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Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 "Speed Neck"?

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  • Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 "Speed Neck"?

    Why does the Dinky get a thinner neck than the KV2's so-called "Speed Neck"? Shouldn't the "Speed Neck" be the thinnest neck offered by Jackson?

    The reason I ask, is I love very thin necks, and I'm getting ready to order a Custom Shop. I'd like the thinnest reasonable neck, which I guess would be the Dinky's profile, but the options are just SL1, KV2 (Speed Neck) or add $120 for any other profile.

    Is there a reason the Dinky's neck profile isn't offered on neck-throughs, e.g., is it less durable (mind you, the Jem Wizard neck is thinner than any of these, but I think that's reinforced with Bubinga, etc.)?

  • #2
    Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 "Speed Neck"?

    Although I have no "proof" to back this up, I've always thought that it must be a neck-thru vs. bolt-on thing, that for some structural integrity reason, a bolt-on neck could be thinner because of the way it is joined to the body.

    In my experience, the thinnest necks are on the imports. My bolt-on USA DR2 and RR2 have necks similar to a Soloist, but the Japanese Dinky Pro XL has a very thin neck, about the same as a current DK2. The Dinky Concept has an even thinner neck, although it's a hair narrower than a KV2 speed neck.
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    • #3
      Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 "Speed Neck"?

      Good points. I agree with the US vs. Import comparison, too. I went to a music store recently and checked out all of its Jacksons. The lone USA model (a Kelly) had a neck that felt thick and round to me, like a Les Paul. On the other hand, the imports (Dinkys, RR Vs and a King V) all felt nice and thin.

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      • #4
        Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 "Speed Neck"?

        I think you're making an error with wording here. Speed and neck thickness are not related. You can play very fast on a fat neck (have you heard solos by Jimmy Page, Zakk Wylde, and John Sykes?). Speed is defined as to how fast you can move your fingers on the strings and pick them. It has nothing to do with the distance between your fingers and the back of your hand/thumb. The Jackson "Speed Neck" is so named because of the comfort level of its profile. There are many thinner necks than the Jackson "Speed Neck" and you've found them on your Dinky. Most of the early USA Fusions are very thin as well.
        "Got a crazy feeling I don't understand,
        Gotta get away from here.
        Feelin' like I shoulda kept my feet on the ground
        Waitin' for the sun to appear..."

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        • #5
          Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 "Speed Neck"?

          Originally posted by charvel750:
          I think you're making an error with wording here. Speed and neck thickness are not related. You can play very fast on a fat neck (have you heard solos by Jimmy Page, Zakk Wylde, and John Sykes?). Speed is defined as to how fast you can move your fingers on the strings and pick them. It has nothing to do with the distance between your fingers and the back of your hand/thumb. The Jackson "Speed Neck" is so named because of the comfort level of its profile. There are many thinner necks than the Jackson "Speed Neck" and you've found them on your Dinky. Most of the early USA Fusions are very thin as well.
          <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I disagree. To develop speed, a player must be able to cleanly and quickly execute changes in fingering on the fretboard. For many people like myself, who have relatively small hands and short fingers, a thinner neck makes it easier to reach and finger those changes, which allows for increased speed. Thus, neck thickness and speed can be (and for me, are) directly related.

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          • #6
            Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

            It's cool, bro. I prefer a thinner neck myself. However:

            Give me the thinnest neck you can find and let me play licks against Zakk Wylde with his big/bulky/fat/cumbersome '59 rounded Les Paul neck. While I can hold my own, I can't outspeed him. Moving your fingers across strings has nothing to do with thickness of the neck. Speed is how fast you can play, not how fast you can overcome the obstacle of a fat neck.
            "Got a crazy feeling I don't understand,
            Gotta get away from here.
            Feelin' like I shoulda kept my feet on the ground
            Waitin' for the sun to appear..."

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            • #7
              Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

              Originally posted by charvel750:
              It's cool, bro. I prefer a thinner neck myself. However:

              Give me the thinnest neck you can find and let me play licks against Zakk Wylde with his big/bulky/fat/cumbersome '59 rounded Les Paul neck. While I can hold my own, I can't outspeed him. Moving your fingers across strings has nothing to do with thickness of the neck. Speed is how fast you can play, not how fast you can overcome the obstacle of a fat neck.
              <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Zakk Wylde could play circles around me if he was playing a dusty Squier Bullet from the wall of your local Music Go Round with a warped neck, crappy action, ragged fret wire ends and heavy gauge strings, and I was playing a new JEM set up by Steve Vai's guitar tech with .008s. That makes me sad, but it's irrelevant to this discussion.

              If it was just a case of moving your fingers across strings, you'd be correct - neck thickness wouldn't matter. Unfortunately, you also have to grab notes (chord shapes, scales, etc.) while you're moving those fingers, and reaching those notes more easily allows you to do it quicker. Thus, how fast you can play is a DIRECT result of how fast you can overcome the obstacle of a fat neck (and the obstacle of string spacing, and every other physical characteristic of playing guitar). Of course, some people don't consider a fat neck to be an obstacle at all, just like some don't consider a big bolt-on neck block & plate, or a Les Paul's single cutaway, to be an obstacle. As you may have guessed by now, I'm not one of those people.

              Anyway, I think we've played this one out about as long as we can, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. (At least we agree on neck preferences.) [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

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              • #8
                Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                To beat the dead horse one more time, both points are valid but I use my Les Paul for slow bluesy metal leads and my Jackson Concept for faster more precise playing. The Jackson super thin neck makes playing fast easier for me...on the other hand I'm sure if I were Zakk Wylde I could string up a 2x4 and shred like a mo-fo!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

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                • #9
                  Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                  you asked why the dinky "speed neck" has a thinner neck than the KV2... well.... because there is less wood on a Dinky "Speed neck"..... [img]graemlins/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

                  Sorry just had to say it. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

                  I got that one from the old Geese joke---- "Because there are more Geese on that side of the V."
                  "clean sounds are for pussies" - Axewielder

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                  • #10
                    Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                    Different shapes, mostly. The difference in thickness is almost imperceptible. The back shapes of the two are slightly different, and that's where the thickness difference is.

                    If you want the thinnest neck Jackson makes right now, buy a JS20. Trust me on this one. Some are in Wizard territory.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                      Just as some people with smaller hands are more comfortable with smaller narrower necks.People with larger hands tend to prefer a little fatter neck that helps to keep your positioning from bunching up.To each their own, that said speed is not a development of the neck iself but rather that of the musician.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                        "To each their own, that said speed is not a development of the neck iself but rather that of the musician".

                        Nicely said. I agree.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                          Originally posted by charvel750:
                          It's cool, bro. I prefer a thinner neck myself. However:

                          Give me the thinnest neck you can find and let me play licks against Zakk Wylde with his big/bulky/fat/cumbersome '59 rounded Les Paul neck. While I can hold my own, I can't outspeed him. Moving your fingers across strings has nothing to do with thickness of the neck. Speed is how fast you can play, not how fast you can overcome the obstacle of a fat neck.
                          <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Zakk's necks on all his LPs are thinner... he shaves them down. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Not that it really matters anyway, but that's what he prefers.
                          I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                            Zakk's necks on all his LPs are thinner... he shaves them down. Not that it really matters anyway, but that's what he prefers.
                            <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't blame him, I'd do the same!!!!!
                            I would also stick a pointy headstock on it too [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

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                            • #15
                              Re: Why does the Dinky have a thinner neck than the KV2 &quot;Speed Neck&quot;?

                              Originally posted by Black Mariah:
                              If you want the thinnest neck Jackson makes right now, buy a JS20. Trust me on this one. Some are in Wizard territory.
                              <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">And I believe the new JS30 necks are just as thin.
                              "Quiet, numbskulls, I'm broadcasting!" -Moe Howard, "Micro-Phonies" (1945)

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