Over the years instrument manufactureres have used varying neck profiles for their instruments. For clarification "profile" refers to the shape and thickness of the back of the neck. Often the profiles are shaped based on preferences of an instrument's namesake, i.e. Les Paul, Chet Atkins, etc. Custom shops offer profiles preferred by Stevie Ray, Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen among others. As a rule manufacturers strive to find a common profiles for their standard guitars which will appeal to the largest group of buyers.

 Most off the shelf guitars will offer what is referred to as a thin profile. I grew up playing SG's and Les Pauls which by the mid 70's had evolved into a thin profile. However Fender, Gibson and others used varying profiles through the years.

 The neck profile has a huge effect on the feel of the instrument and it's playability for a given player. Though the thin profile seems to be the most common I found that for me a thicker symetrical profile is more comfortable. I have rather long fingers and find that a meatier neck is less fatiguing. My fingers seem to "bunch up" when playing a thinner profile.

 Though I am not a luthier in any sense of the word I assembled my own Stat back in the 90's using Chandler parts and pleased with the results I decided to raise the bar on my next project by creating the perfect neck for my Tele project.

  For this guitar I ordered a neck with a fat profile....1" thick at the first fret and 1" at the 12th fret. After bolting it on and stringing the guitar I found the neck felt HUGE up to the 6th fret after with I found it very comfortable. Holding the guitar up vertically and observing the neck from the side it appeared to be thicker from the 1st to 6th fret even though the specs called for 1" from 1st to 12th. fret. Not having calipers to verify the thickness there was no need as I could see for myself it actually had the profile of a baseball bat! But that was good. Now I could shape the neck to my own hand just as a bowler has a ball fitted to his hand.

HOW TO SHAPE THE NECK

Although the idea is simple it requires patience and an unhurried approach. Buy a sheet of 1/8" vulcanized rubber from the hardware store. Cut 2 pieces, one approximately 4 1/2" x 3" and one 2" x 3".

Note that the larger piece has a "bite" cut out of one end. This accomodates the neck where it breaks into the headstock. This piece is used to sand the length of the neck. The smaller piece is used for final detail sanding. Cut a piece of sandpaper to the size of your rubber and attach it to the rubber using spray on adhesive. Note that the smaller piece shows the sandpaper attached. Before you began sanding play the guitar for a few days taking time to evaluate the neck and determine where you want to remove material.

 With the rubber in your hand hold the neck as if you were playing the guitar and begin sanding using long even strokes covering the entire selected area on each stroke. 80 grit is best for removing a lot of material quickly. Take care not to actually sand along the fingerboard edge. The sandpaper should be making contact about 1/8" below the dot markers.

 Stop periodically and brush away any sawdust from the neck and play it, forming chords and doing lead runs. Repeat this process until you get the neck shaped to your liking. Don't try to do this in one day. Work on it a little, put it down for a day or so and come back and re-evaluate the neck often. Remember that once the material is removed it can't be replaced so take your time.

 Use the smaller piece for spot sanding and final shaping. When you have achieved the profile you want sand the area smooth with 220 grit blending it into the rest of the neck. You can then finish the entire back with 320 grit to achieve uniform smoothness. The smoother it is the easier the finish will go on.

 Once you have finished the neck, leveled and dressed the frets and set up the guitar you will find you have the best playing guitar you have ever owned. Like a pro bowler it has been fitted to your hand.

Now that you've come this far don't forget the vintage amber stain before finishing to get that cool vintage look and for a truly custom axe put own your own custom headstock decal. Both are available from the Stagefright Music store.