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Last Updated on December 5, 2023 by Justin Thomas

A U-shaped neck can offer nice vintage style playability but still give great comfort and be relatively easy to play. And this is exactly why I like the U-neck shape.

In 2012, I decided to buy a ESP LTD MH-400 with a thin U neck. It has been really fast-playing axe, and while my MH-400 was not the easiest to play guitar for me, it was still the right one. It taught me correct thumb placement and was comfortable to play.

My good experiences with guitars equipped with U neck shape made me really pumped to put together this article listing the cream of the crop guitars with U-shaped necks. Both acoustic and electric guitars. And I also reveal the 3 best ones. If you have any questions, just check the FAQ section or leave a comment.

Let’s get started!

To find out more about neck shapes, check this article I crafted: Guitar Neck Shape Guide – Shapes Explained.

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Author: Teemu Suomala

More About Teemu▼

I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I love guitars and have played dozens and dozens of different guitars through different amps and pedals over the years, and also, building a website interested me, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website.

I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have also been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar.

I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog (I guess that went the right way…).

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U Neck Shape

U shape (also called “standard U” or “vintage U”) is chunky and less round than familiar C shapes. Also, the shoulders are larger and the straight sides of the neck are longer. This shape is great for correct thumb placement(at the back of the neck) and moving up and down the neck is really smooth. For me and my small hands, C shapes provide better upper fret access, but U gives a firm grip and I especially enjoy playing riffs with this shape. U shape can work great for players with large hands.

Thin version of U shape. Great for correct thumb placement because of its flat back. This neck is in general faster to play than the regular U. For example, most ESP guitars use a Thin U neck shape. With this shape, both moving up and down the neck is smooth and you also have better access to the fretboard than with a regular U.

I also included other different variations of U neck shape in this article. Such as,

Extra Thin U
Vintage Soft U = Old-school U shape with a bit more roundness
1952 U = Resembles 1952 Telecasteres U neck shape

Almost all ESP guitars have either “Thin U” or “Extra Thin U” neck profile. Gretsch guitars is another brand known for using different variations of a U neck shape.

3 Acoustic Guitars With U Shaped Neck

ESP LTD TL-6 is a smooth-playing acoustic guitar with great quality hardware (NuBone nut & saddles, Grover tuners, etc.). It also has Fishman SONICORE electronics and great sound unplugged and plugged in. It’s a really good fit for an electric guitarist transitioning to the world of acoustic guitars.

Unfortunately, the acoustic guitar selection with U-shaped necks is really limited. But I found a couple of really cool acoustic models to share with you, have a look!

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $400-599

$$= $600-899

$$$= $900-1050

$$$$= $1051-1399

$$$$$= $1400-

*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂

Model	Body Style	Neck Shape	Neck Material	Price Range	Check Current Price (affiliate links)
Gretsch G5021E Rancher Penguin Parlor	Parlor	Standard U	Mahogany	$	*Sweetwater – Thomann***
ESP LTD TL-6 BL	Jumbo	Thin U	Single-cut	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G5022CWFE Rancher Falcon Jumbo – Best Acoustic	Jumbo – Cutaway	Standard U	Mahogany	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann

22 Electric Guitars with U Shaped Necks

If you are a beginner or your budget is really tight, plus you like metal, ESP LTD EC-10 is a great option. It has a Thin U neck shape, Extra jumbo frets that do make playing effortless, and the guitar has the best hardware of the electric guitars priced around $200. And yes, this affordable guitar sounds mean.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $200-399

$$= $400-699

$$$= $700-999

$$$$= $1000-1499

$$$$$= $1500-

Model	Pickups	Neck Shape	Neck Material	Body Style	Price Range	Check Current Price (affiliate links)
ESP LTD EC-10 – Cheapest – Read The Full In-Depth Review	Neck: ESP Designed LH-100N humbucker & Bridge: ESP Designed LH-100B humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Single-cut	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD MH-10	Neck pickup: ESP Designed LH-100N humbucker & Bridge pickup: ESP Designed LH-100B humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Modern Stratocaster	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G2215-P90 Streamliner Junior Jet Club	Broad Tron BT-2S (bridge) and P90 Soap Bar (neck)	Thin U	Nato	Single-cut	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G5222 Electromatic Double Jet – Best Budget Electric	2 x Black Top Broad’Tron Humbucker	Thin U	Mahogany	Double cut – Chambered	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD SN-200HT	ESP designed LH-150B (bridge) & ESP designed LH-150N (neck) humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Modern Stratocaster	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD EC-256FM – Best Budget Electric for Metal	ESP designed LH-150B (bridge) & ESP designed LH-150N (neck) humbucker	Thin U	Mahogany -3-Piece set-in neck	Single-cut	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G2410TG Streamliner	BroadTron BT-2S (bridge), BroadTron BT-2S (neck)	Thin U	Nato	Hollowbody	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD MH-200QM	ESP designed LH-150B (bridge) & ESP designed LH-150N (neck) humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Modern Stratocaster	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD Xtone PS-1	ESP designed LH-150B (bridge) & ESP designed LH-150N (neck) humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Semi-Hollowbody	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G5622 Electromatic Center Block Double-Cut with V-Stoptail	2 x Black Top Broad’Tron Humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Semi-Hollowbody	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD KH-202	ESP LH-301N Humbucker & ESP LH-301B Humbucker	Extra Thin U	Maple	Modern Stratocaster	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Guild S-100 Polara	2 x Guild HB-1 Humbucker	Vintage Soft U	Mahogany	SG-Style	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G5420T Electromatic – Best Overall Electric with Standard U Neck	2 x Black Top Filter’Tron Humbucker	Standard U	Maple	Hollowbody	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD F Black Metal	EMG 81 Humbucker	Extra Thin U	Maple	LTD F Black Metal	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD EC-1000 – Best Overall Electric – Read The Review	EMG 60 Humbucker (neck), EMG 81 Humbucker (bridge).	Thin U	Mahogany	Single-cut	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD H3-1000FM	Seymour Duncan Jazz Humbucker & Seymour Duncan Custom-5 Humbucker	Thin U	Maple	Modern Stratocaster	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Guild T-50 Slim – – Find More Excellent Hollowbody Guitars Here	Franz P90 Single-coil	Vintage Soft U	2-piece Mahogany	Hollowbody	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Guild Starfire IV	2 x Guild LB-1 humbucker	Vintage Soft U	3-piece Mahogany / Maple / Mahogany	Semi-hollowbody	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Fender American Original ’50s Telecaster	2 x ’52 Pure Vintage Single-coil	1952 U	Maple	Telecaster	$$$$$	Sweetwater
Gretsch G6131G-MY-RB Limited-edition Malcolm Young Signature Jet	2 x TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity Humbucker & 1 x TV Jones Starwood Humbucker	Standard U	Mahogany	Semi-hollowbody	$$$$$	Sweetwater
ESP E-II Horizon FR	Seymour Duncan Sentient Humbucker & Seymour Duncan Pegasus Humbucker	Thin U	3-piece Maple	Modern Stratocaster	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gretsch G6228FM Player’s Edition Duo Jet	2 x BT65 Broad’Tron Humbucker	Standard U	Mahogany	Single-cut	$$$$$	Sweetwater

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3 Best Guitars With U Shaped Neck – My Favorites

Best Acoustic Guitar – Gretsch G5022CWFE Rancher Falcon Jumbo

What I like

Gives a great Standard U neck shape experience
A solid Spruce top and laminated maple body provide bright, crisp, and articulate sound
Sounds good plugged in and unplugged
High value
Great quality Fishman Sonicore pickup and Isys+ Preamp

What I don’t like

Synthetic Bone is not the best material for nut and saddle

Check our picks for the best acoustic guitars under $1000 and the best acoustic guitars under $500.

Who is it for?

If you are after crips-sounding acoustic guitar with a cutaway and high value, Gretsch G5022CWFE Rancher Falcon Jumbo (that’s a long name, haha) is one of the best options. It does have a synthetic bone nut, which is not the best option in terms of sustain and tone, but because this guitar is so good otherwise, I’ll let this slip. But if you replace nut and saddle with real bone or Tusq, this guitar starts to be really great.

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Thomann

Best Budget Electric Guitar – Gretsch G5222 Electromatic Double Jet

What I like

Black Top Broad’Tron Humbuckers provide really great rock, blues, and rockabilly sound
Chambered body gives the guitar more loudness & projection when played unplugged
Thin U neck is smooth playing
Usually really good finish and all-around quality
Stunning
High value

What I don’t like

Synthetic Bone is not the best nut material

Who is it for?

If you are after a high-value budget electric guitar that offers easy playability with a thin U neck and great sound for classic rock, rock, blues, etc. Gretsch G5222 Electromatic Double Jet is a great choice. It usually has a flawless finish out of the box, it looks just beautiful, and it for sure is fun to play.

Find more great electric guitars for blues here.

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Thomann

Best Overall Electric Guitar – ESP LTD EC-1000

What I like

Great metal tones
Stunning looks
Spot on the action and smooth neck make this axe comfortable to play
Works well with small hands too
Versatile
High quality
Smooth Thin U neck
Tons of different color options are available
You can get LTD EC-1000’s with tons of different extra features from piezo pickups to Floyd rose

What I don’t like

Upper fret access is not great
The use of plastic nut feels a bit cheap for this price

Check our favorite electric guitars for small hands here.

Who is it for?

I’ve been lovin’ this guitar since I first tried it out a couple of years ago. With this axe, you get excellent value for money. It’s built for metal but can handle different music too. For people who mostly play metal, but want to explore other genres too, this guitar is definitely worth the money. And yes, it’s got a smooth & comfortable thin U neck.

And another awesome thing is that there are so many different versions of this guitar available. Versions with:

I know, it can be hard to decide which one, but it’s awesome that there’s an LTD EC-1000 for almost everyone. It’s an awesome, versatile metal machine, and this version with EMG pickups is one of the best options out there (the one with the Fishman Fluence pups is awesome too). And yes, all versions of this ESP I have found come with Extra Jumbo frets.

You can read my full review of this guitar here: ESP LTD EC-1000 Review 2022 – Before You Buy

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FAQ

Pros and Cons of U-Neck Shape

Pros

Flat back of the neck helps with the correct thumb placement
Many different variations of U neck shape are available
Thin variations enable really fast & smooth playability
Vintage/normal/standard U shape is still comfortable and fun to play.

Cons

Some people do prefer a completely round neck shape (C and D for example)
Vintage/normal/standard U might be too bulky for some players

Who Should Buy A Guitar With U-Neck Shape?

If you are after a firm grip, a less round shape than C and D, and a flatter backside of the neck, a U-shaped neck is probably worth at least a try. It’s really good for correct thumb placement (at the back of the neck), since the neck is not super round.

For everyone who is not sure about which neck shape is the right fit, I highly recommend trying different variations of the U neck shape. Back in the day, I chose the thin U shape and it has been a really good fit for me.

When and How did The C Neck Shape Start to Gain Popularity?

U shape is one of the oldest neck shapes. It started to gain popularity in the 1950s when the electric guitar boom started. Vintage U shape necks were chunky back then. Deep U-shape is also sometimes called “a baseball bat” neck. U shape is also used on some classical guitars, like Cordoba.

Conclusion

U neck shape is not for everyone, but I really recommend trying guitars with them out. Try the normal U, thin U, and ultra-thin U. You might find the right neck shape for you. For me and my tiny hands, a normal U shape is not the easiest to play, but it for sure is fun. And I really don’t know what I would do without my ESP LTD with a thin U-neck.

I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

Now go, my son, and Rock!

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