How important is a forearm contour to you?

[rmayer]

Stopped me from getting that P bass from my birth year (52). Not!!! I prefer the modern Ps anyway, but not having a forearm contour is a deal breaker for me.

 

[tpaul]

Forearms are fine. But there are other contours I'm more interested in.

 

[sleddogn]

Forearms are fine. But there are other contours I'm more interested in.

I've always heard slab's get the contours eventually

 

[TomB]

A sharp edge there is a deal-breaker. It broke my heart to sell my only Rick ever because it sounded so good, but that edge… I can handle a round-over but prefer the contour.

 

[JRA]

definitely preferred. i've played a few that were ok without that accommodation.

 

[JIO]

Any bass I design have a forearm contour. Only basses I own w/o them are vintage hollow-bodies.

 

[T McClure]

A sharp edge there is a deal-breaker. It broke my heart to sell my only Rick ever because it sounded so good, but that edge… I can handle a round-over but prefer the contour.

Yeah. That's the main reason why I got rid of a Sire U5. Made playing sitting down uncomfortable.

 

[GIBrat51]

Saw that the new Primo bass bodies from AllParts have a few with front binding, and ordered one. Disappointed that the “binding” is just a paint stripe. Also, the body does have a tummy cut, but no forearm contour, and the front roundover is quite sharp, probably sharper than a 51 P has. All in all it seems worth the money (they’re quite inexpensive and appear to be high quality) but I’m not sure it’s what I’m really wanting. Trying to decide if the lack of a forearm contour is something I want to deal with.

Yet again; another "it depends" situation at Talk Bass. Out of the 30 basses currently in my "Herd" (and, 31 when my new Serek Sacramento is finished - early next year... ), some do have forearm contours; some have other contours; some do not have any contours - but, being solid body basses, certainly could have all kinds of them... I also have a bunch of hollow- and semi-hollow basses. Contours on those are pretty much our of the question - although the Gretsch Broadkaster, with it's BIG Tennessean hollow-body guitar body, would be a LOT easier to live with, if it did...
However... after playing all kinds of basses for the last... gee; 58years, now? My basses... simply are what they are. If it has tummy and/or forearm contours? Fine. But if it's a big, bound hollow-body bass? That's fine, too...

 

[JIO]

A sharp edge there is a deal-breaker. It broke my heart to sell my only Rick ever because it sounded so good, but that edge… I can handle a round-over but prefer the contour.

word - the only players that this isn't an issue are "low-slingers"...

...or "high riders" -

 

[Malak the Mad]

Yes, but that would be much more work than warranted. This is a cheap alder P body, “Alabaster” white (Olympic), with black “binding” stripe. After shaping I’d have to repaint, and I’d pretty much end up with a regular P body.

You know for a fact it's not genuine binding? If ya got some inside information, please share!

I voted "take or leave 'em". My first-ever bass is a Fender Aerodyne with a similarly bound body. Right from the get-go, I learned to keep my right elbow slightly elevated so my forearm doesn't grind into the edge.

After neglecting it in lieu of other Jazzes for some quite a while, I decided to revisit my 'Dyne from time to time. Shocky-shocky…the binding started to bite into my forearm because I'd gotten so accustomed to the other Jazzes' contour and my right shoulder and elbow had gotten lazy. Or, to put it into more "sci-fi" terms;

It is by the 'Dyne alone I set my fingers into motion.​

It is by the binding of the body that the hand acquires tingling…the forearm acquires pain...the pain becomes a warning.​

It is by the 'Dyne alone I set my fingers into motion.​

 

[TomB]

word - the only players that this isn't an issue are "low-slingers"...

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...or "high riders" -

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Man, I sure coveted that Framus back in the day. Good thing I couldn’t afford it!

 

[SharpCat]

You know for a fact it's not genuine binding? If ya got some inside information, please share!

I voted "take or leave 'em". My first-ever bass is a Fender Aerodyne with a similarly bound body. Right from the get-go, I learned to keep my right elbow slightly elevated so my forearm doesn't grind into the edge.

After neglecting it in lieu of other Jazzes for some quite a while, I decided to revisit my 'Dyne from time to time. Shocky-shocky…the binding started to bite into my forearm because I'd gotten so accustomed to the other Jazzes' contour and my right shoulder and elbow had gotten lazy. Or, to put it into more "sci-fi" terms;

It is by the 'Dyne alone I set my fingers into motion.​

It is by the binding of the body that the hand acquires tingling…the forearm acquires pain...the pain becomes a warning.​

It is by the 'Dyne alone I set my fingers into motion.​

Something like the ‘Dyne is what I was hoping for. But no. One can clearly see at the top corners of the neck pocket that it’s just paint, not actual binding.

Edit: FWIW, it does look nice. I think they have pseudo binding available in alabaster with black binding, black with white binding and sage green with cream binding.

 

[JakobT]

Not that important. My #1 bass is a Fender Aerodyne, which many find uncomfortable because of the binding. This doesn’t bother me.

 

[Moredator]

I only notice lack of it while playing sitting down for longer periods. I have tried to adjust my technique to not let my arm rest on the edge that much anyways as I feel that it makes my arm muscles inflamed, contour or not.

 

[woodyng2]

Huh, been thinking about getting a Jack Casady. Will need to think on this. Thanks for pointing that out.

I’ve owned a number of full scale hollowbody basses. Most of them, especially the JC, were very uncomfortable to me,
but this Skyline Lakland HB was the best one I ever had, for a number of reasons.
It was joint-developed with Mike Tobias, and a great sounding bass with the Bartolini pickups.

 

[Petethebassman]

Forearm contours are very important for comfort, as most of the time I rest my arm on the side. Luckily both of my Fender basses have good contours.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Whole bass is contoured?

I can usually be bribed with carrots.

 

[TomB]

I have a Gold Tone 23” fretless that’s an acoustic body but with a contoured arm rest ^^^. It helps with comfort. The fact that it weighs almost nothing helps as well.

 

[bassdude51]

Speaking only for myself... How important is a forearm contour to you?................Not important.

I rest my thumb on the E string for index finger plucking (float off for E string notes) so my arm doesn't rest on the edge of the bass.

Plus, I'm a slab body freak.

 

[2saddleslab]

Speaking only for myself... How important is a forearm contour to you?................Not important.

I rest my thumb on the E string for index finger plucking (float off for E string notes) so my arm doesn't rest on the edge of the bass.

Plus, I'm a slab body freak.

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