Who makes wide-neck mandolins?

[SMHibbs]

I love my Collings MT ( 1 1/8 in. wide nut) to death, but I have very blunt fingers and have great difficulty playing cleanly without fingernail buzzes and unintended string damping because, I think, there just isn't room enough on the fretboard. I thought it was just my lack of skill and precision until I learned that Radim Zenkl has the same problem and came to the same conlcusion; he needed a wider neck. All his mandolins have them. So I'm on the search for one, too.

I've tried the wide-neck Collings (1 3/16 in.). Only a sixteenth wider, but noticeably better. I played a new National resonator mandolin (1 1/4 in.). Better yet, but the National is too specialized to use as my main mandolin. Sobell mandolins have 1 7/16 in. necks. Haven't played one (and daunted by their priciness), but suspect that might be too wide.

I don't want to custom order an instrument that I can't play before I commit to. So my question is: who besides the above make (or made) high-quality instruments with wider fingerboards that I can play before I buy?

Suggestions and advice welcome!

[swampstomper]

I have a Lebeda A5 with a wider neck, almost a "baseball bat" profile. I find it very comfortable. Jiri Lebeda (Czech Republic) also makes narrower necks; I have a really nice F5 with a rounded but narrower neck. His prices are on the reasonable end for professional-grade instruments. You can contact him directly, he is an easy guy to negotiate with on a custom build, or one of the USA or UK dealers to see what they have in stock.

Lebeda Instruments web site (http://www.lebedainstruments.com/)

[Steve L]

Breedlove.

[Chris Biorkman]

Phoenix

[Fretbear]

It is all about the string spacing. You can set up a narrow neck with a wider spacing than it has (within limits) by starting the courses closer to the edge and a wider neck can also be set up with narrower spacing. You can gain space between the pairs by tightening up the spacing of the pairs. I have a wide neck (1-3/16") and have ended up with a closer spacing, as I like to be able to grab two pairs of strings at the same fret with my finger tip, which for my finger size is a total string spacing of about 1". You might try having a new nut made for your Collings with a custom spacing before you get a new mandolin, as you already have a real nice one.

[Bertram Henze]

Fylde.

[cooper4205]

Gibson has the Bush and F-5G with a custom wide neck

[steve V. johnson]

I believe that Weber will do a wide option. I've asked a number of indie luthiers, including Ken & Laura Ratcliff, and I found that most of them will do custom widths.

stv

[Narayan Kersak]

I'm not too good with fractions but I believe I requested my mowry to be built at 1 and 5/32. very easy to play.

[bsny]

Flatbush (Victor Smith) - 1 1/4" is std.

[Rick Banuelos]

We do. I've seen necks almost 2" wide leave the school here before.

[fatt-dad]

Old Gibson A-style mandolins from the teens and 20's have a wide neck. I think they're 1 1/4 in.

f-d

[Frank Russell]

I really loved the Gibson F5G wideneck I had. #It had the block inlays, old-school small sunburst, and once I had the fretboard radiused, played like a dream. #I have much the same problem as the OP. #A little more room to maneuver seems to equal less mistakes on my part. #Frank

[woodwizard]

Gibson's Sam Bush & custom F5G are 1 7/32 (1.219) Goldrush is next at 1 5/64 (1.078)

[Roger Renfro]

It is all about the string spacing. You can set up a narrow neck with a wider spacing than it has (within limits) by starting the courses closer to the edge and a wider neck can also be set up with narrower spacing.

Good suggestion! It's what I did.

My first mando was an old '70s Harmony. #It didn't sound very good, but had a 1 3/16" neck that I got used to. #A few months ago, I upgraded to a used Collings MT (great bang for the buck), but it was the standard 1 1/8" nut. #I found it hard to play.

Leo Posch recommended that I let him make a new nut with wider string spacing to make it feel more like a 1 3/16". #It worked like a charm. It's not a full 1 3/16", but it's close enough that I can't tell the difference. #The strings are still not close to the edge of the fingerboard, so there's no difficulty there. #

This is just something you might try before getting rid of the MT, which is a great instrument.

YMMV,

[powercat]

While this may not rank up there with the other mandos, Big Muddy also does 1 1/4".

[mandroid]

The Question with a question approach.

... instant or delayed gratification?

If you find a built mandolin you like , but it lacks a wider neck,
say from a prime builder ,would you order it with a different neck spec?
or, would it have to be in the shop for immediate delivery as such?

FWIW, a Buddy in the area with hands as you describe, has a '20s F4.
{ style of play: Ol'time, ragged, not looking for clean note separation}

RZ , of course, orders what he wants built, to spec.
they don't have much difference in width from one end to the other,
as I recall.

[CRowe1118]

I have played the Sam Bush Gibson and I own a 1917 Gibson A. The Bush is nice but 10K. The A is really nice for these damn "sausages" that I have sticking out of my hands.

[SMHibbs]

If you find a #built mandolin you like , but it lacks a wider neck,
say from a #prime builder ,would you order it with a different neck spec?
or, would it have to be in the shop for immediate delivery as such?

RZ , of course, orders what he wants built, to spec.
they don't have much difference in width from one end to the other,
as I recall.
Since I don't want to commit to buying an instrument before playing it, I'm talking about already-built mandolins that I can try before I buy. As great as Collings' instruments are, for instance, there are tonal differences from one to another. I know it limits options, but I'm just averse to committing thousands without trying the goods first.

And I may be overlooking the importance of how much wider the string spacing is at the bridge. Anybody have an opinion on that?

[SMHibbs]

It is all about the string spacing. You can set up a narrow neck with a wider spacing than it has (within limits) by starting the courses closer to the edge and a wider neck can also be set up with narrower spacing. You can gain space between the pairs by tightening up the spacing of the pairs. I have a wide neck (1-3/16") and have ended up with a closer spacing, as I like to be able to grab two pairs of strings at the same fret with my finger tip, which for my finger size is a total string spacing of about 1". You might try having a new nut made for your Collings with a custom spacing before you get a new mandolin, as you already have a real nice one.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

Nut width seems to have been adopted as the standard shorthand, but you're absolutely right that it's really about string spacing. So nut width can be misleading because it's only loosely tied to string spacing. I've actually measured guitars and found wider nuts set up with strings sets no father apart than on narrower nuts.

I've looked at my Collings MT again and it really looks like there isn't room to spread the strings by even a sixteenth without danger of breaking off the tiny piece of nut material outside the outermost strings. Bill may already have made the most of the available nut/fretboard width. As a guitar player, I have the bad habit of occasionally pulling the E string off the side of the fretboard, so I have a little built-in paranoia about setting the strings too close to the edge. And I've always thought that spacing of the pairs was set by the distance needed to keep the strings from striking each other in hard playing. But I see Frank Ford at Gryphon occasionally, so I'll check out your suggestion with him. Thanks again.

[Big Joe]

My hands are pretty durn big and I have managed to learn to play whatever neck size I need to. Part of it is simply technique and working on that may give you better results than a new mandolin.

That being said, a number of years ago I obtained a killer Bush Model Gibson. I loved the wide neck. After a while and after getting my MM I realized the wider neck actually slowed down my playing. You may not have this problem, but I did and I have heard others complain about this. I worked on me and got what I needed.

I've played several from smaller builders that felt way too big for me, but that was because I've gotten used to what I play. It is amazing how we become dependent upon what we do get used to. I have more problem with the width of the neck from front to back than the width of the neck from side to side. That may as well be an issue for you too. Just some thoughts before you spend money and find you are still not quite happy.

[SMHibbs]

My hands are pretty durn big and I have managed to learn to play whatever neck size I need to. #Part of it is simply technique and working on that may give you better results than a new mandolin.

After a while and after getting my MM I realized the wider neck actually slowed down my playing. #You may not have this problem, but I did and I have heard others complain about this. #I worked on me and got what I needed.
Well, while my fingers are blunt, my hands are relatively small, so I'm aware that a neck could easily be too wide for me to reach across and still play the G string cleanly as part of a chord. The 1 1/4" neck I've tried feels very good and doesn't slow me down. Maybe I should add "yet" because I'm not playing yet at contra dance speed of 116 to124 to the half note. But it's also true that I get strings buzzing against both sides of the same finger at the same time (1 1/8" nut) at the lightest pressure that sounds the fretted string cleanly. I wish I knew how to avoid that without having the string pairs further apart.

[8STRINGR]

My mandolin just recently built measures at the Nut (including the binding) @ 1-1/4" and ends #where the Scooped extension begins @ 1-3/4" wide along with wider string spacing. I had Buddy Davis match the measurements with a 30 year old F5 mandolin that I had grown accustomed to playing over the last 15 years, upgrading from an A model, narrower neck mandolin that I had played for 5 years.

I love everything Buddy put into his mandolins but wouldn't have been able to purchase one from him unless he was "right on" or very, very close to my existing neck measurements in width, thickness and string spacings. Normally, he doesn't build them with wider necks but he will give his customers what they want included in their Personal Specs.#http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Fliss]

Garrison mandolins, as standard, have the same nut width as the wider Big Muddy / Mid Mo models.

Fliss

[SMHibbs]

It looks like this question has about run its course of replies. Lots of good ones, some very thought-provoking ones, and a wide range of opinions. And I had no idea so many makers offer wide-neck mandolins. Scanning the stores' websites, though, not that many are available to try. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, but at least my indecision is based on a lot more options. Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply! SMH

[Crowder]

http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=7;t=48128;

The Hill mandolin I played tonight had a neck on it that would not seem out of place on a 50's Telecaster. It was totally massive. As a converted guitar player I loved it.

Pomeroy likes to install chunky necks too.

One aspect of a big neck that I like is not having to worry about it moving with the weather or if you decide to use heavier strings.

[theBlood]

Nobody has mentioned Rigel's and they have a particularly large neck and frets. Lots of used ones around, too.

JY

[Steve Davis]

Radim Zenkl plays a Capek.

[Russ Jordan]

There is an Ome at Elderly with 1-7/32" at the nut.

You can see it here (http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/90U-4901.htm)