Sadowsky Semihollow Neck Question

[Jazz2Punk]

Very interested in a Sadowsky Semihollow and am wondering what the neck profile is like? After a search here, I found a description of 'on the chunkier side'. How chunky is chunky?

I'm more of a 'slim' profile guy when it comes to necks and definitely not into chunky. Does Sadowsky do custom specs on the necks if needed?

 

[Jim S]

I played one a few times and I don't remember it striking me as chunky. It was really nice and not to fat or thin.

It's not a slim shredder and not nearly as diminutive as the narrow, small neck on my 70s walnut finish 335; not as beefy as the necks on my R68 LP Custom or R4 goldtop.

It was jussssssst right.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

Thanks for the review. Hopefully I'll be able to track one down soon to try out.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

Anyone else play or own one?

 

[es3456]

I played a Jimi Bruno model at Elderly Instruments and I think it has the same neck profile as the semi hollow. It had the nicest neck contour I have ever played not big or small. I should have never picked up that guitar.

 

[The bear]

I played one and for me the neck was a little too thin, more like a 70's Gibson someone said. it was a really nice guitar though.
It would be nice if they had a few different neck profiles too choose from.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

I played one and for me the neck was a little too thin, more like a 70's Gibson someone said. it was a really nice guitar though.
It would be nice if they had a few different neck profiles too choose from.

Thanks for the review. How does the neck compare to your Soco?

Recently discovered your youtube vids while searching Collings related threads btw. Excellent playing man!

 

[ajazzguy]

i own an i-35
and the sadowsky has a slimmer neck, which i preffer. a real great neck, and a great guitar

 

[The bear]

Thanks for the review. How does the neck compare to your Soco?

Recently discovered your youtube vids while searching Collings related threads btw. Excellent playing man!

Thanks a lot! The neck on my soco is a little bit more beefy, still that neck is not huge, the collings 290 seems bigger.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

i own an i-35
and the sadowsky has a slimmer neck, which i preffer. a real great neck, and a great guitar

Sounds promising! Thanks for the review.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

Thanks a lot! The neck on my soco is a little bit more beefy, still that neck is not huge, the collings 290 seems bigger.

Thanks for the comparison. I lean more towards slim necks but as awesome as that soco looks and sounds in your vids I may be able to adjust!

 

[TikiJoe]

It's hard to know what you want to compare it to. I own one an I'm very comfortable with the neck size. It reminds me of a very nice 335 Gibson profile. It's a very light, well-balanced guitar so fatigue is not an issue. My left hand fits very comfortably around the neck. It's small enough for me to easily fret the low E string with my thumb. Mine came with .011 strings and that's what I've continued to use. I thought they were .010's until I called the shop to find out.

It's an exceptional instrument. Mine gets several hours of playing time daily; it's been my main axe since September and I suspect it will be my main instrument from now on. Sadowsky allows you to send the guitar back within a reasonable time if you don't like it. I never even considered sending mine back after playing it.

I would consider calling the shop if you have more questions. They've been very receptive when I called.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

It's hard to know what you want to compare it to. I own one an I'm very comfortable with the neck size. It reminds me of a very nice 335 Gibson profile. It's a very light, well-balanced guitar so fatigue is not an issue. My left hand fits very comfortably around the neck. It's small enough for me to easily fret the low E string with my thumb. Mine came with .011 strings and that's what I've continued to use. I thought they were .010's until I called the shop to find out.

It's an exceptional instrument. Mine gets several hours of playing time daily; it's been my main axe since September and I suspect it will be my main instrument from now on. Sadowsky allows you to send the guitar back within a reasonable time if you don't like it. I never even considered sending mine back after playing it.

I would consider calling the shop if you have more questions. They've been very receptive when I called.

Thanks for the info Tiki. Using the Gibson reference as a guideline, I find the '60's slim profile' and the '30/60 profile' to be very comfortable. Definitely not into the fat neck baseball bat thing!

I will give them a call today and discuss it with them.

 

[jads57]

I actually prefer the larger neck profile as well. Say .90-.93 1st fret - .97-1.0 12th fret. A lot of the makers would probably sell more guitars if they at least offered both
slim & larger profiled necks as options.

 

[Fusionshred]

Jim S and I are the biggest Sadowsky junkies here, I think!

I don't think they will do custom neck profiles on the archtops. Roger spent a lot of time getting it "right" the first time... although of course neck preference is subjective.

The neck on the Semi Hollow is, I would say (without having them side-by-side to compare), close to a Gibson 60s Slim Taper neck. It's thin enough to fly on, but beefy enough so you can play for hours and not get fatigued. Overall, it feels kind of like a 60s 335 neck... only infinitely better. Remember that besides the neck shape, profile, thickness, etc., the woodwork and fretwork are PERFECT - so the neck plays itself, and the size of the neck is LESS of a variable than it is on most other guitars, IMHO. That's why most guys are surpised to find that the strings it comes with are 11s and not 10s. You don't need a particular neck size or shape as a "work-around" to compensate for buzzes, high spots, rough edges, action issues...

I have medium-sized hands and not long fingers (ever take a close look at the fingers a lot of shredders have?!?) and the neck plays fast for me.

The Semi Hollow is my #1 for almost every conceivable musical style.

 

[jads57]

I guess I have to respectfully disagree w/ the perfect neck size fits all scenario.
I've found that over the years I 've gravitated to a larger neck size for guitars.
I 've found it to be less fatiguing and more comfartablbe to play overall. The only exceptions for me would be a 1 & 7/8ths width w/ a shallower neck depth.
And I don't have that large of hands either. I should also add that if the overall shape has enough shoulder left on the neck and is evenly tapered i.e. Gibsons 60/plus
.30 profile on the ES-339, I can live w/ that as a default neck shape.
I would think w/ todays technology or even if the guitar is hand shaped that shouldn't be that big of a problem to offer at least 2 different neck options. Luthiers please correct me if I'm wrong about that, I'd very much appreciate the explanation of that. Cheers!

 

[Jazz2Punk]

The neck on the Semi Hollow is, I would say (without having them side-by-side to compare), close to a Gibson 60s Slim Taper neck. It's thin enough to fly on, but beefy enough so you can play for hours and not get fatigued. Overall, it feels kind of like a 60s 335 neck... only infinitely better.

Sounds like it will be a great fit! Thanks for the review.

 

[jzucker]

It's neither chunky nor slim. It's a typical japanese 335 neck profile IMO. It's about the same profile as an Ibanez AS200, Scofield, or Yamaha SA-2200. I would call it a medium C. Not slim, not chunky. Just right. It's thinner than the 30/60 gibson profile.

 

[Jazz2Punk]

It's neither chunky nor slim. It's a typical japanese 335 neck profile IMO. It's about the same profile as an Ibanez AS200, Scofield, or Yamaha SA-2200. I would call it a medium C. Not slim, not chunky. Just right. It's thinner than the 30/60 gibson profile.

That sounds great as the 30/60 profile is about as thick as I'd go on a neck.

 

[duaneallen]

I have one and its my favorite neck carve I've played so far. Jack is right in saying its a "Japanese" shape. I am not technical when it comes to neck sizes, but I have noticed the many Japanese made semi hollows have the same neck shape, and what a wonderful shape it is. I would say that its a comfortable medium.