buddy was using Lace Sensors.

I got to see him and Robert Cray in Nashville back in 2005. Cray signed my guitar, but Buddy signed one thing and his manager dragged him away.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:47 am
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That must have been a great show. I saw Buddy twice in the '90s. Both times, I was amazed. If you could find a way to connect a cable to him, I think you could use his energy to light up a city. Not sure if he's still that way--it has been a while, but back then, his energy was incredible.


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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 10:02 pm
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So you're into my favorite topic. The three guitars you own are fitted with what I've come to refer to, in many discussions in these pages, as Fender's generic soft V. If you've never played a Clapton, do so. You'll find a significant difference in that neck carve. Less bulky. Very sleek. More so, between the early models, pre-2000, and the current run. It was proportedly a copy of the V-neck on his favorite Martin acoustic. There's also what is known as the 10/56V. It is on the '56 model in the American Vintage Series the Custom Shop's LTD '56 Relic of the 2016 Series. The neck has much more mass to it.


Niki mentions his '57HR. Helluva guitar. Also discontinued. I persuaded him to buy it about 9 years ago. Then bought one myself a few years later. [2010]/ Swapped it out for a 60th Anniv '54 in 2014, which had the LTD neck plate. The '57HR had a modified V. The spine of the neck was a tad flatter, but less round than either the 'modern-C' or the '57V [for vintage] which is on my Gilmour.

You can also shop the catalog of the vintage series instruments, See if you can find representative examples of those on the wall in guitar venues. Compare and contrast the necks.

As for pickups...I bought the Buddy Guy Polka Dot the year it was issued and swapped out the stock pickups for a set of the then newly issued noiseless DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Blues in the neck and middle, and Heavy Blues1 at the bridge. I also set it up like the Clapton...decking the bridge an installing a wood block in the space between the trem block and the guitar body. That guitar was a serious player until something else caught my eye. Too many turns of the screw to remember which, but I'm at the point at which the five Strats now in my herd are likely going to see me off to the 'Band of Angels' when the time comes. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 2:48 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
That guitar was a serious player until something else caught my eye. Too many turns of the screw to remember which, but I'm at the point at which the five Strats now in my herd are likely going to see me off to the 'Band of Angels' when the time comes. :wink:

:lol:
...You tell a good story Doc...that was a very informative post...the end wasn't believable though. hehe :wink:

I had dismissed the VG Strat as another gimmick doomed to failure...their reviews though..are pretty good.

Would you use the modeling on stage?

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Post subject: Re: Are all v-necks created alike?
Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 4:24 pm
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danagos wrote:
...You tell a good story Doc...that was a very informative post...the end wasn't believable though. hehe :wink: I had dismissed the VG Strat as another gimmick doomed to failure...their reviews though..are pretty good.Would you use the modeling on stage?

My guitar can best be described as a generation I model. Fender has given the guitar over to Roland to market. They've made some interesting changes to the voices in the new guitar. For my purposes, what I have will serve in terms of what you already know about the feature of the guitar. The baritone and 12-string voices will give some tonal options. The new guitar has a sitar voice, which I would like to have had. However, my guitar's a real bad boy looker compared to the new Fender/Roland.

YMMV [Sure miss having that guy around.] :(

Doc
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