Cutting down neck

willye · #1 06-27-2006, 08:59 AM

I was talking with a friend of mine about how I'd like a little narrower profile on my bass neck. He suggested having the neck cut down and narrowed. He says he's done it and its "not a big deal". THe process involved using something like a spokeshave to remove some wood from the back and then trimming the sides a little.

My bass is a good quality Chinese-made student bass and has good enough tone (especially amplified) that I'm thinking about doing something like this rather than go into debt over a new (old) Kay or some such.

What are the Forum's thoughts on having this done? Worth it? Will it hurt the bass? etc. etc.

Thanks for any input.

Willye

Paul Warburton · #2 06-27-2006, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willye

I was talking with a friend of mine about how I'd like a little narrower profile on my bass neck. He suggested having the neck cut down and narrowed. He says he's done it and its "not a big deal". THe process involved using something like a spokeshave to remove some wood from the back and then trimming the sides a little.

My bass is a good quality Chinese-made student bass and has good enough tone (especially amplified) that I'm thinking about doing something like this rather than go into debt over a new (old) Kay or some such.

What are the Forum's thoughts on having this done? Worth it? Will it hurt the bass? etc. etc.

Thanks for any input.

Willye

It's not a big deal to a top of the line luthier. Not for your typical do it yourselfer!!!!! A luthier should have many hours of doing this in his back pocket.

anonymous0726 · #3 06-27-2006, 09:07 AM

Thicker necks are easier playing, I think. Especially for playing over and around the break.

peasandhoney · #4 06-27-2006, 10:01 AM

Be prepaired for tone and sustain to change (all dependent on how drastic the thinning is).

Paul Warburton · #5 06-27-2006, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

Thicker necks are easier playing, I think. Especially for playing over and around the break.

How do you make a neck thicker Ray? My sense of humor is getting as antiquated as are the number of my years.

anonymous0726 · #6 06-27-2006, 10:22 AM

I'm saying that I prefer a thicker neck, is all. Unless a neck was the size of a telephone pole or something, I'd leave it thick.

Ed Fuqua · #7 06-27-2006, 10:24 AM

Hey PW, I know yer just yanking Ray's chain, but the way I ended up with a thicker "neck" on my bass was by having a thicker fingerboard put on.

Paul Warburton · #8 06-27-2006, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Hey PW, I know yer just yanking Ray's chain, but the way I ended up with a thicker "neck" on my bass was by having a thicker fingerboard put on.

oh.

willye · #9 06-27-2006, 10:38 AM

thanks for everyone's input. Based on what y'all are saying and talking to my local bass expert, I've decided against the procedure and will:

1) Examine my playing and see if my preference for a thinner neck is based around lazy playing.

2) if 1 proves false then look for a good trade.

Thanks again!

Willye

mje · #10 06-27-2006, 12:08 PM

Bass guitarists often think DB necks are too thick when they first encounter them. But you don't wrap your thumb around a DB neck.

cosmicevan · #11 06-27-2006, 12:11 PM

your best bet is to go to a well stocked bass shop and play as many different basses as you can. find out what feels good to you and then investigate the cost of having your neck profile to match what you like. in all odds, the cost of the job will persuade you to look into a trade or purchase.

Marcus Johnson · #12 06-27-2006, 12:38 PM

I'd stick with the thick for awhile. My hand
starts hurting when I play a thinner DB neck.

TheSuzie · #13 06-27-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Hey PW, I know yer just yanking Ray's chain, but the way I ended up with a thicker "neck" on my bass was by having a thicker fingerboard put on.

An Engelhardt I played a few days ago had both a thicker ebony fingerboard installed plus about a 3/16" thick shim between the neck and the new fingerboard. To me it felt much better than the skinny stock neck.

As always YMMV,
S

KSB - Ken Smith · #14 06-27-2006, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSuzie

An Engelhardt I played a few days ago had both a thicker ebony fingerboard installed plus about a 3/16" thick shim between the neck and the new fingerboard. To me it felt much better than the skinny stock neck.

As always YMMV,
S

Without seeing the Bass, I'm gonna guess it had a low bridge height/low leck stand and the Shim was put to help that rather than to move the neck out. That's the cheaper way but not the best way to fix that problem.

TheSuzie · #15 06-27-2006, 11:46 PM

To the original poster: think about having thinning done in stages, once you go too far, it is too late and you are talking about things like new fingerboards, necks and/or shims.

As far as that Engelhardt goes:

The "shim" was actually made from the original fingerboard, cut off and then planed flat to make a mounting surface for the new fingerboard. The owner of the bass was there at the time and it sounded like he just wanted a much thicker neck with a higher quality ebony fingerboard - not saying that the problems Ken mentioned might not also have existed, I hear they are common. The owner of the bass is much taller and bigger handed than I am but even I liked the new neck configuration, though it may have been a bit too deep for me if I played it for a long time. I don't know as I only had a few minutes with the instrument. The back of the neck had been profiled to be quite boxy. I'm not sure if that was the owner's final preference or if they were still in the process of adjusting the neck profile to his tastes. There was definately enough meat there to make changes if desired.

I will say that new fingerboard felt amazing compared to what I have been playing and helped convince me that a new fingerboard would be a worthwhile addition to my bass. YMMV

Peace,
Susan

PMC89 · #16 06-27-2006, 11:52 PM

i hate my sr's neck... its too damn narrow and thin.

i LOVE ken smith necks. perfect thickness and width. i dont like ken smith prices, though..

willye · #17 06-28-2006, 09:22 AM

thanks again for everyone's input.

this is a great foruim!

Willye

Dave Whitla · #18 06-28-2006, 05:21 PM

I had the neck on a previous bass I owned shaved down a bit by Mike Shank. It was to even out a hump though, not to make the neck thinner. He did it in stages so we could see how it played and not go too far, and he used a wood file, not anything heavy duty. It worked great.

If the neck doesn't feel right it may be the finish that makes it feel bad. A lot of newer basses seeem to have a "sticky" sort of finish, or even lacquer

. Getting a nice smooth oiled finish would imrove that situation.