Neck Binding. Yay or Nay?

[Darren Low]

And why or why not?

[VinKreepo]

Yes, binding is nice on a show bass. However, I wouldn't have it on my main bass unless I were willing to pay the extra cost for re-fretting a bound neck when the time comes.

Also, it depends on the quality of the binding. It would cost a small fortune to have replaced.

[thiocyclist]

I like it just because it tends to make the neck feel faster in my experience. Never any fret sprout you can feel.

[packhowitzer]

Now that I have these two necks, I want black neck binding on all my maple FB basses. Black blocks too! I just like the way it makes the neck pop visually.

[Templar]

Yes, because the side dots are easy to see in the dark.

[ThaLowEndTheory]

Yes, because my #1 has binding as well as my soon to arrive bass VI.

[Slax]

I love binding so I'm saying "Yay". I wish my #1 had binding just because I like it. If I didn't like the neck of my Highway Jazz so much I would swap it for a neck with inlays and binding.

I'm also a jazz bass guy myself. I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

[Munjibunga]

I've got binding on three of mine. I like it, but don't crave it.

Here's two.



And here's the other one.

[fivestringgecko]

I voted carrots because I don't usually dig freboard bindings in general, but on the right bass, a binding can look really nice. Chris Stambaugh surprised me with a binding on my six-string build and I love it.

5sg.

[marijn van gils]

My main bass doesn't have it, I certainly don't need it, but there are some basses with binding that I wouldn't mind owning:

[thebrain]

I like the way bound jazz necks feel from the 60s and 70s. They are different (and much better IMO) than most modern bound necks (like the Geddy Lee or even the American Fender Deluxe series jazz). On those models (and most of the modern basses I've seen), the frets are just slapped right over the binding and they extend all the way to the edge of the neck/binding, so the binding is purely cosmetic.

On the old necks, the frets stop at the binding. This makes it so the fret ends can be rolled before they hit the binding so you don't feel the fret ends as you slide your hand up and down the neck. The binding itself can then be rolled to give a nice rounded edge. I'm sure this extra fret work costs more and that's why it isn't commonly done nowadays, but once you feel one of those old necks, the new ones just feel cheap IMO.

New style (Geddy Lee Jazz neck):



Old school:

[davidjackson]

I loved the idea of it until I bought (mail order) a MIM 70s jazz. The white neck binding just looked cheap and nasty to me. I sent it back for a whole host of reasons but it put me off neck bindings for good.

[darkstorm]

Carrots. Doesnt matter to me if it has binding or not. My current bass has binding. Some previous ones Ive owned did some didnt. Wasnt an issue when selecting the basses. Ive noticed fret sprout of top edge over the binding sticking out the sides on some guitars and basses. So I dont concider bound necks less fret sproutty.

[AuntieBeeb]

Oh.

I probably should have read the comments before I clicked "yay." I just saw the poll in the sidebar and didn't realise it was about anything specific. So I just clicked "yay" because it sounded more positive.

[zeb_bass]

Originally Posted by VinKreepo

Yes, binding is nice on a show bass. However, I wouldn't have it on my main bass unless I were willing to pay the extra cost for re-fretting a bound neck when the time comes.

Also, it depends on the quality of the binding. It would cost a small fortune to have replaced.

Big YAY
+1 on the evtl. re-fretting cost

...but then on the other hand I´ve been playin bass since 20+ yrs. most of the time stainless steel strings and I have yet never gotten a re-fret.... so its actually not a deal breaker!
Many Fenders of the 60s and 70s have their original worn fretwork and play just fine!

IMHO

[The Birdman]

+2 on the re-fretting cost. I do own one bass with binding, a Fender 75 RI Jazz, but that is in spite of the binding, not because of it.

Roger

[Wallace320]

But I voted Yay 'cause I really like it when it's already there... involving dots or not...

I sold my MIJ Geddy Lee for it was too subtle for my sonic needs, I'm not crying after its binding and big blocks

But I love abalone binding and big blocks on ESP Frank Bello, even if, with ebony fingerboard and ivory sidedots, it's some times nearly impossible to guess where you're at under stage lights

Cheers,
Wallace

[Mr.Fingers]

It depends. Block-inlays without binding is fugly, so there a binding is a must. But with just ordinary dot inlays, I like it more sober, and a binding is a bit too much (except when the body is bound)

[bassgod0dmw]

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

I voted carrots because I don't usually dig freboard bindings in general, but on the right bass, a binding can look really nice.

+1

[PJRL]

I like the simplistic & classic fenders look without binding.