I keep telling myself I'm going to measure the necks of my guitars, but I guess I just don't care enough. It's a personal choice of course, and we all like what we like.
@Yonatan: there are no specific technical advantages to thickness, per se, only personal preferences. For some people with large hands, a thicker neck might seem natural - but as it turns out, there are too many factors and some small-handed people like thick necks and some large bear paw folks like skinny necks. Some people get muscle cramps or other pains from using a neck that they don't like - both on the skinny side and the fat side. If you are making that neck for yourself, you might try some models with thicker necks and see if you have a preference. Then again, some players have no preference either way.
In terms of keeping on the same page, I use these words:
"wide" to be the width of the fretboard, parallel to the frets, usually measured at the nut.
"thick" or "fat", the measurement from top of fretboard to back of neck, maximum amount. I tend to use thick rather than fat, but that's just me.
"profile" would be the general shape of the neck, in cross section and that's why we end up with C or D or U or V.
C being the skinniest/thinnest, D a little bit thicker and U or V the thickest. The U style having some part of the shoulders parallel or close to parallel - as in what a U looks like. V as in what the letter looks like but not necessarily a sharp point, sometimes referred to as rounded V or soft V. I used to encounter V necks in some of the 20's and 30's parlor style acoustics.
Some none-specific terms are also used: "boatneck" which I think most use to describe a V as in how the bow of the boat is shaped to slice through water, I guess. "Baseball bat", as in thick and round - not the handle of the bat, but the meaty part you use to hit homeruns or foul balls, or that devastating whiff at that stupid submarine slinging upside down curve ball.
So for current production or close to current, this is what I've encountered for thicker necks, again I don't have measurements
On the Fender side, the Baja (50's) and the James Burton Std MIM both have thicker/fatter necks. the Baja 50's I had was thick, easily over .9 but never measured.
I have still have the JB Std MIM and it's approaching .9, but with a very nice U shape. I like it, if only because I don't even think about it when playing - but it does feel good. Neither of these are humbucker guitars, but it's not unheard of for folks to drop in a humucker in the neck position and there are tele-bridge size humbuckers available.
On the Gibson/Epi side: Any of the LP versions that claim to be modelled on the 50's era, seem to be thicker and baseball bat round. I've got the "50's Tribute LP Studio" and it's not skinny. Picture in side view below. My version has P90's but it also comes in double humbucker.
Some of the bolt-on, very inexpensive, but well made Epi LP Jrs. actually have something resembling the 50's style thicker LP neck.
Here's that 50's/Tribute/Studio neck. I don't know if it's current as in 2021, but I think I've seen models for almost every year in the 2010's and a few 2020's.
@Yonatan: there are no specific technical advantages to thickness, per se, only personal preferences. For some people with large hands, a thicker neck might seem natural - but as it turns out, there are too many factors and some small-handed people like thick necks and some large bear paw folks like skinny necks. Some people get muscle cramps or other pains from using a neck that they don't like - both on the skinny side and the fat side. If you are making that neck for yourself, you might try some models with thicker necks and see if you have a preference. Then again, some players have no preference either way.
In terms of keeping on the same page, I use these words:
"wide" to be the width of the fretboard, parallel to the frets, usually measured at the nut.
"thick" or "fat", the measurement from top of fretboard to back of neck, maximum amount. I tend to use thick rather than fat, but that's just me.
"profile" would be the general shape of the neck, in cross section and that's why we end up with C or D or U or V.
C being the skinniest/thinnest, D a little bit thicker and U or V the thickest. The U style having some part of the shoulders parallel or close to parallel - as in what a U looks like. V as in what the letter looks like but not necessarily a sharp point, sometimes referred to as rounded V or soft V. I used to encounter V necks in some of the 20's and 30's parlor style acoustics.
Some none-specific terms are also used: "boatneck" which I think most use to describe a V as in how the bow of the boat is shaped to slice through water, I guess. "Baseball bat", as in thick and round - not the handle of the bat, but the meaty part you use to hit homeruns or foul balls, or that devastating whiff at that stupid submarine slinging upside down curve ball.
So for current production or close to current, this is what I've encountered for thicker necks, again I don't have measurements
On the Fender side, the Baja (50's) and the James Burton Std MIM both have thicker/fatter necks. the Baja 50's I had was thick, easily over .9 but never measured.
I have still have the JB Std MIM and it's approaching .9, but with a very nice U shape. I like it, if only because I don't even think about it when playing - but it does feel good. Neither of these are humbucker guitars, but it's not unheard of for folks to drop in a humucker in the neck position and there are tele-bridge size humbuckers available.
On the Gibson/Epi side: Any of the LP versions that claim to be modelled on the 50's era, seem to be thicker and baseball bat round. I've got the "50's Tribute LP Studio" and it's not skinny. Picture in side view below. My version has P90's but it also comes in double humbucker.
Some of the bolt-on, very inexpensive, but well made Epi LP Jrs. actually have something resembling the 50's style thicker LP neck.
Here's that 50's/Tribute/Studio neck. I don't know if it's current as in 2021, but I think I've seen models for almost every year in the 2010's and a few 2020's.
