do all 5 strings have a thin neck?

[Pings Bass]

My Ibanez portamento 6-string has a pretty chunky neck, and I assume the 5-string model is similar.

(Side note: I get a twitch in my eye when people talk about thin necks being "fast." Some marketing schlub came up with that in the 80s, and players just buy in and go with it? Even if it were accurate, is "fast" more important than "stable" for a bass guitar neck? )

Anyway, give my your "baseball bats" if you don't like em.

 

[Aloe]

a 5-stringer will have a thicker neck than a 4-stringer of same kind.

but then on one hand we have Ibanez SR which is just 'very thin' for 5-string and 'very-very thin' for 4-string, on the other hand the old Warwick's U-shape is thick in any amount of strings. but if it's the same kind of neck, the 5-stringer will have a chunkier feeling neck (it's wider on a 5-string, so it's also thicker if it has the same profile).

my both Wicks have a slimmer C-shape neck, that's why I lately prefer taking a 5-stringer instead of 4-stringer: the neck is thicker and I like it more.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Yeah, I was gonna say, aren't the 7ender P-Bass 5 string necks pretty chunky? But I see a few other people mentioned them as well.
I feel like all 7ender P-bass necks are chunky. Just get one of those.

 

[Dincrest]

I once had an early-2000s Spector ReBop 5 (Czech made, now called EuroBolt) with a chunkier neck than I prefer. (I like a more slender neck).

ESP/LTD's "thin U" neck is usually a little thicker than a Soundgear. However, newer "thin U" is more slender than older. My early 2000s F-205 has a chunkier neck than my 2018 D-5, and both are "thin U."

 

[Lonnybass]

So I had a Dave Ellfson custom shop sign 5 string and the neck was very thin. For speed I would assume. I just got a peavey USA cirrus and again seems like a thin neck. Are there any 5 strings espically neck through that have a good chunky neck, or at least not paper thin. Don't care if they are mass market or boutique.

MTD and a few other high-end builders do an asymmetrical neck carve (thicker on the bass side than the treble side) that is incredibly comfortable.

 

[Ellery]

Got a Spector Forte 5 and a Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 and they both have thicker necks then an Ibanez. I really like the feel find it more ergonomic for me, a neck does not have to be thin to be a "fast" neck.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Warwick for sure...I hear Dingwalls have rather hefty necks too, but cannot confirm.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Warwick for sure...I hear Dingwalls have rather hefty necks too, but cannot confirm.

Just the Combustions/NG's and I only have experience with older versions. They have have been changed since.

 

[Element Zero]

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).

View attachment 5095140

Mmmmmmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

 

[jemerpi]

My Ibanez portamento 6-string has a pretty chunky neck, and I assume the 5-string model is similar.

(Side note: I get a twitch in my eye when people talk about thin necks being "fast." Some marketing schlub came up with that in the 80s, and players just buy in and go with it? Even if it were accurate, is "fast" more important than "stable" for a bass guitar neck? )

Anyway, give my your "baseball bats" if you don't like em.

I think the faster neck description is accurate for any bass player not caring for the traditional baseball bat neck. For example, when I started playing bass I literally started wondering if a thinner neck existed as I was imagining how I'd like my fretting hand to feel. Especially, when moving quickly around the fretboard. So, when I first picked up an Ibanez SR, and a 5 string at that, it was like a dream come true. For me, it was more comfortable and faster. And I never looked back. That is, except to pick up a six string, which I would've probably never imagined if only playing Fender Ps. As for stability, I didn't notice any real difference. I am guessing that's about comfort.

 

[Strung_Low]

Oh yes they do, G&L and Spector especially. I once played a G&L Jazz Bass from 2006 and holy moly was that a thick neck. I loved that thing.

Yup I have a Korean l2500 tribute and the neck is super thick. Fits in the hand nicely tho. Only thing is it weighs a ton!

 

[Dincrest]

Oh yeah, and when it comes to Ibanez, their BTB line has noticeably wider chunkier necks than the Soundgear line.

Pity Ibanez discontinued the SRX line, because those necks were wonderful- a good "just right" between pencil-neck Soundgear and the thicker BTB.

 

[Jefenator]

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.

Something about the full 20mm is decidedly hardcore - makes 19mm feel like a subtle compromise.
But the chunky profile also keeps me committed.
I've got a Roscoe 5-string with a comparatively thin & narrow neck that I'm still struggling to get used to after 2 years. (Probably bliss for the majority.) It does help that it plays better & responds more evenly in every register than any other bass I've ever had. But part of me still wants to send it to the factory & ask if they could layer some more material back on.

 

[Nashrakh]

If the current production Yamaha TRB 1005s are anything like their 6 string counterparts, they got chunks for days. I personally like it way better than the very thin Ibanez SRs.