Question:
How important is it to have a wider neck verses a narrower neck when playing fingerstyle on a steel string guitar? Chris Proctor's video suggests that it is best to have a guitar with a wide neck.

Thanks,

Bob in Portland, OR

Answer:
There are many opinions on this. Many great fingerstyle players are playing OM style guitars with a 1-3/4" neck width. My main 6-string guitars, a Collings SJ and a Martin D-28, both have standard neck widths of 1-11/16".

For many years I performed with three guitars: the D-28, a classical, and a Gibson 12-string. The neck widths were radically different one guitar to the next. Getting accustomed to the classical after many years on the steel-string was a challenge for me. However, after some experimentation, I realized that if I learned a piece on a particular guitar my hands became accustomed to that spacing for that tune. If I switched the tune to a different guitar, the subtleties could be lost--things like neighboring-string muting and the like. So I simply decided early on which guitar I wanted to use for a tune, and stuck with it.

What you need to do is find out what is comfortable for you. Many fingerstyle players fret the sixth string with their thumb up over the top of the neck. If you want to do this, you might need to have a slightly narrower neck if you don't have large hands. If your fingertips are large, you may need a neck with wider spacing to accommodate them.

As long as your hands are relaxed and you have good technique and hand position, you can probably get used to most any reasonable neck width. With experimentation, you likely will find a width that is most comfortable, one that allows you to play the way you want to.

Remember above all, the secret to really good playing is having relaxed hands and a relaxed, tuned-in brain. Lots of practice doesn't hurt either!

Hope this helps.

Mark Hanson

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