So what makes a "good" neck?

[fretlessman71]

Ever notice that all bass necks, regardless of what website you buy them from, pretty much all look the same? [/Andy Rooney]

Sewiously... how can you tell that the neck you're considering buying is going to be a good one other than recommendations from friends and colleagues?

But a BETTER question might be... what goes into making a GOOD neck vs. what's left out of a BAD neck? What makes one neck great and another neck crap from a building/materials standpoint?

I can think of a few things: Properly dried/cured wood, good fretwork, maybe a dual-action truss rod... but is there more to it?

Those SX necks seem very tempting, and I'll probably get one... but other than the economics between countries, I can't see how they'd get away with making something so inexpensive that is worth the money and then some.

Not intending to create a "This brand rules, that brand sucks" thread - just curious what YOU look for in a good replacement neck and what it offers you when you guess right.

[topper]

Originally Posted by fretlessman71

I can think of a few things: Properly dried/cured wood, good fretwork, maybe a dual-action truss rod...

I think you answered your own question right there. It's the quality of the materials that go into the neck, the quality of the craftsmanship in the build, and the expertise of the people doing the fret work.

[sevenyearsdown]

Other than checking to see if the neck is straight, I always check the fret work pretty carefully. It can be a gooxd indicator of craftsmenship. Anyone who has ever refretted a bass knows what I'm talking about.

[fretlessman71]

See, phrases like "quality of craftsmanship" are at once completely valid and entirely vague. If you're looking at a no-name neck (and you have the luxury of holding it in your hands first), what do you see that tells you about the quality of craftsmanship?

[lonote]

Sometimes you have to take a chance; it is often too difficult to tell what you're going to get. I bought a Precision style neck 6 or 7 years back for $20 on eBay. The seller had good feedback and the description was exactly what I was looking for so I bought it. I installed it, adjusted the truss rod, set it up...and haven't had to adjust anything since. The bass sees about 50 gigs/year and is the bass I usually practice with. Oh yeah, I live in Minnesota, the temperature and humidity extreme capital of the world.

[kesslari]

what goes into making a GOOD neck?

Graphite.

Seriously, other than build quality, which is subjective but generally correlates with manufacture (some mfgs you know you can trust)...
Dimensions are quantifiable. Width and string spacing at the nut, width at 24th fret, string spacing at the bridge (not technically part of the neck, I know), depth at nut, depth at 12th and 20th fret, shape/profile, fretboard radius...
Those will determine how much you *like* the neck, which to me is a big part of definition of a "good" neck (a good neck is one that I like... and is well built).

[fretlessman71]

See, I am not nearly as picky about the dimensions - I know what I like, but I'm not about to turn down a bass that sounds and plays fantastic just because it feels odd (don't tell the guys at GC that - I used that as an excuse to get them to stop hounding me to buy the 2008 Fender Jazz V I was trying out, which was PHENOMENAL!). I will adapt to what it feels like because I'm able to equate the feel of that bass with the sound if I like the sound (does that make any sense at all?).

So why do people say that Squier necks aren't good, and (this is just as an example) what makes MIA Fender necks better than MIM, and MIM better than Squier, and Squier better than Squier Affinity? What are they doing DIFFERENT each time?

[lug]

Personally, a big one is rigidity. My G&L neck is jazzed sized yet feels like it has the mobility of granite. Some say quarter-sawn necks tend to be more rigid due to the grain pattern, others disagree.

[kesslari]

So why do people say that Squier necks aren't good, and (this is just as an example) what makes MIA Fender necks better than MIM, and MIM better than Squier, and Squier better than Squier Affinity? What are they doing DIFFERENT each time?

often, it's the label...

[()smoke()]

for me, the neck is the most scrutinized part of any instrument i buy...fully functioning truss rod...dual action not necessary as long as the neck is constructed so that there is relief present when strung to pitch...no twist, no humps, if it's set-neck, it must be set at the proper angle...i like a little bit of 'fallaway' on my guitar necks so i can keep the action lower without choking out when bending in the highest registers