Bound necks-yay or nay?

[2tonic]

Bound and blocked all the way!
But only the Mother Of Toilet Seat.....black blocks don't speak to me at all.
Maple is my fave, but I've had a few rosewoods, too.
Also, prefer ivory binding over the white stuff (somewhere between white and cream).

 

[Ric5]

Bound and blocked all the way!
But only the Mother Of Toilet Seat.....black blocks don't speak to me at all.
Maple is my fave, but I've had a few rosewoods, too.
Also, prefer ivory binding over the white stuff (somewhere between white and cream).

But maple and black look soo good together

 

[2tonic]

Sweet looking bass, @Ric5 , but you know....to each his own.
I don't dislike black blocks, but they just never shifted my gears.


But they look good on you!

 

[darwin-bass]

love blocks. Not a fan of binding.

 

[Pings Bass]

Binding protects your hand from protruding frets

Proper installation and dressing does this too.

 

[MAJOR METAL]

Those Rickenbacker necks are super comfortable!

 

[thedukeofno]

Picked up a new Fender Deluxe PJ with a bound neck and love it. Never played a bass with a bound neck and never knew what I was missing. Neck feels slightly more rounded on the edges, which I love, (hate sharp flat edges) and makes a thinner Jazz neck, I’ve never cared for, feel a bit more substantial. Seems like only the 70s styled Fender necks are bound? Any reason for this?

For my info, the Deluxe PJ is MIM, correct?

All else being equal, I prefer a black bound maple neck with black blocks.

 

[1bassplayinfool]

yup

 

[mbell75]

For my info, the Deluxe PJ is MIM, correct?

All else being equal, I prefer a black bound maple neck with black blocks.

Correct.

 

[2F/2F]

I have never had one on a bass. I have them on a handful of guitars. I don't dislike them, but I tend to like unbound ones better. The bound ones take forever to naturally soften and break in. Unbound boards break in relatively quickly IME, especially rosewood boards. If I had the bound edges softened ("rolled") deliberately, though, I don't think there'd be a difference.

 

[HeavyJazz]

Nay. Always seemed like a means of covering build mistakes.

 

[Tommy V]

i prefer no binding or inlays, but have owned instruments with both

 

[baileyboy]

As much as I like the "bound" neck of the Geddy Jazz, I do wonder if the binding will make it that much more difficult to one day refret?

 

[eastcoasteddie]

...Same with body wood and many other thongs, but that is another topic...

Yep, sure is...

 

[Joybass]

Binding nay, blocks sort of yay (black), mostly nay (white pearl). Kind of (n)either way.

 

[Sands]

Either but I definitely do think it can be somewhat aesthetically pleasing or eye popping, if that’s what is needed. I also really appreciate it with candy apple red. This picture is unaltered, yet the bass leaps out - as does the neck.

 

[Wesley R]

Some machines need binding to complete the look. I like binding, yet not always.

 

[Andy Daventry]

I prefer no binding, but it's not a deal breaker. AFAIK binding is meant to stop the sweat of your hand getting between fretboard and neck and so on. Maybe it does this. I have never had an issue one way or the other. Aesthetically, no binding is generally nicer IMO.

 

[Turnaround]

However, binding (and block inlays for that matter) do in fact make necks aesthetically superior.

To you maybe. All I see is a strip of plastic defacing a nice wooden surface.

 

[Sands]

To you maybe. All I see is a strip of plastic defacing a nice wooden surface.

Best use of plastic ever, possibly. The wood is the masterpiece; the plastic is just a thin frame.