Can someone please give me some general advice on Strat neck, frets and fretboard sizes and styles?......I have small hands and I've taken in so much information on different Strat models that I don't know what would be optimal for me....I haven't noticed a problem with ANY of them when I've played them.....But in general am I better off looking to get a Strat with: a wide neck; a c-shaped neck; a vintage v-shaped neck; 6105 frets? Vintage frets? medium jumbo frets? Jumbo frets? a 7.25" neck radius? A 10" neck radius? A 12" neck radius? (I just watched a Greg Koch demo video on You Tube where I think he mentioned a "wide neck for ease of play"......I've been looking at so many Strats I've reached the point of analysis paralysis.....Want to play at this point surf/early 60's stuff.....Any input sincerely appreciated!

Chris in Florida

I'd recommend going to a GC or some other shop with a large-and-diverse inventory of Strat models. Play as many different types as you can and note how your hand interfaces with each fretboard. Then write down the exact models that felt comfortable to you. When you get home, correlate those models to their spec sheets offered on this web site with special emphasis on the fretboard details. That should allow you to determine which frets and fretboard radius best fits your hand.

HTH

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Arjay has the best advice - try them all and don't discount any model based on the specs on paper.

I'll use myself as an example - I've got really small hands so in the past I stuck with guitars with vintage nut widths like AVs (with the vintage 7.25" radius) and other brands that use the vintage nut width combined with a modern radius like Ernie Ball/Music Man and G&L (note that Fender uses 1.650" as their "vintage" width while EBMM and G&L use a true 1 5/8" width which works out mathematically to 1.625").

That being said - I have kind of fallen for the neck on my Fender Select Tele which has a 1 11/16" nut width and a compound radius - my hand is more relaxed. It's a trade off as I could do some stretches better on the EBMMs, but my hand always felt more "tense" for lack of a better term on the EBMMs.

My long-winded point being you have to try them all and see what works.

You have all the answer you need, now. Let me add....HAND SIZE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NECK SIZE YOU SHOULD CHOOSE!!!

Best thing to do (but very hard) is to mentally discard ALL ideas of "specs" and just play some. Don't even worry about radiusor profile, just play.

That said, I went through a dozen guitar picking mine. Now, after all that, I'm much less picky that I thought I'd be.

Thanks, Salty Strat Veterans!

Best of luck and let us know the results of your search.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Will Do- I plan to going to my local GC tomorrow- I wonder if they'll have any of the new American Vintage Strats in yet......

If you don't have an idea of neck profile or fret size, you really need to play more than just Fenders. Play a bit of everything... try many different brands. It might turn out that you like the fat LP neck, the Ibanez Wizard profile, the Jackson Speed Neck, or you might just love a Strat.

Well, I went to the local Guitar Center this afternoon......I had already decided that I definitely wanted a Strat......I played a 2011 American Standard and a 2012 American Standard and both felt great to me....I liked the sound of the "Fat 50's" pickups on the 2012 a bit better.....But the Strat that I played that I REALLY loved was a used 1990's American Vintage '57 Reissue.....Played fabulous, even with pretty badly worn strings........I played these through a Fender Showman amp....So, bottom line is, Veterans advice on this board tunred out to be true- I really didn't have a hangup with neck width, etc.....The medium jumbo frets on the newer American Standards were fineand I had no problem at all with the vintage style frets on the '57 Reissue....So I'm thinking I'll go with the best model I can afford in about 6 months and buy the one that feels and sounds the best when I play it....

Uh......you do realize that nothing made today sounds like a Fender Showman, right?

Few on this board have ever even seen one, let alone own one.

Keep that in mind as you continue the quest to find "your" Strat.



Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

+1 Retroverbial

When trying out guitars I feel it is very important that the amp you use in the store is the same or very close to the amp you use at home. Good luck with your Strat Quest.

Cheers!
BM

_________________
This is the Blues. Are you listening?

Uh...err...The amp I played through was a Fender FRONTMAN (Slinking away embarrassed).....

How in the world could you mistake a Christmas stocking stuffer for this......?





Go my son and sin no more!



Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Showman, frontman.
What's the difference

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

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

In all seriousness, get the AVRI 57 strat!!!!
It's a 90s AVRI 57, how much were they asking?

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

oogway, kungfu panda 2008