# I need a wider fretboard!



## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

So that the high E string isn't always muted by my hand when I play chords. 

Why is the room between that string and the end of the fretboard so small?


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I only find that to be an issue in certain circumstances. Right now, it's while I'm using my thumb for fretting on the 6th string. It just seems that the position I need to put my hand in to do it also puts it in a position to mute the 1st string. The plus is, I only do it sometimes so I know it's possible to not mute, it's just a matter of more practice/better technique.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I hear you. I don't know if you have large hands and big fingers like me but narrow necks are very difficult for me. I won't even look at a guitar with a 1 5/8" nut. If you have a guitar with a bolt on neck, you can get a wider neck made locally or at a company like Lou's Wide Neck Guitars. Big Lou wide nut products


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

You won't like my suggestion but: practice.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Budda said:


> You won't like my suggestion but: practice.


If he has normal size hands, yes. For those of you who don't know what it's like to have large hands and fingers, that kind of comment is not very helpful. It would be on par to telling a major leaguer to keep practicing with a peewee bat because he is not hitting enough long balls.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I was reading something on the Gibson site about them going to fret boards 0.050 wider on each side but with standard string spacing to give you extra room on the edges for bending & stuff


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> If he has normal size hands, yes. For those of you who don't know what it's like to have large hands and fingers, that kind of comment is not very helpful. It would be on par to telling a major leaguer to keep practicing with a peewee bat because he is not hitting enough long balls.


Not remotely the same. Most guitars will be pretty close in nut width, so unless he grabs a classical it will be a pretty hard battle to find a guitar with the right width neck. Practicing takes the width out of the equation.

If a guy with no arms can play guitar, our friend can work on his technique.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

The 2015 Firebird has a slightly wider neck.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Steadfastly said:


> If he has normal size hands, yes. For those of you who don't know what it's like to have large hands and fingers, that kind of comment is not very helpful. It would be on par to telling a major leaguer to keep practicing with a peewee bat because he is not hitting enough long balls.


How can you say the advice to practice isn't helpful? It may be obvious but an obvious truth is sometimes the best advice. Along with that practice will come adaptability which is really the name of the game. If the short fingers are an issue, then adapting is probably the most effective, long term solution.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2016)

And what about adult mandolin players?
How can they play with such a narrow neck?


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I used to think narrow necks were the answer, until I played my Strat and my 335. Now I'm GAS'n for chunky necks for all my guitars. I find so much more comfort and control with them


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

JBFairthorne said:


> How can you say the advice to practice isn't helpful? It may be obvious but an obvious truth is sometimes the best advice. Along with that practice will come adaptability which is really the name of the game. If the short fingers are an issue, then adapting is probably the most effective, long term solution.


Of course practice is helpful. I didn't say it wasn't. What I said was it wasn't helpful if the problem was large hands and large fingers. Priactice can help but it will not alleviate the space problem. If you do not have hands and fingers like that, it is impossible for you to understand. It is the "walk a mile in my shoes" scenario.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

laristotle said:


> And what about adult mandolin players?
> How can they play with such a narrow neck?


Larry, how many strings does a mandolin have? 

And yes, it is a problem for those with large hands and fingers.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2016)

Steadfastly said:


> Larry, how many strings does a mandolin have?
> 
> And yes, it is a problem for those with large hands and fingers.


4-8.

The point being, as mentioned previously, practice will help to co-ordinate
ones fingers to be able to play whatever neck you want to get used to.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Gibson 2015 models


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

laristotle said:


> 4-8.
> 
> The point being, as mentioned previously, practice will help to co-ordinate
> ones fingers to be able to play whatever neck you want to get used to.


Larry, I read almost all of your posts and respect you as one having greater knowledge than I do (as most here do). However, as true as your post is, it only goes so far when the obstacle of finger tips are wider than the space allowed on a regular neck.

Have you ever seen a 6' 6", 270lb. linebacker driving a Toyota Yaris? No? There is a reason for that.


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2016)

Now you're making me blush. Thank you.
I don't really know that much. 
The secret is, as I periodically mention, google is your friend.

There's also Warmoth's 'super wide' necks.
Made to fit into a standard body's neck pocket, but, has a 1/16" fretboard over hang on each side.
Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts - Superwide Tiltback Modern Neck




Steadfastly said:


> Have you ever seen a 6' 6", 270lb. linebacker driving a Toyota Yaris?


It comes down to modifications. lol.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

I don't think I'd go with super-wide, but a tad wider might help. 

I think the shape of the neck also help with the palm on the E-string issue. I seem to have more issues with my Jackson guitar than the strat or the VS. Maybe it's thinner too.

I often think my fingers are just not pointy enough, as there are chords I seem to struggle to not touch other strings, and when the next strings up or down are OK, the issue is with the high-e.

I'd be happy with just a tad wider, or at least more room around the Es. 

Practice will help regardless, but wider necks would too. 

Watch that, if I had a wider neck, I'd complain about how far the low-E is. Lol.


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## Bastille day (Mar 2, 2014)

Jamdog said:


> So that the high E string isn't always muted by my hand when I play chords.
> 
> Why is the room between that string and the end of the fretboard so small?


I have did a bit of research on why Fender only offers basically one nut width and along with a lot of other people, left with no answers or options. I started on a classical guitar with a 2 " neck and apparently some of us are suppose to transition to 1 5/8" with no problem. You wouldn't offer a baseball team one size of baseball bat so it's beyond me why a former iconic company like Fender would offer so few options as far as neck size. There are numerous signature models for the rich to hang on the wall and models that fit in with your daughters bedroom décor but not much else. Something tells me that with an ex- Disney marketing specialist in charge, how comfortable a guitar is to play is not a priority but profits are.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Jamdog said:


> I don't think I'd go with super-wide, but a tad wider might help.
> 
> I think the shape of the neck also help with the palm on the E-string issue. I seem to have more issues with my Jackson guitar than the strat or the VS. Maybe it's thinner too.
> 
> ...


Honestly, I don't recall how far along you are in your "learning how to play guitar" journey, but it's worth mentioning that WE ALL had a tough time with everything you describe along OUR journey. Unintentionally muting strings while chording, pulling strings off the edge of the fretboard, hitting more strings than you intended, stretching our fingers to get "there", trying to squeeze them all in in a tight spots farther up the neck...etc, etc, etc. It REALLY is just an awareness of the problem and then practicing better/more accurate form.

I can see your immediate thinking about getting a fretboard that would make this process easier but consider...if you get some unusual/uncommon neck at some point you're going to be faced with a choice of either learning on a regular neck like what you already have or keep putting the same weird neck on every guitar you own...forever.

With the absolute best intentions, my advice is just keep what you've got. Keep looking at/trying new guitars along the way. Sooner or later you'll either find a standard neck that suits you better or learn to play the neck you have...or maybe even learn to be adaptable and play all sorts of neck shapes and profiles.


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## flattopterry (Mar 6, 2011)

I have a G&L Superhawk Deluxe Jerry Cantrell with a 1-3/4" nut. It seemed huge when I first started playing it, going from a Strat, but got used to it. Might be worth a try to see if that works for you. The Tributes are priced pretty well.


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## mr trick (Sep 21, 2013)

I put a new nut on with the 1 string cut a bit further in, usually about 5/32 or 3/16, instead of 1/8, when I use my hands a lot(woodworker), they lose agility and gain mass.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

mr trick said:


> I put a new nut on with the 1 string cut a bit further in, usually about 5/32 or 3/16, instead of 1/8, when I use my hands a lot(woodworker), they lose agility and gain mass.


That's actually interesting. 

Would you happen to have pictures? 


Whole I agree with others that I should just suck it in, practice, and not get used to unusually wide ones, I could see this minor mod as not being too bad. 

That said, the project strat I am refinishing seems to have just the right amount of magic for me to not use any of the many curses and swear words of the French Canadian language.


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## mr trick (Sep 21, 2013)

JD, take a look at my avatar, can't figure out how to upload any pic, pm me if you want me to email it to you.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)




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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

Something that seem to help is a different hand placement. 

Instead of having the neck deep in the thumb-index area, like thi:









If I put my hand further down and the thumb less around the neck









The issues are more limited. 

However, it is harder on the arm. 

Anything I am doing wrong?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

The goal is to always be comfortable. I believe I play like #2, however my arm doesn't hurt after.

If you're not comfortable, change the way you're holding the guitar. If that doesn't work, it may be worth looking for a new axe. I know tendonitis is a reason a few people switch over to headless guitars, or parker guitars for back issues.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

Budda said:


> The goal is to always be comfortable. I believe I play like #2, however my arm doesn't hurt after.
> 
> If you're not comfortable, change the way you're holding the guitar. If that doesn't work, it may be worth looking for a new axe. I know tendonitis is a reason a few people switch over to headless guitars, or parker guitars for back issues.


I think you're right, I need to pay attention to how I hold the whole thing. I guess after a few time practicing I'll find the best holding position and it'll come natural...


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## capnjim (Aug 19, 2011)

Hey Jamdog...this might be a dumb question, but do you keep your nails short??


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

capnjim said:


> Hey Jamdog...this might be a dumb question, but do you keep your nails short??


It's not a dumb question. Au contraire. Part of playing well involves proper finger placement and that involves short nails. 

I've been told some pop female signers (with long nails) play ridiculous chords for that specific reason. 




Ive always kept my nails shortish. But since playing the guitar, I keep them shorter. 

I got a set of manucure tools (only really need a nail clipper) for the guitar case, helps to have it handy. 

I frequented a violin player while in college, she mentionned several times how important it was to keep nails very short. Well, now I know why and agree. 


Back to my original post, the best is to get proper hand placement. I am training myself a different fretting hand placement and am having less issues with touching other strings, and mainly the high E. 

Although I tought of getting a classical guitar. (well, the daughter wanted one...)


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

laristotle said:


> Now you're making me blush. Thank you.
> I don't really know that much.
> The secret is, as I periodically mention, google is your friend.
> 
> ...


My old roommate had to stick his head out the sunroof to comfortably sit in my CRX. From his eyebrows up stuck out.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Hand placement is a HUGE factor. That being said, there are lots of times when hand placement might change. For example, my hand placement is VERY different when I'm barring chords as opposed to open chords. Most of the time, it comes down to arching the fingers adequately.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

My 57JVRI has narrow string spacing and slightly wider neck. I was reading that this is a big problem on Vintage fenderguitars, they have wide string space and narrow neck. Now there are so many bridges and necks and combos you should be able to get something to fit the bill


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

knight_yyz said:


> My 57JVRI has narrow string spacing and slightly wider neck. I was reading that this is a big problem on Vintage fenderguitars, *they have wide string space and narrow neck*. Now there are so many bridges and necks and combos you should be able to get something to fit the bill


I am truly perplexed how this can be on a narrow neck. There is only so much space. Are you speaking relatively?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm going by what I have read. Vintage string spacing is 2-3/16? IIRC. I put a 2-1/16 spacing on mine to make sure there was no hanging off the edge. And IIRC a Japanese neck is metric so it is a smidge wider.


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