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What contours do you fingerpickers like? chorders like?
In general, is contour chosen according to hand size, placement of thumb on back, etc.

What do you prefer and why?

Hi again Bob!
                As a finger style player , (surprisingly average) , I have made mine the half egg shape ,as in George Lowden Guitars . I find this shape to be very comfortable in the hand.
You'll notice that some eggs are pointy and others not so much . Us rural people believe that the pointy ones become cocks and the rounder ones become hens . B.T.W. Doesn't always work out that way . My point is that I would use the hen egg shape rather than the pointy type .

Regards , Craig Lawrence

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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most that I have built for prefer The modafied "D" profile to make it easer to use their thumb to fret the 5th string. Hand size is an important factor but most ss guitar players do not use the proper or classical hand position, but rather tend to cup the neck in the palm a bit more and the modafied or fast "D" profile lends it self to this well.MichaelP38953.3845023148

How do I make contour shapes, at different frets, to make the contour properly?

Slight asymmetry, rounder soft C shape on the bass side, slightly flatter contour on the treble side, which is very comfortable in thumb-over while feeling smaller than it actually is in terms of mass, and equally comfortable when playing with 'proper' thumb-behind classical technique. Best picture I have is of a strat-type neck I made a while back:



I've use one version or another of this on every guitar I've built, and I love what it does. You can go extreme with an asymmetrical 'V', or just the slightest difference, but smoothing out the shoulders helps slim down necks a lot (As in, I carve into the binding/edge of the fingerboard slightly). As for 'how', I do it entirely by feel with a bit of checking with straightedges for flatness. Basically start with the thickness at center planned out, then carve a bunch of 'flat' facets into the neck (see cumpiano's book on heel and neck shaft carving), then smooth them all out, and use a variety of scrapers to fine-tune shapes and transitions, and the good-old shoeshining-with-sandpaper method to smooth everthing out a treat.Mattia Valente38953.3982060185

Hi Bob,
        Mattia's picture is what I was trying to describe as a half egg shape . i.e. An upside down hen egg ,cut down the middle . It really does fit the hand very well.

Craig Lawrence

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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Thanks for this thread, guys.

I've been thinking about necks a lot lately, trying to analyze why I like the old V or semi-V profile necks. I think I see it right there in the picture Mattia posted. It's not the V shape, it's the flatter profile on the treble side that makes it work better for me.

I'm definitely going to experiment with this profile.

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D..

Bob, you could also buy a contour gauge at any hardware store, i plan on buying one meself.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FK5IZM/ref=nosim/104-71 58332-8104765?n=228013

Serge

Great info!
Just curious, the V seems to have the greatest distance between thumb and fretboard;is this shape for players that use the 'classical hand position'?