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As a person who has had a '68 Camaro convertible since it was just a rusty old Chevy, I sure don't get all misty eyed over stock old cars. They were lousy and needed a whole lot of messing with to be adequate for my purposes. Even almost 40 years ago, they needed modification to be worth two pins.
The 5th string - Musical thumb rest.So... I DID something today. I went to literally every guitar shop in town (so like...3) & grabbed every bass neck I could lay my hands on. I just wanted to compare 'em & stuff (Fender changes neck profiles like most people change their clothes!). The KSD Burner has actually been causing me pain in my left hand from playing. Though it's 1 5/8" at the nut... it was really quite slender all the way up. That was the only real dark spot. It was a really nice bass otherwise. My quest for a more functional neck, led me somewhere I never expected...
View attachment 1156101
It's a brand new, bottom of the barrel, piece of crap... but... it had a better feeling neck than everything else I picked up (and I picked up some nice stuff!). I have pretty much no idea what to do with that 5th string. I suppose it could come in handy if I need to tow a car or something... but right now, it's just in the way! The thing is... I was able to come home & play for nearly an hour before my hand bothered me at all! Hopefully I have somethin' here that'll keep me playin' & smilin' for a little while longer, 'till I can get my "real" bass. I'm just not sure what to do 'bout that LOOOOWWW BEEEE. I don't know whether to take it off & LOOK stupid, or leave it on & FEEL stupid!
The non-goth ones are what I have played. Beats me why they would be different though. It doesn't make any sense from a production standpoint.
Damn! now I know why I consider my neck to resemble a noodle, My Bird is Chinese. Never thought about that connection before.
Nothing wrong with that choice.So... I DID something today. I went to literally every guitar shop in town (so like...3) & grabbed every bass neck I could lay my hands on. I just wanted to compare 'em & stuff (Fender changes neck profiles like most people change their clothes!). The KSD Burner has actually been causing me pain in my left hand from playing. Though it's 1 5/8" at the nut... it was really quite slender all the way up. That was the only real dark spot. It was a really nice bass otherwise. My quest for a more functional neck, led me somewhere I never expected...
View attachment 1156101
It's a brand new, bottom of the barrel, piece of crap... but... it had a better feeling neck than everything else I picked up (and I picked up some nice stuff!). I have pretty much no idea what to do with that 5th string. I suppose it could come in handy if I need to tow a car or something... but right now, it's just in the way! The thing is... I was able to come home & play for nearly an hour before my hand bothered me at all! Hopefully I have somethin' here that'll keep me playin' & smilin' for a little while longer, 'till I can get my "real" bass. I'm just not sure what to do 'bout that LOOOOWWW BEEEE. I don't know whether to take it off & LOOK stupid, or leave it on & FEEL stupid!
Yeah dont rush. Truthfully I could never find a woman to replace mine, Im blessed to have her and we've been happily married for 15 years and together for 20 with an amazing son and on our second wiener dog. My "being covered in women" statement is a typical male wanna be rock star fantasy.
My 2010 Korean Goth has the wide nut. Profile however, is more flat than round. That's probably why it is playable to me; it's the widest neck on any of the basses in my rotation.
I'll second the Warwick note. Mine all fit beautifully in alternative rock, metal and grunge. Not so well in classic, punk or heaven forbid - country. On the other hand, my Spector bird fits in just about anywhere my Gibson bird fits. Until I get my hands on a Five string Gibson bird the Spector will do. Here's the flock at my house...Or just restring it eadgc, might need a new nut or some patience building up the slots with super glue.
Easier to ignore the higher string, than the lower one. Unless of course you do a lot of popping on the G, then either one can get in the way.
In reality it only takes a little bit of practice to get used to that low b being there. And you have the option to play higher up the neck (fifth position on B is same as open E).
But personally, I don't play 5 string much these days. A 5 string peavey or fender could blend one in easier for me than pulling a Warwick (my only 5s currently) out of storage. I have had bad luck whenever I threw a Warwick into the mix in any band that was not metal or 90s-early 2000s "pimp rock" nu-metal flavored "alternative" where Warwick was the bee's knees. Not so much in a punk band
Glad that you found something you're comfortable with. Everyone is different. My main gripe with Squiers I've owned is that the necks seem to be very sensitive to humidity changes. More so than the Fenders, Gibson, Epi and Ibenez (Cort made in Korea with a fabulous neck, second only to that on my Gibson TBird) in my main rotation. also, the frent ends above the twelfth fret never seem to have been finished very well (easily cured by learning how to finish them yourself). But they're very nice basses and certainly playable.Nothing wrong with that choice.
I made a similar choice years ago. Squier puts out some pretty neat stuff and a great side benefit is the low initial cash outlay leaves plenty of money for modding at a later date if so desired.
This one started out life as a $220 Squier Affinity Jazz 5 that played better than any Jazz I've ever owned or played. After a couple of years (I started leaning heavily towards Gibsons) I decided to convert it into a '62 jazz in look and sound, so I replaced all the electronics with vintage reproductions (including custom wound 5 string jazz pups) and added some chrome covers. It's still my favorite Jazz to play and I only have about $500 in it.
Enjoy the toy and good luck with the ongoing quest for a TBird soul mate.
PS - I noticed early in your posts a real fixation on wide necks. I was going to suggest you look at 5 string Bird variants (non Gibson/Epiphone as well as the real deals). I have a Spector TBird (called a Rex 5 pro) that would probably meet a lot of your neck criteria. I play as many fivers as I do four string basses and there's some real advantages to that low B in certain genres of music.
*OOPH*... Allow me to apologize for my generality. I certainly didn't intend to offend anyone. I meant that... in comparison to the Thunderbirds, Rickenbackers, Fender Americans, etc., that have passed through my hands recently... how funny is it that I'm going home with a Squier Affinity series 5 string Jazz bass. I don't think that too many folks would argue that the Squier Affinity series is the first wrung on the ladder of mass produced instruments that are of sufficient quality to be playable by musicians... not like something out of the Walmart catalog (well... maybe Ibanez is first... but you get my point). Kinda like... compared to a Ferrari, a Chevy is a piece of crap. Does that make the Chevy bad? Nah. There's a LOT more Chevys on the road than Ferraris!
Although it may look out of place, the 2015 with the EB core taps can fit in nicely in a country band.I'll second the Warwick note. Mine all fit beautifully in alternative rock, metal and grunge. Not so well in classic, punk or heaven forbid - country. On the other hand, my Spector bird fits in just about anywhere my Gibson bird fits. Until I get my hands on a Five string Gibson bird the Spector will do. Here's the flock at my house...
So... I DID something today. I went to literally every guitar shop in town (so like...3) & grabbed every bass neck I could lay my hands on. I just wanted to compare 'em & stuff (Fender changes neck profiles like most people change their clothes!). The KSD Burner has actually been causing me pain in my left hand from playing. Though it's 1 5/8" at the nut... it was really quite slender all the way up. That was the only real dark spot. It was a really nice bass otherwise. My quest for a more functional neck, led me somewhere I never expected...
View attachment 1156101
It's a brand new, bottom of the barrel, piece of crap... but... it had a better feeling neck than everything else I picked up (and I picked up some nice stuff!). I have pretty much no idea what to do with that 5th string. I suppose it could come in handy if I need to tow a car or something... but right now, it's just in the way! The thing is... I was able to come home & play for nearly an hour before my hand bothered me at all! Hopefully I have somethin' here that'll keep me playin' & smilin' for a little while longer, 'till I can get my "real" bass. I'm just not sure what to do 'bout that LOOOOWWW BEEEE. I don't know whether to take it off & LOOK stupid, or leave it on & FEEL stupid!
