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"C" or "D" shape neck??

B

Bobbito 77'

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Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
14
Location
Iron River, Mich
Feliz Navidad y'all,
Question. What shape neck would the majority of 77'-78' Music man stingray's have? I know some were Jazz style, but I still to this day have NOT found a more confortable neck than my 77" Sting ray!

Bobbo 77"
 
I suspect that your question is more about neck radius rather than neck width.

In terms of neck width - A, B, C and D are the commonly used Fender neck width designations (1 1/2", 1 5/8", 1 3/4", 1 7/8" at the nut respectively). Standard Jazz necks (and Sterlings) are A width, Stingray/Bongo/Precision is B width.

On the other hand, neck radius is how curved the back of the neck is. Flat curve = larger radius; Rounded neck = small radius. Current Stingray/Sterling/Bongo necks have a large 11" radius, which makes them relatively "flat" or "thin". My '76 necked Stingray has an even larger radius (my guess would be around 12"), as it's a very thin neck.

(For comparison, a current Precision and Jazz has a 9.5" neck radius)
 
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Aussie Mark said:
I suspect that your question is more about neck radius rather than neck width.

In terms of neck width - A, B, C and D are the commonly used Fender neck width designations (1 1/2", 1 5/8", 1 3/4", 1 7/8" at the nut respectively). Standard Jazz necks (and Sterlings) are A width, Stingray/Bongo/Precision is B width.

On the other hand, neck radius is how curved the back of the neck is. Flat curve = larger radius; Rounded neck = small radius. Current Stingray/Sterling/Bongo necks have a large 11" radius, which makes them relatively "flat" or "thin". My '76 necked Stingray has an even larger radius (my guess would be around 12"), as it's a very thin neck.

(For comparison, a current Precision and Jazz has a 9.5" neck radius)
Click to expand...

Who are you who are so wise in the ways of basses?
 
Aussie Mark said:
On the other hand, neck radius is how curved the back of the neck is. Flat curve = larger radius; Rounded neck = small radius. Current Stingray/Sterling/Bongo necks have a large 11" radius, which makes them relatively "flat" or "thin". My '76 necked Stingray has an even larger radius (my guess would be around 12"), as it's a very thin neck.

(For comparison, a current Precision and Jazz has a 9.5" neck radius)
Click to expand...

Um, a bit of confusion here I think. The neck radius you are referring to (9 1/2", 11" and so on) is actually the fretboard radius, not the back of the neck.

As for neck shapes, I haven't heard about "A" or "B" necks, and I always thought about C, D and V necks as describing the shape of the back of the neck. I mean, D would be a chunky neck, C would be a flatter meck and V obviously with a pronounced ridge on the back of the neck (boatneck). Now, I do not in any way dispute the description you make regarding A, B, C and D, but I haven't heard it that way.

Edit: I am obviously not old enough, since F*nd*r used the ABCD width notation all through the 60's and a bit into the 70's. So now all is good and well.
 
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strummer said:
Um, a bit of confusion here I think. The neck radius you are referring to (9 1/2", 11" and so on) is actually the fretboard radius, not the back of the neck.

As for neck shapes, I haven't heard about "A" or "B" necks, and I always thought about C, D and V necks as describing the shape of the back of the neck. I mean, D would be a chunky neck, C would be a flatter meck and V obviously with a pronounced ridge on the back of the neck (boatneck). Now, I do not in any way dispute the description you make regarding A, B, C and D, but I haven't heard it that way.
Click to expand...

It seems you are right and I am wrong about the radius spec. I've checked, and contrary to what I thought for the past 20 years, it refers to fingerboard radius, not the back of the neck. I stand corrected.

In terms of the neck width designation letters, there is quite a bit of history and explanation here ..... http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html

Often you'll see an old Fender advertised as a "C neck Precision" or a "C neck Jazz", since these are non-standard necks for those models (instead of the standard B and A necks respectively).
 
Aussie Mark said:
It seems you are right and I am wrong about the radius spec. I've checked, and contrary to what I thought for the past 20 years, it refers to fingerboard radius, not the back of the neck. I stand corrected.

In terms of the neck width designation letters, there is quite a bit of history and explanation here ..... http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html

Often you'll see an old Fender advertised as a "C neck Precision" or a "C neck Jazz", since these are non-standard necks for those models (instead of the standard B and A necks respectively).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I found the F*nd*r faq to have the same info (used in the 60's and partway into the 70's). But I still claim that C, D and V is most often used to describe the physical shape of the back of the neck, and I know I am right;)

So we are both right, and your bass strap is about double the length of mine:D
 
I think there is still confusion here. The A, B, C, and D (as per Fender) only defines the
WIDTH of the neck. The question here is the different back SHAPES, which are unrelated to width. IE, you can have an A, B, C, or D width neck in a C, D, or V profile . . . . . get it?

- Tim
 
What's the difference then between a Bongo and a Sting Ray? My Bongo's neck feels smaller and sleeker than my Ray, yet they appear to be the same width at the nut.
 
tadawson said:
I think there is still confusion here. The A, B, C, and D (as per Fender) only defines the
WIDTH of the neck. The question here is the different back SHAPES, which are unrelated to width. IE, you can have an A, B, C, or D width neck in a C, D, or V profile . . . . . get it?

- Tim
Click to expand...

Correctamundo:)
 
A little more confusion to toss into the mix. Do the C, D, or V shapes refer to the shape of the neck if you do a crosssection of the neck across the frets or the shape of the heel?
:confused:
 
What's the difference then between a Bongo and a Sting Ray? My Bongo's neck feels smaller and sleeker than my Ray, yet they appear to be the same width at the nut.
Click to expand...

I've thought about this. The width at the nut is only part of the equation. The rest has to do with what these other geeks are discussing, which is how thick, front to back, the neck is....as well as the fretboard radius.

I think the radius on the EBMM basses are all the same (11", isn't it?), so it has to be the thickness that makes the Bongo feel like a cross between a Stingray and a Sterling.

I dunno, you'd think by now I might have asked someone about this, but no, you'd be wrong to think that.

Jack
 
Neck thickness/profile is very important in terms of playability, yet specification data for instruments usually only mentions neck width and fingerboard radius. I wonder why that it? Personally, the neck profile is more important to me than whether the fingerboard has curvature or not. It is a mystery!
 
Aussie Mark said:
Neck thickness/profile is very important in terms of playability, yet specification data for instruments usually only mentions neck width and fingerboard radius. I wonder why that it? Personally, the neck profile is more important to me than whether the fingerboard has curvature or not. It is a mystery!
Click to expand...

+1
Especially so nowadays when they can just hit a button and get a printotut of the neck cross section.

Maybe it's because only us full time bass geeks would really find it useful, and the rest of the world would only be confused?
 
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