5 string p-bass neck weight?

[kirkdickinson]

Hey, I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a custom Warmoth built fretless neck. I’m going back-and-forth between roasted Maple and Winge.

I like the Wenge a little bette, but it is heavier. Warmoth tells me 20% heavier. I want a reverse headstock with 5 inline tuners and worry about getting too neck heavy.

Will the Wenge make much difference in neck dive?

I have a Warmoth baritone neck in Wenge/ebony and it is awesome.

Another question… are there other highly recommended builders where I can get a custom neck that is as good or better quality compared to Warmoth? Somewhere that won’t take forever to build? I think Warmoth told me 6 weeks for a build.

 

[Beej]

IMHO, yes it will be heavy. I already find wide fivers of the fender ilk to be overly heavy and wenge is as they said.

Regarding whom else to contact, and I don't mean to first diss your plan and then shill you the offer but @Freekmagnet right here in the Luthier's Corner.

 

[micguy]

Wenge is indeed heavier - I wouldn't do that as a first Warmoth build Roasted maple is nice and stiff, and lighter than other options. By the way, make sure you get the graphite rods - the steel ones are definitely heavier. As far as neck dive, I have 5 string basses built with Warmoth wood (all roasted maple necks), all in the weight range of 7.05 to 7.75 pounds, and they balance just fine. (Hint - light weight tuners are key!!!

Another question… are there other highly recommended builders where I can get a custom neck that is as good or better quality compared to Warmoth? Somewhere that won’t take forever to build? I think Warmoth told me 6 weeks for a build.

You're not going to get anyone that'll build you a better neck than Warmoth, and any custom builder is going to be far longer than 6 weeks. If you're looking for top quality parts, they are it. Warmoth, by the way, always meets their stated timelines - some of my orders have shipped early, and I've built a couple dozen basses from their wood for myself and others.

 

[kirkdickinson]

Wenge is indeed heavier - I wouldn't do that as a first Warmoth build

Not sure, I understand what you mean by that? “…as a first Warmoth build…”

You mean that wouldn’t be your first choice for a Warmoth build?

I was going to pick the graphite rods. Going for light. I have Carbon-o-lite tuners ordered already.

photoshop drawing using Warmoth renderings.

I added zebrawood to the headstock in the rendering. Not sure if it is easy to add a zebrawood laminate to the headstock myself, but would like to.

 

[micguy]

Not sure, I understand what you mean by that? “…as a first Warmoth build…”

I'm suggesting you go with things that will definitely work for your first Warmoth build - start with a guaranteed success. I know their roasted maple/graphite necks will balance just fine, even with really light bodies, assuming light tuners. If you decide you might want to try a Wenge neck later, you can try adding 20% of the neck's weight to the middle of your lighter neck, and see if you like the balance. If you start out with a Wenge neck, and it neck dives, you'll be disappointed, gun shy about trying anything else from them, and you won't have a usable bass on your first try.

 

[bobdabilder]

I would avoid roasted maple. Maple is great. Roasted can introduce some additional issues.
Good luck with your build.

 

[kirkdickinson]

I would avoid roasted maple. Maple is great. Roasted can introduce some additional issues.
Good luck with your build.

Please elaborate. I have heard mostly good about roasted maple. I have heard that it can be brittle and difficult to work with. I know several people with roasted maple necks and they like them.

 

[bobdabilder]

Yes brittle is my concern. Lots of examples of this. I'm waiting for the roasting process to mature before I consider it.

Please elaborate. I have heard mostly good about roasted maple. I have heard that it can be brittle and difficult to work with. I know several people with roasted maple necks and they like them.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Hey, I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a custom Warmoth built fretless neck. I’m going back-and-forth between roasted Maple and Winge.

I like the Wenge a little bette, but it is heavier. Warmoth tells me 20% heavier. I want a reverse headstock with 5 inline tuners and worry about getting too neck heavy.

Will the Wenge make much difference in neck dive?

I have a Warmoth baritone neck in Wenge/ebony and it is awesome.

Another question… are there other highly recommended builders where I can get a custom neck that is as good or better quality compared to Warmoth? Somewhere that won’t take forever to build? I think Warmoth told me 6 weeks for a build.

5 in line will add extra length to the bass making some cases too short, and also adds weight to the far end increasing the possibility of neck dive. Wenge is definitely heavier than roasted maple, and ebony is a heavy wood. I have ebony boards that weigh 3 times what some of my other fretboards weigh. I would encourage you to consider a reverse 4+1 headstock so that cases will fit better and you can be sure all strings will be long enough, since not all B strings will reach that far tuner (on a 5 in line) and still be able to wrap around the post 2+ times.

If you insist on getting the 5 in line reverse headstock, go with roasted maple and a lightweight fretboard wood, and ultralight tuners... and make sure you can top load the strings at the bridge.

 

[JEDI BASS]

I would avoid roasted maple. Maple is great. Roasted can introduce some additional issues.
Good luck with your build.

I haven't seen any problems with roasted necks cracking, but I've seen roasted fretboards split under the strain of supporting the truss rod. Warmoth fretboards are thicker than most manufacturers though, and I feel the odds of one cracking are very slim. Screwholes strip easily on roasted maple. But, someone who knows what they're doing won't strip out the holes and can reinforce them during construction.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Wenge is indeed heavier - I wouldn't do that as a first Warmoth build Roasted maple is nice and stiff, and lighter than other options. By the way, make sure you get the graphite rods - the steel ones are definitely heavier. As far as neck dive, I have 5 string basses built with Warmoth wood (all roasted maple necks), all in the weight range of 7.05 to 7.75 pounds, and they balance just fine. (Hint - light weight tuners are key!!!



You're not going to get anyone that'll build you a better neck than Warmoth, and any custom builder is going to be far longer than 6 weeks. If you're looking for top quality parts, they are it. Warmoth, by the way, always meets their stated timelines - some of my orders have shipped early, and I've built a couple dozen basses from their wood for myself and others.

They have never met their ETA IME, but, darn, they exceeded expectations in fit.

P.S. I only did one order and they were not that far out /:-{p

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Yes brittle is my concern. Lots of examples of this. I'm waiting for the roasting process to mature before I consider it.

Mine has stood up well in over ten years. I will never use any other wood for neck, that is for sure.

 

[Freekmagnet]

Please elaborate. I have heard mostly good about roasted maple. I have heard that it can be brittle and difficult to work with. I know several people with roasted maple necks and they like them.

I don't know if it's a question of roasted maple being something to be avoided. Instead, I would say that the benefits of roasted maple are overstated, and unless you're just crazy about the color, the additional cost is not worth it. Roasting is not a magic bullet; I've seen roasted maple necks warp, twist and bend just like any other neck. The weight savings is negligible. Where roasting actually does help is with highly figured woods - if anything, roasting does make building necks with such materials less risky.

Personally, I prefer necks that are built to be played as opposed to looked at. Given that, in terms of cost, availability, workability, stiffness, and strength, it's really hard to beat a 3-piece neck made of plain old straight-grained maple. I do use roasted maple fretboards fairly regularly - solely for the color, not for any performance reasons.

 

[ardgedee]

5 in line will add extra length to the bass making some cases too short, and also adds weight to the far end increasing the possibility of neck dive. Wenge is definitely heavier than roasted maple, and ebony is a heavy wood. I have ebony boards that weigh 3 times what some of my other fretboards weigh. I would encourage you to consider a reverse 4+1 headstock so that cases will fit better and you can be sure all strings will be long enough, since not all B strings will reach that far tuner (on a 5 in line) and still be able to wrap around the post 2+ times.

If you insist on getting the 5 in line reverse headstock, go with roasted maple and a lightweight fretboard wood, and ultralight tuners... and make sure you can top load the strings at the bridge.

I came here to point this out too. A neck with a 5 in line Fender headstock will feel heavier even if it's the same weight as one with a 4+1 or 3+2 headstock. If you think of your bass on a guitar strap (or balanced on your leg) as being like a lever, moving some mass farther from the balancing point moves the center of gravity along with it.

(I could also rant about how the classic Fender headstock is also kind of optimized for worst balance, with that big knob at the end, but it's a visual design a lot of people love so I'll stop here.)

 

[bobdabilder]

I have. Headstock cracks from tuner holes and or tuner screw holes and some neck cracking.

I haven't seen any problems with roasted necks cracking, but I've seen roasted fretboards split under the strain of supporting the truss rod. Warmoth fretboards are thicker than most manufacturers though, and I feel the odds of one cracking are very slim. Screwholes strip easily on roasted maple. But, someone who knows what they're doing won't strip out the holes and can reinforce them during construction.

 

[bobdabilder]

Sounds like you have a good one.

Mine has stood up well in over ten years. I will never use any other wood for neck, that is for sure.

 

[JEDI BASS]

I have. Headstock cracks from tuner holes and or tuner screw holes and some neck cracking.

That can be explained away by forcing things to fit instead of enlarging holes.

 

[kirkdickinson]

5 in line will add extra length to the bass making some cases too short, and also adds weight to the far end increasing the possibility of neck dive. Wenge is definitely heavier than roasted maple, and ebony is a heavy wood. I have ebony boards that weigh 3 times what some of my other fretboards weigh. I would encourage you to consider a reverse 4+1 headstock so that cases will fit better and you can be sure all strings will be long enough, since not all B strings will reach that far tuner (on a 5 in line) and still be able to wrap around the post 2+ times.

If you insist on getting the 5 in line reverse headstock, go with roasted maple and a lightweight fretboard wood, and ultralight tuners... and make sure you can top load the strings at the bridge.

Here is the look that I am going for. Loosely inspired by Dusty Hills reverse headstock bass. Except five string, fretless, and zebrawood. I know that ebony is heavier, but for fretless, I don't know of any lighter wood that has a high Janka score. Ebony is about the best choice for fretless. (IMHO)

 

[kirkdickinson]

I came here to point this out too. A neck with a 5 in line Fender headstock will feel heavier even if it's the same weight as one with a 4+1 or 3+2 headstock. If you think of your bass on a guitar strap (or balanced on your leg) as being like a lever, moving some mass farther from the balancing point moves the center of gravity along with it.

(I could also rant about how the classic Fender headstock is also kind of optimized for worst balance, with that big knob at the end, but it's a visual design a lot of people love so I'll stop here.)

I have Gotoh Carbon-o-lite tuners ordered that should offset any additional mis-balance toward the extreme end.

The plate and the key are both carbon fiber.

The regular Hipshot HB-1 is 82 grams
82x5 = 410 grams (14.5 oz) (.91 lbs)
vs
Gotoh Carbon-o-lite 5x 35 grams = 175 grams (6 oz) (.38 lbs)

Carbon-o-lite tuners are more than 1/2 lb lighter than standard tuners. This should compensate.

 

[Maxi Funkl]

FWIW I have had a total of 4 basses with roasted maple necks. 3 have roasted maple fretboards and 1 with a rosewood fretboard.

I love Roasted Maple necks it's now my preferred neck. Given the option it's my number 1 choice absolutely love them. No tuning or stability issues at all. An that's from 3 different vendors Squire, Charvel, & Ernie Ball Music Man. I highly recommend them satin finish.