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Just wanted to see what folks take on the taper of a guitar neck, what advantages or disadvantages you see in tapered or non tapered necks. The most obvious answer I can think of is ergonomics, but I'd like to hear other opinions.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Depends on how rounded you want the neck to feel. If the back of the neck were a perfect half circle across it's length, for example (or a consistent arc of a circle) then as the neck widens from the nut to the heel, the neck becomes progressively thicker to maintain the same back radius. If the thickness stayed the same, the radius would change. So the taper of the thickness of the neck in a way determines how consistent the back of the neck can feel across it's length roundness wise.

For more consistent roundness the neck must get thicker as the width gets wider.

For consistent thickness, the radius must change to accommodate the increased width as you go up the neck.

For consistent thickness AND roundness, the fretboard must not taper from nut to heel. I've seen some basses like that.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Exactly the kind of observations I was looking for. Anyone got anymore?

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

One thing I have thought about a lot, but not tested, is the effect of taper on neck relief under string tension. One would assume with a taper, the very center of the slight bow in the neck would be a small increment closer to the nut than if there were no taper.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Not only is the taper for thickness a more comfortable feeling,it also looks better in my opinion. Subtle, but there.
Tom

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Also, since the neck is essentially a cantilevered beam in bending, the greatest stresses are at the heel, so thickening the neck as it approaches the heel helps to keep the stress in the neck more constant,
Mike

The frets get closer together the further you go up the neck. Therefor, the shape of your hands differs depending on where you are fretting.

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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."