Zarley Wide Neck Guitars has introduced the first of its new line of wide-neck guitars, the Reserve.
Simply put, the Reserve is designed for guitarists with bigger hands. The neck width is increased to 1 7/8” (47.625mm) at the nut, providing an increased string spacing of 0.315” (8mm) for execution of single-note runs.
The Reserve also features a dual-humbucker setup, a stop tailpiece with bridge, two volumes, two tone controls, three-way switch, hardwood body, maple top, rosewood fingerboard, a maple set-in neck and a 24 ¾” scale.
Optional finishes include brown maple, glossy black, blueburst and cherry sunburst.
Zarley Wide Neck Guitars was founded by Tracy Todd -- a guy with big hands. He started out playing off-the-shelf guitars, but his hands and fingers created issues with muted strings. After a while, he realized he represented a segment of the guitar market that wasn't being addressed, so he came up with a design of his own.
The company points out that the wide neck might be helpful to beginners, too, since the wider string spacing has shown to make learning a little easier for those first starting out.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
