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Valid issue, or just me being picky?

Evil Undead

Evil Undead

Oct 31, 2009
3,844
587
#1
I have two basses - a Warwick Corvette $$ with a baseball bat neck, and an Ibanez SR1300 with a super skinny neck.

I bought the Ibby because I thought the neck on the Wick was too thick for me. Now I think the Ibby neck feels to skinny.

I keep A-B'ing them, and honestly can't decide which I prefer, and whether I find neither, both or only one uncomfortable.

Is it just going to take some getting used to the Ibby? Or does the hunt for a new bass begin again? I'm sick of changing my instrument all the time, and just want to find "the one" now :(
 
#3
i went through that myself, then i bought an sb-2 with a jazz neck which seemed to be a happy medium between my highway one p and my cij62 jazz, now that i play more the thing i noticed is that i have better pick playing with the p, because the strings are slightly farther apart, but for finger style i actually don't notice the three different necks so much just he different sounds the basses have, so i guess try a medium between the two, initially when i started playing again i was used to vintage gibson basses and the fender style necks seemed totally weird
 
#4
lonote said:
What does A-B'ing them have to do with comfort?
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Just switching between them to see if I can figure out which I find more comfortable.

mpdd said:
i went through that myself, then i bought an sb-2 with a jazz neck which seemed to be a happy medium between my highway one p and my cij62 jazz, now that i play more the thing i noticed is that i have better pick playing with the p, because the strings are slightly farther apart, but for finger style i actually don't notice the three different necks so much just he different sounds the basses have, so i guess try a medium between the two, initially when i started playing again i was used to vintage gibson basses and the fender style necks seemed totally weird
Click to expand...

Maybe I'll try and get my hands on a fairly recent precision. I had a Squier Matt Freeman that was pretty comfortable.

I also don't know if it's all in my head and I'm just perpetually dissatisfied.
 
#5
I've owned 25-30 basses in as many years of playing, yikes, maybe more, and if neck and instrument comfort is what you're after, the Musicman Sterling is my personal favorite. It's a compact, really well balanced bass, the neck is amazing, and it has a bunch of great sounds and looks cool in any scenario, at least in my opinion. People describe it as having a "jazz neck", but it's it's own thing, a bit deeper than a jazz neck and with slightly narrower spacing. And yeah, a P bass is always a good "home base bass", too. It takes a bit of trial and error to whittle it down and to learn what's right for you. Enjoy the ride, but don't get caught up un being a perfectionist, just find something that works well and stick with it.
 
#6
I think its important to find the bass that, not only sounds like you want, but is comfortable to play. You can fight it...but its going to come down to what works for you. Do you have any shops nearby you can try a wide variety of models? Sure there are some compromises we can make...but it should feel like home.
 
#7
Garey said:
I think its important to find the bass that, not only sounds like you want, but is comfortable to play. You can fight it...but its going to come down to what works for you. Do you have any shops nearby you can try a wide variety of models? Sure there are some compromises we can make...but it should feel like home.
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I couldn't agree more. I have back problems and wrist issues, so it's important to find something that doesn't make those worse!

The shops round here are great for setups and guitars etc, but for buying basses they're terrible. A small selection of beginner stuff, not much more. And buying online or used has given me some bad experiences.

I know it sounds pretty silly but I'm getting a bit depressed about the whole bass thing as I have no money, no one is interested in trades, and playing for a relatively short time seems to cause me discomfort :( My band keeps me going, as I love playing with others so much.
 
#8
Evil Undead said:
I couldn't agree more. I have back problems and wrist issues, so it's important to find something that doesn't make those worse!

The shops round here are great for setups and guitars etc, but for buying basses they're terrible. A small selection of beginner stuff, not much more. And buying online or used has given me some bad experiences.

I know it sounds pretty silly but I'm getting a bit depressed about the whole bass thing as I have no money, no one is interested in trades, and playing for a relatively short time seems to cause me discomfort :( My band keeps me going, as I love playing with others so much.
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I would trust TB classifieds over most online used gear purchases. All or most of the sellers are actually bass players.
 
#10
I really doubt it is all in your head. It makes a difference to play with a bass that fits your hands right. You will probably play better just because you don't have the issue of fitting with the wrong feel. I would try to get to a music store with a bit of a selection and start narrowing down the field if you can. Fender P-bass, Jazz, Music Man Stingray, Ibanez BTB series, whatever you can get to try. I have played basses that I really liked for sound, but could never get into because the feel of the neck was all wrong. Something like a G&L ASAT or L-2000 might fit right between the two for you. Just depends on what you have access to!
 
#14
I don't get how people on TB are so picky about their basses, I buy most of my stuff used, so I find something I like, get a good deal on it, and adjust to it.

I was on my 3rd 6 string before string spacing even crossed my mind... I'd get a new one, and get adjusted to it...

I'd say keep them both as long as they both get used, you cannot let either one of those collect dust.... that is just rude to them. They need love too.
 
#16
Just play them more!

I own 14 basses, play 10 of them on a regular basis, with necks going from super thin 66 jazz, fat precision, rickenbacker, Thunderbird, etc...

I can honestly say that the neck has no influence at all on my playing and that i can switch from one to the next in the middle of a gig and feel as good on any bass.

It's just a habit thing!
 
#18
I spent years thinking that a thin neck would play faster, easier or better. I mean like 30+ years with this thinking. What I've come to learn is that I prefer a fat neck. For me there's less fatigue - but I can't answer why. I don't play any slower with a fat neck and I thought I would. The other variable here is the fret board radius. My basses that have thin necks tend to have a more flat string surface. I've come to desire just the opposite. I’ve got a tele with a “U” shape neck. If you ever get a chance try one – you’d be surprised. The most important thing is that you make these decisions with your hands and mussles, not your eyes.
 
#19
ibateur said:
I think you need to visit a store and try out as many basses (for the necks) that you can to see whether you can find something that better matches your own feel. Struggling with your fretting hand is a long term problem.
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I agree totally. You've got a bass at each end of the spectrum as far as neck feel goes. Sounds like you need to find something in the middle of that. Only way to know what you like is to try lots of basses. Many people on here (myself included) have gone through a multitude of basses trying to find one that fits us, and generally lost a bit of money doing it. Unless they were very lucky. You don't want to end up with massive tendinitis or something because you force yourself to play a bass that doesn't fit you or feel comfortable.
 
#20
After having gone through 100+ basses all I can tell you is that "the one" is an illusion.
Love the one you're with.
If you get to own 10 or 50 just make sure you have plenty of love to give...:hyper:
 

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