Both of my Warwick 5s have solid, somewhat beefy necks. Even though I have pretty small hands, they feel great and I strongly prefer them over thin profiles, which tend to make my hands bend at uncomfortable angles. Always try before you buy!
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do all 5 strings have a thin neck?
- Thread starter Bluestar
- Start date
I would describe my Stingray 5's neck thickness as medium at most. And it's not especially wide either. (My Lakland is noticeably thinner but wider.)
Ken Smith BSR 5's may be comfortable for you, if you can find one. Neck through, 34" scale, super comfortable, not very wide, just the right amount of beef to make it feel just right.
I had a Warwick Corvette 5 that had a massive fat neck that was surprisingly comfortable to play.
IME 5 string necks vary wildly. The thickest I've held are a G&L, and one of the old Squier Precisions with the 'J' pickups. Like playing a telephone pole. Some assymetrical necks can feel bigger than they are, like the Carvin ones. I like thinner necks, and with today's construction methods and/or graphite reinforcement, I never have an issue.
They are? In no way would I consider my Stingray 5 neck to be “huge”. Pinky to thumb stretch is 8 in so by no means do I have massive hands. Shoot my Stingray 5 is a walk in the park compared to my Fodera… talk about a workout.
I had a 2000 Warwick STD 5er with a baseball bat neck. It was love at first sight for me because I primarily played DB, and I was having trouble connecting to any BGs. Now that I am primarily on BG, wouldn't find such an instrument comfortable.
While the 'mainstream view' (at least here on TB) seems to be that 'thinner necks are faster', there are some builders that believe that thicker/fatter necks are less fatiguing.
One of the more prominent builders that has held this view since the 80s is H. Noble / Nobuaki Hayashi, of Atlansia guitars (I think he used to design for Aria Pro before that). So basically any Atlansia will have his FAT NECK design.
Having tried a few of Atlansia's creations, I can confirm that the necks are indeed FAT! The fives are gloriously chunky, while the 6s are barbarically formidable. All have a reputation of being absolutely rock-solid - and I think some have had carbon inserts since the 1980s. Curiously, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the stability of the carbon-insert necs, relative to all-wood ones.
FCGR (Freedom Custom Guitar Research) also call their standard 5-string profile 'Fat-U', but it is nowhere near as thick as the Atlansia. For me, a comfortable compromise.
The older Tunes - TWB5 or so? - also tend to be quite wide, but not very thick back-to-front. Some of the wide-spaced Bacchus and Atelier-Z models may have ismilarly wide-ish necks.
Among the more popular brands: the early-2000s Warwicks have a reputation for chunky necks. From memory, some of the Squier 5-strings with 19mm bridge-spacing tend to also be rather wide/thick.
One of the more prominent builders that has held this view since the 80s is H. Noble / Nobuaki Hayashi, of Atlansia guitars (I think he used to design for Aria Pro before that). So basically any Atlansia will have his FAT NECK design.
Having tried a few of Atlansia's creations, I can confirm that the necks are indeed FAT! The fives are gloriously chunky, while the 6s are barbarically formidable. All have a reputation of being absolutely rock-solid - and I think some have had carbon inserts since the 1980s. Curiously, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the stability of the carbon-insert necs, relative to all-wood ones.
FCGR (Freedom Custom Guitar Research) also call their standard 5-string profile 'Fat-U', but it is nowhere near as thick as the Atlansia. For me, a comfortable compromise.
The older Tunes - TWB5 or so? - also tend to be quite wide, but not very thick back-to-front. Some of the wide-spaced Bacchus and Atelier-Z models may have ismilarly wide-ish necks.
Among the more popular brands: the early-2000s Warwicks have a reputation for chunky necks. From memory, some of the Squier 5-strings with 19mm bridge-spacing tend to also be rather wide/thick.
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I had a '95 Fortress 1 5 string that had a seriously thick neck. Someone had converted it to fretless, and did an amazing job on that conversion. I really should have kept it, but alas... I sold it. However the kid that bought it loved it way more than I ever could have, so it all balanced out.
The neck on these would seem more substantial, think PBass feel but a bit bigger for the added Low B. I'm not real fussy about necks, and I doubt I'd want anything thicker than these two, but they play just fine.
Squier Contemporary Active Jazz Bass Five (geez, that's a mouthful)
Squier Precision Bass Five
Squier Contemporary Active Jazz Bass Five (geez, that's a mouthful)
Squier Precision Bass Five
5 String Electric Bass Guitar Millettia Laurentii+Okoume body maple neck w/ bag | eBay
I have one of these. Bought it on a lark. A little fret leveling and nut slot work and it's quite giggable. Not typically my first call fiver but often my backup. Pretty chunky neck. YMMV. About 1/10th the cost of a lower end boutique bass!
The Bar Band Bassman
I have one of these. Bought it on a lark. A little fret leveling and nut slot work and it's quite giggable. Not typically my first call fiver but often my backup. Pretty chunky neck. YMMV. About 1/10th the cost of a lower end boutique bass!
The Bar Band Bassman
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I believe the you can get the thumb in a "Broad Neck" Option
This Warwick Streamer Stage I is their "broadneck" spec: full 20mm bridge spacing and pretty chunky profile.
Definitely not for everyone, but this might be my favorite neck ever; it just feels like home to me. The girth & neck-thru construction seem to facilitate an irrepressible growl that makes for a truly outstanding low B (and I'm fussy about that).
Definitely not for everyone, but this might be my favorite neck ever; it just feels like home to me. The girth & neck-thru construction seem to facilitate an irrepressible growl that makes for a truly outstanding low B (and I'm fussy about that).
My Warwick Corvette 5 has a neck like a baseball bat...and narrow string spacing. It is not my favourite combo. My Sadowsky 5 has a slimmer neck (more akin to Fender), but mine specifically has a narrower nut.
The broadneck is what I would get with any "next" Warwick I purchase. I love the 19mm spacing on my basses...so my current Corvette 5 with 16.5mm feels too tight.
I assume Fender Ps are on the beefier side.
Have you given yourself enough time to adjust to a thinner neck? Initially, I didn't like the feel but eventually came to prefer it. Indeed, I moved on to sixers which pretty much made it a requirement.
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