Question Neck Shave

[4 Strings]

I have been playing Stingrays for quite a while, my first choice bass. I have just acquired a nice trans red HH from 2007. This is the most recently made Stingray I have owned.

The neck is quite chubby (front to back) compared to what I've been used to. I know a first class luthier (Ruach Basses) who has offered to shave the neck down to a slimmer profile, based on a Pre-EB neck.

A couple of questions, firstly I wondered why the necks became 'chubbier' in more recent basses, secondly I'm assuming the truss rod and its cavity are just under the fingerboard and so if 5-6mm was shaved from the back this would be safe.

Lastly, do the new Classic 'Rays have a profile like the older Pre-EB necks? If so, are they made the same as standard 'Ray but simply shaped to be slimmer?

Many thanks for reading, any help greatly appreciated

 

[toomanyslurpees]

I can't anawer all your questions other than I have an 85 stingray with a less chunky neck and a 93 and 01 with chunkier necks. I have the measurements I took somewhere that I can't find but the difference is actually not very large, less than 5-6mm even though it feels much different. I took my measurements in inches but if I'm remembering the 01 with the chunkiest neck was somewhere a little over .9" and the 85 was something in the high .7"s in between the nut and the first fret. Maybe about .15" skinner which would be 3.8mm. darn, wish I could find where I wrote the numbers down now.

 

[4 Strings]

Thanks for your help. I have just swapped a 2002 for a 2007 HH. The 2002 was fine, and possibly similar to your 01. The 2007 is certainly chunkier. I have some calipers somewhere! Although I don't have measurements for the 2002 as its now gone <sniff>. It was lovely!

Anyway, anyone know how much I can safely have taken off the 2007? Even 5-6mm would be great. Looking at it I'm wondering if the addition of the maple fretboard (as opposed to the one piece + skunk stripe of the older basses) has made it thicker.

 

[five7]

They all feel slightly different except the bongos I have owned, they feel the same. I would think 5-6 would be fine. I shaved a fender 5 string down once so far that I hit the chamber. Plugged it with a piece of maple, sanded it down and everything was good. Neck did not shift or develope any other problems.

 

[4 Strings]

I suppose, thinking about it, the wood covering the chamber would have no beam type contribution to the neck strength. Its the wood either side which offers resistance to the load.

 

[liverbird]

I wouldn't tamper with an original neck. But it's your bass, of course.

 

[4 Strings]

It's there to serve me, not the other way around, it's too chunky at the moment, I'd like it to change. Of course I don't want to muck it up but a length of maple is a length of maple. If it was an historic bass, I'd certainly agree with you but EB are still punching these out by the thousand, and long may they continue to do so.

I see you have quite a collection spanning 20 years, do you find the necks get less slim the more recent the bass? Is your '89 a one piece neck? I'm still wondering if the change in construction method is the reason for the chunkier neck. I have a '80 Sabre with an ebony fretboard, the ebony is no more than 3-4mm thick keeping everything nice and slim. This is my target.

 

[liverbird]

Point taken about serviceability. But maybe give it some time to get used to the neck? You might end up liking it!

I don't find the necks getting chunkier over the years. I haven't measured mine but the 89 feels chunkier than, say, the 92 or the 98, and the 07 somewhere in between perhaps. Whether that would be borne out by the actual measurements, I'm not sure.

My 89 has the skunk stripe, whether that means it's one piece, I don't know. (I should really!)

 

[4 Strings]

The older necks have the frets set directly into the maple neck, the later ones have a separate maple fingerboard. Fender have done exactly the same, not sure of the reason for the change, I suppose it makes the construction identical to the rosewood fingerboard necks. MM are one-up on Fender as they use a slice from the neck piece of wood for the fingerboard and so it virtually matches, sometimes making it difficult to see.

With a separate fingerboard the truss rod can be mounted from the top and so the skunk stripe is not necessary, so it's likely your '89 is one piece. However, the stripe was considered attractive and so, in Fenders at least, they were put on anyway for a while!

Easiest place to look is just North of the nut, you should see the two materials more easily there.

I think mine is the same as your 2007 trans red SR4, even to the year (its birthday is in a couple of days!). A fab finish!