What kind of guitar is easiest to play?

[Robert]

What do you think is the easiest guitar (or type of guitar) to play? I'm not sure what I think. I remember the shredder-type Ibanez guitars have fast necks. My cheap Squire Tele is very easy to play actually. Some vintage Teles are very tough to play though; with a very round, fat neck and super-tiny frets.

I find big frets make it easier to play as well, especially for bending, which I tend to do a lot of.

[just strum]

Only being able to use the ones I own or owned for comparison, I would have to say for me it's been the Epi Dot, followed very closely by the Ibanez ARC300. Don't know anything about necks, but both allow me to move faster and form cleaner notes and chords.

I don't care for my Epi G400 or the Squier. The acoustics are different animals, but the EA20SDL that I sold was probably the closest to an electric guitar neck and the J28SDL is ok, but nothing close to the Epi and Ibanez. I did play a Martin at GC one time and was blown away by the ease of play. I don't recall the model number, but I know it was not one of their high end models.

I have a friend that has a MIM Strat that he hates. Complains about it all the time, doesn't like the neck, doesn't like the sound - I see a real deal on the horizon fueled by my comments "Oh, why don't you just get rid of that piece of crap":drool: :Dude: :drool:

[t_ross33]

Our bass player has a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe that I use sometimes and I find it very easy to play, although the shorter scale neck throws me a bit after playing my Tele. It frets very well with super low action.

[Katastrophe]

I personally think that the 24.75" scale guitars are easier to play because of the lesser string tension.

My Ibanez, Charvel, and ESP guitars all have thin, flat radius necks that, when set up properly, are very fast. Their necks are also very thin, which will tend to tire my hands faster and lead to cramping.

For Strat style guitars, I'm more and more leaning towards big necks with big frets. They fill my hand better, and I like bending with big frets. The Tele Deluxe reissue (with a big, U shaped 3 bolt neck) that I played recently felt just about right. With some bigger frets, it would have been perfect.

[sunvalleylaw]

I only have what I have, but I find my strat, 9.5 radius, medium jumbo frets, the easiest. I tried Spud's Epi LP, and it wasn't as comfortable for me as my strat, but I think that is just cause I am not used to it.

[R_of_G]

I know from my own experience that every player I know who gets their hands on my Squier strat thinks it plays like a toy. I kept drifting back to it in the store because I found it so easy to play, and at least half a dozen other guitar players I know have commented on its ease in playing. I know after playing my ES-135 for an hour moving to the strat is like a second wind for my left hand.

[duhvoodooman]

That's a tough one. Frankly, of the several guitars I own, I don't feel that big a difference in ease of playability between them. Sitting down, I find my Epi LP very easy to play. Nice, fast neck that's not too thin; but it's heavy, which can get tiring standing up. I find my Dot extremely easy to play, also. It's a big guitar (though not all that heavy) but I'm a pretty big guy, and the beefy neck fits my hand well and is very comfortable to play.

I know people say that the typical Fender 25.5" scale is harder to play due to the greater string tension, but I've never found that to be much of a factor. I can feel the difference when I put down one of my Epi's and pick up the Strat or Tele, but I get used to them very quickly. Again, I have a fairly large, strong hand, so the increased string tension doesn't seem to bother me. Then again, as a casual musician, I've never had to bang away up on the stage for 3 or 4 hour-long sets in an evening!!

[TS808]

I personally think that the 24.75" scale guitars are easier to play because of the lesser string tension.

I agree...the shorter scale combined with a flatter radius makes for some easier playing. I prefer my strats though (9.5" radius necks) over my Agile Al-3000's though. The Agiles are easier, no question, but if this makes any sense, I'm more accustomed to the feel of a strat.

Also, since using DR strings (NOT the pure nickel) the tension on my strings on my strats is MUCH less stiff than with D'Addarios.

[Spudman]

I personally think that the 24.75" scale guitars are easier to play because of the lesser string tension.



+1
This scale with larger frets is so easy to play it's sinful after struggling with a Strat.
Strange thing though, I have a Tele type guitar that has the 25.5 scale that Strats have but it plays so easily. It doesn't feel tight like some guitars with that scale. Go figure.

[pes_laul]

+1
This scale with larger frets is so easy to play it's sinful after struggling with a Strat.
Strange thing though, I have a Tele type guitar that has the 25.5 scale that Strats have but it plays so easily. It doesn't feel tight like some guitars with that scale. Go figure.
my squire is the toughest playing guitar I have ever played the tuners are really tight so it's hard to bend though I love the sound. the easiest guitar I've playe was either A 72' tele A Ibanez S470DXQM or a ibanez RG350MDX

[jpfeifer]

I find that shorter-scale necks are generally easier to play, and also guitars with larger frets and flatter radius necks. The easiest playing guitars I've ever played were Gibson Les Pauls / 335's and PRS guitars.

I find Strats to be among the harder guitars to play well due to the string tension, they tend to fight you a little as compared to guitars with shorter scale necks.

-- Jim

[LagrangeCalvert]

for me its all about application. IMHO deep "V" 50 style strat necks with 50's radius is beautiful for songs/music with more chording than single note runs...and since the older necks tend to have the smaller fret wire that facilitates the whole chording thing even more by making it very hard to go sharp or flat due to pressure when fretting chords....I also like it for blues and rock....

3 saddle Tele bridges to me are GREAT for bending and twangn' - like delta blues / country.... where the bends can really set the pace or phrasing and solo texture.

Les Paul style guitars Set neck or not - are the best "classic/hard/retro/80's/ROCK" guitars for their touch sensitivity, dual humbuckers , shorter scale's, type of bridge, angled headstock and usually bigger frets (that I like dress really low and fat) that make bends, hammer on's / pulloffs / tapping much easier. The 60's slim taper neck is also great.

Now here is where I get flamed I guess..... I cant stand "shredder guitars" and I know I am stereotyping them but lets face it - to each their own. The flat necks and super flat neck radius they usually have makes them horribly fast but way too uncomfortable to me...but I guess I suck eggs cause I see craploads of people shred/play blues/classical/metal/rock on em...


Now the most flexible guitar for all situations I have run into as of late would have to be H/S/S strat with an S1 switch.... above average playability AND tones galore to boot.

my .02

[Tone2TheBone]

Les Pauls have always been easier to play than Teles and Strats.

[aeolian]

To me, how well the guitar is set up matters more to how easy it is to play than scale length. My two guitars that are the most easy to play are the Godin ST-IV which is 25.5" scale and my Yamaha SG which is 24.75" scale.

As long as the setup is good with action on the low side, medium jumbo frets, and relatively flat radius (around 12" is optimal for me, but I have guitars from 7.25" radius to 16" radius, and I don't find them to play that much differently that it bothers me) I'm fine with it. Neck thickness doesn't bother me much either as long as it is not super thin. I can handle a thicker neck better than I can deal with a thin neck.

[Big_Rob]

Hmmmm,,,,,

Thats a toughie, I find that both my Ibanez AS73 and my MIM Strat are fairly easy to play.

But Ive had them specially set up for me and my style of playing, so I guess Roberts question is relative both to his finger size and style of playing.

Now with that said, I do like my Ibanezs wider fretboard with a shorter Gibson style scale for playability