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Double neck Bass/Guitar Pro's/Cons

J

John31

Jan 13, 2011
22
0
#1
Hi I'm thinking of getting one of the double neck bass kits on ebay or making the body myself but i cant find any info on the web about pro's and con's of double neck to a single neck perhaps im look in the wrong places but please can anyone give me some of the cons or pros

DOUBLE NECK GUITAR KIT-4 STRING BASS ELECTRIC NECK AND 6 STRING ELECTRIC NECK | eBay

Such as weight diffrence and well anything because im just looking to get more information on the subject
Thank you
 
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#5
All but one of the doublenecks I used to own weighed between barely 12 and 12 & half pounds. Its all I played for several years. Only one that became a no keeper was 13 pd steiny. Too heavy.

Pros of doublenecks: Can switch between guitar and bass, or fretted and fretless bass. Or 6 & 12 string guitar, super easy. Sympathetic vibrations from playing one neck can cause interesting and useful drone tones etc off the other neck. I'd used capo at specific places of the neck that was doing the synpathetic drones whe I did that.

cons: Never had one that I could get excellent sound on both necks. Could get excellent on one and good to very good on the other, b ut never excellent on both. I think it might have something to do with too much body mass. But not certain. They are heavier then single neck same woods version oif either side. They are big. Wider then most instruments. If it doesnt come with a case you might have real problem getting a case that fits it.

In most cases youd want to run each neck thru its own processor for best sound effects wanted. So yout going to need one wired for seperate outs for each side or stereo plug with adapter some kind of adapter to seperate the two stereos ones into their respective mono cord to processor.

The kit your looking at seems to be variation on the galveston doubleneck bass & guitar that sometimes shows up at amazon.com and other muswic gear places. The allready put together versions and a few of the kits Ive seen on webpage pics uses humbucker pups on bass side. Utube vids Ive watched with it show good sound stock for both sides.

Ive been tempted to get one of those kits or one of its varients a couple times. But would be more inclined to get the put together version that comes with case. About $200 more as I remember last time amazon had them. Because of the case being otherwise rather hard to get.

My soft spot for doublenecks is from having one as my first electric back when I was 14. I think it helped me develope an understannding of bass and guitar and ability to go beyond the traditional limits of either, via having the doubleneck as first learner instrument. They can be great. But if your not going to make use of both sides fairly regular. Ala John Mclaughlin or Jonas Hellborg, they can be a bit pretensious just show off for no reason.

I think Geddy might have been more inclined to play his more if it wasnt a rick. That thing must have weighed 14 pds or more. Lol.
 
#6
darkstorm said:
All but one of the doublenecks I used to own weighed between barely 12 and 12 & half pounds. Its all I played for several years. Only one that became a no keeper was 13 pd steiny. Too heavy.

Pros of doublenecks: Can switch between guitar and bass, or fretted and fretless bass. Or 6 & 12 string guitar, super easy. Sympathetic vibrations from playing one neck can cause interesting and useful drone tones etc off the other neck. I'd used capo at specific places of the neck that was doing the synpathetic drones whe I did that.

cons: Never had one that I could get excellent sound on both necks. Could get excellent on one and good to very good on the other, b ut never excellent on both. I think it might have something to do with too much body mass. But not certain. They are heavier then single neck same woods version oif either side. They are big. Wider then most instruments. If it doesnt come with a case you might have real problem getting a case that fits it.

In most cases youd want to run each neck thru its own processor for best sound effects wanted. So yout going to need one wired for seperate outs for each side or stereo plug with adapter some kind of adapter to seperate the two stereos ones into their respective mono cord to processor.

The kit your looking at seems to be variation on the galveston doubleneck bass & guitar that sometimes shows up at amazon.com and other muswic gear places. The allready put together versions and a few of the kits Ive seen on webpage pics uses humbucker pups on bass side. Utube vids Ive watched with it show good sound stock for both sides.

Ive been tempted to get one of those kits or one of its varients a couple times. But would be more inclined to get the put together version that comes with case. About $200 more as I remember last time amazon had them. Because of the case being otherwise rather hard to get.

My soft spot for doublenecks is from having one as my first electric back when I was 14. I think it helped me develope an understannding of bass and guitar and ability to go beyond the traditional limits of either, via having the doubleneck as first learner instrument. They can be great. But if your not going to make use of both sides fairly regular. Ala John Mclaughlin or Jonas Hellborg, they can be a bit pretensious just show off for no reason.

I think Geddy might have been more inclined to play his more if it wasnt a rick. That thing must have weighed 14 pds or more. Lol.
Click to expand...

this is alot of helpful information and i think i would be running them through my bass amps and effects in one output
 
#7
Axtman said:
When would someone ever need to play guitar AND bass?

Even Geddy Lee only played his doubleneck on one Rush song!
Click to expand...

Because the band im im i play both bass and guitar in my band and if i can save time so i dont have to swap amps and guitars back and forth through the setlist then i can get more songs and solo time
 
#8
Axtman said:
When would someone ever need to play guitar AND bass?
Click to expand...

If you have to ask, then it's not for you. There's a huge pretentious 70's prog-rock element to doublenecks - which I love! A throwback to Led Zep, Eagles, Genesis, etc. Styx and Bon Jovi used them in the 80s and 90s, as well.

To the OP, if you really want to use the doubleneck as your main axe, I would question whether the kits or premades in that low price range are "pro quality".

Like you though, I'd love to risk the small expense to get my feet wet.
 
#9
Stilettoprefer said:
They're heavy as hell. And, they're heavy as hell.
Click to expand...

What a perfect first post. But seriously, this. To my ear, doublenecks of most varieties have a "bigger" (more sustain, thicker) sound. Obviously, the physical weight can be a problem. I played an Ovation 12/6 doubleneck that felt like it weighed about the same as a normal solid body guitar, very light.
 
#11
I've been looking at those also there a good looking piece. granted not a great one like Gibson or other brands like that but your also not paying Gibson price. I'm gonna pull the trigger on one myself as I have a 12/6 that I just love although it hangs on the wall more than getting played it does weigh in at about 13 lbs. I tend to play my basses more but that may change since I did finally end up buying a couple guitar stools to sit on now and play on instead of standing or trying to sit in a recliner and play. myself I'd say do what your comfortable with or if you really want one buy it.
 
#13
Bob C said:
If you have to ask, then it's not for you. There's a huge pretentious 70's prog-rock element to doublenecks - which I love! A throwback to Led Zep, Eagles, Genesis, etc. Styx and Bon Jovi used them in the 80s and 90s, as well.

To the OP, if you really want to use the doubleneck as your main axe, I would question whether the kits or premades in that low price range are "pro quality".

Like you though, I'd love to risk the small expense to get my feet wet.
Click to expand...

I know the ones in my price range arent of the highest quality but then again im a intermediate tinkerer so i can upgrade as i go along to make it as i want
 
#17
Axtman said:
When would someone ever need to play guitar AND bass?

Even Geddy Lee only played his doubleneck on one Rush song!
Click to expand...

Two songs actually, Xanadu and Passage to Bangkok in the 1970s.

Mike Rutherford seemed to have a use for a doubleneck:
Link Removed

I suspect it's much easier to play the guitar neck if it's above the bass neck.
Probably the best compromise for playability, though not necessarily best regarding aesthetics.

Bass up top looks best in my opinion, but the guitar neck is more difficult to play that way unless you have it on a short strap, then I find the bass way too high to play comfortably.
Might work fine for those used to having their bass under the chin, but not me.

As for weight, mine is 14.69 lbs.
 
#19
I have a Carvin doubleneck that I bought around 1988. It's 6-string guitar on top, 4-string fretted bass on the bottom, both with inline headstocks, all black. It's not that heavy, about 12 lbs. Both necks sound good, and feel and play about like the equivalent Carvin models.

Back in those days, I was really into Rickenbackers, and I was thinking about getting a Rick doubleneck. I tried a couple of the Rick doublenecks in stores, and I found them to be just awful, really heavy and clumsy to play. I didn't know much about Carvin then, and I wandered into Carvin's Hollywood store. And there was this black doubleneck hanging on the wall. They said it had been ordered by some rock star and then cancelled. It was unusual because the guitar was on top. I immediately liked it and bought it (about $1100).

I've found it to be the most comfortable and reasonable to play of any doubleneck I've tried. I like having the bass on the lower neck. For my left hand, there's more clearance. Playing the guitar neck up high bothered me less. A year or so later I modified it, putting in DiMarzio pickups on the guitar and EMG's on the bass. I even fitted a tremelo on the guitar, and made up a special low-profile bar for it. Pretty cool for its day.

The main purpose I bought it for was sitting at home in the studio, learning and working on songs. It was handy to have both instruments right there to experiment and try out parts. I don't think I actually ever played a gig with it, but I could have. These days, I hardly ever pick up a guitar. So the doubleneck has been sitting in its case for the last 15 years. But I plan to keep it.

If you are looking for a practical, reasonable doubleneck, I recommend that you check out Carvin. I think they still make them, on special order anyway.
 
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