thin necks?? why?

[Marcury]

I started out on a Precision. Always liked chunky necks as a result. When i moved to a Rob Allen MB2 the neck was even chunkier than a P bass, but it was so well shaped and crafted that it didn't feel that way. A few months ago I bought a 1995 Ibby. the neck is the thinnest I've ever played (thinner than most Jazzes). At first it hurt and my hand cramped, but after a week of getting used to it, I must say I love it. it is just so easy to play. It's alo Wenge which I have fallen for big time.

 

[steve4765630]

My basses have necks that are over 3.5 inches wide at the 24th fret. A thin neck allows me to reach all of notes without fatigue. Plain and simple.

 

[McSpunckle]

I like Jazz bass necks, but that's as thin as I go.

Thin necks make my hand cramp up. But I think it has as much to do with nut width as the overall profile.

I don't like necks like Warwick or Spector for that reason... they're thick, but the nut width is thin.

I prefer the neck to be somewhat flat in the back too.

So... I don't know. Leave me alone.

 

[Mastermold]

What about people with small hands? My technique is pristine. I am a performance major and my teacher is a technique hound. I just can't play as well with thick necks. It doesn't feel right. I don't need more of a reason than that.

Yeah, hand size is a big factor.

 

[~ignited~wings~]

I love narrow string spacing and thing necks...it's just what I'm used to.

 

[Mayers]

IME, people with the thinner necks have poorer technique, and tend to choke it like a bat. The thicker neck accomodates players who have a more formal technique. It gives you more space between the tip of your thumb and your fretting fingers so that you can get more leverage on the instrument when needed. Most classical instruments are designed like this. It's the electric guitar/bass world where so much focus is on thinner necks.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, but with proper technique, thickness of the neck is mostly a non-issue, and allows you to open up to many more instuments with various sized necks and string spacings. Those who are used to choking thinner necks tend to struggle more IME.

If you have a sloppy technic , no matter the size of the neck your technic will be sloppy.

I play classical upright bass and electric bass. On upright it is fine with the thick neck but not very fast unlest you are in thumb position. On electric bass I prefer thinner neck because it is faster and with a thinner neck you can do wierd stretching position without fatigue.

And you know what ? To each is own. This is why their is so many choice , even in classical instrument.

 

[Solarmist]

I have small hands too, and I purposely purchased another Ibanez SR [400QMCS] mainly for the small, thin neck (1 7/16" at the nut), and Ibanez quality. I've also owned a Fender, and a G&L with what I consider wide necks. No bass is easier, faster, and more natural to play (for me anyway) than basses with narrow/thin necks. I really think it boils down to personal taste.

 

[DWBass]

IME, people with the thinner necks have poorer technique, and tend to choke it like a bat.

Sorry, I can't go for that! I have total proper technique when playing my jazz. If a person has proper technique, he/she is going to use it no matter what type of neck. But with so many techniques out there these days, there's no such thing as improper technique anymore. I see cats with horrible technique smoke players with proper technique.

Bottom line......who cares? Some like chunky necks and some like thin or flat necks!

 

[Just Thumpin']

IME, people with the thinner necks have poorer technique, and tend to choke it like a bat. The thicker neck accomodates players who have a more formal technique. It gives you more space between the tip of your thumb and your fretting fingers so that you can get more leverage on the instrument when needed. Most classical instruments are designed like this. It's the electric guitar/bass world where so much focus is on thinner necks.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, but with proper technique, thickness of the neck is mostly a non-issue, and allows you to open up to many more instuments with various sized necks and string spacings. Those who are used to choking thinner necks tend to struggle more IME.

You are kidding. I can name 10 bass guitar gods with flawless technique that plan thin necks. Come on....

 

[SpectorDetector]

small hands + thin neck =

 

[lunarpollen]

I love thin necks on basses. Short-scales like Hofner violin basses, the Epiphone Rivoli, etc. are so much fun and non-fatiguing to play, and it's easy to get very thumpy upright-type sounds.

But for regular guitars, I like very wide necks. My first guitar was a Guild Brian May Signature and it had quite wide string spacing. Nothing has ever been as easy for me to play, guitar-wise. I might just have to get one of the new Brian May Guitars in black and gold....

 

[sirpug]

What about people with small hands?

+1000 I don't think technique has anything to do with it (granted mine isn't the best). I started with a Fender jazz bass and I just couldn't figure out some of the specific left hand techniques that are required. I would look at my instructor, who has larger hands, when he showed me something but I just couldn't do it even though I understood it. When I picked up my Cirrus, everything just clicked. Things made sense after I got a thinner neck and my hand fit. To me, it's purely a matter of what fits your physical characteristics.

 

[Eublet]

Obviously there are people who have great technique playing jazz necks. I never said there weren't. I'm just stating that proper technique makes it easier for someone to move from instrument to instrument, and not get so hung up on the size of the neck.

I used very key words in my statement to let everyone know that this has been my experience, and that the statement is a generality, not a blanket rule. Lighten up a bit.

 

[Atoz]

I personally couldn't care less about neck thickness (to a point, obviously). I own a P, a J, and a Ric, and have no problem at all switching back and forth when I want a particular tone. It's just a matter of playing them enough so you are used to them. I play "thumb on the center" as opposed to "like a baseball bat," FWIW.

 

[spade2you]

Obviously there are people who have great technique playing jazz necks. I never said there weren't. I'm just stating that proper technique makes it easier for someone to move from instrument to instrument, and not get so hung up on the size of the neck.

I used very key words in my statement to let everyone know that this has been my experience, and that the statement is a generality, not a blanket rule. Lighten up a bit.

LOL, that's worded more than a little differently than the first post.

It's true the "proper" technique (at least a posture somewhat inspired by classical guitar) allows you to play thinner and thicker necks on guitars and basses with ease, but there are finite limits. I tend to get fatigued very quickly with neck-heavy instruments because I like my basses to hang naturally around 45 degrees.

 

[Baird6869]

Typically, those who like to wrap their whole hand around the neck like a fatter profile and those who play with their thumb down the center of the neck like it thin.

Just to be different, I play with my thumb along the length of the neck, have small hands and generally play wider necks such as Fender P's, my Sadowsky 5er with 19" spacing and Stingrays. It just feels right to me.

As I have small hands, i figured a short scale would be perfect for be, but I couldn't stand it.

I loved my Geddy Lee Jazz, but I think it was the profile of the neck and the super low action that made it seem "fast" to me, not the width.

 

[bfc]

I love thin necks! First of all, I have small hands. Second of all, they just feel more comfortable.

Both my Carvin B5 and Peavey Zodiac BXP have great thin necks...

 

[Guest043]

whats with all this small hand talk..

put your fingers on your fretboard and reach as far as you can. then move your thumb back and forth, as if you have a thick neck..your thumb is a differnt joint in your hand. its not really related to your other fingers, so when your streaching from first finger to pinkie, if your thumb is on the back of a fat neck or small neck, it does not affect your reach..(atleast thats the way i've always seen it.) yet if you have a small neck the angle of your thumb on the back of the neck will cause pain and cramping.

i think it might just be in your mind, you assosiate the thinness of a neck as being "smaller" so you might think its easier, but if you step back and really look at it, its not?

whatever the real reason behind all this is, i feel really uncomftorble on thin necks. dont get me wrong, i have a fender jazz bass and its served me well, but i think itd be happier with a neck more like the billy sheehan bass, as mentioned earlier, he asked yamaha to make the neck as fat as they would do it. (for the same reasons i like fat necks. does not affect reach..not that it matters to mr.bananafingers sheehan..)

now that i think about it, its not much of an issue on 4 strings. its the 6 strings that need real beefy necks. have you ever played a 6 with a thin neck? it stinks..

 

[DanielleMuscato]

whats with people that seem to gravitate towards a thinner neck? i always feel MUCH more comftorble on a very fat neck, and they seem to have so much girth that the bass sounds better. the thickness i like is almost like an upright..i like to feel like im playing something..it also will make the neck stiffer..

does anyone agree with me, or is there something im missing about the "i need a bass with ______...and a thin neck" ? i feel like my hand cramps up on a thin neck, now that ive been playing on real beefy custom made necks..

Maybe it's because I've come to bass from a classical guitar background, but I like my necks thin (front to back), flat (radius), and wide (nut width). Asymmetrical is a good compromise for adding extra wood to the profile (for increased stability).

With my technique, I'm *much* faster on thin necks than baseball bats.

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(Howard Wallach photo)

 

[StarscreamG1]

I have played both thin and thick and I find that the thinner the neck the faster and more accurate I can play. I play Fender Jazz basses and find it to be as if Leo Fender himself made the Jazz for me.

It doesn't matter if the neck is thin or fat I always wrap my hand around the neck and frequently use my thumb to fret the E string while I do double stops. Bad technique? Nope! Just my style.

I have basses with both thin and thick necks. I can play either but do like the thinner J-necks better. I don't wrap my hand around the neck generally but on a couple of pieces I for some reason.

And not to veer this off track but dude!! When I played years ago I would use my thumb to fret the E string too!!! But for some reason this time around that technique is eluding me for some odd reason, probably cause I haven't actively tried to refresh myself with it ... must work on that.

IME, people with the thinner necks have poorer technique, and tend to choke it like a bat. The thicker neck accomodates players who have a more formal technique. It gives you more space between the tip of your thumb and your fretting fingers so that you can get more leverage on the instrument when needed. Most classical instruments are designed like this. It's the electric guitar/bass world where so much focus is on thinner necks.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, but with proper technique, thickness of the neck is mostly a non-issue, and allows you to open up to many more instuments with various sized necks and string spacings. Those who are used to choking thinner necks tend to struggle more IME.

I think I have to disagree with your comment about poor technique regarding players that prefer thinner necks. I prefer thinner necks for the comfort of it plain and simple. But everything I can play on one of my J-necks I can play just as well on my P-neck basses too. For this player, a thinner neck for some reason just feels nicer. I don't see where my technique is a factor in it as I don't choke the neck -- either type of neck.