Guitar Neck Shapes

Guitar neck shapes can make or break your guitar playing experience. There is a difference in terms of playing comfort from a ‘U’ shape through to a hard ‘V’ shape and of course everyone’s fingers are unique, so learning a little about neck shape is a valuable exercise if you are seeking your perfect guitar.

     Guitar neck shapes vary considerably from thick-necked ‘U’ shapes, which are great for players who employ their thumbs on the back or side of the neck through to a medium ‘V’ shape, which are popular with blues and country players.

     Beyond neck shape, other factors that influence the feel of a guitar neck include; depth, width and radius. Depth is the thickness or the distance from front to back. Width is measured from side to side and usually at the nut. Radius refers to the curvature of the fingerboard and can very much affect playing comfort, especially if you bend strings a lot. The flatter the radius of a neck the easier it will be to bend strings and lower the action.

     So whatever your preference is as regards the neck on your dream guitar, you can now see how all these factors will affect your playing experience. The picture below will give you an idea of what kinds of necks shapes are currently used. Comment below what kind of shape your guitar has and let me know what shape do you prefer.

As always, Sound Theory here, thanks for reading!