Basses With slimmer Neck Profiles
 

Hi everyone, I am saving up to get a new bass soon with a budget of $600-$850 Canadian. I currently play a Squier CV Precision and every time I play a bass with a slimmer neck profile I love it. I am kind of in a toss up between an Ibanez sr500 or 750 or a MIM Jazz Deluxe.

I have played both and I find the Ibanez amazing to play, just have a hang up on the stigma of Ibanez being a brand associated mainly with metal, and possibly of quality. I have played a few MIM Jazzes but havent had a chance to get my hands on a deluxe yet, but I like the idea of the active EQ.

Any recommendations between the two, or another bass that will fit the bill to look out for. I am playing a mix of styles so I would like it to be versatile as possible and having the Precision as a second kinda has that tone covered. I am keeping my eyes on the used market but where I am its often slim pickings.

Thanks

You could try the Dean Eric Bass Hillsboro Bass....nice sound made in china (quality is nice) and a Jazz profile neck....good tones and payability...just a thought 400-600 US
eitherwise IF you can pickup and play 6-10 mim jazz fenders to find the one that feels best..I would go that rout.

$850 CAN? Go with a used Geddy Lee - make sure it's MIJ. Might even be able to get one just under that through TB classifieds.

I have a Line 6 Variax and it has the slimmest neck I've played and I thought my Jazz had a slim neck this bass can do everything sound wise getting harder to find but worth it.

Peavey Fury: amazing pickup, amazing slim neck, amazing bass for cheap. You'l love it

I own both of those same basses and I'd never decide between them as to playability, eye appeal, sound or quality as they are both very high on all those points.

The ergonomics of the SR500 are very much different from those on the Fender - but not in a Rickenbacker-v-Fender type of shoot out. I thoroughly dislike the Ric shape although I like it's tone and voice very much.

The Fender Deluxe Jazz and the Ibanez SR500 sound incredibly close to the same when I play them - and it's basically 'cause I have Elixir Nanos on them both (as well as a few other basses) - so this just pumps my opinion that it's not so much the build up or the wood in a bass, but the strings, electronics and playing technique.

The necks - although obviously not the same thickness nor profile nor length, play amazingly the same for me --- at least I don't find myself lost on the neck when going from one to the other.

The SR neck appears and feels like it is spindly and seems like it should not hold the strings, let alone one string - but that 5-layer laminated neck is as solid as it needs to be and has never needed a climate change nor weather differential adjustment.

For the record --- neither has the Fender needed such adjustments over the same time period and with a climate and weather move from SoCal to The Bitterroot Valley in Montana. Everything's the same here as it was there, neck-wise.

I'd say that either one is great and either one is somewhat interchangeable with the other to a point. I was 'asked' to not bring a Fender to a Cheese & Wine venue time after time, yet the SR was gladly accepted. It was the eye appeal - or in this case - the jarring eye pops that got it negative reviews by some very stodgy diners eating to our dining music.

They just didn't want to see what they called a "Corvette in a BMW" setting. Beats me - since they both filled out the music well.

The Ibanez is a good choice. The neck profile on the SR series is why I ended up with three Ibanez basses. I have seen some good deals on the SR basses. I do not really associate the basses with metal anymore.

The SR700 is a good bass. I thought about picking up an extra one last year.

Who says Ibanez are a metal bass?

I love my SR500 and metal is about the only music I won't play...

The SR500 was advertised as a shred-metal-lovers guitar. I saw the vid.

It has a lot to do with speed b/o it's neck profile and upper fret accessibility.

Thanks for all the quick responses. I will definitely keep my eye out for a used Geddy, there is a shop with a new one near me in stock I should give it a try, its a little out of my price range new, but I would hold out for a little longer if I am finding the bass I love.

I think the Ibanez metal correlation can be something that I can get over I just don't want to regret a $600 purchase. Although the SR 500 in the Mahogany is pretty classy looking, and doesn't really have a Metal vibe about it.

As far as Deans and Peavey, no shop near me stocks them, and I would be a little sketched about buying something sight unseen and unplayed.

Try a Lakland. Amazing necks and used ones are in your budget.

Aerodyne Jazz?
 

Have you looked into an Aerodyne Jazz?

To my hands, it feels great. It's possible that it's not just because of the slimmer, smooth/glossy jazz neck, but the tighter fretboard radius as well (18.41cm instead of 24.1cm). It looks incredibly slick too, what with the jazz neck/body, strat-style output jack, smoked chrome hardware and the matching headstock (be warned, it's a fingerprint magnet!). But what I find most important is the variety of sound I can get from the P/J configuration. If you want a flexible set of tones, that's my recommendation.

This was my first-ever bass. I'd admired it when I was shopping around, but I knew I'd stumbled onto something special when I took it to two different local shops for setup and gear. Both times, no exaggeration, an employee stopped in their tracks and said "Is that an Aerodyne?!" and came over for a closer look. Talk about validation! :D

I have an ibanez sr500, and I absolutely love it, fastest neck I have every played, not that I have played too many, but it is very comfortable, especially if you have smaller-ish hands(like me)

I also recommend you to try the SR500. I have an SR506 and an SR1006 Prestige, both basses has very comfortable and fast necks, and both sounds very good in any music style. I am a pop-rock bassist and a former progressive metal one and in both styles this basses done their job very very well.
Also the quality of wood is very good. ;)

Or better yet, a Peavey Foundation. I am forever sold on these basses.

Awesome point on the Aerodyne, I have seen them but never picked one up. I will have to add that to the list. Plus I like that it is unique, not a lot out there.

Thanks for all the responses!

Hey, any excuse to break out the "family photos" is fine by me. Glad I could throw something new into the mix.

One little mod I did that adds another dimension to it, I put in a Hipshot Drop-D tuner. The ones for Japanese-made Fenders are perfect for it.

I also recommend the Aerodyne, one of the main reasons I got one is because I wanted a slim neck and I love the P/J style. Does not disappoint tonally either. All around solid bass.

I have to agree with the Aerodyne. After playing a P for 25 years I decided I needed something a little different. I couldnt have made a better choice for me. A totally different sound and feel. oh yeah and it is gorgeous.

Thin neck and lots of versatility? Original Fender Jaguar bass. You may have to do a tiny amount of work with the shielding but other than that, perfect bass for your needs.