Small acoustic guitar with fat neck? Need shopping advice

[Tremster]

I'm shopping for a small bodied acoustic guitar (Parlor, 00, 000) in the range of up to 500 €/$ (used is totally fine, too), but can't seem to find the right one.

Ideally, it should have the longer 25.4" scale, 1 11/16 (43mm) nut width, and satin finish. Simple understated classic looks with no flashy glossy bling is nice, too.

But it absolutely must have a bigger/fatter (not: wider) than average neck, and that's the problem. "Modern C" necks are always marketed as comfortable, but that's exactly what they're not, for me personally. Too thin. I'm so used to my Telecaster Baseball Bat that I don't want anything else anymore.

Been looking into models from many brands, and the following fill most of the criteria (maybe not 100% looks-wise); Sigma and Recording King even fill all of them, including looks - except neck size:

all of the Godin brands (Art & Lutherie Roadhouse, Norman B20/ST40 Folk, Seagull Grand / S6 Original Slim Concert Hall, some by Simon & Patrick)
Cort (L450C - ugly Abalone rosette)
Guild (M-240)
Höfner (HA-CS7/8/28)
Ibanez (AVN9/11)
Kremona (M15)
Recording King (many models)
Sigma/AMI (many models)
Stanford (Déjà vu Little Sister)
Tanglewood (TW133 ASM)
The Loar (LH-204 Brownstone)

Some of these are rather obscure and I can't test them at the shop.

Or maybe does "Low profile neck", "modern C shape" etc. deceive me on paper and some of these models do, in fact, have a proper neck? I haven't played them all.
Does anyone of you have one of the above?
Any more ideas about affordable acoustics with large necks?

[Timko]

New? 

I ask because you can find a lot of the 60s "Department Store" parlor guitars with giant necks. 

I have a '79 Guild D-35 with a big neck.  I've also played a number of other Guilds from that era which feel the same, so if you could find a D20/M20 from that era you may be in business.  Those guitars are somehow still affordable too.  I paid $475 for my D-35 a couple of years ago.

Do you want a round or V neck BTW?

[Tremster]

Thanks!
No, it doesn't have to be new. But I'm in Europe and 60s guitars from over here weren't quite up to today's standards. You can't find any vintage Guild for a good price, either.
I will go to several shops in the coming days and try around. Maybe I'll find something I haven't thought of yet.

[marmaliser]

Faith guitars are nice.  I have this one which I bought used in the UK .  Short scale though https://www.faithguitars.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/product/122-fkm-naked-mercury

[samhay]

How do you feel about a 'V' neck profile? Some of the Recording King guitars have such.
I have a vague recollection the Tanglewood neck has a similar profile, but haven't played one for a while. It is also a shorter scale.

The Stanford probably has a very similar neck profile to a Furch/Stonebridge, which in turn is similar to a Taylor and not fat.

Every Ibanez I have played has had quite a wide nut and very thin neck.

The Loar guitars are trying to replicate early Gibsons, which tended to have baseball bats. I would try to find one of these.

[Tremster]

I wouldn't mind a V if the neck is thick enough.
Went to a store yesterday and tried some:
- the Sigma guitars are well made and sound good, but the neck is so thin they're unplayable. Ukulele necks.
- the Martin X series, the Ibanez Parlors, and some Guilds are thicker than the Sigma. The Ibanez AVN9 sounds really fine.
- all of the Godin brands have skinny necks - except the Roadhouse Parlor model. It is a narrow neck but with some meat on the back, good sound, really alright.
- the clear winner for me was the Cort L450C. Comparable to a Fender electric neck. Best playability, good sound.
Will go to a different  shop next week or so.

[ahiddentableau]

The LaSiDo guitars--Seagull, Norman, Art & Luthrie, Simon and Patrick--may be a decent fit based on your requirements.  I'll preface this by saying that I haven't played them in a while, but years ago I had a Norman B20, and it's pretty much what you said you wanted.  1-11/16" nut width, satin finish, classic/understated looks (the rosette was the only thing on the instrument anybody could even think about calling blingy), andit had a substantial C shaped neck with fat shoulders.  At the time, all the Seagulls and Normans and A&L guitars I tried were similar from guitar to guitar, too.  And they sound good.  Big, bold, meat and potatoes kind of sound--I thought they recorded well.  Worth considering.

In the end, I changed over to Guilds for the same reason you cited: I wanted a neck that was more like my favourite electric.  For me, that electric was a 90s Deluxe Strat Plus, so kind of the exact opposite of your preferences.  Thin.  A lot of Guild acoustics from the Rhode Island era forward have slender necks, but there's a fair bit of variety.  I've got a jumbo with a neck like my 90s strat that I love, but I also have an F-30 and its neck is considerably fatter.  Most of the Chinese Guilds I've played have thin necks, however, so be careful if you want to go in that direction or you may be disappointed.

[Tremster]

The LaSiDo guitars--Seagull, Norman, Art & Luthrie, Simon and Patrick--may be a decent fit based on your requirements.  I'll preface this by saying that I haven't played them in a while, but years ago I had a Norman B20, and it's pretty much what you said you wanted.  1-11/16" nut width, satin finish, classic/understated looks (the rosette was the only thing on the instrument anybody could even think about calling blingy), andit had a substantial C shaped neck with fat shoulders.  At the time, all the Seagulls and Normans and A&L guitars I tried were similar from guitar to guitar, too.  And they sound good.  Big, bold, meat and potatoes kind of sound--I thought they recorded well.  Worth considering.

True. I've had my Simon & Patrick Dreadnought for 20 years. Godin is a brand that's often overlooked, but the quality is outstanding. But, admittedly, on some of their electrics something always looks a bit off.
Played some Art & Lutherie models yesterday, and also the 5th Avenue Jazz guitar, which is gorgeous - but the necks were all thinner than on my Simon & Patrick, the Parlor model being the exception.

[Tremster]

Went to another shop and that was successful.

They had the Höfner acoustics which are very nice with a decent neck, although a tad wide.

But there were two eye openers:
Richwood P50:
https://richwoodguitars.com/products/master-series/p-50/handmade-parlor-guitar.html
Haven't heard of them before. This guitar costs 350 €, the same as the Ibanez parlors, but the quality and sound are outstanding! Really well made. The neck is also a tad wider than the desired 43mm, but has a really substantial profile. Nice!

And they had the Round Shoulder models by http://shadowguitars.com/. Shadow pickups for acoustics have been around for decades, they now make their own guitars. The pickguard looks stupid, but the sound and feel of the guitars is outstanding, I don't know how they do that for that price, same as the Richwood above.
But most of all, the neck is 43mm and really substantial as well, perfect.
Too bad I don't need a Dreadnought. Went home, looked at their website, and lo and behold: the Parlor model is coming. There wasn't even a picture of it on the website yesterday, they put that picture up just today.
The Parlor will have a shorter scale, but I hope the neck girth will be the same.

Will have to wait and see now, and then decide between the Richwood, the Shadow or the Cort 450 which someone put up for sale used here in town, but he's asking too much and acts like he's selling the Mona Lisa. I'm not in a hurry. There are options now.

[Astora]

Amazing. Maybe you should consider a ukulele instead of a guitar. A ukulele is one of the best instruments out there to create unique music. My uncle brought me one when I was a kid, and since then, I fell in love with it. I watched all the videos and was really impressed by the precision the kid in the first video plays with. I just started exploring this instrument, and so far, I'm following some videos from a site that also has reviews for the Best Ukulele Brands For Beginners. I was about to waste money on a very bad ukulele before reading one of their guides.