What guitar did you play today and how long?

[mystran]

yeah guitar feel is a very subjective and personal thing. A lot of people really prefer the thinner, faster necks. I definitely used to.

I'm not sure if neck profile actually makes much of a difference for speed as such, rather it's more about comfort for me (well, with the caveat that "more comfortable" is probably faster, indirectly). My thumb in particular just feels much more relaxed with a thinner neck, especially if I'm playing with a "classical" position. This probably depends quite a bit on size and shape of one's hands as well though.

[tapper mike]

This gets back to the size and shape of your hands as well as the approach you have to playing.

I love fast (thin necks with short nut widths and low action) for most types of playing I do. Some playing especially those with double stop bends I prefer a little more thickness and depending on the type of fingerstyle a wider nut width comes in quite handy.

If you are larger (and or taller) like to chug those are not the things you should be looking for. It will make things harder not easier to play and you'll wind up with finger cramps unless you "flat fret" which tends to produce a more muffled sound.

[stoopicus]

I'm not sure if neck profile actually makes much of a difference for speed as such, rather it's more about comfort for me (well, with the caveat that "more comfortable" is probably faster, indirectly).

Yeah it's always about comfort, it's just that "fast" is an adjective you often hear used for that combination on bass - 38mm nut, thin C or D profile neck, low action.

I have very average sized hands and am of average height and yet prefer a slightly more substantial neck. For bass, the 40mm Yamaha BB style C profile is about my favorite - more substance to it than you get on a Ibanez SR or Fender J (or for that matter, Yamaha TRBX) that are usually 38mm and very slim C, but much less than a traditional 41mm Fender P.

One thing that too many people rule out is short or medium scale basses, which do lose some brightness compared to 34" but are sometimes a more comfortable reach for guitar players. Nothing wrong with them though you will want heavier strings on them.

Another thing no one anticipates until they try one is that 5-strings can be easier to play than 4-strings for a lot of people due to the much flatter radius, often smaller string spacing, and easier reach for the EADG strings. I dislike them (the string spacing drives me nuts) but everyone should at least try one.

[mystran]

This gets back to the size and shape of your hands as well as the approach you have to playing.

My hands are probably kinda average overall, but my fingers are perhaps slightly on the long side (relative to size of my palms) and quite petite... so it's kinda easier for me to handle "delicate" things and frankly any guitar neck feels huge compared to a violin neck.

As far as action, I think I'm at around 1.8mm and 2.2mm on guitar (but barely any relief, so action closer to nut still stays sensible). I've tried slightly lower and slightly higher and ... well, this seems like the best compromise for me (with 9-42 EBs in standard tuning).

[mystran]

Another thing no one anticipates until they try one is that 5-strings can be easier to play than 4-strings for a lot of people due to the much flatter radius, often smaller string spacing, and easier reach for the EADG strings. I dislike them (the string spacing drives me nuts) but everyone should at least try one.

I think going back and forth between guitar and bass, the string spacing is going to drive me nuts all the time anyway by virtue of it being different between the two.

That said, I feel like playing bass with a pick (yes, I know it's illegal) might actually be good for developing better string switching mechanics due to the fact that it's a lot harder to cheat from the wrist (and yes, I know some people suggest you should switch strings from the wrist, but like 99% of my problems with string switching can be traced back to me trying to twist my wrist to avoid moving my hand properly.. where as on bass with the wider spacing this "cheating" strategy seems kinda doomed to fail).

[stoopicus]

Nothing wrong with a pick at all. I'm probably 90% pick / 10% fingerstyle myself. I personally think everyone should learn to be competent with fingerstyle but whether or not it is your main style is up to you and the musical styles you like.

[Uncle E]

Try thumb down, index up. It gives the sound of fingers with almost the same motion as picking. It's great for octaves and you can palm mute the bottom string when you do it, which is an awesome sound. I got that from a big LA session guy.

[stoopicus]

Yeah! I don't slap but in a similar vein double-thumbing is kind of fun and sounds cool too (and is the most common slap technique here).

[tapper mike]

I used to know this great bass player who taught. He'd read young students the riot act for using a pick. Needless to say it didn't bode well for the guitar shops image having a raging bass instructor.

[stoopicus]

I usually reply to those guys with "yeah I get all that but pick sounds better" and then just enjoy the reaction

[Uncle E]

"Fingers are great if you want to sound like mud"

[mystran]

I usually reply to those guys with "yeah I get all that but pick sounds better" and then just enjoy the reaction

Haha.

I'm actually really liking the sound (and feel) I'm getting from "retired as too dull" 2.0 Flow picks... which I have plenty, 'cos I like the tip pretty sharp on guitar... but with the thicker bass strings the slightly dulled out tip (we're talking maybe up to around 1mm tip curvature, so it's not like these are 351 or anything) almost seems like a positive and with the rigidity I can still pick very hard if I want to, so the range of dynamics available is nice...

...and then put this through some light (we can argue about the definition of light) distortion to get a good "crunch, crunch" sound.

[tapper mike]

It's all on the acoustic today as I work out travis picking patterns. I've been at it for hours and wonder how much I'll retain.

[tapper mike]

It's all on the acoustic today as I work out travis picking patterns. I've been at it for hours and wonder how much I'll retain.

I'm still at it hours later and switching to the RWG450 The guitar that looks but doesn't sound or play like a PRS semi simply because my fingers can't take it anymore.

[tapper mike]

This morning I just started off on more Travis picking patters.

I bought this guy's e book and am working from it daily.