Belly Contour or No?

[ninerfan]

Well it's time for me to attempt my first bass build. So I'm going to be building a '51 P. Warmoth body and neck to start with. My first question is, belly contour or no? I'm a Fender guy and find them very comfortable. I also have more of a 12 pack than a 6 pack. For what I'm doing there will be no forearm contour (more on that later), but I am thinking I should go for a belly contour for those longer sets. So...good people of TB what say you....Belly contour or no?

 

[lbridenstine]

Yes

 

[Deep Cat]

Yes

+1

 

[Terracite]

Makes it lighter!

 

[gmjhowe]

The only reason not to put one in, is if you can't be bothered to do it.

Which is a pretty lame reason.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Easy to do with a disc sander, did mine freehand in about 5 minutes, then cleanup with sandpaper. Going for s tele bass look?

 

[reverendrally]

No. Never put one on a bass.... never missed it. Re lightening, there are better ways to do that.

Fullerton/Fender only put one on the strat because one of their test musos was extremely fat. Then it ended up on the P and J bass too. If you really need one, you probably need to check your BMI.

 

[Rob22315]

Yes, contour's a great add. Big difference in comfort IMO.

 

[2saddleslab]

Only if you need [want] it. My slabs hang low so no contour necessary.

 

[joselorellano]

You can make a template of the body with plywood and, depending of the position you use when playing, make your decision... I play mine higher than "normal" so a very pronounced belly cut helps a lot. I can't feel a difference if the bass has a forearm contour or not, but the belly cut is a must for me.

 

[potomac]

Yes, contour's a great add. Big difference in comfort IMO.

Yes... it is not only a belly cut, in a sitting position it is comfortable for your ribs.

 

[PDX Mathias]

Yes... it is not only a belly cut, in a sitting position it is comfortable for your ribs.

Yes, I think it's important, and I too think of it more as a rib cage scoop, since I play sitting 95% of the time.

I wouldn't like to not have a forearm contour either - a sharp edge there would quickly cut off the circulation in my arm.

 

[ctmullins]

In my experience, the higher you wear the bass, the more a belly cut helps. Mine are generally low, and my belly isn't that big, so it never mattered too much to me. But I do like a bit of a bevel there nonetheless.

Forearm contour, on the other hand, is critical, especially when using a pick.

 

[JIO]

Until you play a bass that physically melts against your body - it's difficult to know how much difference body bevels/scallops make. Like playing a slab (like the '51 RI P-bass) much discomfort and distraction from technique is put up with w/o thought. A fun test would be to play one set with a slab, and the next with a nicely sculpted bass. It would be a night-and-day illustration not only for comfort, but for better playing.

(unless like stated so far, you play the low-slung style…)

 

[potomac]

it's a matter of conviction

Ask a Les Paul Player, answer: No, ....no shaping, I never missed it.
Ask a Jazz Bass Player, answer: Yes, ..,yes of course, I love the smooth feeling.

 

[ScarfFace]

The only reason not to put one in, is if you can't be bothered to do it.

Which is a pretty lame reason.

I disagree. I never played a slab body until last year when I bought a fender cabronita bass. I am very used to that body shape because my main player is a '74 P. The biggest difference between the two is that the cabby doesn't have contours. I'm a pretty thin guy now and I find that not having the belly contour puts the bass in a much more comfortable position for me, standing up at least. I do wish it had the forearm contour sometimes though. I almost never play sitting down, so I cant comment on that.

 

[Ric5]

Entwistle was convinced that the slab basses without contours sounded better.

 

[bass_case]

I have a 69 Tele and numerous non-slab bodies. The only time I notice the flatness of the Tele is when I'm sitting -- it does hit the ribs a bit if you slouch.

So, besides looking cool, slab bodies are good for your posture.

 

[gmjhowe]

I disagree. I never played a slab body until last year when I bought a fender cabronita bass. I am very used to that body shape because my main player is a '74 P. The biggest difference between the two is that the cabby doesn't have contours. I'm a pretty thin guy now and I find that not having the belly contour puts the bass in a much more comfortable position for me, standing up at least. I do wish it had the forearm contour sometimes though. I almost never play sitting down, so I cant comment on that.

The OP already explained that he finds the contour more comfortable. Hence, my direct reply about the only reason not to put one in, is if he can't be bothered.

 

[MegaSwing]

Yes. It makes the whole thing noticeably sexier.