SR 4 Neck Profile???

[Deacon John]

Hey all--

I'm considering a Ray. I've a CS P Bass with a maple neck.

Is the Ray's neck profile thinner from to back to front than the Fender P Bass's "C" profile? Would you say a MM's maple neck is faster than the P Bass?

I adjust all my basses so that the action when measured at the 7th fret is less than 3/32" i.e, when you clamp the E string at the 1st fret and the fret where it joins the body, you can barely see just a little relief--almost touching the frets. With this relief and low string action, can the Ray be played without a major fret buzz? I do play with a very light touch.

I've also read where some say Ray necks move alot true?

Thanks in advance for the answers!

 

[artisan]

my Ray's neck is the best i have ever played.
yes its very fast.
nothing short of a nuclear blast is going to move it.
they are a million times better than any Fencepost P or J bass.
(BTW i'm convert from F****r & i played 'em for 28 years)

 

[bdgotoh]

In general Stingray necks are more comfortable for me than your average P bass neck, but I prefer Jazz/Sterling necks.

I've had a bunch of different basses over the years and the MM basses with the 6 bolt neck and body-end truss rod adjust tend to be some of the most stable wood necks I've ever had.

The early 3 bolts and some 4 bolts with the head-end truss adjustment move more like other brand's wood necks, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Moondog]

P-bass necks do vary, especially the CS re-issues . .
What do you have 58? 59? . .55? these necks are quite different,
the '58 soft "V" being closest to the SR4

 

[Deacon John]

I've a '59 maple neck, modern C shape.

 

[Moondog]

I thought the CS '59s had RW boards?

I never measure anything and gauge set-ups
by feel/performance but if your '59 is anything
like my '57 RI, I think the Ray neck will be slightly
deeper than your '59 but not too far off. I also
found the '57 RI P to feel wider.

The Ray necks move but nothing atypical.
I'm in the NE and only need to make mild
adjustments a few times during the year.
No different than P-basses I've owned.

You can get very low action on a Ray w/no
fret buzz if you're a soft fingerstyle player.

 

[Deacon John]

Hey Moondog--

It's a one off. Swamp ash body/white blonde, maple neck, gold guard, Fralins.

 

[Rano Bass]

If you can adjust a P bass for low action then adjusting a Ray will be a lot easier.