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Subjectivity when playing.
- Thread starter -Asdfgh-
- Start date
One has binding and relatively square shoulders but is the one that subjectively feels slimmer.
P.S. I'm not trying to fix anything here, just musing on the subjective perceptions of instruments. However, I'll do a few more measurements.
It's wild how fine your other senses can get when you take your eyes out of the equation. The neck on my Charvel five string is, objectively, much wider than my P bass and, when measured from front to back, virtually the exact same depth; however, something about the flatness across the back, rather than the more C-shaped Fender, makes it feel far slimmer.
That's real.
I worked many years in medical device manufacturing. We had many veteran production employees who, just by touch, could easily identify parts that were out of spec by as little as .003" . Years of experience matters.
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It's easy to call each other "weight weenies" or the size equivalent because how much difference does 1 gram or 1 millimeter make?
I most certainly feel the difference between my bass with a 38mm nut width and my bass with a 42mm nut width. That's a 0.15 inch difference. Doesn't seem like much, but it is to my fingers.
Yeah, one has a rounder and girthier neck profile so there is that. But I feel the difference in width in and around the money notes.
I most certainly feel the difference between my bass with a 38mm nut width and my bass with a 42mm nut width. That's a 0.15 inch difference. Doesn't seem like much, but it is to my fingers.
Yeah, one has a rounder and girthier neck profile so there is that. But I feel the difference in width in and around the money notes.
I think 1 mm is enough to notice. Seems like such a tiny number, but in other ways not. Imagine if new shoes were 1 mm narrower — you’d notice.
With the necks, when I say that it’s enough to notice, I’m not saying "show stopper" notice (unless you are right at your comfortable limits), but enough to feel a difference.
Then add in small (or not so small) differences in any of carve (shoulders, and flatness or curvature of the back of the neck), depth front-to-back, and fretboard curvature (also fret size, materials, finish, heel design and attachment to the body, wear, etc.), and you have two different feeling and playing necks, even with two instruments of the same basic make and model
With the necks, when I say that it’s enough to notice, I’m not saying "show stopper" notice (unless you are right at your comfortable limits), but enough to feel a difference.
Then add in small (or not so small) differences in any of carve (shoulders, and flatness or curvature of the back of the neck), depth front-to-back, and fretboard curvature (also fret size, materials, finish, heel design and attachment to the body, wear, etc.), and you have two different feeling and playing necks, even with two instruments of the same basic make and model
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I don't mind wider necks if they're flatter across the back. The fatter/rounder they are, they're moving my fret fingers away a bit further, makes for a longer reach, so for me, that's where the 'bigger neck' feel comes from.
That's a good observation
neck/fingerboard profiles matter more where we play more.
You’re simply aware of 1mm difference. Even if it's unconscious anyone who spends hours obsessing over fine motor control with a physical object in hand will develop this level of touch perception. It might have stayed unconscious without the comparison of two very similar necks but it’s real.
When you hear someone say a player has "nice touch” what exactly does that mean?
Fret size is often forgotten. Your left hand has no idea of how much air there is between the string and the fretboard when you play (unless it's so little that you actually touch the board). So a large/tall fret will make the neck feel thicker front-to-back.
Edit: The same goes for string gauge. Thinner strings will make the neck feel thinner since your fingers will be closer to the fretboard when fretting a note.
Edit: The same goes for string gauge. Thinner strings will make the neck feel thinner since your fingers will be closer to the fretboard when fretting a note.
Good point @Makten
One of my basses has extra jumbo frets and the other has standard size frets, and I have to consciously press less hard with the XJ frets and master the art of the glide. I prefer lighter strings on that bass because with more nuanced technique, I can get a bigger and more dynamic sound without having to mash and clobber on, say, thick strings.
And @mambo4 I realize I prefer the slightly wider neck at the money notes than my narrow one, despite having smaller hands. My fingers feel less cramped.
One of my basses has extra jumbo frets and the other has standard size frets, and I have to consciously press less hard with the XJ frets and master the art of the glide. I prefer lighter strings on that bass because with more nuanced technique, I can get a bigger and more dynamic sound without having to mash and clobber on, say, thick strings.
And @mambo4 I realize I prefer the slightly wider neck at the money notes than my narrow one, despite having smaller hands. My fingers feel less cramped.
