Playability |
Players have differing opinions about what comprises the ideal shape and size of a guitar neck. Some like a rounded neck, others a flatish, Fleta-style neck. Some like low, soft actions and will tolerate some buzz of strings on frets. Others, often players with powerful techniques, do not like any buzz and hence prefer a higher action and wider string spacing.
I try to accommodate a player's preferences. Here are the size parameters within which I work.
| Parameter |
Size |
| Width of neck at nut |
49 - 54 mm |
| Width of strings at nut |
40 - 45 mm |
| Width of neck at 12th fret |
58 - 62 mm |
| Width of strings at 12th fret |
49 - 53 mm |
| Height of action at 12th fret |
3 - 4.5 mm |
| Depth of neck at 0 fret |
20 - 22 mm |
| Depth of neck at 8th fret |
23 - 24 mm |
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There are a number of things that contribute to making an action soft, medium or hard -
- The angle of the head where it attaches to the neck
- The thickness and stiffness of the wood in the top
- The number and size of the soundboard's braces
- The thickness of the bridge.
Changing the size of any of these will change the sound the guitar produces. A softer action is the result of a combination of less stiff braces, thinner soundboard, thinner bridge and a shallower angle between neck and head. These tend to lessen sustain and reduce volume.
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