I have a new MIM SSS black and white Strat. I love it. it is my first Strat. My hands are small and the neck is a little thick for me. Anyone have any suggestions about thinning it down. I want a flatter profile, a "D" shape, I think thats the term used. As I hear people call the standard shape a "C" Thanks in advance.

Hi oneal lane: if your neck is hairy then shaving is certainly an option...

Seriously, what with your questions about converting your Strat to a hardtail on your other thread it's beginning to look like perhaps you have the wrong instrument?

Re-shaping a neck is perfectly do-able, within limitations. Fairly fundamental though: I'd go try a lot of other guitars first and see if you are absolutely clear about what you are trying to achieve. There's no way back if you get it wrong, and these mods are destroying the resale value of the guitar if you after all then decide you need to move to something else...

Cheers - C

I have a friend who is a killer guitar player, he has smaller hands and loves big wide chunky necks. He compensated for the neck size by finding an alternate way to place his hand on the neck as he plays.
Maybe before you go butchering a perfectly good neck you should experiment with hand position?

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Exactly right.

I have smallish hands yet a Strat is just about right for me. In fact, if anything the width is on the narrow side. Short fingers are sometimes fat fingers too ( ): I certainly have no problems playing wider necks on other guitars.

Far as the depth of the neck is concerned, there are other slightly smaller ones out there. Certain brands aimed at the shredder market spring to mind. Strange thing: I find my brother-in-law's Ibanez with its "fast" neck comfortable at first. But my hand tires faster on it.

Modern Fender C neck takes some beating, all things considered...

Cheers - C

My friend likes the baseball bat type of necks (50's RI Gibson style). If I'm not mistaken he moved his thumb position down closer to the bottom of the back of the neck to compensate.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Thanks, As I said before I can play it along OK, an I imagine I would get more used to it as time goes on. I have the same problem with the Les Paul, I love them but they have that big fat neck. I have a Japanese HSS strat copy form the early 1980's, that was given to me by a player who is long passed away. The brand name is "Quest" (anyone know anything about Quest let me know, its a mystery to me), Its a pretty good guitar and has a really sweet ebony neck thats perfect to me. I think any shaving on my MIM will be just a minimum adjustment. I am not in a hurry to do it. Just here on this forum finding out options. As to my previous post about a hard tail conversion and the comments about having the wrong guitar. No I have a good guitar and the right one. (One of the right ones, I want many more) But face it human anatomy and tastes are diverse. Thats why some people have scalloped fretboards etc. So today I have learned that a hardtail conversion is a very complex affair and there is a simple fix that does not require conversion and does not involve a block. Thanks everyone!

Hi again oneal: you understand we're only out to find the right solution for you? No disrespect intended.

Obviously, we're big Strat enthusiasts here, but most of us appreciate there's other kinds of guitars as well that offer different features. No shame in discovering that something else is better suited to you.

If you do decide to try and adjust the neck to your hand I stand by what I said earlier. You need to try out a bunch of different necks and find the one you like best. Have some digital calipers with you (not expensive) and take measurements of depth at the first and 12th frets (just before the back of the neck starts angling out towards the heel). Also measure the width of the neck at the nut and the heel (actual measurements, not official specs).

Your measurements need to be accurate to a 0.001" / 0.1 mm if a luthier is to stand a chance of carrying out your shaving mod successfully. And you have to study the cross-section of the neck you like closely as well. Descriptions such as "D shape" may not be precise enough to get you what you want.

And bear in mind this is going to cost. Careful work is required, and then the neck will need to be refinished and rebuffed. Not cheap - especially in proportion to a Mexican Strat.

This is why I think you may do better to just find a guitar with a neck you prefer in the first place. But be conscious that small hands don't always match a small neck - as I mentioned above.

Last thing. Another route to a comfortable neck is scalloped fingerboard edges. That means the edge is smoothed to a curve between the frets, which are left alone. Take a look at the fingerboards on James Tyler "super Strats" for the ultimate. It's a slightly more sophisticated version of Fender's rolled fingerboard edges on their American models (which are also very excellent).

The word "scallop" here has nothing to do with the scalloping of the fingerboard surface in the style of the Yngwie Malmsteen Strat, by the way. A different issue entirely.

Good luck with it - and let us know how you get on...

Cheers - C

No problem, I tried a MIA SSS and a particular shop in a town far away, that had a neck with a perfect feel to it. I wanted it quite bad but finances were a problem. And also I had really wanted the HSS. I was so tempted and would have dropped my HSS requirement. I would have held out for it, but my local shop had his MIM's on sale, and it was a steal. Tried all the MIA's in my local shop and they were all beefy, as with the MIM. My local guy gave me a lot of time. I looked at some Jacksons but it was not for me. I did however really like the Charvel San Dimas style 1. Those necks are great, much to my liking. At least the one I played. But the price was out of my league right now. I am ashamed to tell you what a great price I got on my new MIM. It was so good, that I decided to go with the flow. Even if I never change a thing on this instrument, and after what I have learned here today probably will not, I love it , and am happy with it. If I can make some changes without major investments etc. I will, if not, it will be what it will be. Its a nice instrument with great sound. It's my first strat and I am on the learning curve. No offense taken.

Thinner necks tire my hands quicker too. I'm sure its because they encourage clutching rather than holding. Also yousing any force within a small distance is more demanding than using the same force over a larger distance. I attribute a lot of my attitude to shorter distance movements to martial arts and simple body mechanics. http://hopkinswingchun.wetpaint.com/page/Wing+Chun+Principles?t=anon

Although i have small hands i'm rapidly reaching the conclusion that neck depth doesnt have much to do with playing aside from superfluous comfort. Who cant reach round a strat? whos index finger is shorter than 50mm and thumb to index finger spacing less than 20mm? What do classical guitarists with diminutive hands do? Classical necks are real treetrunks.
The only real answer i can think of is to adjust thumb position on the left hand.

_________________
No no and no

shaving a neck is a big big job. I lwould find one I like a lot, and measure the crap out of it before even trying.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Sound advice.
The tool, steel wool.

_________________
-Kc
"Payin' dues."

There is also the option of an after market neck. They come in many sizes.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I agree with Ceri.. Try the PRS SE

_________________
Custom Shop '59 Strat with John Cruz Master Design Pickups
Vibro King
Fulltone Clyde>Deja-Vibe>TS-808>TS-9>Boss Tuner

Or the prs santana. Them things are monster hand sized.

_________________
No no and no

I would find an aftermarket neck, and see if you can find one that fits your hand better. Also, if you decide to shave, or alter the aftermarket neck, you have not killed the guitars resale value, just bolt it back on. Warmoth, Allparts and others sell very nice necks in many sizes.