Warmoth necks

[Bill Whitehurst]

Your trouble may be from technique...
or neck profile
or FB radius
or set up
or some combination of those.

Everyone is different, so it's hard for us to pinpoint the issue.

If that wasn't enough, it is entirely possible that what feels great for a short time
might be a very bad choice for a four set gig or
might only be a problem 3 or 4 months down the line.

If there was one single answer, we'd all be playing the same bass.
It may take owning several basses for a number of years to find 'the one'.

If you are convinced the the Warmoth neck you want is 'it'
then go for it.
If it's not what you thought it would be, it should be easy to sell.

 

[Thumpin6string]

You liked the Lakland? Sell your bass and buy the Lakland. Problem solved.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I own several Ibanez basses and one is my main bass. The neck is definitely slim taper. I recently bought an Ibanez P-Bass style bass and the neck is wider and thicker. I experienced the same thing you did-- I had pains in my fretting hand. I switched back to the narrow slim neck and the pain went away.

It makes perfect sense that a slim-profile neck would work better. Don't rule out short scale basses either-- like the Ibanez Mikro bass. Might even try several Ibanez basses and see if you like them. I've always found Fenders too clunky. Even the body shape is not as comfortable as Ibanez. Smaller bodies are easier to hold. Good luck!

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

It is also possible that your technique is fine, and you are having some inflammation from something in your diet, like bread, grains, even some plants. It's more common than many people know.
Last week, I experimented with eliminating carbs for 2 days, and my wrists/hands felt like new. I have not had pain playing bass, but normally have stiffness/soreness in my wrists. Seems to have crept back up slighty when I eat bread, but I have cut way back on it.
Food for thought

I would absolutely not listen to controversial health advice. If you're worried about healt, see a physician, not a forum like this.

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

I'd stay away from a Warmoth neck. They have about the sharpest edged fretboard of any neck I've ever touched in my life. Warmoth says that is normal; they don't roll the edges whatsoever because they say once removed you can't put it back. True, but talk about painful. Sharp, sharp, sharp, sharp. No fret dressing or leveling either, but they do slightly taper the fret ends even though you will still feel them sticking out of the fretboard like little staple nibs. They say this is normal too, due to expansion/contraction of the wood even though none of my other basses ever exhibited that. Warmoth says it is up to the customer to dress the frets and to roll the fingerboard edges, so do NOT buy a neck with a finished fretboard from Warmoth since you will have to remove the finish to roll the edges. Summing up, Warmoth necks are very sharp by design-frets and fretboard edges-and aren't made to be in top playable shape right out of the box. However, the back contour is great, just the right size, thin side to side, but they have a nice round back profile-with a bit of heft front to back. But geez they need to at least slightly get rid of that unbelievable sharp fretboard edge. Hurts to play. They are also quite heavy due to their constuction methods. Built well, but a work in progress. As they come, they HURT. You could skin a tomato on the fretboard edge. Most uncomfortable neck I've ever touched in my life.

I'm curious about how you use your fretting hand. My fretting hand normally don't touch the edge of the fingerboard at all.

 

[Admiral Akbar]

I'd stay away from a Warmoth neck. They have about the sharpest edged fretboard of any neck I've ever touched in my life. Warmoth says that is normal; they don't roll the edges whatsoever because they say once removed you can't put it back. True, but talk about painful. Sharp, sharp, sharp, sharp. No fret dressing or leveling either, but they do slightly taper the fret ends even though you will still feel them sticking out of the fretboard like little staple nibs. They say this is normal too, due to expansion/contraction of the wood even though none of my other basses ever exhibited that. Warmoth says it is up to the customer to dress the frets and to roll the fingerboard edges, so do NOT buy a neck with a finished fretboard from Warmoth since you will have to remove the finish to roll the edges. Summing up, Warmoth necks are very sharp by design-frets and fretboard edges-and aren't made to be in top playable shape right out of the box. However, the back contour is great, just the right size, thin side to side, but they have a nice round back profile-with a bit of heft front to back. But geez they need to at least slightly get rid of that unbelievable sharp fretboard edge. Hurts to play. They are also quite heavy due to their constuction methods. Built well, but a work in progress. As they come, they HURT. You could skin a tomato on the fretboard edge. Most uncomfortable neck I've ever touched in my life.

I've noticed the "sharp" fretboard edges too. I've got a blocked & bound Warmoth neck - no pointy frets, but definitely sharp edges to the fingerboard.

Good point.

 

[Acoop]

Sounds like you're pinching a never somewhere. ... Get in front of a mirror and check your posture, but, be honest. ... Usually, reoccurring pain, comes 10 to 15 mins into playing and much of this is because of bad posture. ... Why do athletes bend their knees? ... I'm 66 and play El & Upright with no reoccurring pain concerns because I addressed my posture years ago when I was having issues with pain. ...

 

[TNCreature]

Oh, now you're not an expert!

That's a big topic. I don't know if this is the place for that discussion and I'm not an expert. A good teacher would be the best choice for that.

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

Oh, now you're not an expert!

Ohoh, shots fired!

 

[Matthijs]

There’s no real good solution besides trying out necks, technique, posture food and everything else untill you get it right. Although a consult with a good teacher might give you an answer on posture or technique problems you are not aware of. It wont hurt and is cheaper than a new Lakland. It’s just good to be sure.

If neck shape is indeed the solution to your problem you might also want to have a look at usacg necks. They can make them to very specific measurements. I had them make a copy to the measurements of my old yammie and really liked the result.

 

[fretno]

I would bet most folks have some kind of hand pain as they age . Wear and tear will do that but what works for me is nice long warm ups . Slow n easy working up to speed . I also use a Via hand exerciser in the car on the way to a gig and maybe at the gig a little , nothing crazy just some light use .

 

[aikibass]

Could be wrong - but don't Bunny Brunell models have asymmetric necks?

 

[aikibass]

And...as an aside - as much as I loved a Geddy Lee I had a bunch of years ago, the shaved neck gave my hands cramps all gig long. Never had that problem with any other neck. So, yeah, neck shape can matter

 

[Ron Berenato]

Fret size maybe?
I've been shopping on the Warmouth website and was stumped when asked to indicate fret size. I know there are big and small frets but I have no idea what is standard (I know I can Google it but I am gun-shy about buying a neck I've never played).The wrong frets can add tension from having to press too hard on the fretboard. Am I right? I play a MusicMan Stingray and those frets are fine. Fret size is just something I've never had to think about and I'm in the middle of a PBass build.

 

[mongo2]

Fret size maybe?
I've been shopping on the Warmouth website and was stumped when asked to indicate fret size. I know there are big and small frets but I have no idea what is standard (I know I can Google it but I am gun-shy about buying a neck I've never played).The wrong frets can add tension from having to press too hard on the fretboard. Am I right? I play a MusicMan Stingray and those frets are fine. Fret size is just something I've never had to think about and I'm in the middle of a PBass build.

My favorite fretwire on the fretted Warmoth necks I've used is Dunlop 6105.

 

[NOVAX]

Lot's of ways to skin a cat.

I loathe it when people use this saying. How about: lot's of ways to skin your grandmother?

Not very cool, is it?
Btw Yancey there was 27 pounds of pure Maine coon who would not stand for any attempts at skinning- Butcher beware.
Big cat. Big claws. Big teeth.

Rant over.

 

[hennessybass]

View attachment 3107768

I loathe it when people use this saying. How about: lot's of ways to skin your grandmother?

Not very cool, is it?
Btw Yancey there was 27 pounds of pure Maine coon who would not stand for any attempts at skinning- Butcher beware.
Big cat. Big claws. Big teeth.

Rant over.

HaHa. Just an expression I guess. I don't particularly care for cats, but sorry to offend.

Ever read "The Cat and the Coffee Drinkers" when you were in school??

 

[MITTENDORF]

At least a skinned cat can't jump all over your new car, scratching the hell out of it-because its owners somehow think it's OK to allow "outside cats" to destroy other people's property.

So yes, there IS more than one way to skin a cat. Really!

 

[Solarmist]

I just had Carpel Tunnel surgery done on my left wrist 2 months ago (it's still healing), and 3 discs replaced in 2012 for pinched nerves in my neck which caused excruciating pain all down my left arm ... unbelievable pain! I can truly say it's so much easier playing my thin-necked Ibby SRs than the G&L L2000 (with a neck as wide as an Ibby 5er) I used to have. Neck size is the most important factor for bass purchases - for me anyway.

 

[TjMetalhead]

I just had Carpel Tunnel surgery done on my left wrist 2 months ago (it's still healing), and 3 discs replaced in 2012 for pinched nerves in my neck which caused excruciating pain all down my left arm ... unbelievable pain! I can truly say it's so much easier playing my thin-necked Ibby SRs than the G&L L2000 (with a neck as wide as an Ibby 5er) I used to have. Neck size is the most important factor for bass purchases - for me anyway.

Just change your technique! You can play baseball sized necks in your condition if you just changed your technique! (I'm being sarcastic btw)