Question for 5 string players regarding the neck size.

[Green Lantern]

Those who play a 5 string, we all want a neck that is comfortable to play. Do most find larger 5 string neck sizes with 19 mm spacing like Fender, Sadowsky, etc. manageable or do you prefer smaller neck sizes like Yamaha Nathan East bass, some Ibanez and others which assigning a finger per fret is easier or do your fingers bunch up too much?

Larger necks with 19mm can help slap players while others who dont have large hands may feel the stretch on a 5 string neck with larger spacing makes you get more tired and fatigued

 

[ahbass2500]

I have no issues with smaller necks and narrow spacing. I also have no issues with wider necks/spacing up to a point. I own and regularly play 5 string basses ranging from 15mm to 19mm spacing.

Generally the 5 string bass necks that are uncomfortable to me are deliberately wide (Warwick Broadneck) or too narrow/flat front to back (a few Ibanez models have fit this description over the years). Noting the narrow/flat is not a string spacing/neck width issue.

To what I think you are ultimately driving at, yes wider makes hitting your mark for slap easier. Yes narrower can get tight. My narrowest bass is a 6 string with 14mm spacing and I do not think I could go any tighter than that.

 

[five7]

18 mm works best for me

 

[ardgedee]

Neck size and string spacing at the bridge are two separate things. Ordinarily when the spacing is wider at the bridge it's also wider at the nut, but there's a great deal of variance possible. Nothing keeps a builder from making a 5-string with a 45mm nut and 20mm string spacing at the bridge.

 

[lordradish]

Those who play a 5 string, we all want a neck that is comfortable to play. Do most find larger 5 string neck sizes with 19 mm spacing like Fender, Sadowsky, etc. manageable or do you prefer smaller neck sizes like Yamaha Nathan East bass, some Ibanez and others which assigning a finger per fret is easier or do your fingers bunch up too much?

Larger necks with 19mm can help slap players while others who dont have large hands may feel the stretch on a 5 string neck with larger spacing makes you get more tired and fatigued

I like 16.5 to 17mm, which is about where my Wal and Stingrays are. A 19mm spacing seems too wide to me after playing the others for so long. No impediment to slap, at all.

 

[Jefenator]

I can manage with 18mm but from now on I will be holding out for 19mm or wider.
Believe it or not, 20mm spacing on 5-strings is a thing. Curbow used to do it IIRC and Warwick has a "Broadneck" spec on some basses. It's definitely not for everyone, but I freaking love it. (It is a little intense, even for big-handed me. Makes 19mm seem like a sensible compromise.)

 

[Nedmundo]

I prefer narrower than 19mm. I have a G&L with about 17.5mm, and a Sandberg that's set to about 18mm, and they're both great. I don't have thick fingers, I very rarely slap, and I mostly play with a pick, so narrower string spacing works for me. I've tried Ibanez basses with 16.5mm spacing, and I think those would work too, but the G&L's 17.5mm seems to be the sweet spot.

I used to have a Fender with 18.5mm spacing, and it was OK, but I do prefer narrower. If wider string spacing were paired with a really flat fretboard, I think I could get along with it, but the 18.5mm spacing with Fender's 9.5" radius wasn't a great combination for me.

 

[jim nolte]

Neck size and string spacing at the bridge are two separate things. Ordinarily when the spacing is wider at the bridge it's also wider at the nut, but there's a great deal of variance possible. Nothing keeps a builder from making a 5-string with a 45mm nut and 20mm string spacing at the bridge.

Exactly, my Fbass is 19 mm at the bridge but is 1.75 mm at the nut the same as my EBMM SR5 which is only 16.5 at the bridge, for me the biggest issue on 5 string basses is the thickness of the neck, front to back, since I'm dealing with a larger neck anyway if it is on the chunky side also it gets into baseball bat territory pretty quickly.

 

[lug]

My fav is my Carvin BB75. 19mm spacing but very thin front to back and the neck is aysymetrical (thinner on the bottom than the top)

 

[mikezimmerman]

It is very much a personal preference, but I prefer wider spacing, and my main 5 strings (and my 6) have 20mm spacing at the bridge. I can play with narrower, but don't care for narrower than 18mm.

 

[Green Lantern]

My fav is my Carvin BB75. 19mm spacing but very thin front to back and the neck is aysymetrical (thinner on the bottom than the top)

That is another thing to consider. If there is a meatier neck with 19 mm, that will make ot more challenging over another neck that is thinner with 19 mm.

 

[ahbass2500]

That is another thing to consider. If there is a meatier neck with 19 mm, that will make ot more challenging over another neck that is thinner with 19 mm.

I have a harder time with thinner. Wide plus thin cramps my wrist. Wide with enough neck to keep my hand in a more open position is just fine.

 

[monsterthompson]

I find the nut width is more important than the bridge. One of my first favorite 5 strings is a Spector Euro with 17 or 17.5 mm spacing and I thought that was the key for me. I tied other 17mm 5 strings and didn't like them as much. Then I started paying attention to nut width and realized my preference was for 45 mm width at the nut, and that I was okay with 19 mm bridge spacing as long as the nut spacing was narrow. I now have three 5 strings that are 45 at the nut and 19 at the bridge and I'm very happy with that.

 

[MCS4]

My fav is my Carvin BB75. 19mm spacing but very thin front to back and the neck is aysymetrical (thinner on the bottom than the top)

I'm also a Carvin/Kiesel user who prefers 19mm with a thin neck. I'm primarily a four-string player and find the transition to be more intuitive when I have my normal string spacing, even at the expense of having to cover more real estate on the 5er, although the thin neck helps a little with that on the fretting hand side.

 

[Jeff Scott]

If it feels good it is good. I don't bother with numbers/measurements. A more important factor IMO is the neck profile (the shape of the back of the neck); thatvery much comes into play in how the neck feels in your hand.

 

[Jason Hollar]

It's interesting. My new Fender am pro 2 fiver has a ~48mm nut and I guess slightly less than 19mm at the bridge (since I've I got a few strings settled on the more "inside" tracks on the saddles.)

My old Lakland skyline 5 has ~46mm at the nut and it's wonderful to play. I miss that tighter spacing in the lower positions but I'm not bothered at all by ever so slightly wider fender nut.

For me, the Ibanez spacing is TOO tight and those wide Yamaha types are a no go as well.

 

[ClassicJazz]

18mm is the closest spacing I would go with on a five string. Any spacing more narrow I just don't like. I also find having the wider spacing makes it easier and more comfortable when coming from playing my 4 string for a while. My Fodera Emperor is 19mm while my Crews Maniac Sound fretless is 18mm.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

I'm OK with 19mm as well as 18mm, and I have a couple of each. The 18mm is slightly easier for me to play, but the most important thing for me is consistency. I tend to fumble a bit when I switch between 18mm and 19mm. Ideally, I'd have them all be 19mm, which would be consistent with my 4-string basses as well.

 

[songwriter21]

Those who play a 5 string, we all want a neck that is comfortable to play. Do most find larger 5 string neck sizes with 19 mm spacing like Fender, Sadowsky, etc. manageable or do you prefer smaller neck sizes like Yamaha Nathan East bass, some Ibanez and others which assigning a finger per fret is easier or do your fingers bunch up too much?

Larger necks with 19mm can help slap players while others who dont have large hands may feel the stretch on a 5 string neck with larger spacing makes you get more tired and fatigued

17mm is home too me, as long as it's got some beef to it...can't do shallow/flat profiles. I have played a few 19mm ones that were super-comfy, too, but because of the neck profile, mostly.

 

[michael_t]

My Yamaha TRBX505 is 43mm (1.69") wide at the nut and 18mm spacing at the bridge, which is just about perfect for me. I've tried a few Ibanez basses in the past but they were wider at the nut (45mm/177") and 16.5mm spacing at the bridge, which I found not quite as comfortable as the Yamaha.