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Neck profiles... Help please

Evil Undead

Evil Undead

Oct 31, 2009
3,844
587
#1
Due to multiple wrist injuries, I'm not finding playing very easy these days, and I'm trying to find the best neck profile for me. But it's not proving very easy :(

I'm selling my Fender P because it's too wide (it's the modern c shape) and it gives me wrist pain.

So I'm trying an Ibanez SR600. Much easier to move around on for sure, but I feel so cramped on it, and it's making my hand ache.

I recently played a Status that had a wide nut, but slim profile, and I found that made my hand ache too. So it seems that the slim profile is not ideal.

So, I'm thinking of going for a Jazz, but want one that doesn't have a chunky neck and also doesn't have a super skinny neck like the Ibanez.

Can anyone suggest me a Jazz that fits this? Or perhaps another bass that I might find comfortable?

P.S. this isn't about technique... I am confident that I'm ok in that area in spite of my dodgy hands :)
 
#3
I played a Spector Legend Classic for a bit and it had the about the same string spacing as an SR, but had a C shaped neck, thicker front to back so I didn't close my hand as much as playing on an SR but still had the SR's shorter travel between strings. I don't know if "real" Spectors have the same neck profile but it might be worth looking into.
 
#4
I have a Fender Dimension - essentially an Ibby SR clone - that plays like a dream. Almost plays itself. Nut is just a touch wider than my J necks - 1 9/16" as opposed to 1 1/2". Neck is the same thickness at the 5th fret. Only made them for a couple of years. No demand, so they can be found for a bargain. They have one on the GC website for $250 that's missing the truss rod cover. I've had mine for a little over a year, and it has become my favorite player. I have found that at set up time, the truss requires a little more tweaking than my other Fenders. But, that could be mine in particular. Dunno, don't really care. If you are interested, let me know. I have a list of the factory specs. Invalid Link Removed

DSCF3423.jpg
 
#5
I own three four string MIM Jazz basses. The Standard Fretless and Deluxe Active have similar thin Jazz necks and I would assume that most of the MIM Jazz basses have a similar neck if not the same. The Reggie Hamilton Standard has a noticeably thicker neck so you might want to steer clear of it. My Standard Jazz V has a thick, wide neck but as far as I can tell you are looking at four string basses so that doesn't really matter. Give some MIM Jazz basses a try and see what you think. If you like them you are done, if they too feel a little small then perhaps the Reggie is a bass you should consider. It is a very nice bass....

Good luck,

Ken
 
#7
Evil Undead said:
Due to multiple wrist injuries, I'm not finding playing very easy these days, and I'm trying to find the best neck profile for me. But it's not proving very easy :(

I'm selling my Fender P because it's too wide (it's the modern c shape) and it gives me wrist pain.

So I'm trying an Ibanez SR600. Much easier to move around on for sure, but I feel so cramped on it, and it's making my hand ache.

I recently played a Status that had a wide nut, but slim profile, and I found that made my hand ache too. So it seems that the slim profile is not ideal.

So, I'm thinking of going for a Jazz, but want one that doesn't have a chunky neck and also doesn't have a super skinny neck like the Ibanez.

Can anyone suggest me a Jazz that fits this? Or perhaps another bass that I might find comfortable?

P.S. this isn't about technique... I am confident that I'm ok in that area in spite of my dodgy hands :)
Click to expand...

Lakland Joe Osborn. The tapered neck may be what fits the bill. Check out the specs on Lakland's web site and some nice photos of USA and Skyline Joe Osborn models on Bass Central's web site.
 
#8
Try out, if you can, a '73-'74 era Rick 4001. They are a bit narrower than a P Bass with a profile that is not as thin as a Jazz Bass but not as thick as a typical P Bass, perhaps it would work for you. Is scale length an issue, are you fine with a 34" scale? Ricks are slightly shorter at 33 1/4" which may also help your playing comfort.
 
#11
You can go to GC and try out some J Basses to see if the necks are good for you.

Although Jazz Basses are narrower at the nut, at the 20 fret, they are the same width as a P Bass.

Carvin's LB series basses have really nice necks. I think that they are 1 & 5/8" at the nut and they are narrower at the last fret compared to a Fender.

Although I am a Fender Bass junkie, I can play the best and easiest on a Carvin neck.
 
#13
While many of us prefer a thinner neck (various width preferences), and while a thin neck feels "faster," thin necks promote a hand position that is not necessarily comfortable. Thin necks make us use a more 'classical' fretting hand position. We rotate our hand so that the back of our hand is nearly parallel with the plane of the fretboard/strings. Our thumb slides gently along the very rearmost part of the neck.

The trouble with this position is that the wrist is cocked at almost a 90-degree angle. And....our fingertips are just about one inch from our thumb tip. So....we're not so much 'grabbing' strings as we are sort of 'pinching' them. The sharp angle of the wrist becomes more troublesome the lower we wear our bass.

Therefore, for at least some of us, the more comfortable neck might be a thicker one. This would promote a less "classical" thumb position and be ergonomically more kind to our wrist. For some, the best neck is the bat-shape. Held like a bat.
 

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