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Most comfortable neck EVER?...

#281
I originally thought that I loved jazz necks as I started out on a jazz, but I've come to find that I prefer the opposite (at least for the moment). My P bass originally had a thicker maple neck and I loved it, but the slimmer D is alright with the width. My Harley Benton has a fantastically thick neck with a normal p bass nut width, not overly thick but more than enough to grab onto and I love it.
 
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#282
Most comfortable 4 string neck I've ever played was a no-name Gibson EB-0 copy at a church I attended as a teenager years ago. But a very close second is a Fender Jazz Geddy Lee.

Fender Jazz Geddy Lee front.jpg


Most comfortable 5 string neck I've ever found is the one on my Lakland D55-01, with my Zon Sonus Custom a close second.

FB_IMG_1570755705033.jpg


Zon 10.jpg

Most comfortable 6 neck I've ever played is the Peavey Cirrus. I love the neck on mine!

Cirrus 1.jpg
 
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#284
2F/2F said:
Thick (not thinned down at all from the heel thickness is ideal), pronounced V profile, at least 1 5/8” nut width (but wider is good), as much radius as possible (I’d go with more than 7 1/4”, if anyone made it), extremely soft/rounded over fretboard edges and fret edges, skinny stainless frets with as much crown as possible (not “flat topped” like Gibson frets).
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#286
Claymore said:
View attachment 3741063 If you took all the factors into consideration... profile, finish, nut width, fretboard edge, etc, which one hits a home run for you? I thought about this and I nominate my American Performer Jazz. The neck is as close to perfect (for MY hands) as I've ever played but I know everyone has different fingers and preferences. What bass neck does it for YOU?
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I love an early 60s precision neck. Wide nut width, slim front to back. Not the best for fast playing but comfy as hell.
 
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#291
PizzaFiend said:
I’m somewhat surprised at the lack of shout outs for Ricks. They have amazingly playable necks.
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To me, they're by a wide margin the least playable non-cheapo-beginner basses ever made. Sticky neck finish, usually incorrect relief since no one wants to mess with their truss rods, minuscule frets under 1/4" of lacquer, usually not set up properly because of their insane bridges, plus the necks feel like they're completely devoid of any taper in either direction. They're very well-made, they're just the polar opposite of everything I like in a bass.

Everyone's different, haha! I fully understand why a lot of Rickie players won't play anything else, they sure are weird compared to most other options. I did play a Ric once (don't know the model, but it had like a raw/oiled or real slick satin finished maple neck and fingerboard, it didn't play anything like any other Ric I've ever felt, it actually played pretty damn well for me.
 
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#296
On the whole I’d say most basses I’ve owned have comfortable necks. Modern manufacturing is pretty good. I like narrow Jazz necks that are not too deep from the fretboard to the back of the neck. Too deep is just as uncomfortably as too wide IMHO. I’ve had P basses and Stingrays and can cope with the wider neck as long as it’s not too deep.

I’ve owned nearly thirty basses over the years (Fenders, Sadowsky, Xotic, EBBM, Warwick etc) and I’d say that the whole bass needs to feel comfortable on the strap, not just the neck.

The three Jazz style basses I now own are all very comfortable but sound different. Played unplugged the two with maple necks sound bright even though one has an alder body and the other a swamp ash body. The one with the rosewood neck sounds darker.

The unplugged sound makes a big difference when plugged in. But the thing that makes the most difference are the pickups IMHO. Two are passive basses with single coils (one under wound and one over wound) and one is passive but with active EMG single coils. I love the subtle throatiness off the under wound singles coils. The over wound are more mid sounding with less scoop. The EMGs are scooped (fewer winds) and very clean and punchy. Also very throaty and totally silent too. Fantastic for finger picking and slap because the preamp in the pickups just boost everything that bit more but without it sounding like an active bass. Definitely my go to bass but the others are great too.

The last thing is to EQ to taste to bring out the best tone in the bass. I used to boost bass and treble (smiley curve) but now I run everything flat but cut the mud a bit (maybe -6dB between 200Hz and 300Hz). Perhaps a small boost between 2KHz and 3KHz to add some sparkle. Makes a huge difference and really lets the bass breath IMHO.
 
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#297
BasEd said:
On the whole I’d say most basses I’ve owned have comfortable necks. Modern manufacturing is pretty good. I like narrow Jazz necks that are not too deep from the fretboard to the back of the neck. Too deep is just as uncomfortably as too wide IMHO. I’ve had P basses and Stingrays and can cope with the wider neck as long as it’s not too deep.

I’ve owned nearly thirty basses over the years (Fenders, Sadowsky, Xotic, EBBM, Warwick etc) and I’d say that the whole bass needs to feel comfortable on the strap, not just the neck.

The three Jazz style basses I now own are all very comfortable but sound different. Played unplugged the two with maple necks sound bright even though one has an alder body and the other a swamp ash body. The one with the rosewood neck sounds darker.

The unplugged sound makes a big difference when plugged in. But the thing that makes the most difference are the pickups IMHO. Two are passive basses with single coils (one under wound and one over wound) and one is passive but with active EMG single coils. I love the subtle throatiness off the under wound singles coils. The over wound are more mid sounding with less scoop. The EMGs are scooped (fewer winds) and very clean and punchy. Also very throaty and totally silent too. Fantastic for finger picking and slap because the preamp in the pickups just boost everything that bit more but without it sounding like an active bass. Definitely my go to bass but the others are great too.

The last thing is to EQ to taste to bring out the best tone in the bass. I used to boost bass and treble (smiley curve) but now I run everything flat but cut the mud a bit (maybe -6dB between 200Hz and 300Hz). Perhaps a small boost between 2KHz and 3KHz to add some sparkle. Makes a huge difference and really lets the bass breath IMHO.
Click to expand...

Whoops. Went a bit off topic there!
 
#298
Most comfortable neck I’ve ever played is on a bass I don’t own, an Ibanez SR500, but it’s pretty much any 4 string SR series. They all have super thin, fast necks. I could see myself selling off a bunch of basses and settling on one of those as my Old Fart comfort bass.
 
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