NGD - Strandberg Boden Standard NX6

[Eagle]

In doesn’t take a genius to hold their hand up in a neutral position and see how much thinner a wizard neck is than that position for 9 out of 10 people. And it doesn’t take a genius to extrapolate from that bit of information that some of those 9 are likely to experience cramping when using a neck that requires them to actively squeeze their hand together in order to allow the thumb to rest on the back of the neck. Explaining why plenty of shredders (see: Holdsworth) prefer necks with some meat on them.

Holdsworth played Charvel Ibanez and a shaved down SG for years before the Steinberger and there wasn’t any option on those.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Having the strings high off the body is bad for people who rest their hand on the top and as you say the depth of the heel joint.

prs and folks that prefer Gibson’s without a pickguard are doing it wrong, I guess.

One could argue that providing more height allows the player to adjust it to their needs through various means.

@yeky83 my concern with strings (and saddle) higher off the body surface is the mechanical advantage the string pull now has against the trem bar movement (unless trem pivot point has been raised?)

 

[Eagle]

If you play in a classical style thin necks do not cause cramps bad technique does. But equally you can play thick necks and it only makes your thumb 5mm farther away from the fingerboard a bit like playing a Charvel neck higher up.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Holdsworth played Charvel Ibanez and a shaved down SG for years before the Steinberger and there wasn’t any option on those.

His choice for his sig guitars after sampling the options? The point isn’t that everyone will cramp with a Wizard, or that there won’t be anyone who prefers a Wizard, it’s that there is plenty of evidence that shredding at a very high level has nothing to do with the thickness of the neck (within reason)

 

[Eagle]

His choice for his sig guitars after sampling the options? The point isn’t that everyone will cramp with a Wizard, or that there won’t be anyone who prefers a Wizard, it’s that there is plenty of evidence that shredding at a very high level has nothing to do with the thickness of the neck (within reason)

He played Steinberger for years before and wanted to basically use the same hardware and keep the same feel.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

He played Steinberger for years before and wanted to basically use the same hardware and keep the same feel.

One might eve say, therefore, that his preference was for a thicker neck at that point in his playing career.

What’s annoying about the Strandberg marketing is that it insists that ergonomics is a one size fits all thing.

The guitar that is ergonomic is the one that a particular individual’s physiology can adapt to without strain or pain. Some will find a wide range of guitar designs “ergonomic” and not understand why some people are so picky or concerned. Others fewer.

 

[Will Chen]

If you play in a classical style thin necks do not cause cramps bad technique does. But equally you can play thick necks and it only makes your thumb 5mm farther away from the fingerboard a bit like playing a Charvel neck higher up.

I mean...I wear my guitar high-ish and at an angle to purposely try and mimic the position a classical sits on the body when seated. In fact, I love that when seated the Strandberg is shaped to purposely mimic classical seated position playing. I get it, you love the Wizard. But the assumption you're making here is pretty condescending.

 

[Will Chen]

One might eve say, therefore, that his preference was for a thicker neck at that point in his playing career.

What’s annoying about the Strandberg marketing is that it insists that ergonomics is a one size fits all thing.

The guitar that is ergonomic is the one that a particular individual’s physiology can adapt to without strain or pain. Some will find a wide range of guitar designs “ergonomic” and not understand why some people are so picky or concerned. Others fewer.

Absolutely. I find the Strandberg extremely ergonomic. But as I've mentioned several times, I can clearly see how it wouldn't work for some or seem like a complete gimmick. I play with a pretty traditional technique, but whatever works for someone is great for them. What matters more is the music made than the technique used to get there.

 

[Eagle]

I mean...I wear my guitar high-ish and at an angle to purposely try and mimic the position a classical sits on the body when seated. In fact, I love that when seated the Strandberg is shaped to purposely mimic classical seated position playing. I get it, you love the Wizard. But the assumption you're making here is pretty condescending.

No I am saying that with your thumb in the back of the neck it doesn’t matter thick or thin. Sorry if it came across wrong it wasn’t meant to be condescending.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

No I am saying that with your thumb in the back of the neck it doesn’t matter thick or thin. Sorry if it came across wrong it wasn’t meant to be condescending.

Except it does for some... because ergonomics isn't a one size fits all thing...

 

[Eagle]

Except it does for some... because ergonomics isn't a one size fits all thing...

Fair but I don’t think holding your hand in a completely relaxed manner is going to cause cramps and moving your thumb back 3mm is going to make any difference.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Fair but I don’t think holding your hand in a completely relaxed manner is going to cause cramps and moving your thumb back 3mm is going to make any difference.

I love the degree to which you are willing to ignore empirical evidence staring you directly in the face mid-thread.

 

[Eagle]

I love the degree to which you are willing to ignore empirical evidence staring you directly in the face mid-thread.

It’s not evidence and I have not seen the technique in action.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

It’s not evidence and I have not seen the technique in action.

"I play with my thumb on the back of the neck, with the guitar held in classical position and I find the Wizard neck makes my hand cramp where others that are 3mm thicker do not" - Will Chen

"That's not empirical evidence because I haven't seen you play" - Eagle-knows-best

 

[JT]

 

[Will Chen]

Fair but I don’t think holding your hand in a completely relaxed manner is going to cause cramps and moving your thumb back 3mm is going to make any difference.

"Completely relaxed" is always a balancing act for me, I mean certainly no one is playing completely relaxed as we must contract to fret notes, but I do my best. But really...feel free to post another thread with a poll. I could very well be in a very small minority, doesn't matter to me in the least. Thicker necks are more comfortable/ergonomic for me though years of trial and error, and there's a reason there are necks made in so many different sizes and profiles. I could propose that since the Endurneck feels so perfect for me that it should for everyone using "correct technique" (i.e. my "superior" technique), but I don't believe that in the least.

 

[Blix]

I'm mostly a humb-over guy and love the Wizard neck on my 540P.

Tried a Strandberg for the first time last week, was fun to finally try that crazy neck profile. Felt more comfortable than I thought it would.

Happy NGD!

 

[yeky83]

IMHO it reinforces proper technique in a very novel way. For example, if I'm playing a chord near the "head" where I need to stretch a little for the chord form, my thumb will rotate towards the treble side of the neck. With the Endurneck, that angle and flat surface provide a much more precise anchor point than a rounded neck. The same happens in reverse when moving up to the higher frets where the offset trapezoid provides a great anchor point on the bass side of the neck. For everything else the flat back enforces proper middle thumb placement as if you're not in the correct position, you’re feeling the edge (though that has it's own odd benefits as well). Now, as I mentioned...this really only works if you're someone who's already more comfortable wearing their guitar a bit higher than "rock star" levels for ergonomic purposes as I imagine the neck would feel like garbage if slinging a guitar down at one's waist and completely pointless for someone who does a lot of thumb over the neck style playing.

When I had the nagging wrist pain, it wasn’t so much that the endurneck helped by forcing my hand in a certain position cus playing in the same position on other guitars would induce pain. I came to thinking maybe it’s the flat surface giving my thumb and by extension my wrist just that tiny bit more stability. Otherwise, I dunno!

 

[Eagle]

"Completely relaxed" is always a balancing act for me, I mean certainly no one is playing completely relaxed as we must contract to fret notes, but I do my best. But really...feel free to post another thread with a poll. I could very well be in a very small minority, doesn't matter to me in the least. Thicker necks are more comfortable/ergonomic for me though years of trial and error, and there's a reason there are necks made in so many different sizes and profiles. I could propose that since the Endurneck feels so perfect for me that it should for everyone using "correct technique" (i.e. my "superior" technique), but I don't believe that in the least.

“Correct technique “ is from classical playing and you simply won’t be able to play half the repertoire without it. It is different on electric as there is no conventional learning method and most people do it themselves. This is why the results are so different and people make unorthodox choices work. It’s a bit like musicians who don’t want to learn theory and still become good. I personally think we should learn the lessons of people who have studied this before. Imagine science if everyone insisted on figuring it all out for themselves. We would all still live in caves.

 

[Achilles]

Correct technique?