Neck profile vs hand position

[Tom F]

I have an older Kentucky KM1000, which seems to me to have a fairly sharp V-shaped neck (yes? no?). #I find I need to either place the pad of my thumb right on the peak of the V, or, let the neck's V rest deep in the U between my thumb and first finger. #One or the other.

The compromise to that, if I put the pad or the first joint of my thumb on the side of the neck's V (seems ideal), in no time at all it slips into the U between my thumb and first finger. #Problem there is I have shorter fingers so it gets tough to reach for 4-finger chop chords unless the thumb pad is on the peak of the neck's V, but then again that is fatiguing and seems stressful (i.e. it hurts).

So I am curious what position/technique most mandolinists with shorter fingers use, and if a U neck profile (instead of a V) is more advantageous. #I know every musician does it different, but curious if there is a consensus or even a proper hand posture to strive for.

The other question is what is the advantage/disadvantage of a 1 3/16" neck vs 1 1/16" neck. #Is it much harder to reach the 5 and 7 fret G-course notes with the wider neck? #

Thanks everyone.

[billhay4]

This is an interesting question to me as I have small hands and difficulty with the closed chords, too.
I have thought of building an instrument with an offset V shape to move the hand a little to the treble side. Haven't tried it yet, though.
I did make an instrument recently with a very round neck. Even though it was large, I find it easier to play than the older V-shapes I've tried. Maybe you need to get in a store and play instruments with different neck profiles.
Bill

[Jonathan Peck]

The other question is what is the advantage/disadvantage of a 1 3/16" neck vs 1 1/16" neck. #Is it much harder to reach the 5 and 7 fret G-course notes with the wider neck? #

Thanks everyone.
I found it harder to play cleanly on the G string with a narrower neck at first. It really forces you to have good hand position/technique as there is no room for sloppy frettting. I have a MM with a 1" nut width and I have become very fond of it, but it took a few weeks to adjust to fretting the G and E strings cleanly. A narrower neck width will force you to practice having better fretting hand technique which in turn will make fretting easier as you will have better hand position on the neck and be able to reach more comfortably....and practice makes permanent

[earthsave]

Hmm... I rest more of the inside of my thumb around the bend than on the pad. At least that's the part that gets sore after several hours of pickin. It's a harder surface and seems to slide better. I have a V shaped neck on my Flatiron.

[Lee]

I've always wondered why there aren't non-symetrical neck profiles. We should ask the Builder's Forum.

[mandroid]

Neck lays on Top of the index finger knuckle.
varnish worn spot on my 22 A's neck.
thumb pinches the top side.

tried a friends 615 Eastman, the sides of the V are straighter than the ol gibby.
[rounded triangle picks similar, sort of.]
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Fretbear]

The other question is what is the advantage/disadvantage of a 1 3/16" neck vs 1 1/16" neck.

The advantage is that you can space your strings the same on a wider neck as you can on a narrower neck but not visa-versa. We often talk here about fretboard and nut widths, but the string spacing is the real issue when it comes to playability. Everybody's hands are different; I like an overall string spacing of 1", and have my 1 3/16" nut set up like that with no ill effect. Unless you have very small hands, the extra space at the outside edges is no problem. The set-up could also be oriented more towards the treble side if one wanted to reduce the stretch. The only real way to know what you like is to try out some different set-ups.