Zarley Wide Neck Guitars introduces the Reserve

Those big mitts of yours might be great for some things - opening super-tight pickle jars, palming basketballs, hiding your face from paparazzi - but when it comes to guitar playing, they're a pain in the butt. Sounds like Zarley Wide Neck Guitars are for you - and perhaps their new line, the Reserve.

The Reserve, like all Zarley guitars, is designed for players with large hands - or those who simply appreciate a wider neck. The width of the neck is increased to 1 7/8" (47.625mm) at the nut, providing an increased string spacing of 0.315" (8mm) for best execution of single-note runs. Players might also notice that all notes in a chord ring clear and bright.

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 for ease of playability. Optional finishes include brown maple, midnight, blueburst and cherry sunburst.

Tracy Todd - a big guy with big hands - founded Zarley Wide Neck Guitars to give guys with his problem a break. He began playing off-the-shelf guitars, but he found that the size of his hands and fingers caused unwanted string muting. He tried virtually every guitar on the market until he came up with his own design.

In addition to players with large hands, the company notes that the wider neck and string spacing on Zarley guitars could be helpful to beginning guitarists.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.