thanks, I forgot about these too… yeah, some specs are off for my preference and at the top of the price range, but worth considering!
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6 strings with these specs?
- Thread starter sikamikanico
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thanks, I forgot about these too… yeah, some specs are off for my preference and at the top of the price range, but worth considering!
thanks, I’ll put it on my radar! Specs online say 17mm, but I wonder if earlier models may sometimes have slightly different specs? Or maybe they feel wider due to other factors…
my understanding is they can be finicky to adjust in tandem… you may end up twisting the neck, or have one disengaged and rattling in the neck, etc… but yeah, if other things worked well, id be fine with a double rod I guess.
yeah, I’m one of the people picky about the weirdest thingsor, as I like to think of it, who have refined tastes
a couple mm more here, a few mm less there, and the thing is almost unplayable to me… I love Yamaha, but TRBs are out unless they vary from model to model. I tried one in a shop so not sure what model exactly, but it felt rather chunky, yeah, and for sure the nut width was too narrow for me… will try to try more in the future…
Maybe this helps? Best 6-String Bass Under k???
By the way I play a 15 and 14mm spacing 6 string bass. So I think 17mm is already too wide....
So I understand, each his own.
Maybe this helps? Best 6-String Bass Under k???
By the way I play a 15 and 14mm spacing 6 string bass. So I think 17mm is already too wide....
thanks! Looking at that thread, seems like Matt Pulcinella basses might be a good fit for me… never heard of these basses before, so I have some homework to do
I may end up getting an Ibanez and see if I get used to tighter string spacing… would sure open up some good options if I stick with the 6 string!
I'm going to be watching this thread curiously. Mostly because I see the thin neck with wide string spacing requirement as a combination that is in the fringes of bass design.
I suspect that this is so because as the neck gets wider, making the neck stiff enough to handle the added stresses of more strings requires something extra. Possibly this is the reason some mfrs. opt for for dual truss rods. An obvious design choice would be to make the neck chunkier. Of course adding strengthening rods inside the neck might also help, but as you make the neck thinner, there is a limit to how little wood can contain the rods themselves.
On a side note, I'm curious why someone with hands large enough to handle 6 wide spaced strings would have an issue with a chunkier neck than what you find on an SR. Different strokes for different folks for sure, but I am guessing that this combination of specs is not something often requested. Custom might wind up being the best/only way of getting them.
I suspect that this is so because as the neck gets wider, making the neck stiff enough to handle the added stresses of more strings requires something extra. Possibly this is the reason some mfrs. opt for for dual truss rods. An obvious design choice would be to make the neck chunkier. Of course adding strengthening rods inside the neck might also help, but as you make the neck thinner, there is a limit to how little wood can contain the rods themselves.
On a side note, I'm curious why someone with hands large enough to handle 6 wide spaced strings would have an issue with a chunkier neck than what you find on an SR. Different strokes for different folks for sure, but I am guessing that this combination of specs is not something often requested. Custom might wind up being the best/only way of getting them.
Some really good suggestions already here.
Keep your eyes pealed for a used G.Gould GGi6. They don't list the string spacing on their website but I've played them before and it didn't feel narrow.
Keep your eyes pealed for a used G.Gould GGi6. They don't list the string spacing on their website but I've played them before and it didn't feel narrow.
Since you quoted me, I'll reply as my previous post was only to point out a technical spec error in the SR basses.
I think the adjustable spacing is a bit of a gimmick, unless you're going narrower, and then you're limited by the neck width, and have posted this before. But I have no problem with narrower spacings as I can play guitar and my SRC6 which has the same spacing and chunkier strings. I'm sorry, but I don't get the need for something specific as I can adapt, same as I can drive a Lotus Elise and a Dodge Ram 2500.
My own preferences for what I play musically is actually to go a but narrower at the bridge, with a corresponding narrower neck and my ideal custom would be a hybrid of a Bass VI class and an SR 6 string like a GVB36 or an EBMM Petrucci. These are hard to find and out of my budget at the moment, so I'll adapt and stick with my current herd of SRs.
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This might be a long shot because several of your desired specs are off, but I currently have a '93 Vantage 960BA 6 string bass for sale in the TB classifieds that I have priced at less than $500 all in.
I'm mentioning this to you because even though some of your requirements aren't met with this bass, the price is so low that you might be able to experiment with a very affordable 6 stringer to see if it's for you, without having to invest $1,500 - $2,000 in a new instrument that you might not like.
I won't link to the ad here, but if you're interested, just PM me and I'll get you all the info, or else you can just do a search for "Vantage 960BA" in basses for sale.
Regardless, good luck with your quest!
I'm mentioning this to you because even though some of your requirements aren't met with this bass, the price is so low that you might be able to experiment with a very affordable 6 stringer to see if it's for you, without having to invest $1,500 - $2,000 in a new instrument that you might not like.
I won't link to the ad here, but if you're interested, just PM me and I'll get you all the info, or else you can just do a search for "Vantage 960BA" in basses for sale.
Regardless, good luck with your quest!
I have a made in Japan Tune BEB-6 19mm spacing but it is 36 inch scale
Also 58mm nut width and 21 mm neck thickness at the first fret (I am not so sure unless I take off the strings. And one truss rod
Also 58mm nut width and 21 mm neck thickness at the first fret (I am not so sure unless I take off the strings. And one truss rod
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Necks change shape due to stresses. There are 2 sources of stress:
1) Internal stresses in the wood - over time, even without strings on the bass or torque from the truss rod, if there are internal stresses, the neck will warp - and in an unpredictable direction.
2) Stresses from the strings or truss rod. The strings pull it one way, the truss rod the opposite way. If those forces are balanced, the neck will stay put.
The type of wood in the neck and the cross section and length of the neck affect its stiffness, which, under a given amount of stress, determines how far it will move. Stiffer is better. A thicker neck is stiffer. A shorter neck is stiffer (one place where a 35 inch scale works against you).
Making a neck multiple pieces helps mitigate #1 - if the grain directions are managed properly, it helps with that. It does not, however, make the neck stiffer or help with #2. On a 6 string, that might be an issue. That's why many of them have dual rods. My point is that your logic of a 3 piece neck not needing dual rods is not correct - the two have nothing to do with each other.
Wide spaced 6 strings inevitably end up having wide necks with very flat fingerboards. This can present problems for chordal playing unless you have Felix Pastorius sized hands (but he plays a 33” scale) I spent 3 years playing an Ibanez Gerald Veasley bass with 14mm spacing that I never got fully comfortable with, but it had an amazing neck. The 16.5 spacing with SR basses is a good compromise allowing a very comfortable neck and a radiused fingerboard. The BTB basses have a slightly fatter, flatter neck but the sharp edges on the body are atrocious.
I’m just gonna leave this here….
For Sale - Ibanez SR 1346b
Used EBMM bongo? Alas, the great deal in the classifieds on that purple sparkle bongo 6er was finally snatched up. Bongos are great and versatile basses, albeit aesthetically..... different.
something of note: as dingwall 6'ers get more expensive, their necks get thinner.
back-to-back compairing; NG, ABZ, and Z necks, the NG feels like a baseball bat.
if you could find a good used deal on a ABZ 6 string and are comfortable with the multi-scale, the neck will be noticably different from a combustion/NG2/3.
Have you tried out the LTD B-206SM? played one years ago in a shop and its neck has always stuck with me as slim, wide but not too wide, and easy to play. got no idea on the string spacing but after a quick search i found someone saying they'd installed a new bridge giving them 17mm spacing. the pickups and preamp should be easy to replace if you do that sorta thing and find the stock ones offensive, but they should be ok. it's 35 not 34 but to some extent, that can be partially solved with string selection.
another, more expencive, option would be Maruszczyk custom shop. if you dont go crazy with options you should be able to get what you want for about 2k (this suggestion might be null if you're outside of europe, idk what shipping and conversions and insurance would be?).
used post-2009 CS warwicks 'should' have a thinner (not 'the warwick' neck) profile by default. i believe the rockbass 6'ers have the same default. i've read somewhere that people have pushed the adjustable bridge out to 17mm on their warwick 6'ers - so maybe thats a possibility.
back-to-back compairing; NG, ABZ, and Z necks, the NG feels like a baseball bat.
if you could find a good used deal on a ABZ 6 string and are comfortable with the multi-scale, the neck will be noticably different from a combustion/NG2/3.
Have you tried out the LTD B-206SM? played one years ago in a shop and its neck has always stuck with me as slim, wide but not too wide, and easy to play. got no idea on the string spacing but after a quick search i found someone saying they'd installed a new bridge giving them 17mm spacing. the pickups and preamp should be easy to replace if you do that sorta thing and find the stock ones offensive, but they should be ok. it's 35 not 34 but to some extent, that can be partially solved with string selection.
another, more expencive, option would be Maruszczyk custom shop. if you dont go crazy with options you should be able to get what you want for about 2k (this suggestion might be null if you're outside of europe, idk what shipping and conversions and insurance would be?).
used post-2009 CS warwicks 'should' have a thinner (not 'the warwick' neck) profile by default. i believe the rockbass 6'ers have the same default. i've read somewhere that people have pushed the adjustable bridge out to 17mm on their warwick 6'ers - so maybe thats a possibility.
Dual truss rods are no problem to work with. You just adjust each exactly the same amount at the same time and there is no danger in creating uneven relief. Incidentally, both of my basses with dual truss rods almost never need adjustment in the first place. You usually find them on necks that are pretty rigid to begin with.
after playing a few 5ers and 6ers, I learned that wide and flat works better for me. I play them differently than a 4 string, more like a classical guitar. Indeed, I care less for the extra notes that they give, but I like how they open new positions and shapes.
I dont know about the mechanics of neck construction, but I figure if Ibanez can do a thin wide neck, it’s doable with modern production techniques… indeed, they make a few in 18 mm spacing, but then other specs and or price are off for me…
I suspect that most folks simply prefer narrower spacing, which is understandable, and so most basses have that. Higher priced models offer a lot more, but I’m not committed to 6 yet…
