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Post subject: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:45 pm
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Hey all. I'm really doubting between getting the 60th anniversary MIM in desert sand or a sonic blue american special. My hands are pretty small and tend to get cramped pretty easily. Also hear a lot of people with small like the 70s classic series. Any thoughts would be much appreciated :lol:


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 3:39 pm
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The MIM Classic Series instruments ('50s, '60s, '70s) all feature a fretboard radius of 7.25" and many with small hands find them more comfortable to play.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 6:29 am
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I would say I have small hands, but have never had an issue with different neck shapes. I would suggest that you check out a 70's neck shape before purchasing in particular because they quite different from most others I have played. I currently have an American Vintage 70's Strat and it is fat as is the classic 70s from my recolection.

I have also have both 60's classic teles and strats in the past and they are very nice neck shapes IMO.

I also currently have an American Special tele and it is a great neck shape and great performing guitar.

Best thing you can do is try them before buy anything...if you can.

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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 7:04 am
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By small hands, do you mean short fingers, narrow fingers or small palm?
If all three, you might want to look at a slightly shorter scale instruments, like a Mustang.

As ArJay said, a 7.25" radius fingerboard as on the vintage models may be easier to play with short fingers, as less stretch is required. But on the other hand (well, same hand), vintage frets which are tall and narrow might be more tiresome than jumbo frets unless you play with a light touch.

Try before you buy is good advice, but for hands getting tired, you need to try for long enough that your hands actually get tired. Ten minutes in a store isn't likely to tell you.

A final piece of advice is that hands getting tired from playing can sometimes be alleviated by adjusting an inch or two off the guitar strap length. While playing Jimmy Page style might look relaxed, it tends to be rather straining for longer periods of playing. Lactic acid builds up in the arm, and after a while hits the fingers too. Many smaller players (like Steve Howe) likes to "keep it tight", also including angling the guitar more to shorten the reach. Economy in motion.


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 8:37 am
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Definitely try the Classic Series 70s Strat before buying. While it does have the 7.25" radius it also has a u-shaped neck....a bit of a handful.


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 9:02 am
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Thanks for the replies guys. I have pretty short fingers and I always feel like i'm stretching too far, so I should really find a 70s series to try out. I keep hearing a lot of positive feedback on the classic players too. Thing is it's pretty hard to find a shop in holland that has both guitars. Thanks for your help so far guys


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:22 am
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I too am short-fingered and the most comfortable guitar neck I have ever played (any brand, any type, from any country) is that found on the MIJ Premium Vintage '65 re-issue Strat. It's a shallow "D" with 7.25" radius and vintage fretwire. It fits my hand like the proverbial kidskin glove. Very comfortable.

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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:26 am
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Also keep in mind that the radius is a measurement of the flatness of the fingerboard. The radius has nothing to do with the shape, thickness, or size of the neck. Fender uses descriptions such as C, D, U, and V. to describe the shape of the neck. The 70's U shape btw is really big, whereas most modern strats have an arguably more comfortable C shape.

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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 2:09 am
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nicholsoni wrote:
Also keep in mind that the radius is a measurement of the flatness of the fingerboard. The radius has nothing to do with the shape, thickness, or size of the neck.


Correct.

Playability is determined by both factors -- fretboard radius *and* the neck profile.

Best to play several different type of necks to determine which is more comfortable to the hand.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 2:43 am
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Umbrarum wrote:
Hey all. I'm really doubting between getting the 60th anniversary MIM in desert sand or a sonic blue american special. My hands are pretty small and tend to get cramped pretty easily. Also hear a lot of people with small like the 70s classic series. Any thoughts would be much appreciated :lol:
Agree much of what's already been said. These two guitars are totally different in the neck and fret departments and you're going to need to test (play) both.

Regardless of the fact that it's the cheapest Strat I own, I'm very pleased with my surf green Special, BUT I pretty soon had it refretted with medium jumbos (I'd always factored that cost into the deal). If you haven't tried jumbos before, play the Special for at least an hour - it takes that long to see if you're going to get on with them.

Some on this forum are a bit sniffy about the Special, but it's a US-made Strat, and I'd say there's no reason not to give one a go, even though I see you're leaning towards a MIM. Bear in mind, of course, that you can pick up a decent used AmStd for the price of a new Special, although you probably won't get the colour you want...!

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:06 am
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I've always considered my hands to be pretty small as well (in fact my left pinky is so short I don't even use it...I compensate with power chords and speed when needed).
I have tried every radius/neck style imaginable, and found that nothing fits MY hand and play style better than a 9.5 Radius, on a C shaped neck, with Medium Jumbo frets (pretty common and easy to find in Fender electrics and acoustics).

As said....you just need to grab a guitar and feel it. As arth1 said; gonna take more than 10 minutes at a Music Store to figure out the "fatigue" thing though.


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:59 pm
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The mim strat being discussed here is not vintage radius. Its 9.5 with mj frets and soft v neck. It is a classic player 50s strat not a classic 50s.
My favorite neck. Great great guitar.


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Post subject: Re: 60th anniversary MIM vs American Special
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 4:02 pm
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The mim strat being discussed here is not vintage radius. It is 9.5 with mj frets and soft v neck.


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