I getcha. How about at least making the lower horn a BIT shorter, and have the actual cutaway part (ie not the wood, the empty space between the neck and horn!) a little bit wider. It seems too narrow on both the top AND bottom of the neck, no? Or maybe not much 'wider', but just make the curved area less pointy. Have it a full circular curve instead of the pointy side of an egg.
I am sh** at explaining myself today. <laff>
Not to hijack the thread, but yes I really do think that upper fret access is highly overrated. Let's say you were fool enough to bring your cutaway a full five frets up the neck. That would make it more difficult for you to access a mere 2.5 tones. Whoopdee doo! I can BEND a string 2.5 tones if I really need it. Then there's also pinch harmonics if you really want to squeak.
Ultimately, I think too many people spend too much time way up there anyhow. It's like "OK, I gotta express an emotion of excitement or screaming anguish... yup, let's go nice and high!" instead of using the melodic content of a solo to accomplish the same thing. Take the same widdly-widdly little high-pitched lick and transpose it down 2 or 3 octaves... NOW you have something tasty.
Now, that doesn't mean you never need to go up there. In a recent thread, I was quite thrilled by the AANJ, and I can see myself using it in the future. So I'm not "dead set" against upper fret histrionics, I just think it's rated too highly. People make it seem like a guitar's design is sh** if you can reach every upper fret with ease. I got a non-cutaway acoustic (though of course, I had options) but I don't feel that the body joining the neck at fret 14 is killing my ability to play the guitar, or has made the guitar a piece of crap. I don't see why people get so anxious about it on an electric.
Sorry for the thread hijack!
Greg