As someone pointed out earlier I think my use of narrow vs thin was mixed up.
Right now one of my issues is having enough mobility to wrap my hand and fingers around the neck. On the E or A string I’m stuck using one or maybe two fingers with my Ray.
I’m not sure if going narrower, thinner or a combination of both would have the most benefit.
A MIJ Geddy Lee or Jaguar is at the top of my list right now along with a T-Bird. I wish I had the ability to go try these out.
Without knowing your exact ergonomic needs and what "should" be right for you, I'd say be ready to buy and sell a couple different instruments going forward as you sort out what's specifically a better fit for you. It can be a tough thing to predict, but you'll probably know it when you find it.
A neck that's more narrow or what I like to call more "shallow" (less depth or "chunk" under the fingerboard) might give you some relief, but this can be tough to predict until you've spent weeks or months using this and that.
I've spent a lot of years assuming that I'm more accustomed to the typical dimensions of a J-bass neck, including the 1.5" nut width. But for several years I was using a Jazz with a rather chunky neck (from Warmoth) that also has VERY wide string spacing at the bridge (at least 20mm). Whenever I try another Jazz now, it feels like a traffic jam in my hands - much too crowded for me.
One other bass I have is a custom P/J with a 1 5/8" width at the nut, but the neck profile is a rather shallow C that lets my fingers fall very naturally onto the strings I want to fret. At first I thought I'd made an impulse buy on a nice bass with a neck that was a little too wide, but after I dialed in on it, I'm loving it.
I've also been big-time excited with one bass or another - the neck seemed great - but eventually found that the reach to the lower frets was too much or the balance on a strap was no good. Both of those things can absolutely kill the ergonomics of a bass with a nice neck that only ends up stressing my hands.
I agree that a Sterling should be more narrow than a typical Stingray as far as those MusicMan basses go - I'm referring to the Sterling model, not the Sterling line (wish they picked a different name to avoid some confusion there).
A few basses I've sampled that are more copies of a Jazz than a Stingray which also have rather slim necks were from Sire and Bacchus. Sire basses often have flexible active/passive electronics and they offer lots of bang for the buck. Bacchus is based in Japan and although their premium hand-built instruments are rather expensive (and absolutely gorgeous), they also have some other lines that are more "imports", but offer a boatload of quality.
Good hunting. Hopefully that great fit falls into your lap (or onto your strap
) sooner than later.
