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Neck profiles. Who cares?

#21
People are as entitled to have a preference about neck profile as they are about any other spec on a bass. Having an opinion doesn't make one fussy.

FWIW I prefer thicker neck profiles to thin, and asymmetric to symmetric, but profile alone isn't going to determine my final decision. I am truly fussy about having 5 strings (no more, no less), with so-called "wide" string spacing. :p
 
#24
Play an upright then try whining about your electric bass neck being too chunky! :D

I appreciate the differences between electric bass necks. As long as the tone is there, thick, thin, it's not really a deal-killer for me in any direction... at least not on a 4-string.

On my 6-string, the relatively thin, asymmetric neck profile makes a big difference. When you've got 2-3" of fretboard to reach across to fret the low B, every little bit helps IME.
 
#25
Why wouldn't neck profile be a relevant factor in choosing a bass? Playing bass is a physical activity and some necks are going to fit a person's hand better than others. Sure, one can adjust to a given neck if necessary, but wouldn't it be preferable to not have to? There's nothing like picking up a bass and feeling that the neck was made to fit your hand.
 
#26
The neck profile actually is very important to me, but I'm missing half of my left thumb, and two left finger tips.

The main reason I keep my Tobias Growler is the neck: it's thin and the asymmetric profile makes it easy for me to get around the fretboard. Pedulla necks are also comfy for me, but I can't get used to Fenders, and Warwicks are impossible.

The only other neck profile that I was ever intrigued by was on a Kawai FBII, which seemed to have a pronounced "V" to the back. Should have nabbed that one!
 
#27
Ever since I started playing 5ers neck thickness and width have not mattered to me at all. I used to love the super thin Geddy neck but after getting a bit more experience under my belt I honestly don't even notice a difference in feel, even with thick necks. Warwick or Geddy, it doesn't matter to me.(And I have tiny hands)
 
#28
Hardly has ever mattered to me at all. Although I do find I can play a bit faster on a thinner neck. My caveat is that I play all stringed instruments so I frequently change between scale lengths and size differences anyway...
 
#29
Meh. I really like a full, thick P neck with a 1.75" nut and 19 mm bridge.

However, I've adapted to where it doesn't matter. I may care, but I'll play any bass. I loved the feel of my old 4001 though. On a side note, I can't tell the difference between 35" and 34" scale.
 
#30
I really don't care that much, I like variety. Sure, there are necks I prefer over some other necks, but it's mostly a question of execution instead of profile and size. I like J's and P's, 4,5,6 and 7 strings. Just as long as it's well done. Only thing I'm somewhat picky is the radius of 4 stringers, I like a small radius. Although I have flatter radius basses that I like too.. uhm.. I'll just shut up now.
 
#31
I like 'em all, from my Alembic Brown bass with the narrow neck, to my Attitudes with the chunk, back to the Jazzes with the narrow, my Yamaha TRBJP's with the aircraft carrier necks, to the Carvin LB76's with the nice profile/string spacing, etc. Not too picky and I adapt without effort or thought.
 
#32
Joe Nerve said:
...or actually, who doesn't care?

I used to prefer thin, sterling/jazz like necks. A few years back I was forced to play a 5 string. Not happy about it at first, but eventually got used to it. Would jump back and forth to a 4, and started playing a lot of different basses. After a while it meant nothing for me to jump from 5s with a wide necks, to my 4 string Warwick that feel like a pencil sometimes. I really have no preference anymore. Curious how others many feel the same.
Click to expand...

For me neck profile and scale length can be a deal-breaker.

I could play a bass with a thicker, wider, or long-scale neck but if at all possible I would stay solely with short-scale basses that had narrow, thin necks.
 
#33
I think I've noticed neck profile less as I've improved as a player. As time has gone on I've learnt to be gentler with both hands: it makes all the difference to the tone. So my big old P feels comfortable and familiar, and my Status which is about two thirds the depth takes about four bars to settle in to. It's how the front of the neck is organised that matters, after all.
 
#34
i like them wide string spacing wise, but thin depth wise. im less sensitive to it than i used to be, but warwicks are still murder to play.

im more picky about guitar necks, since theres a lot of chording going on. bass, its rarely more than 1 note at a time, max 3. not so dependent on the shape.

the neck on my OLP is pretty sweet. only trouble is that i can never keep that bastard straight. idk if its the shape, the material, or what. but it could certainly use some of those carbon rods
 
#35
I really don't fancy Jazz-profile necks anymore. I started on a Squier P-Bass, and now, after a cycle of different basses, I'm back to a Squier P-Bass. It's gotten to the point where the P neck feels nice and thin in my hand. I absolutely love it. When I play a Jazz, my hand feels empty..
 
#37
I can understand where you're coming from if it doesn't matter much to you.
Different things matter to different people.
It generally matters to me, but not always.

There are some basses (most of the ones I currently own) that I pick up and just feel like "ah!, I'm home!" because of the neck profile and string spacing. Tobias necks epitomize that for me.

OTOH, I have an Ibanez ATK with an extremely different neck profile than my other basses, and I like it a lot, and gig it regularly.

So it matters to me, but not exclusively, and I seem to be more adaptable than I thought.
 
#38
KrisH said:
I've become more adaptable over the years.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

However, I have found that some profiles suit one kind of playing more than another; I like to slap, so J spacing can be a bit tight - and on a 5 string it is down-right frustrating. So slapping my Zon 5 is bear, but when I play straight fingerstyle nothing beats it... My Lakland 4-94, on the other hand, has the 1 5/8 spacing that makes it *just right* for slapping (which I happily do). If Lakland made a 34" scale 5 string, I'd own it. Alas...

But if, by profile, you also mean the thickness of the neck, well, I'm a thin-neck guy - which explains my love affair with my Zon. I just wish I had one JUST LIKE IT as a Fretless...
 
#39
I too will play pretty much any neck but I've found that if I could choose, I'd avoid thin, Jazz-type necks because they don't really feel "right" to me. I suppose I don't really like how my fretting hand feels when I'm fretting low notes on a Jazz neck because the neck is really thin down there, even though I have somewhat small hands. Maybe it is because I started out on classical guitar?

The necks of my SX P copy (pretty wide and thick for a four string) and my Status Energy 5's neck (not that thick but somewhat wide) feel so nice to me on the other hand. I mean, the average Jazz neck is smaller than the neck of a Strat, that's just wrong. :help:
 

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