neck size for smallish hands

Bones

I wouldn't go any narrower than 1.75" though or the strings will be too close together (for my taste anyway) and I have smallish hands.

You could go with the Selmer thickness but with a more modern rounded profile (i.e. not boxy) for comfort.

Also, what Craig said about the fretboard edge shape will help.

Franz Morales

is 1.75" classical guitar width? I use my thumb for chords, and the idea of strings not bunched together is appealing. but I worry my thumb won't reach over. a wide neck with a v- or c-profile sounds like it would work. though I have to be sure just how wide 1.75" is.

Jazzaferri

San other factor that can influence neck comfort other than scale, length profile and width, is the radius of the fretboard.

For those with large but shortish fingers more radius can ease a cramped board a bit. I have 16" on my Dunn and wish I had gotten Michael to make it with a 14" radius. Not sure why it feels less cramped but for me it seems to make a difference.

Bones

1.75" (at the nut) is kind of 'standard' for a modern archtop. Slightly narrower than a 'stock' Selmer I think. I have smallish hands and my Gallato is 1.8" and it is not so much the width of the neck as the boxy shape. Don't go too narrow or the strings will be too close together. Don't go too thin or the neck won't be stiff enough. Think about going for a more modern rounder profile (rather than the boxy Selmer shape) and the softening of the edge of the fretboard (as Craig mentioned) if you are looking for comfort for small hands.

Let us know how your project goes!

Craig Bumgarner

Of the manouche guitars I've looked at, 44-45mm is fairly common at the zero fret and 55-57mm at the body join. Thickness can run anywhere from 21mm to 24mm at the 0/1 fret spacing and 23mm to 27mm at the 9/10.

You can put the four dimensions together as follows as shorthand to define neck dimensions: 44.5mm x 56mm x 22.5mm x 25mm. To me, combined with a D shaped profile, this makes a nice neck size for this style guitar, one which many players will find comfortable. Plus or minus a mm on any of these dimensions would not be a disaster.

There are more extreme examples out there. Some of the old J. Castelluccias had necks the size of big end of a baseball bat. Seriously. Interestingly, JC also made some very neck narrow necks too (42 x 54.5 x 22.8 x 25.5 and a C profile) that play very nicely. Some Patenottes have very narrow (43.5 x 54) but thick necks (25 x 27+) that also play nice. Again, there is no one single way to make a comfortable neck and players adapt quickly to most good ones regardless of the specifics. Just watch out for extremes.

Franz Morales

I did some Google-Fu and found a handy chart on neck sizes, 1.75" seems to be normal for modern steel guitars (about two levels below fingerstyle classical width, and 1 level below Gypsy guitars) with 2" the standard classical neck width. There're two levels below it, but I think 1.75" is ideal (or 44-45mm as Craig mentioned). I think I'll go with 1.75", but with a soft V-profile. However, I can't visualize the 'soft edge' of a fretboard. What does it mean? It slopes inward from the edges? Correct?

pickitjohn

@ Franz Morales

See if This Helps Any

pick on
pickitjohn :peace:

pickitjohn

If this is not the same with a Gypsy Jazz Guitar, please Correct where necessary.

Contour of folk guitar neck(U shape, V shape, C shape etc. )

http://www.a-violin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Neck-Shape-2.jpg

Great Pictures and info @ http://www.a-violin.com/blog/?p=220

pick on
pickitjohn :peace:

Craig Bumgarner

The second chart above seems more realistic than the first. The first one seems exaggerated in the thickness. In the second chart, all are narrower than most GJ guitars, but the shapes are interesting and illustrative. Most above seem to have softer shoulders than most GJ necks I encounter.

The "U or D 50s" shape and the "Eliptical- Flat Oval - Modern" in the illustration below seem fairly common on GJ guitars. The Flat Oval Modern is very close to a Dupont neck. The Dupont would be a little thicker and have slightly stronger shoulders.

[ I wanted to put an attachment here, but I accidentally deleted it and I can't get it back in via "edit". So see next post"

Yes, soft edge on the fingerboard = "slopes inward". I call it a "return" Like "C or Oval 60s" above. I use a bit more slope inward than in this sketch. A return is a fairly common treatment in archtop guitars where making comfortable, playable necks is a highly elevated art. It is easy enough to build, you just have to plan for it.

Just goes to show there are many, many ways to carve a neck.

Craig Bumgarner

Like this