Question for 5 string players regarding the neck size.

[Fuzzbass]

I have average sized hands, but prefer 19-20mm spacing. I think the main reason is that I played four string for over two decades before switching to five, so my plucking hand became accustomed to the common Fender-style four string spacings.

Much as I'd love to own a MusicMan SR5, I just can't deal with the narrow spacing (and trust me, I've tried). I'm not even much of a slapper; narrow doesn't work for me with any technique. I had an 18mm Lull for awhile, and while I found it playable, I never got completely comfy on it.

I suppose if I completely immersed myself in a narrower spacing I could adjust... but why? There are enough great choices with 19mm spacing, no need to even consider torturing myself.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The Ibanez SR series 5 strings are the only 5's I've found that work in my small/average sized hands. the wider boards are pretty uncomfortable for me. I'm almost exclusively a pick player now anyway, so the narrower spacing isn't an issue. Most 6-string are effectively unplayable for me with wider spacing.

 

[Hans Gruber]

Carey Nordstrand knocked it out of the park with a narrow nut and wide bridge spacing on the old Nordies. 19mm bridge and as narrow as possible, even 1.75" on the neck is the way to go for me.

 

[mapleglo]

My Precision is close to 19mm and I can get used to that, though 18mm also works well for me. I also can get used to my Rics which are much tighter. I think those are closer to 17mm or there about. My go-to bass of late has been my new (to me) KLŌS bass which is 18mm.

 

[micguy]

Nut width and string spacing at the bridge are independent - making the string spacing narrower at the bridge does not automatically mean a narrower neck at the other end..

Both ends of the string have a tradeoff of spacing versus reach - wider string spacing on either end means more reach for that hand. I have come to terms with the 1 7/8" wide nuts and 17.5 mm string doacing at the bridge as reasonable compromises for my hands.

 

[Wasnex]

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

IMHO you have to look at the issue holistically rather than getting hung up on one characteristic.

I play a 6-string with 19mm spacing (AFAIK). It's a Yamaha TRB6p. The neck is definitely big, but it plays well. I think my hands are pretty much average size. I have played this model almost exclusively since about 1995. Now when I play other bass guitars, the neck may seem freakishly small.

My prior #1 was a Yamaha BB5000. 5-string with 15mm spacing AFAIK. It took me awhile to get use to the narrow spacing coming from a Ric 4001. Moving to the TRB6P was a mixed blessing. Some good and some bad.

For context, I learned to play on double bass.

 

[FullumMusic]

There's so many more aspects to the comfort of a neck beyond just string spacing at the bridge. Nut width paired with the string spacing determines how straight or tapered the neck is. The thickness front-to-back also is a big deal for comfort. And of course, everyone is different and likes different things so my experience is my own and not necessarily what you would like. But hopefully my experience gives you some of the info you're looking for.

I really like the layout 1.75" nut (same as a standard 4 string P bass) and 19mm spacing at the bridge. That's how Olinto does their P5. I have their P4 already, and unsurprisingly i have a P5 on order.

In the recent-enough past to remember how it felt i played 5 string versions of a Fender Jazz, a Stingray Special, and an MTD Bubby Lewis Super 5. I don't know the nut widths or string spacings for those are, offhand. I think the Stingray is 17.5mm. I think Fender does anywhere from 18mm to 19mm on their 5 strings. And i'm pretty sure the MTD is a full 19mm.
- Loved the feel of the MTD neck shape & spacing.
- Was kinda indifferent to the Jazz bass spacing, meaning even though i didn't LOVE it, i didn't notice it, which is still a very positive thing.
- The Stingray neck was great but the spacing was fine. The tighter spacing didn't bother me even though i thought it might. But i still would have preferred a little more right hand space. Any tighter would have bothered me. But spacing aside, the neck shape felt fantastic. (The G string seemed a bit too close to the edge of the board, but the actual neck shape was great for my left hand.)

For other contexts:
I'm a fan of having something chunkier in my hand. I prefer a standard P neck over a standard J neck. Too narrow or thin will fatigue me faster or cramp up.

Also, I had a 6 string Carvin LB76 with 16mm spacing. The neck was also very thin front-to-back. (I forget the actual nut width. Google says approx 2 inches). Over the years i went between not loving it to absolutely hating it. Way too tight spacing to play any way i wanted. It needed a very specific touch to play that tight spaced. And for me the slimness of the neck paired with the width of the neck was awkward and fatiguing. The slimness made the neck feel wider than it was and gave terrible leverage for note playing.

 

[pgpete]

for me, I like playing my 4 string and goto my 5 string when I need it in a song, so what I like is a consistent string spacing between the basses - I once had a narrow spaced 5 string and a normal spaced 4 string and it was terrible swapping from one to the other.

 

[funkinbottom]

I'll try to be brief as I can...... 7 to 7-1/2 years ago, I had surgery on my left hand. Decided to start building my own to make playing as comfortable as possible. So I set out to find my ideal specs by playing as many basses, string count and scale lengths as I could. Played all my friends basses, went to all the local stores, and took the hour drive to GC.
I found my optimum preferences were 5 string with 47mm - 48mm at the nut; 18mm string spacing and 31" scale. I've since built four 5 string basses to those specs. Couldn't be happier.

 

[J Wilson]

I've played very narrow fives (BB5000's) and others that were wider spaced. My only real preference is I prefer a more flat neck behind wider fingerboards.

I'm afraid I never measured string spacing. If it was a bass I was moved to own, I just played 'em. I've played virtually only fives since the late 80's

 

[chris_b]

I don't have large hands or long fingers, but as I played 18/19mm on my 4 strings I find no problem with 18/19mm on my 5 strings. Both my main basses are 1 7/8th at the nut. That's a nice size for me.

 

[JazznFunk]

19mm is my standard favorite, and it's consistent across most all of the basses I own and play - Sadowsky, Lakland, etc. What matters MORE to me is the nut width and neck radius. 19mm spacing sometimes doesn't feel the same, even though it may be mathematically 'consistent'. I find that my 5-string Lakland feels better for me when doing chordal stuff because the strings are technically closer together in the left hand with the nut spacing. My hands are on the larger side, and more narrow spacing always feels cramped. It's one reason some Jazz Basses feel too narrow to me, especially if the nut is on the historically more narrow side, with a thinner neck profile.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

The 4 I checked range from 17.5 - 19mm. I guess I'm not so picky about that. Probably would be if I was a better bass player!

BBB

 

[brstma]

For me 18mm spacing is just right

 

[VicDiesel]

Currently I'm still adjusting to my new bass with 19-ish mm. It's a big difference from 16-ish that I'm used to. And I don't even play high up on the neck where the difference would be most noticeable.

 

[SMG]

I am a 19mm person on basses, both 4 string and 5 string basses. Note that some of the early Japanese basses had 4 string necks narrower than the standard Fender spacing of 19mm. When I first started playing 5's, the narrow seemed right, but the more I played 5's, the more I appreciated the extra width at the bridge...it just feels right to me.

I have a friend that loves the standard old school thin Jazz Bass necks, but while I understand that this is based on nut spacing, I was never comfortable playing a Jazz Bass as the necks never felt right. I find my fingers trip over each other with real narrow J necks, especially full scale, as I never have the same issue when playing old Gibson necks that are rather thin, but shorter in scale.

 

[Core Creek]

I have tiny hands and always thought I could only work with 17mm spacing - it kept me from buying basses over the years.

Then I went to 6 string basses and only played them for a couple of years - typically 16mm spacing.

I recently got back into 5's and 19mm spacing is just fine - even for my tiny hands. Really, it's not that hard to adjust to any spacing given enough time and desire to do so.

 

[Green Lantern]

Other differences with necks include the radius.
1. Curved Radius: The"9.5" rounded fingerboard naturally fits the arc of your hand, especially in lower positions. This reduces strain and improves reach.
2. Neck Profile: The "C" shape is more forgiving for thumb placement and lateral movement, especially during fast transitions.

 

[crazycloud]

Adapt, and practice to force the adaptation.
There are many people who play guitar at 10.5mm fingerstyle as well as bass, mandolin and others, often in the same set.

I can easily slap on the typical Ibanez 16.5mm on my 5s and 6s. I much prefer their shape and dimensions and move between my variously differently dimensioned instruments because I have practiced on all of them.

 

[Pings Bass]

If playing a bass hurts, your doing it wrong! If you can't play a neck without discomfort or excessive fatigue, first work on your technique.

With decent technique, a few millimeters difference in string spacing shouldn't matter much.

Then find an instrument that feels best for your hands and style of playing.