Are all Mustang necks created equal???

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 3:27 pm

I have a 70's Mustang, I love it but...... it gives me cramp over the back of my hand which I can only attribute to the slim neck. I'm ok a couple times a week for 20 mins but any longer & no guitar for a few days.
Eyeing it against my 64 Jaguar the necks appear almost the same with the Mustang a gnats cock slimmer & thinner at the nut.

So are there bigger necks out there? Trying to find one in the UK is prolly going to prove a pain & importing a neck from the State equally so given CITIES and could prove not big enough.

Or should I just sell it and buy a Tele?

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 3:45 pm

Slim necks kill my left wrist. Half a year of playing an Epiphone with their idiotic Slim Taper neck gave me all the symptoms of the carpal syndrome from which I afterwards recovered for a year. I'm not buying another Epiphone ever

Somebody wrote here that Squier VM Mustang necks are chunkier than vintage ones, but they have jumbo frets which makes playing chords on the higher frets quite uncomfortable

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 4:06 pm

sunshiner wrote:Somebody wrote here that Squier VM Mustang necks are chunkier than vintage ones, but they have jumbo frets which makes playing chords on the higher frets quite uncomfortable

Could have been me, it's definitely a lot thicker back to front.

plopswagon · Post by **plopswagon** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 7:12 pm

i have double jointed thumbs so thin necks make me cramp bad! I had a Mosrite Celebrity that had a super thin neck.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 7:51 pm

There was a time I loved Mustang/JS necks, especially the 65 RI, but only really use my Teles at the moment.

I think what feels comfortable changes as your hands change with age.
The smaller scale necks seem a bit too restrictive to me and shallow flat necks like Ibanez give me cramp. I can't get on with Epiphone necks at the moment either.

Seem fine with most Strat and Tele necks.

Incidentally, we used to joke about it on here, how most players seem to hit a certain age and move onto the Stratocaster. Maybe there's something in that...

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 7:57 pm

Fran wrote:There was a time I loved Mustang/JS necks, especially the 65 RI, but only really use my Teles at the moment.

I think what feels comfortable changes as your hands change with age.
The smaller scale necks seem a bit too restrictive to me and shallow flat necks like Ibanez give me cramp. I can't get on with Epiphone necks at the moment either.

Seem fine with most Strat and Tele necks.

Incidentally, we used to joke about it on here, how most players seem to hit a certain age and move onto the Stratocaster. Maybe there's something in that...

Aww balls... actually it's not the scale which troubles me, I'm fine on the Jaguar and Musicmaster.... so it's got to be the thickness of the neck.

Post by **Mike** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:07 pm

What year is yours? My '72 Compstang (ex Stewart) feels like it has a chunky old neck to me.

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:18 pm

Mike wrote:What year is yours? My '72 Compstang (ex Stewart) feels like it has a chunky old neck to me.

I'd say early to mid 70's, has 2 string trees and the white button F tuners

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:43 pm

Johno wrote:
Fran wrote:There was a time I loved Mustang/JS necks, especially the 65 RI, but only really use my Teles at the moment.

I think what feels comfortable changes as your hands change with age.
The smaller scale necks seem a bit too restrictive to me and shallow flat necks like Ibanez give me cramp. I can't get on with Epiphone necks at the moment either.

Seem fine with most Strat and Tele necks.

Incidentally, we used to joke about it on here, how most players seem to hit a certain age and move onto the Stratocaster. Maybe there's something in that...
Aww balls... actually it's not the scale which troubles me, I'm fine on the Jaguar and Musicmaster.... so it's got to be the thickness of the neck.

No Johno, accept it, you're getting old. Buy a Strat and a decent pair of carpet slippers, it comes to us all...

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:15 pm

Fran wrote:
Johno wrote:
Fran wrote:There was a time I loved Mustang/JS necks, especially the 65 RI, but only really use my Teles at the moment.

I think what feels comfortable changes as your hands change with age.
The smaller scale necks seem a bit too restrictive to me and shallow flat necks like Ibanez give me cramp. I can't get on with Epiphone necks at the moment either.

Seem fine with most Strat and Tele necks.

Incidentally, we used to joke about it on here, how most players seem to hit a certain age and move onto the Stratocaster. Maybe there's something in that...
Aww balls... actually it's not the scale which troubles me, I'm fine on the Jaguar and Musicmaster.... so it's got to be the thickness of the neck.
No Johno, accept it, you're getting old. Buy a Strat and a decent pair of carpet slippers, it comes to us all...

I quite like Strats despite never owning one..... fuck the slippers though!
Been eyeing up LPJrs SGJrs and Les paul Specials hmmmm

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:57 pm

I must have been old before my time, I bought my first Strat at age 18. Sold my half share in a WEM PA100 to help finance it. It cost me the equivalent of Ã‚Â£185. I nearly bought a Tele until someone told me of a cheaper store where I could get a Strat for the same money.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:27 pm

NickS wrote:I must have been old before my time, I bought my first Strat at age 18. Sold my half share in a WEM PA100 to help finance it. It cost me the equivalent of Ã‚Â£185. I nearly bought a Tele until someone told me of a cheaper store where I could get a Strat for the same money.

We've all had Strats, Nick, but you don't fully bond with one until you are over forty. It's a well known medical fact.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 1:12 pm

Fran wrote:
NickS wrote:I must have been old before my time, I bought my first Strat at age 18. Sold my half share in a WEM PA100 to help finance it. It cost me the equivalent of Ã‚Â£185. I nearly bought a Tele until someone told me of a cheaper store where I could get a Strat for the same money.
We've all had Strats, Nick, but you don't fully bond with one until you are over forty. It's a well known medical fact.

Have always "liked" my strat...is a lovely guitar, but mostly has sat in the rack gathering dust...then I picked it up a few weeks ago and thought it felt and sounded bloody brilliant!!! The fact I turned 40 last March is purely coincidental

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:22 pm

Fakir Mustache wrote:
sunshiner wrote:Somebody wrote here that Squier VM Mustang necks are chunkier than vintage ones, but they have jumbo frets which makes playing chords on the higher frets quite uncomfortable
Could have been me, it's definitely a lot thicker back to front.

I just measured the nuts, the og 1966 is a tad above 41 mm, the Squier seems about 42,5. I don't have calipers to measure how thick the neck is back to front.

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:40 pm

Fakir Mustache wrote: I just measured the nuts

Hey, I appreciate your frankness

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:47 pm

Joking aside that's a good to know info, thank you. My Affinity strat has a 42 mm wide nut, but it has a very thin rosewood fingerboard and the neck profile keeps being curvy up until it meets the fretboard so it makes a very narrow feel in the cowboy chords position, to the extent that it's not comfortable to play. On the other hand when you go up the neck it's one of the most comfortable necks to play - the finish is smooth, the C-profile and relatively small width/thickness makes it a joy to play leaving your thumb on the top of the fretboard

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Sat Feb 09, 2019 3:23 pm

every 70's mustang neck i have picked up has been fat as fuck.

but i grew up with jagstang and classic series MIJ mustangs/jaguars which were smaller.

when the MG65 slab body reissue came out, it had a much thicker neck.

the coulple of squier VM mustangs i played had necks very similar to mid 90's to early 00's MIJ slim necks compared to the 65RI and 70's vintage stang

Post by **Doog** » Sat Feb 09, 2019 4:07 pm

Crazy, my og VM Mustang neck was chunk-yyyyyyy

Noirie. · Post by **Noirie.** » Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:11 pm

Yeah that neck was horrible. I remember the one on the red Mustang I had was just a tad bigger than the Jag one.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:09 pm

i played a VM sonic blue mustang at http://www.guitarworks.com that felt exactly like my comp stang.

Squier Mustang, Vintage Modified, new, gloss sonic blue, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 24" scale length, authentic chrome hardware includes Kluson style tuning machines with white plastic buttons, Mustang whammy and bridge assembly, control plate with output jack and J-bass style black master volume and tone knobs, pearloid pickguard with tow single coil Duncan Design single coil pickups and two three way on-off-on switches, list: $599.99, your: $399.99

it felt so fuckin good. it felt better than every fender one they had in the store.

they got a lefty kurdtz jaguar right now. its so fucking nice. its made of orgasm jizz, hardend into a backwards guitar