I have an Ibanez SR series bass that I have used for the last couple of years and I really love the neck...thin, super fast, and no cramping! Since I'm looking for another bass can any of the TB'ers advise on other basses that have thin/fast necks? Advice appreciated. Ken
If you dig the SR neck, try one of the EDA Ergodyne models. They're discontinued but they're on eBay every now and then. The neck is just a hair thinner than a standard SR's and it's the fastest, most svelte neck ever.
My EBMM Sterling has a slim neck thats pretty fast. With the right setup, that bass almost plays itself.
I don't relate thin to fast. The full size P bass neck on my Aria P bass is pretty fat and C shaped. It plays much faster, for me than a thin jazz neck or other known "fast" basses. I think it all comes down to individual preference, hand size, style of playing, etc.
I don't think i have ever heard a neck described as "svelte". lol I would recommend Ibanez like the others. Are you looking for a 4 or a 5?
+1 There's no such thing as fast necks, just fast fingers. And thinner necks can slow you down if you've got larger hands or longer fingers. Personally, I seem to be able to play P and J basses with equal speed but my hands are a little on the large side.
I'm a fan of the classic J neck. My hands are on the small side (heck, a friend said I should play guitar because he thought my hands were too small for bass), and I recently bought a Fender P Special, which has a J neck and P/J pups. It's really comfy and I can get a lot of different sounds out of it.
Just depends on what you're comfortable with. Like others said, it all depends on hand size Palm size and finger length vary person to person even if their total hand size is similar. Personal preference plays a role as well. Some people find that thicker necks are faster to them. Proper technique also plays a major role.
Thanks folks. I should clarify...I do find the thinner neck on the SR lets me play faster and more comfortably (and I agree it's all about technique!). Comfort is really the key. I used to play on a Yamaha BB300 and the wider neck really caused me cramping in the middle of my hand after an hour or so. I'll try out some of the suggestions here - MM Sterling, Geddy Jazz...any others. Looking at some of the other threads it would appear that some of the G&L, Warwick and Specter basses also have thinner necks? Can anyone comment on those? Regards, Ken
The US G&L 4 stringers can be ordered with 4 different neck profiles, 2 jazz sized, 2 Pbass sized. The ASAT bass has a default Jazz sized neck if you are trying them out in a store, the L2000 comes with a Pbass sized neck unless ordered otherwise.
Jaguar Bass Or Geddy Lee jazz both have thin fast necks but if i was you id go with the jag its so much cooler