So I am looking for another Strat. I have an American Special with the modern C shaped neck and a RI 72 Deluxe Thinline Tele with the "C" shaped neck (I believe). Neither guitar really lets me grip around the entire fretboard to do those crunchy, Hendrix or SRV chords. I will probably spend just under $1000 and don't mind getting a used one either. I have considered just getting the guitar I want and then swapping out the neck but I haven't found a neck that works well for me yet. I have tried a regular V but it didn't seem to help much. Anybody out there with the same issue?

Hi Drock2k1,

Try a few strats that have a 7.25 inch radius, they might be easier to use your thumb over the top. Like the 70s series U-shaped (MIM or MIA), or even a '62 RI (C-shape?).

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I will definitely check out the smaller radius. I have stayed away from them so far because I was always told that you couldn't set your action very low with them but I think at this point, I will try anything.

......Ever played a Clapton guitar?

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"Another day in paradise!"

Hi Drock,most Strats these days have a "B" neck but Fender makes A B and C necks withA being the narrowest,if you could find an A neck that may help as its about 1/8" narrower than the B.BTW they also make/made a D neck but rarely used it.My fingers are pretty short also and I find the neck of the Jimmie Vaughn very comfortable and I can play Hendrix stuff on it with no problem.Also the necks of the L series(62-65)Strats were usually a very shallow C-at least my '65 and my buddy's '62 are- so a '62 reissue may do the trick.Good Luck.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I haven't played a Clapton or Jimmie Vaughan but I have played a standard V neck and it didn't really seem comfortable. Is there a large different between the V and soft V? Is it true that you have to have the action set higher on the smaller radius?

[quote="guitslinger"]My fingers are pretty short also and I find the neck of the Jimmie Vaughn very comfortable and I can play Hendrix stuff on it with no problem.[quote]
Drock states that the V-neck is a problem for him. That neck is Fender's 10/56 V-neck.....their generic standard 'soft-V'. Got that right from the ME's mouth after pressing the issue. AS with the JV, the same neck on my Deluxe VG and was the same neck on my BG Polka Dot. The Clapton is a bit leaner. I've done a wrap-around measurement on both. The "57VHR also has the feel of the Clapton. I don't where he wants to go dollar-wise but, auditioning these guitars and then shopping around might get him a deal he can live with. :idea[/b] Yes, the 7.5's don't bend as well as the flatter 9.5 and a tad higher setup might be needed to get your fingers under the strings on an up-bend.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Awesome suggestions. I want to stay under 1G but I can score a used Clapton for around that price if I like the neck. I live close to Sweetwater and will be heading up there this weekend to try some out.

Uhmmmm.......we do tend come up with a goodie around here now and then Let us know what you end up doing.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Thanks! Will do.

Well, I went to a few shops over the weekend and found some guitars that I really enjoyed playing. The neck that I liked the most was on a Custom Shop Relic 5O's strat that ran about 5k It was a 7.25 radius neck and I absolutely loved it. So now I am looking for 7.25 necks which means eather stinking expensive vintage re-issues or Road Worn's.

I played a Meyer strat and was so disappointed that I didn't bond with it immediately but the neck was just too large for me to wrap all of the way around. To be honest, the American Deluxes that I played felt like a better quality instrument. It could have been the setup, but I was so sad I didn't love it. Well, the search continues.

Is your heart set on an American or signature series Strat? There are some options that might suit you from across the border. I have a 2004 MIM Standard Strat with a C neck and I have no trouble getting my hand around it. While I don't have the smallest hands in the world, I'm no Hendrix either. Sometimes it gets awkward with bigger necks for me. Import Fenders have a different string spacing than American guitars, it's a little narrower. It's not a huge deal, but it might make a little bit of a difference. Jimmie Vaughan signature Strats are the only MIM guitar I know of with American string spacing since they have American hardware. The necks on those feel really nice too. I like the Clapton sig too. I'm not a huge fan of the V necks on some of the 50s reissues though, too sharp.

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I do own an American built Strat but with the quality of some of the MIM's it really isn't a huge issue that all of my Fenders are MIA. I still want to play a Classic Player 50's since it has the soft V but the Classic has the V with 7.25 radius so I will probably seek one of those out as well. Not all of my Strat's will have a 7.25 radius from now on but my next one most likely will.

If you can snag a MIJ strat most of them have the 7.25 necks. Most Japanese have small hands.

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The Jimmie vaughn has a very comfortable and very soft V,by far the most comfortable neck outside the Lseries that I've ever played.With my small hands and a neuro-muscular problem in my hands I played mine at 2 jams last Saturday for a total of over 5 hrs with no problems.I can't say enough good about the Jimmie Vaughn-it also has the most righteous soulful sound of any of the newer Strats that I've played in the past while.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.