neck profile VS price

[JDC]

So I got to play some ibanez prestiges yesterday, looking at the website afterwards I noticed all the prestige series have either a super wizard neck (17mm @ 1st fret) or a wizard neck (18mm @ 1st) but the normal RG series I tried is a wizard II neck (19mm) but looks absolute huge compared to the other 2. The prestiges also have a slightly flatter radius.

Anyway what I'm wondering is why was the wiz II huge looking compared to the others, only thing I can think is the shoulders?

Does the price point of the guitar reflect on the limits of the wood to shape to a certain profile? Or is it just a way to get people to buy more up market guitars?

What's the forums feelings to basswood?

[Twinfan]

I would say neck profile is cost independent, unless lower quality wood isn't stable when thin.

[dave_mc]

that's what i'd have thought, but i could be way off. I'm guessing it's more marketing- much like with the cheapo cr@ppy trems on cheaper guitars- they could put the neck profile everyone wants on the cheaper guitars, but then far fewer people would buy the more expensive guitars with the bigger profit margins.

Obviously things like rolled fingerboard edges etc. will cost more, and maybe some of the fancier neck profiles do involve more work. :?

EDIT: cheap basswood is horrible, good quality basswood is nice. Though bear in mind it doesn't sound the same as mahogany, alder, etc. etc. It doesn't really sound like the "vintage" wood does.