thin necks?? why?

[flipper_gv]

omg, it's easy

YOU LIKE IT
THEY DON'T

end of the story

 

[Seb_VitusFreak]

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

Those who are used to choking thinner necks tend to struggle more IME.

I disagree with these points.

My friend has formal technique and plays an Ibanez EDB600. VERY thin neck.

No baseball-bat neck-choking here!

 

[Seb_VitusFreak]

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.

Same here.

 

[DanielleMuscato]

I disagree with these points.

My friend has formal technique and plays an Ibanez EDB600. VERY thin neck.

No baseball-bat neck-choking here!

I disagree also, Eublet. Check out this thread, particularly starting with post #47:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=342596&page=3

 

[StarscreamG1]

Very interesting thread. Thanks for pointing it out. I have always had a tendency to hold a bass more vertical when I play standing up. Guess that ain't so bad after all? I have never touched, nor seen in person for that matter, a classical bass so I have no idea where I got it from. (holding it more vertical)

 

[Debased]

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.

Big -1.

Neck thickness may be a non-issue to many four-string players, but once you start moving away from truncated-range to full-range bass (fives and sixes) all that completely superfluous neck mass becomes nothing but an ergonomic hindrance to a player with proper technique.

 

[14736251]

small hands + thin neck =

+1
It’s not brain surgery fellas

 

[spade2you]

Very interesting thread. Thanks for pointing it out. I have always had a tendency to hold a bass more vertical when I play standing up. Guess that ain't so bad after all? I have never touched, nor seen in person for that matter, a classical bass so I have no idea where I got it from. (holding it more vertical)

Depends on how vertical. I'm not aware of many basses that will hang at a greater angle than 45 degrees or so. The upright neck posture is very ergonomic, but I'd suspect a very vertical electric bass posture would involve several unneccesary muscle groups to hold the neck up. Holding the neck often causes more hand contact with the neck, which can slow ya down.

I typically play balanced basses around 45 degrees or so with my right thumb about an inch above my belly button and a few inches to the right.

Big -1.

Neck thickness may be a non-issue to many four-string players, but once you start moving away from truncated-range to full-range bass (fives and sixes) all that completely superfluous neck mass becomes nothing but an ergonomic hindrance to a player with proper technique.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal if you have gigantic hands, but a lot of us don't.

 

[Guest043]

i still dont see what small hands has to do with the thickness of a neck. your thumb is the only finger affected by a fat/thin neck, and on a fat neck its in a more natural position (if you relax your hand, look at the distance between your thumb and the rest of your fingers. thats the size your neck should be.)

 

[john_g]

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 dont know what you are talking about! Where did you come up with that? I have very good left hand fretting technique and its what I would consider formal and prefer the thinner neck like my Geddy. Oh...and guess what? I play with a pick too! (most of the time and no I didnt start out on guitar)

 

[StarscreamG1]

Depends on how vertical. I'm not aware of many basses that will hang at a greater angle than 45 degrees or so. The upright neck posture is very ergonomic, but I'd suspect a very vertical electric bass posture would involve several unneccesary muscle groups to hold the neck up. Holding the neck often causes more hand contact with the neck, which can slow ya down.

I typically play balanced basses around 45 degrees or so with my right thumb about an inch above my belly button and a few inches to the right.

I think 45 degrees would be about right for me. Now I have done my T40 more vertically and for me at least it works as its WEIGHT keeps it like that without me having to hold it so.

This topic made me think on how I do hold my basses when I play (i have never really paid much attention as odd as that sounds Im sure) and I don't hold them all the same. My Foundation is more low with the neck slightly up where as my T40 is a little higher up (but not on my chest) and more vertical and my Pbass varies in between the two extremes but never as vertical as I will sport my T40 for the S&Gs sometimes.

One thing I have noticed when I play standing up is a fair amount of the time (though not all the time) I don't have the body dead center to my stomach but off to my right... dunno if that is a definite no no or if its just individual preference...

 

[StarscreamG1]

You dont know what you are talking about! Where did you come up with that? I have very good left hand fretting technique and its what I would consider formal and prefer the thinner neck like my Geddy. Oh...and guess what? I play with a pick too! (most of the time and no I didnt start out on guitar)

Oh man I used to get GRIEF all the time when I first played bass because I used a pick!!! I was always having to 'defend' myself for it for whatever reason. I eventually developed a 'hybrid' picking method; pick in thumb and first finger, pluck with second and third finger.

This time around I seem to pluck more then use a pick but I will sometimes grab a pick and work my bass and am proud to use a pick on my axe (and hybrid pick style it too). If people don't like it let them play it then...

 

[ehque]

i still dont see what small hands has to do with the thickness of a neck. your thumb is the only finger affected by a fat/thin neck, and on a fat neck its in a more natural position (if you relax your hand, look at the distance between your thumb and the rest of your fingers. thats the size your neck should be.)

My relaxed hand has the thumb touching my fingers. What now?

I like thin necks, AND i play a six. Your projection of your experience on to everyone else strikes me as hubris. sorry.

 

[winstonthecat]

I play both an Ibanez and Fender P-Bass. The Ibanez has a thinner neck, and I like the way it feels, and it is also seems faster.

When I added the P-Bass as my backup, I found the neck required some getting used to.

I play both now, my Ibanez for gigs and band practice, my P-Bass for home practice, so I can switch back and forth easily without much fuss.

 

[bassteban]

See above(as in my title- not to ridicule any but the OP ).

 

[melt]

This is funny. To me, a thin neck is something like a Rickenbacker neck, i.e. a narrow neck with narrow spacing. I think of thin as having a narrow width across the fretboard. To me a Jazz neck starts out very thin and gets very wide. I've played very few Jazzes that I'd consider thin (and yes that includes depth), although I'm aware they're normally the standard by which others are judged.

Depth is far less important to me than width, which is far less important to me than string spacing. I guess it all depends on what your perception of a thin neck is. Regarding comfort, technique is a factor but don't forget that people have different physiology which will also have an effect. The only neck I've ever cramped up on was a Jazz, and I continually cramped up on it.

Oh, and the question, though doubtless posted with good intent, does seem a bit like asking why some prefer pickles on their burgers and others don't....

 

[The_Owl]

EDIT: Change of mind...change of heart

 

[Human Bass]

Neck is a extremely subjective thing. I've seen people with small hands that like fat necks, I have big hands and prefer thin necks. And there is also the profile of the neck. D, V, C, Asymmetrical, etc.

As i first said, its very subjective, what is bad for one person can fit like a glove to another person.

 

[TeeMartin]

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.

That's ridiculous. My left hand is more like that of a classical guitarist rather than some baseball bat guitard and I prefer thinner necks. It is much easier for me to move around the neck for fast songs/riffs.

 

[spade2you]

i still dont see what small hands has to do with the thickness of a neck. your thumb is the only finger affected by a fat/thin neck, and on a fat neck its in a more natural position (if you relax your hand, look at the distance between your thumb and the rest of your fingers. thats the size your neck should be.)

Good form only goes so far. Try playing an 7 string, maybe even a wide 6 with a thick P bass profile. If it doesn't have a thin profile, it will kill your hands if you gotta play it for more than a song or two.