New slim neck Acoustic advice please

Hurleycat

Hi 
im looking to buy an acoustic under £500 - I find fretting some chords awkward due to slightly shorter fingers - I’m in UK 
amy advice for a lovely sounding guitar ? Thanks 

Winny_Pooh

Yamahas have fairly slim necks, try and find a stockist near you.

Hurleycat

Many thanks for the advice 

ToneControl

narrow or slim?

I don't know what the answer will result in recommendations for, it's just there's 2 different ways to address shorter fingers I assume?

Hurleycat

Hi - which are ? 

ToneControl

Do you want a narrow nut, or a thin neck (i.e. less distance from front to back)?

bbill335

I've been through the same issue as you and I've ended up with a 1966 Epiphone Caballero [equivalent to the Gibson LG0] and the small neck on it is perfect for me. The nut is just under 40mm, the back profile is really slim.

ToneControl

and as someone mentioned in your other thread, length of scale is important
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/138202/new-slim-neck-acoustic-advice-please#latest

terada

Ok, a quick guide with regard to comfort (note that some of the below may have a tonal impact but im focusing on feel only):

Neck profile (this is the cross sectional shape of the neck, commonly referred to as D/C/V/U depending on the shape, you can think of it in terms of the depth of the neck)
Nut width (this is the width of the fretboard at the nut. Usually on acoustics it is 1 11/16" or 1 3/4". Some people find either more comfy than the other. This is something to test for yourself)
Neck width (this would be the width across the neck - effectively the fretting surface, This could be wider or slimmer depending on personal preference. As such a neck could be described as both narrow in width but with a deep profile etc)
Scale Length (This is the distance between the bridge and the nut, usually either 25.5" or 24.75". The shorter the scale the closer the frets are to each other, and thus the easier long stretches become. Note that with larger hands this can make fretting more difficult)
String Gauge (This is usually higher for acoustics than electrics. A lighter gauge usually means that they are easier on your hands when fretting - less pressure required to fret a note)
Setup/Action etc (Guitars can be adjusted to play better, one effect of which might be reducing the distance between the string and frets, meaning again that less effort is required to fret a note).

That's probably enough to get you started!:)

Hurleycat

I must confess to not being that knowledgable re nuts and necks etc - it’s the ability to reach for certain chords - I assume a thinner neck 

Hurleycat

I’ve no idea how I ended up with two threads !?! Sorry 

Bridgehouse

You might find that it comes more naturally once you’ve stretched into it a bit with muscle memory

Hurleycat

Many thanks - for all advice 
terada- great guide ta 

Bridgehouse

Hurleycat said:

Many thanks - for all advice 
terada- great guide ta 

Good thread too - thanks!

Bridgehouse

Nice to see a newcomer come in, post a sensible thread, respond, and say thanks afterwards. Nice one OP - good job.

Hurleycat

Kind words thanks Bridgehouse 

Bridgehouse

Hurleycat said:

Kind words thanks Bridgehouse 

No worries - stick around, we are mostly a friendly bunch and there’s a load of really knowledgable guys (and gals!) on here 

Hurleycat

I will - I’m pleasantly surprised at the help already! 

Bridgehouse

Hurleycat said:

I will - I’m pleasantly surprised at the help already! 

That’s great to hear! You’ll always get help and advice on here 

ToneControl

Hurleycat said:

I must confess to not being that knowledgable re nuts and necks etc - it’s the ability to reach for certain chords - I assume a thinner neck 

you can't be sure that thinner will be better I think, I find very thin necks harder to play - it's the distance between your thumb and fingers, whereas wide necks are always going to stretch your fingers more
I am used to classical guitars (52mm =  2 inch nut), most acoustics are 1.75 inch at the nut, some are 1 and 11/16 inches, and a small number are 1 and 7/8 inches, which I quite like for some styles.

http://www.jazzyacousticguitar.com/neck-width/

as people have said, a shorter scale would be easier. I have some very long scale guitars, and although I like them, I find it is impossible to play some pieces on them, because the frets are so far apart

Try to find a used guitar that has already been professionally set up, it will be much easier to play 
Usually, the problem is that : 

• a new guitar has the slots in the nut not cut deep enough (it's a skilled job to get it right, and overdoing it makes the guitar unplayable, so many factories err on the side of caution and leave it so that the string is too high)
• the saddle at the bridge is too high, for the same reason

It's about £15 tor £30 to get this sorted I think

Hurleycat

Great thanks v much