I play some Hendrix and SRV style songs using my thumb over the top. By the time I get through a song using my thumb, my wrist is aching pretty good. Now I broke my wrist racing four wheelers years ago and it's always givin' me a little trouble. But I notice when I play the same songs on my AVRI '57, it's aching but not as bad as when I play them on the Am Standard. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it more comfortable with a thicker profiled neck. Niether of my necks really "fill" up my hand.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

_________________
"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

I like thicker necks, but once read somewhere that thick necks are more comfortable to persons with hand/wrist conditions such as carpal tunnel or mild arthritis. With a thicker neck, your hand does not have to close as far to fret the strings.

I have best results using my thumb like that on my Strat with a 7.25" radius, but I'm
sure that the neck profile is as important as the radius.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I find that laying my thumb over the top hurts nowadays with all the arthritis I have....it's easier in my case with a thinner neck,but a full C neck feels better for everything else.

The First Thing A Good Teacher Will Tell You Is To Use Proper Hand Position. Thumb Opposite Fore Or Index Finger. I Can Cover The Whole Neck Comfortably That Way And I Broke Both Of My Wrists As A Kid Too. On Dirt Bikes.

_________________
Vintage Hotrod '57 Strat, 81 G&L L2000 Series E Bass, Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp.

I think so IMHO however if your hands are small ,muting the
A string when chording, or adding in sus notes will be
Challenging .
The avri 57 soft V should allow you to accomplish comfortably.
I did play a hr 62 neck and was challenging playing my normal
Style , which is thumb over

_________________
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

Soft V neck works well for the thumb over thing.

I Know Everybodys Hands Are Different. When I Started To Play The Bass I Did The Thumb Over Thing Thinking It Was More Rock Star. I Started To Make More Progress Holding My Hand The Proper Way.

_________________
Vintage Hotrod '57 Strat, 81 G&L L2000 Series E Bass, Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp.

While it is technically true the "proper" thumb placement is on the back of the neck, opposite the first finger....keep in mind that this school of thought comes from classical guitar teaching, and classicals have HUGE necks, so the thumb over is almost impossible to do. I say good technique goes a long way, but you have to play comfortable as well. I mix it up, using the thumb behind the neck on power chords and thumb over for almost everything else.

Thanks for the help guys.

_________________
"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

I ain't had a guitar lesson in 40 years.....
The technique,if that's what you could call it was used by Jimi Hendrix on lots of chords and although it isn't a "proper" technique,it works.

Edited to add: After I posted this last night I remembered I have had a "lesson"...last year in a Master Class given by Jack Pearson,guitar wizard deluxe.....we didn't talk about thumbs though.

The AVRI 57 neck is very comfortable for chording. I found it to be a tad uncomfortable when soloing in the higher frets, however.

I've heard the American Deluxe V necks are flatter on the back of the neck up toward the higher frets. Never tried one myself, though.

Oh...and the AVRI 57 isn't really a soft V. It's more of a regular V. The '50s Road Worns have a Soft V and I found them more comfortable than the AVRI.

depends on your hand size. big hand= bigger neck small hand = smaller neck

depends on your hand size. big hand= bigger neck small hand = smaller neck


That's innaresting, because I have pretty big hands, but I like the small C necks like on the AVRI '62

well its a genral rule but for 98% of things in the guitar wourld its personal prefrence.