Widest 4 string P bass nut?

davidjackson · #1 10-01-2012, 03:55 AM

EDIT: Now resolved - see comment #11

hi guys

I tried out a Fender Steve Harris bass a while back and loved that big fat chunky neck. I'm probably not going to buy that model but wondered if there are other P basses out there, new or used, Fender or not, with a big fat neck on them?

Do you guys know of any models I should be looking at?

Thanks.

Energy · #2 10-01-2012, 04:23 AM

American Vintage '57, MIM Classic 50s, Road Worn P (= Classic with scratches...

), Roger Waters Sig.

kurosawa · #3 10-01-2012, 04:24 AM

D neck, 1 7/8" wide. Had a '63 like that.

Energy · #4 10-01-2012, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurosawa

D neck, 1 7/8" wide. Had a '63 like that.

Interesting. I thought D neck was offered only on guitars and C was the widest you could get on a P bass. Was yours a custom order?

One Drop · #5 10-01-2012, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Energy

Interesting. I thought D neck was offered only on guitars and C was the widest you could get on a P bass. Was yours a custom order?

Fascinating. I know in theory they exist but have never heard of a real live person who played one.

Must have felt very strange, that is a mother of all bass necks!

Barduuk · #6 10-01-2012, 05:18 AM

I played a Precision Elite II that had a REALLY wide nut.. I never measured it though.. I found it hard to play on.. But had no problems with the Harris P..

One Drop · #7 10-01-2012, 05:35 AM

On the other hand, I have a '66 P with a B neck, so rare I didn't even notice it until it arrived- I just wasn't looking at the nut width on Precisions that early, so common was the C width neck.

Lots of custom ordered anomalies with Fender in the '50s and '60s, many undocumented.

the wako kid · #8 10-01-2012, 01:04 PM

I have a johnson P and the nedck is real wide,and a little fatter than the average P,but not 50s neck big.it hardly tapers down at all as it approaches the headstock,but my hands a re 7 inches from wrist to fingertips,so its very comfortable for me.

edit:compared it to an ibanez 5 string and they are the same width at the nut.

deeptubes · #9 10-01-2012, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barduuk

I played a Precision Elite II that had a REALLY wide nut.. I never measured it though.. I found it hard to play on.. But had no problems with the Harris P..

My P Elite II is approximately 1 3/4". First time I've picked it up since spring. Forgot how big it is, been playing basses with J necks all year. Need to get some practice in with her. I've lost quite a bit of proficiency.

Mojo-Man · #10 10-01-2012, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurosawa

D neck, 1 7/8" wide. Had a '63 like that.

I had a 1962-D-P-neck.
My all time favorite P-Neck.
I put it on a 1962 Jazz-body.
It sounded amazing. It was my main bass for 9 years till stolen.
D necks are very rare from fender.

davidjackson · #11 11-20-2012, 07:34 AM

Update:

Thanks for all your advice following my original post. After trying some of the basses suggested I realised that this wasn't really about the width of the nut exclusively. When I went back to the Steve Harris P bass what struck me again was the 'depth' or thickness of the whole neck. Somebody else on here described it as being like a baseball bat.

In the end I gave in and am now the pround owner of a Steve Harris tribute P bass!

iiipopes · #12 11-20-2012, 07:42 AM

It's good you sorted everything out. It is interesting how the profile of the neck can make the nut seem wider or narrower, as also does the "roll" of the edge of the fingerboard.

But...nut widths. Before necks were talked about in terms of profile, "V," "soft V," "U," "D," "C," etc., Fender had four widths of nut widths a person could order, even before the Jazz bass was invented:

A: 1 1/2"
B: 1 5/8"
C: 1 3/4"
D: 1 7/8"

Yes, the P-bass, at one time early in the company's history, could actually be ordered with a 1 7/8" nut width.

Now, most Fender basses now have something on the order of 1 1/2 for the Jazz and 1 9/16, give or take, for a Precision. I don't think a person can order the nut widths anymore from Fender, although many aftermarket companies now make them.

kurosawa · #13 11-20-2012, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Energy

Interesting. I thought D neck was offered only on guitars and C was the widest you could get on a P bass. Was yours a custom order?

It measured an actual 1 7/8. I was told it was a D. I'm not sure about the lettering, but I did the measuring myself with a machinist's rule.

Oh thanks iiipopes, I see; the letter usage was later applied also to the contour of the back of the neck, causing confusion. OK.