American Professional II
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P bass necks that are thin/flat front to back?
- Thread starter nonohmic
- Start date
peavey fury has a jbass like neck.... some obscure usa player fenders from the 2010ish era are thinner
They were made alongside the early '62 reissues. Very similar (identical?) dimensions.
Also what the original Labella Olintos were based on. More recent, not so much.
I did wonder about Lakland. 1.75 would be fine if it were a shallow neck.
Bwahah yus! I love this thing.Sounds like my ratty 62. Wide side to side but very thin front to backI love that thing
View attachment 7447883
The D Lakin Bob Glaub P bass is modeled after Glaub's '64 Fender. A full 1 3/4" at the nut and flat as a pancake like a typical '64. In fact, "pancake" was the nick-name for that neck shape at one time. Here's my pancake and it's probably going to the grave with me! 
(Thanks DaveDeville!)
(Thanks DaveDeville!)
My fender American sanbdlasss bass
don’t forget sandblasted!
Attachments
My 2009 Fender Road worn P is thin front to back....But I think the 1983 Fender standard P I had was thinner.
The custom shop 59 P bass has that neck and some of the early 60's basses also.
My Vintera II 60s P bass has the thinnest neck I've ever seen, front to back. At the 1st fret I measured it at 19mm/0.75" at its thickest but my measurement was wonky so maybe it's closer to 20mm/0.79", which is a spec I read somewhere. It tapers out to a full inch at the 12th fret.
This is a 7.25" radius neck so there's a considerable difference in thickness between the edges and the center of the neck.
AFAIK this is somewhat period correct, though there was quite a bit of variation back in the day since necks were finished by hand, but I see many vintage P basses from the early 60s that have a tad more depth at the 1st fret.
What makes a neck feel thin, besides the actual depth, is the profile. This bass has a pronounced C shape with very shallow shoulders. Honestly it doesn't support the hand enough for my tastes, especially since it's 1.75" wide. It's a bit like holding a tile
Contrast that with my MIJ and its oval profile. The nut width is 1.65" and at the 1st fret it's about 21mm thick with a flat back but the shoulders bulge outwards - it feels like the neck is wider than the fretboard - so it feels chunkier than it is.
This is a 7.25" radius neck so there's a considerable difference in thickness between the edges and the center of the neck.
AFAIK this is somewhat period correct, though there was quite a bit of variation back in the day since necks were finished by hand, but I see many vintage P basses from the early 60s that have a tad more depth at the 1st fret.
What makes a neck feel thin, besides the actual depth, is the profile. This bass has a pronounced C shape with very shallow shoulders. Honestly it doesn't support the hand enough for my tastes, especially since it's 1.75" wide. It's a bit like holding a tile
Contrast that with my MIJ and its oval profile. The nut width is 1.65" and at the 1st fret it's about 21mm thick with a flat back but the shoulders bulge outwards - it feels like the neck is wider than the fretboard - so it feels chunkier than it is.
My 69 P is as well, that one and the 66 mustang I had are/were just awesome feeling necks. I had a couple of late 70s fenders where they had that deep U feel, totally different from the 60s basses. I think the change was in the early 70s? The modern stuff often feels like a compromise between the two to me. Haven’t tried many modern MIJ basses.
There's a used Ultra at my GC. I'll go check it out. Not into an active P, but worth checking the neck.
My Vintera II 60s P bass has the thinnest neck I've ever seen, front to back. At the 1st fret I measured it at 19mm/0.75" at its thickest but my measurement was wonky so maybe it's closer to 20mm/0.79", which is a spec I read somewhere. It tapers out to a full inch at the 12th fret.
This is a 7.25" radius neck so there's a considerable difference in thickness between the edges and the center of the neck.
AFAIK this is somewhat period correct, though there was quite a bit of variation back in the day since necks were finished by hand, but I see many vintage P basses from the early 60s that have a tad more depth at the 1st fret.
What makes a neck feel thin, besides the actual depth, is the profile. This bass has a pronounced C shape with very shallow shoulders. Honestly it doesn't support the hand enough for my tastes, especially since it's 1.75" wide. It's a bit like holding a tile
Contrast that with my MIJ and its oval profile. The nut width is 1.65" and at the 1st fret it's about 21mm thick with a flat back but the shoulders bulge outwards - it feels like the neck is wider than the fretboard - so it feels chunkier than it is.
Thanks for the measurements. That's good info
