are neck sizes overated?

[fidooda]

i was reading some other threads about neck sizes....

i remember fixating on this before. That even stopped me from buying a SR a long time ago.

Now i just pickup my sterling when i feel like playing a 4 or the SR5. i don't think about neck sizes anymore. I just play them basses (well try to play anyway )

i feel neck sizes are often the first impression we get from a bass (that and the string height). But after a few minutes/hours i don't really think about it anymore and focus on tone.

just my 2cents.

 

[oddjob]

I think tone is the main goal but you have to comfortable playing it too. Certain necks are downright painful to play after a while (IMO). Yeah you can get use to it, but certain necks have "that feel" and you know you are home... so to speak.

 

[fidooda]

I think tone is the main goal but you have to comfortable playing it too. Certain necks are downright painful to play after a while (IMO). Yeah you can get use to it, but certain necks have "that feel" and you know you are home... so to speak.

yeah sure, i agree with that. I even remember trying a Warw*** at some point that made me completely freak out (it felt like i was playing a Doublebass).

i think i get confortable with a well designed neck wether it's thick or thin.

 

[GGK]

19 MM vs 17.5 MM

Interesting that his thread came up. I was just picking up a cable at the local shop and ended up playing a little on the SR 30th anniversary they have in stock. When I was looking to start to play again I was a little concerned about thicker and wider necks since I perceived my fingers to be be short and stubby. I ended up playing and looking at a variety of models with narrow and thinner necks and finally opted for the Sterling which I think was easily a no brainer for me. After messing around with the SR4 today, it is true, I really am a no brainer and easily could get real comfortable with the SR4's thicker neck and string spacing as well as I have with the Sterling's narrower neck and tighter string spacing. Maybe I'm becoming a bettor bassist, or maybe I just want a Stingray.......

 

[Jimmyb]

We're blokes.

We're obsessed with measuring things...

 

[MrMusashi]

neck size preferences are individual. sensitivity to neck size is just as individual. focus on the wrong thing is also just as individual
my personal opinion (remember this is internet ) is neck size doesnt really matter. you can get used to anything. i love my 20th sr5 neck, i love the bongo neck, i also loved my former jazzbass neck and i find those old ibanez sr necks which are paper thin to be hilarious to play. a nice set of .40 roundwounds and a beaver tail, and you have a mean slap machine.. it feels fast as well even if you dont play any faster at all.. is all about feelings

MrM

 

[kylierider]

The only Music Man basses I've ever played are Sting Rays.

So SR necks are considered thick compaired to other Music Man necks?

 

[Duarte]

I have fat hands, and therefore I generally go for fat necks (P's and stingrays) but the Ray is now seeming thin to me. Maybe I've grown? But the best neck I have felt is the Bongo, just a great shape and finish. I don't wanna say this, but I actually dislike the sterling neck.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I wouldn't say neck sizes are overrated; it's probably the component that contributes the most to the feel of an instrument. Some people can adapt to different sizes and shapes more easily than others.

I have generally preferred a slightly wider neck on 4-strings in the past as well as a medium to large thickness, however 5-string string spacing has not been as much of problem; I can adapt to most sizes pretty well.

 

[GGK]

i have fat hands, and therefore i generally go for fat necks (p's and stingrays) but the ray is now seeming thin to me. Maybe i've grown? But the best neck i have felt is the bongo, just a great shape and finish. I don't wanna say this, but i actually dislike the sterling neck.

ouch !!!!!!

 

[Aussie Mark]

I've owned around 40 basses, and at various times tried to get used to 1.5" wide necks, but have always gone back to Stingray/Bongo/P width necks. So much so that I ordered a custom built J with a P width neck. Same with short scale basses - I never enjoyed the spacing on those, no matter how many I bought and tried to persevere with.

 

[adouglas]

The experience of most in this thread mirrors my own. When I was a beginner it mattered a whole lot to me, but now it doesn't really matter at all...except that my hands simply aren't big enough to deal with a 6-string bass. A 5 is no problem at all.

When beginners bring up the subject I always emphasize the importance of holding the instrument properly, by which I mean high enough that you can easily reach across the fretboard. If you sling the base really low then the width of the neck matters a whole lot more.

 

[Russel]

I can appreciate certain aspects of all the neck shapes, and adapt accordingly.

even... ahem...
warbrick. But I don't like them. I'd rather play a tree, actually.


Sterling/jazz is an old friend. Kinda hurts my hands though, after a long time.

Stingray/precision is a perfect fit, feels great, my personal favorite.

Bongo is a very pleasant mix.


Ibanez..... I don't like playing those things for more than 3 minutes. I don't care how they sound, they feel like doodoo.

but after all, a bass is a bass. There are good ones and there are bad ones... but they aren't anything until the player decides.

So uh.. yes, neck shape is overrated. To me.

 

[SquidLizard]

I don't mind the width of a bass neck so much. String spacing isn't a big deal. But the thickness front to back is important. I have small hands. Thicker necks end up hurting the thumb on my left hand, especially over an entire evening. That can't be good. Had to get rid of a few basses and now I'm much more careful.

This led me to think that although Sterlings and Bongos worked for me, I wouldn't like a StingRay. But I recently pounced on a great BIN on a 'Ray and I am very pleasantly surprised -- it's totally comfortable for me. I was happy to learn that, but at the same time I have SO MANY MORE decisions to make now....

Squid/Lisa

 

[oli@bass]

Next to the shape, finish, setup and strings have a large impact on how a neck feels.

A really well set up StingRay with fresh Slinkies can feel faster, slimmer and smoother than a badly set up Jazz with cable car flats.

 

[fidooda]

wow, really cool and good comments so far. i must admit now that i'm 6'3" and i havef airly long fingers, so size ain't really an issue for me and kinda forgot it could be and issue for some.

 

[gafman]

I have never been too bothered by neck thickness, profile etc. String spacing probably a little more so as I don't like tight string spacing. I feel very comfortable with the neck on my Fretless 'Ray. It feels right for me, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters I guess.

 

[Frantic Slayer]

all I know is that Ernie Ball matches my neck specifications with there bass's

I Looooovee there necks! thats why I play them (ohh and there's the fact that they sound great, there built well, etc. the list goes on )

I dont worry about the neck sizes from model to model they all feel pretty good

 

[strummer]

A neck should feel comfortable, but that's about it. All the MM necks feel feal comfy, and anyone thinking a 6er is hard to get around on should definitely try the Bongo 6. I couldn't believe the way that neck is carved, it does not feel wide at all, though if you measure the width it is of course

 

[smallequestrian]

Not to shock anyone, but there are a lot of frickin' basses out there that sound awesome. Enough so, that assuming you have the means, there is never a reason to play a bass that you think is ugly or not the most comfortable.

never