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basses with thin necks
- Thread starter fesem
- Start date
When I went shopping recently, I played lots of basses that had necks that felt like sewer pipes, but some were much thinner. Then I played the Tobias Killer B, which has an asymmetric neck. For me, this neck was instantly intuitive. Thick enough to be solid where you grip it, but thin where you need to move around. Definitely worth experiencing, even if you try it and hate it.
Thanks for all these great ideas. Also for explaining what neck radius means. As a follow up it there any measure of how thick or thin a neck is. It seems only the nut width is reported.
fesem said:
I think you mean fretboard radius. The fretboard radius can be found by first drawing a circle with a corresponding radius, (the radius is the distance from the center of a circle to its outer edge), and then cutting out a portion of that circle corresponding to the width of the fretboard. For example, if you have a 7 1/4" radius fretboard. You could tie a piece of string to a pencil, measure out a length of string to 7 1/4", and put a thumbtack on the other end of the string. Secure the tack, stretch the string, and draw a circle. By cutting out a piece of that circle the width of your fretboard, you will have an example of an arc with the same curvature as that of your fretboard radius. I know Carvin has a couple of good diagrams on their website, www.carvin.com -- check that out!
As far as neck shape, just go play a lot of instruments. It's the only way you'll know what's right for you.
The old Spector NS-2000, a.k.a. Q series, basses have very thin necks. I have a 2002 Q4 bass and it plays great.
Paul Mac
Paul Mac
None that I'm aware of.....fesem said:
Some will say standard C or D neck to explain but that's about all you'll get.
Here's a list of basses I have played with thin necks:
1. Geddy Lee Jazz (my fav bass ever)
2. Ibanez SR Line
3. Most Spectors
4. Musicman Sterling
5. Cort Curbows
I have heard of other basses that have thin necks but having never played them I can't give my honest opinion on them.
1. Geddy Lee Jazz (my fav bass ever)
2. Ibanez SR Line
3. Most Spectors
4. Musicman Sterling
5. Cort Curbows
I have heard of other basses that have thin necks but having never played them I can't give my honest opinion on them.
My friends 1978 Jazz bass owns.
Has the thinnest neck, thinner than the Geddy lee for sure.
(thin meaning nut width, which is the only thing important to me). I like to play walking bass lines and music that harks back to the good ol` days when quick nimble playing was the thing. That's my advice! Get an old one.
Has the thinnest neck, thinner than the Geddy lee for sure.
(thin meaning nut width, which is the only thing important to me). I like to play walking bass lines and music that harks back to the good ol` days when quick nimble playing was the thing. That's my advice! Get an old one.
thin necks are nice but there is not enough meat on the palm of your hand, if you are one of those that have a bear grip on the neck. And thin necks do not like heavy gauge strings usually
I once read somewhere that for most people the real measure of what makes a neck feel "fast" is a combination of thickness (front to back) and width. The point that was made is that wider necks give your hand the impression of being thinner.
I used to love Ibanez SR necks for their thin profile, but I noticed having too little wood under my thumb actually caused my left hand to tire faster than it did with other necks.
Radius has always seemed to me to be important to how "fast" a neck feels, though I think it may be more subjective than other factors. I find I can finger notes faster and tend to be more accurate with smaller radius'ed necks because my fingers don't have to straighten out as far to reach the A and E (or B) strings as they would on a flatter board. At the same time, they do have to bend a little more to reach down to the G string. All this seems to force me to play on my fingertips, which sounds much better and is faster.
I used to love Ibanez SR necks for their thin profile, but I noticed having too little wood under my thumb actually caused my left hand to tire faster than it did with other necks.
Radius has always seemed to me to be important to how "fast" a neck feels, though I think it may be more subjective than other factors. I find I can finger notes faster and tend to be more accurate with smaller radius'ed necks because my fingers don't have to straighten out as far to reach the A and E (or B) strings as they would on a flatter board. At the same time, they do have to bend a little more to reach down to the G string. All this seems to force me to play on my fingertips, which sounds much better and is faster.
PastorofMuppets said:
Word. I play an Ibanez, and every now and then I play my friends Warwick and it feels more like I'm playing a 5 string.
thedonutman said:furthurmore, what effect would a GRAPHITE REINFORCED neck have on your playing
Are you questioning my bionic powers?
PastorofMuppets said:
You've played the Warwick Corvette $$5? That thing is lucidrously narrow to the point where it almost plays itself.
If you're referring to neck THICKNESS, then Warwick's aren't bad at all. Quite nice actually, didn't feel much different thicknesswise from my BTB555.
