Guitar with 'easy play' neck recommendations...

[GaryG]

Stupid question i know...

I'm admitting defeat with my wrist: broke it when i was 7 (over 30 years ago...) and always had a gristly lump around where the break was. No real problem but is noticeable playing the guitar, barre chords are really difficult, anything where i have to reach the bottom strings is, not exactly difficult, but not as easy as i think it should be. Always played fender-ish guitars but am thinking something with a shallower neck, narrower board, shorter neck maybe worth trying?

So, before i hit the shops, any thoughts on this? Cheap is good.

cheers,
.g

[TheUDE]

Not stupid, except that no one here will be able to choose your next guitar for you!

I can sympathize - I've broken my left wrist twice, once at around age 12, once around age 25. The hospitals never seem to set them perfectly (the first break left me with a "castor" offset at the joint and a cracking great lump of joint bone that sticks out to the side), and the amount of mobility etc. you're left with varies a lot.

I'm pretty lucky. The first break put an end to playing violin as there was no way I could curl my wrist enough, but led to my taking up guitar. The second break put a cramp in my guitar-playing for a while, but didn't add too much to the problems I was left with from the first one.

I compensate for some lack of mobility in the wrist by playing my guitar slung unfashionably high, and usually with the neck at an angle closer to 45 degrees than 90 degrees to my body, which makes things a lot easier for me.

My electro-acoustic (Kimbara 23CRD) had some intensive luthier attention to an already quite narrow and comfortable neck, which gave it an exceptionally low action and gave me one of the easiest-to-play guitars most people who've picked it up have ever held. I use gauge 10 strings - anything heavier is just too fatiguing.

My electric (a nothing-special Marlin Sidewinder, though heavily customized) didn't need much doing to it except a fret dress and some attention to the fall at the base of the neck. I reckon the neck profile is pretty close to a Strat, perhaps a little flatter. I use 9s on it, and it works well as an all-rounder.

I also play bass, and that's been handy over the years for building up finger and wrist strength, which transfers to guitar-playing.

I think I can understand what you're saying about barre chords and reaching the bottom (I presume you mean bass) strings. If I don't play for a while, I really have to work on getting barres comfortable again (this probably applies even to people who've never broken their wrist, though).

I do think that looking at how you sling or hold the guitar to decrease the angles and stretches you have to make is one way to help overcome that, rather than the guitar design itself, except that some body shapes balance better and make it easier to hold the guitar close to you - that may be more critical than the neck design. Well-shaped Strat styles work best for me (luckily, I like them anyway).

It might also be worth going to a decent guitar teacher to see if they have any ideas about exercises or changes to your technique (it's not an uncommon injury), or even trying a physiotherapist to see if it's possible to improve your mobility a bit.

You'll also no doubt have been warned that you've very likely to develop arthritis at some point because of the break. Good luck with that. So far, I've not noticed much sign of it, but no doubt it'll come ...

[Sickle]

Use this and get any guitar you want:

http://www.amazon.com/GHS-A87-Fast-Fret ... B0002D0CQC

[TheUDE]

Use this and get any guitar you want:

http://www.amazon.com/GHS-A87-Fast-Fret ... B0002D0CQC

How does that enable you to bend your wrist into shapes injury prevents or makes difficult?

[Sickle]

Use this and get any guitar you want:

http://www.amazon.com/GHS-A87-Fast-Fret ... B0002D0CQC

How does that enable you to bend your wrist into shapes injury prevents or makes difficult?

lol..

HUH?

There's no special necks I know of that he can use. A good neck and string lubricant might be the only thing that can help him that I know of.

That for is easy you enough?

[TheUDE]

That for is easy you enough?

Nope. But then have you ever broken your wrist, in order to be able to speak from personal experience (over more than 30 years in both GaryG and my cases) about the mobility problems etc. it leads to, and possible ways around them? (Try reading my post above.)

Still waiting to hear how a string lube can help form barre chords etc. It's an anatomical problem.

[Sickle]

No, I didn't break my wrist, but I cut off three of my fingers with permanently severed tendons.

Is that f**king good enough or do I need to run my arm over with an Amtrak before I can apply for credit?

[TheUDE]

That's rough, certainly, but a different problem, surely?

[guitarzan]

Always played fender-ish guitars but am thinking something with a shallower neck, narrower board, shorter neck maybe worth trying?

So, before i hit the shops, any thoughts on this? Cheap is good.

How about one of the short scale Fender guitars...Mustang, Jaguar, Jag-Stang etc. I can't find any right now, but I know there have also been Squier models based on the shortscale Jaguar and Mustang guitars.

[bullshark]

Check if this guy would make a guitar for you: http://www.littleguitarworks.com/torzal/ Sound like the perfect instrument for your condition. If not, maybe another luthier makes guitars using the same principle?

They only list basses, but they do custom work. Check the review here:

[SecretAsianMan]

Rickenbacker 330 or 360

Narrow fingerboard, skinny neck.

Pefect for those with small hands such as myself.

[Ian B]

My J&D S890 has a really thin neck/narrow fretboard, plus a ridiculously low action, and it only cost peanuts (£87.17 inc delivery) from http://www.richmrsax.com/shop/index.php I don't know if this particular guitar is still in stock, but it's worth looking/asking them if it will be available again. Strat shaped walnut body with maple/nato thru neck, and while the pups weren't the best, it was still a total steal at that price. Maybe all J&D's have thin necks, it's worth asking them, they're great to deal with.

[TheUDE]

Check if this guy would make a guitar for you: http://www.littleguitarworks.com/torzal/

WOW! That looks like an amazing possible solution. That curve looks like you could still do barres OK. It would certainly have helped me in earlier years, and may do in future if I do get arthritis. Cheers. Just got to hope the premium bonds coming up coincide with the onset of arthritis at his prices!

I wouldn't fancy trying to set the intonation etc., though ...

[GaryG]

Not stupid, except that no one here will be able to choose your next guitar for you!

They won't? Waste of time posting then...

The hospitals never seem to set them perfectly (the first break left me with a "castor" offset at the joint and a cracking great lump of joint bone that sticks out to the side)

Exactly, mine's not too bad, it's the gristly tissue that forms around the joint that causes me grief.

I compensate for some lack of mobility in the wrist by playing my guitar slung unfashionably high, and usually with the neck at an angle closer to 45 degrees than 90 degrees to my body, which makes things a lot easier for me.

Good call, I find it a lot more comfortable if i play slumped in an armchair with the neck up high (so i'm holding the neck more like you would a double bass or cello). Bit like that guy in Fleetwood Mac?

I think I can understand what you're saying about barre chords and reaching the bottom (I presume you mean bass) strings. If I don't play for a while, I really have to work on getting barres comfortable again (this probably applies even to people who've never broken their wrist, though).

I think everyone has to work at barre chords period. It's a pretty unnatural position having to bend your hand over like that, made more difficult (excuses... ) by having a lump getting in the way.

I do think that looking at how you sling or hold the guitar to decrease the angles and stretches you have to make is one way to help overcome that, rather than the guitar design itself

I think you're onto something there... I generally like my current guitar a lot (yamaha aes800, pic of it in the guitar pics thread somewhere...) but it's body shape/balance isn't the best i've ever had. Back to strats...

You'll also no doubt have been warned that you've very likely to develop arthritis at some point because of the break. Good luck with that. So far, I've not noticed much sign of it, but no doubt it'll come ...

um, no... Something to keep an eye out for...

Thanks for your input, great post.

[GaryG]

No, I didn't break my wrist, but I cut off three of my fingers with permanently severed tendons.

Wowsa. Bet that stung. So, you're saying lube'd up strings, being easier to slide about on are the answer? I see what you're saying but don't think that applies here. It's just a reach thing for me, I can understand maybe with an injury like yours or losing your finger tips like tony iommi...

cheers,
.g