I am about to buy my first Strat and want some advice on the best neck and fretboard. I hope to get an American deluxe and know that there are options for the neck.

Is there anywhere on this site that discusses the various necks and their relative worth? As far as I understand, rosewood fretboards play faster immediately while maple takes some time to play in and become faster. Is this right?

Also, what is the difference between a V and C neck?

I'm not being sarcastic when I say... if you don't even know the difference between a V and C neck, then you have a lot of playing to do before you can choose which neck you like.

AS for fingerboard woods... sweet jesus, does any forum ever have to do this thread again? Do a freakin' search already.

You'll find there is a big, steaming, apparently endless pile of conjecture but no actual facts on this subject, so do whet everybody does: choose the conjecture that you feel sounds best, and then cling to it like grim death.

Thanks, very much for the pretty unhelpful response. I thought that most musicians visiting the board would be prepared to contribute - if you can't then try to keep quiet.

I've done a fair bit of playing over the past 40 years of playing the guitar - mostly classical and I am fairly new to the electric set-up. I prefer a broad deep neck because of the classical background but also because I have a broad stretch between thumb and index finger. I prefer to play with my thumb on the back of the neck and not around it.

I did have a quick look on the forum but did not find anything recently about fretboards.

But thanks for your contribution, I'm sure that it will at least boost you post count!

Hell Somehairle,

Firstly welcome to the forum.

I like a rosewood board better cause I
like the contrast with the maple neck.

Ebony, would be a first choice, but
it's found on only a few models.

Cheers.

Thanks, Mr Bill. Appreciate your opinion. It seems that the ebony boards only come on HSS models? I'd rather stick with the single coils.

Welcome to the Forum.


It's really kind of difficult to tell someone which one would be the best as everyone has a slightly different feel for each neck. Up until a few months ago I didn't really care for Maple fretboards, I guess I had never found the right one. Now I have found one that I love.
I like the big headstocks, they just look better to me. I like a 7.25 in. fretboard radius, just feels more comfortable to me. I like the mid 80's MIJ RI necks they are very comfortable.
As for fretboard wood my 2 favs are on mid 80's MIJ RI Strats. One is Rosewood and the other is a Maple cap (Could be the reason for me liking this Maple fretboard).

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

Somehairle welcome to the forum… The bottom line is you are going to need to try both, Rosewood and Maple and see what you prefer… the difference only come down to what feels better to you and what looks better to you… I don’t in my heart believe that one is faster than the other.. Maple boards are easier to clean and don’t really need conditioned but you are only talking 5 extra minutes to a string change for rose wood. I own both and like both just fine but if had to choose one over the other, I prefer Maple.

As far as Your classical background and the position in witch you described yourself holding the neck I have to believe you will not be in love with a V shaped neck . I hold mine in the same fashion and dig the C shape much better……. Once again a preference; you may want to give both a spin to see.

again welcome the forum and have fun..

Bill

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Just telling you the truth, which is more than you'll get elsewhere on the net.

Seriously, man... do you honestly think that these fretboard woods have some kind of "relative worth?" Why not go all the way and ask which one is best for blues, or which one makes it easier to learn, or which one is "faster?"

There are dozens of threads about fretboard wood on this forum. Use the "Search" function.

I am going to defend SlapChop a little (not that he needs my help)...

All he was saying was that there have already been numerous (too many, actually) threads that debated maple vs rosewood. Further, the debate is really quite pointless. We all have our preferences (mine is rw), but they both are actually quite equal in all respects. Without enough playing time for you to decide which you like better, just choose the one that looks the best to you. Really.

As for C, D, U, V, or soft-V shapes and different radii, you need to play them to decide which you like. Since you have been playing classical for so long, there might be very well be a particular combination that works for you that you could only discover by pulling down guitars and playing them.

Just trying to be helpful. Really...

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Thanks, for the responses. I will try both when I go to purchase the guitar. I currently have an Epi Casino, Yamaha acoustic, Les Paul copy and Fender FC40 classical guitar. All have rosewood fretboards and the Casino is a real gem.

I am attracted to the maple board simply because it is different. Most of the stuff that I play on the Les Paul is rock and on the Casino it is blues - so it could be anything on the Strat.

And thanks wtcumm00 for the advice on the V neck. I had assumed that if it was wider it would be more suitable for my style of positioning.

Appreciate the advice guys.

Thanks, I take the point but please appreciate that it may not always be possible to try all the options - particularly where I live. It helps to have some knowledge of the various options to know whether or not it is worth asking the store to get hold of something that they don't have in stock.

SOM,Coming of your typy of guitar I would recomend a c shape and a rosewood fretboard. good luck

Hi somhairle. Well, that makes me curious as to where you live, out of sheer nosiness. Are you out on the islands or somesuch? Nice!

Anyhow. Regarding options: in real life there actually aren't many, far as Strats are concerned. The width of the neck is a fixed number at the heel end, because the neck pocket is a standardised size. And at the nut the difference generally ranges all the way from 42 to 43 mm.

Far as the shape of the back of the neck goes, these days your choice is almost entirely between the modern "C" shape found on most Strats, and the retro-ish soft "V" found on some reissue models. When you do manage to visit a guitar shop check out one of the '50s Reissue Strats and you will feel a Fender V neck. Most others will be C.

And the last thing to consider is the fingerboard radius. 9.5 inches is standard on most modern Strats. The earlier 7.25 is to be found on the Classic '50s and '60s Strats, and their more expensive "American Vintage" stablemates. Feels nice for chord work; but you have to have the action set a little higher to prevent choking on string bends.

A few Strats come with a Gibsonesque 12 inch radius. An expensive one is the Eric Johnson Signature Strat: a very affordable option is the Classic Player '60s Strat (not to be confused with the Classic '60s Strat). That one has a C shaped neck, which may suit your classical background.

That Classic Player ''60s Strat would be high on my list of recommendations for you to demo when you get the chance. And luckily for you it is a big seller so you are likely to find it in stock when you hit a decent shop. (The owner of a central London shop told me he sells more Classic Players than any other model Fender, bar none.)

Here's a link to it's page on this website: click the "specs" button to find out more about it:

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... 0141100372

Good luck - C

Thanks for the advice, Ceri. The Eric Johnston looks good but may just be above my price range. The neck on the Classic Player looks fine but maybe lacks the quality of the American deluxe.

I live in the west coast of Scotland and Glasgow is where I buy my stuff. Although there are a number of music stores, they do not carry an extensive range. GuitarGuitar seems to be about the best just now but even they have a limited range. However, now that I have looked at the various models another visit is needed to check what they have in store - their website is pretty extensive but they don't carry the full stock in store.

Somhairle. Slapchop is very correct theres more information on this board about necks than any half sane person needs to read. The search button is a good function and will provide you with a multitude of answers. So many infact on this subject that you will be just as confused as before you enquired if not more so.
That said maple or rosewood is an entirely personal choice. I enjoy both equally and have found little difference in how they play. There is maples self lubricating nature. By that i mean when your onstage playing for a hour and a half with the stuff dripping off you, the fretboard gets pretty slippy. Aside from that theres no real difference at all. I've A/B tested spent hours pondering and generaly wasted my own time. Any differences are negligable. You wont find any difference switching between the two that cant be sorted out in milliseconds.

Given that you prefer a thicker neck try the Baja Telecaster. Its a beast of a neck said to be a soft V. I own a soft V'd strat the tele neck dwarfs it. Its more of a elongated U shape similar in depth to most classical guitars that i've played. As Ceri said width makes it feel nothing like a classical, but its a consideration.

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