There is a growing demand for electric guitars with thinner necks, but what about those who favor wider necks? The wider neck is preferred by many guitarists because it provides a more comfortable feel in their hands and makes the instrument easier to play.
Additionally, it ought to provide you with a little bit more space in between each string.
People who find themselves in any one of the following circumstances may benefit greatly from this:
Having hands or fingers of a larger size.
Who are proficient in both rhythm and power chord playing
Those who come from a background in classical guitar and are transitioning to electric guitar (classical guitars have wide fretboards)
Simply put, you favor the design of a neck that is wider.
Those Who Play the Rhythm Guitar
Beginners
In the future, we are going to be on the lookout for electric guitars that satisfy the following criteria:
Do not have an extended firing range (not seven-string or eight-string guitars)
They are neither modified nor made to order.
At the nut, the width should be greater than 1.68 inches.
For those who aren’t familiar with the term, the “nut” on an electric guitar is located near the headstock at the very top of the fretboard. We’d start our measurements there if we were building an electric guitar with a wider neck.
Guitars with Electric Strings That Have a Wider Neck (over 1.68″)
There are three mainline electric guitar brands that typically use a wider neck design, measuring at or above 1.68 inches at the nut. These guitars are known as “jumbo” necks. PRS, Gibson, and Ibanez are all brands that fall into this category.
Those Manufacturers Who Typically Employ a Narrower Neck
1.687 inches on the PRS scale
1.695 inches for a Gibson.
Ibanez: 1.692
Epiphone and Jackson are two other brands that experience greater price swings. The majority of the other mainline brands typically utilize a neck that is narrower, measuring approximately 1.65 inches across the nut.
What is considered a normal width for the neck?
At the point where the fretboard terminates, and the headstock begins, the nut of the majority of electric guitar necks measures between 1.65 and 1.67 inches. Even a small amount of extra space can make a significant impact on how a neck feels in your hands and how it responds to your playing, so even though the increase to 1.68 might not seem like a big deal, it is.
Fender Stratocasters
The majority of American Stratocasters have a body width that ranges from 1.65 to 1.67 inches, but some of the higher-end models have a width that exceeds 1.68 inches.
Fender Telecasters
As is the case with Stratocasters, high-end Telecasters have wider necks measuring approximately 1.68 inches, while lower-end models stick closer to 1.65 inches.
Squier Stratocaster
At the base of the neck, the vast majority of Squier Strats have a width of 1.65 inches.
Squier Telecasters
The necks of Squier Telecasters are noticeably thinner, reaching a minimum of 1.6 inches in width but typically hovering around 1.65.
What exactly qualifies as a “wide” neck for an electric guitar?
1.68 inches has been decided upon as the dividing line by us. Any electric guitar with a nut width that is greater than 1.68 inches is considered to have a wide neck. This, of course, does not include extended range guitars (seven or eight-string electrics), on which the additional fretboard width is rendered irrelevant by the presence of an even greater number of strings.
Will there be any way for me to tell the difference between the two?
The “feel” of a 1.685-inch neck is going to be noticeably different from that of a 1.65-inch neck, despite the fact that the difference may appear to be extremely minute. This distinction may also feel like it is more pronounced when the scale lengths are shorter.
What is meant by the term “scale length”?
According to the scale length is the distance that can be measured from the base of the fretboard all the way up to the bridge of the instrument
Are electric guitars with wide necks more difficult to play?
Although I briefly discussed some advantages of wide-neck electric guitars at the beginning of this piece, it’s important to note that none of those advantages automatically imply that these guitars are simpler to play. Because they provide more space between strings that are ascending and descending, some players find them to be preferable.
To put it another way, you could say that wide necks are more suitable for chords, whereas thin necks are more suitable for solos.
One more way to compartmentalize it is as follows:
- Less scale length means easier chords to play.
- Wider neck: Easier chords
- Scale lengths that are longer make soloing easier.
- A thinner neck means easier solos to play.
Therefore, it is dependent on the playing style that you prefer and the kind of guitarist that you are. In general, rhythm guitar players prefer a neck that is wider, while lead guitar players prefer something that is a little thinner; however, there is no one answer that is definitively correct or incorrect in this context.
Conclusion
It should come as no surprise that this list does not include all electric guitars that have a neck that is wider than 1.68 inches. Nevertheless, it does a good job of highlighting the guitar brands and models that are well-known and frequently use this design. It is beneficial to have that extra fretboard space, even if it is only a very small amount, particularly for rhythm players or people who have larger hands or fingers.