Does V Shaped Neck- Not C or U - Makes Sense ? Is it useful ?

[porkynuggets]

Played a DB with a sharp V neck, thought it would be terrible but it was actually very comfortable. I still think I would hate it on a BG though

 

[rolfplamperton]

The Fender Custom Shop Soft V neck is the only neck of theirs I really like on a their P basses. Nice and beefy. Feels amazing with a 9.5” radius. Love em.

 

[scuzzy]

My Alvarez MD60e has a V neck, and I gravitate towards it more than my Yamaha A3R, primarily because of the neck. I love it. Not sure how it would be on a bass, but on acoustic I'm a fan.

 

[2saddleslab]

1st played a soft V on a '56 P bass.

I loved it so much I contoured both my Warmoth builds w/ deep V's.

 

[13ghosts]

Somehow, I'm drawn to a V-shaped neck, or rather a flattened, asymmetric trapezoidal shape, like on a Strandberg Boden bass. That could work really well with my ... playing style. I'll measure it again carefully, but due to the carbon rods, the necessary angles probably won't work with my current build.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of neck?

Edit:

(https ://www.vintageandrare.com/product/Strandberg-Boden-Bass-Prog-5-Brown-2021-110856)

 

[JIO]

I have a Grass Roots/ESP Bass IV which has a soft V primarily at 1st position (tapering to a more standard C) First bass I ever played with one - and I like it. So much so I did a soft V (at the same location) on a J neck bass I have. I also like a D profile like my '68 Coral (Dano) Deluxe Bass. Luckily I'm open to all profiles as I also play basses with "baseball bat" necks. Never encountered a hard V (all the way down the neck) as that sounds a bit extreme...

 

[JIO]

Somehow, I'm drawn to a V-shaped neck, or rather a flattened, asymmetric trapezoidal shape, like on a Strandberg Boden bass. That could work really well with my ... playing style. I'll measure it again carefully, but due to the carbon rods, the necessary angles probably won't work with my current build.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of neck?

Edit:
View attachment 7447131
(https ://www.vintageandrare.com/product/Strandberg-Boden-Bass-Prog-5-Brown-2021-110856)

Hard to tell what "this" is but I reshaped a headless 5'r neck that was a very flat D-shape. Went for more of an a-sym contour which feels more natural.

 

[Michedelic]

Back before they got EXPENSIVE, I had a Wal bass and the neck profile was a rounded V.

Maybe it would have worked for me if my technique was better and I kept my thumb on the back of the neck, but ultimately the tone and feel weren’t *my* thing.

Gorgeous bass though, and the workmanship was amazing.

Yes, my Wal has a pronounced V shape and is incredibly comfortable to play. Also, it works really well with proper thumb-behind technique. If I’m honest, the slim Jazz-like neck on my Sandbergs promote a wraparound technique much much more. To the extent that I have to keep catching myself and giving myself a metaphorical slap on the wrist to stop it!

20 years ago I had one, a fretless, which I won in a contest, and I just couldn’t stand that neck. Gave it a year or two, but I never got used to it. Disappointedly moved it down the line, I hope they enjoyed it.

 

[rmmottola]

This question of how this shape came to be was asked and answered in the context of guitars in the "Questions Column" appearing in American Lutherie #136. Answers in that column were provided by Walter Carter, Ken Warmoth, and Jim Buckland. Jim is a music professor with particular expertise in early Romantic period guitar music, but who also has encyclopedic knowledge of electric guitars and basses from the 50's and 60's. The general feeling was that although there were historical examples of this shape throughout guitar history, that is was generally rarely found. An exception to this was its use in some of the cheaper acoustic instruments from the early 1900s, where it was probably used to effect a stiffer truss rod free neck. There was some speculation that it may be more comfortable to use a "chicken choke" grip with the fretting hand. Also interesting that Ken Warmoth stated that their vintage Fender V shape for guitars was their third most popular profile. As Dynacord points out, there is a great amount of variation in this general shape.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Flat “C” or “D” is what most people prefer, as it follows the natural curve of your hand. Never saw any advantage or point to V shape, seems like it would work against you, but if it works for you….,

 

[smart51]

I like a soft V shaped neck, or a semicircular C shape. I tend to move my thumb when I play the thinner strings compared to the thicker ones and I like the neck to still be "there" when my thumb moves. I had a bass with a very thin neck and hated it. Being a 5er it felt very wide when playing the G string with my thumb near the edge, but very thin when playing the B string with my thumb nearer the middle.

 

[TomB]

Keep in mind that not all Vs are the same. BIG differences between soft, medium and hard Vs. Medium is ok for me, even if not my first choice, but hard V too extreme, for me. If it works for others, that's cool.

View attachment 7446443

Interesting… Are these bass neck shapes? My ‘61 P has closer to a D than the C shown for ‘62. Of course it’s easy to confuse these shape designations with nut width. Both ‘61 and ‘62 P’s featured 1-3/4” nuts, which are confusingly known as “C” necks vs “B” of the earlier and later P’s. I find those flat wide C necks comfortable if not fast, and can’t imagine how a V would improve it.