Neck size for small hands

[Kbone]

For you players with real small hands what neck size, frets etc works best for you. I've had a mando with a small neck ( Gibson F5G ) with a 1 1/16 and small frets if I remember correctly, but that was some time ago. The current one has med frets with 1 1/8 neck size.

I tend to play hard, in other words, i don't have a soft touch, also fret size comes into the equation - advantages, or drawbacks. Help this doubleminded guy out. opine please.

[Mark Walker]

I too have tiny little hands. #(My daughter's hands were larger than mine when she was about ten years old!) #

I have a PacRim mandolin with a 1-1/8" nut, a rounded back of the neck, and small frets that I do okay on. #My Silver Angel mandolin has a radiused fretboard, larger frets, and a 1-3/16" nut - as well as a 'V-style' carved neck. #I do much better with that 'wider' setup.

As many will tell you, 'test-drive' as many different instruments as you can. #Most of the luthiers (if you have one custom-made) will customize the crafting of the mandolin to your specifications. #I can still play any width neck, rounded or V, but I definitely feel better playing the setup I have.

It's all personal preference - you'll just have to determine 'what' it is that fits you best.

Good luck! #

[sunburst]

Most of the luthiers (if you have one custom-made) will customize the crafting of the mandolin to your specifications.

While that is true, and good advice, your luthier will need to know what you want to make it for you.
If you say something like; "My hands are small, so I want something that's easy for me to play" you haven't really told him/her anything. If you say something like; "I'd like a 1 1/16" nut width, a 10" radius on the board, and a shape like this one" (with an example in hand) you have a much better chance of getting what you want.

So, we're back to playing a lot of mandolins to find exactly what it is you like, but when you find it, measure it, take pictures, get as much detail as you can. It is best if you can take a mandolin with a neck you like to your luthier.
If you find what you like and go to your luthier and say "I want a neck just like a 'Merkle' mandolin." or whatever, you can't really expect your luthier to know what that shape is, and furthermore, individual luthiers make necks in many shapes and sizes, so the one you liked might be different from others by the same maker.

You have to find the neck you like and buy it, or find the neck you like and have one made like it, but to do that, you have to supply as much detail as you can to your luthier.

[Mark Walker]

John - great advice. #Thanks for the informative follow-up. #I'd forgotten about the radius value; mine is 12" radius on my current Silver Angel!

[Kbone]

Thanks for the input - I've played both types, but with this nut case I'd need hrs with each one & right now I don't have a 1 1/16 small fret mando. So more opinions please, in other words, why do you like the small Gibson like neck etc..v/s the 1 1/8..

[Mark Walker]

I'll have to defer to others who like the narrower necks. I've got tiny hands and stubby fingers, but prefer the slightly wider nut, radiused fretboard, and V-neck configuration myself.

But that just reinforces the need to play all you can, since our individual preferences obviously can and do vary! What 'speaks' to other small-handed individuals may not match you at all!

[jamface]

What about scale length if your hands are small? My hand is about average size, but I think my 4th finger may be a bit short because I find it really difficult to reach the 7th fret with my 4th finger particularly if my 2nd finger is held behind the 3rd fret. So I'm happier playing bowlbacks which have a short scale length.

[mandroid]

any smaller women that play the stand up bass want to give advise?

[mandogerry]

I also have small hands (size 6 women's gloves are just fine, thanks), plus I was spoiled by those years of violin lessons as a kid -- model sizes scaled down for children, nice slim necks, and a scale length a tad shorter than a mandolin. Here's my experience with mandolin necks:

(1) My first mandolin, a rental when I first took lessons -- think it was a Goldtone or similar budget model. I could not reach anything. Big clunker of a neck. Within two months, I had dumped it and bought,

(2) Weber Y2K (a flattop). It has a flat fingerboard, 1 1/8" nut, 14" scale, and the neck has a lovely rounded shape. A breeze to play, even for my short pinky. I foolishly traded it a year later to our local shop when I bought (3), but grabbed it back before it got sold.

(3) Weber Hyalite -- also 1 1/8" nut and 14" scale, but the neck is Weber's more common V shape. I find it much harder to play, and for two years have been mulling over having Weber reshape the neck for me. It is a keeper because of the custom maple back that gives it a great sound.

(4) Weber Sweet Pea (a pattern here) -- I bought a used one a year ago when I was developing carpal tunnel problems. Same nut width, same scale, but the neck is dainty like a fiddle neck. Oddly, I find it hard to play sometimes -- My fingers spill over the proper position. Great for travel, though.

(5) Trinity College Octave Mandolin -- a brief experiment that taught me a 20" scale is not for me.

(6) Big Muddy M-4 Mandolin -- Bought a couple of months ago because I could not resist the rosewood back and its sound. Best neck of all, round but not bulky. Also has a 1 1/8" nut. I think the scale might be 1/8 of an inch shorter than the Webers, since the pinky stretch is easier. It also has thicker frets, which I find a plus -- less pressure needed for small fingers to hold down the strings.

In other words, to repeat what others have said, try as many as you can. And about the pinky -- With smaller hands, creativity is always needed. Learn some positions above the first, a la violin positions, and stretch as much as you can otherwise.:laugh:

[kmando]

Even though I am a woman with small hands and short fingers, I prefer a larger neck with lots of radius. It seems to keep my hand from cramping on those chop chords. I too am having a mandolin built and took my current Weber to the luthier to show him what I wanted. I think it's a matter of taste though. I know some fellas with big ol' hands that love those little necks. There's just no accounting for taste.

I think the depth and shape of the back of the neck affect playing comfort a lot more than the width of the nut. Few people have fingers so short that they cannot span the entire width of a mandolin fretboard if the left hand is in a position that allows the full finger length to be used.

The three mandolins I have right now are all different. One has a 1 1/4" wide nut, 1" string span at the nut and a very flat and thin neck profile. Another has a 1 1/8" wide nut, 1" string spacing at the nut and a deep and rounded neck profile. The third has a 1 1/16" wide nut, 7/8" string spacing and a deep V shape neck profile.

The flat neck profile is not comfortable at all for me. The mando with the deeper neck and same string spacing is much more comfortable. The 7/8" string spacing is just a bit too narrow (not really a problem but I like the 1" spacing better) but the deep V shape is the most comfortable for me.

The mando I'm currently building for myself will have a deep V neck, 1" string spacing with a 1 3/16" nut width and a 12" radius fretboard. The frets will be a bit wider than normal mando frets but the same height. It has taken most of a year of playing all three of these mandos in order for me to decide what neck parameters I want. An hour or so with each would not have done it for me.

[bgmando]

I have medium small hands, but I prefer the bigger necks, such as old Flatirons.

The tip about finding what you like, measuring it, and sending that to the builder is good advice.

I have a mando that I love but I wish I had requested more depth in the neck. It has width but not depth.

[mzuch]

Related questions for luthiers:
1) Is there a standard language to describe neck shapes?
2) Are there measurements to accurately convey the desired depth of the neck?
3) How does one determine the radius of the fingerboard on a mandolin bought in the used market?
I am having a new L&H archtop style built by Brian Dean, and when the time comes I'd like him to get as close as possible to the neck profile of my Old Wave F4.

[Bob Sayers]

I, too, have fairly short, stubby fingers (fortunately, that doesn't describe the rest of me!) and tend to find a round neck more comfortable than a V-neck. #

I'm finding that the love of my life--a beautiful wine red Wayne Benson signature Gibson--tends to cramp my left hand if I play if for any length of time. #I thought that the problem might be the set-up. #But I think that it really has to do with the deep V-shape of the neck and my short fingers. #Anyone have any thoughts about this?

I'd love to keep my Benson model forever, as it's aces in looks and has developed a wonderful rich tone over the last three years. #But I'm beginning to look around for an alternative--which obviously won't be a Ricky Skaggs "speed neck"!!! #My left hand hurts just thinking about it. #Does anyone here (Big Joe?) have any experience with the Gold Rush model in terms of its neck profile? #Thanks in advance for your advice. #

Bob