What neck shape in more comfortable?

[lefty007]

This poll mostly applies to 4-string basses, but you are welcome to participate if you play 4+ strings basses as well. . .



I'm very sensitive to neck shapes, and I'm wondering what is the general opinion about the relationship between neck shape and comfort.

I like narrow-width necks, like a Jazz bass, but I don't like them too thin front-to-back, or I'll get cramps. Initially, thin necks seems to be really fast a comfy, but after a few songs, it does not feel that comfortable.

I've heard similar complaints from some players that have, for exmaple, a Geddy Lee Jazz bass, because the neck is very thin front-to-back.

I like some chunky necks, like those in many older P-Basses, but the combination of the chunkiness with the extra nut width (in comparison to a Jazz) is a bit too much sometimes.

So, in general, what's your preference for comfort?

 

[Groover]

Same thing for me. I find the narrow nut, but deeper neck feels the best. My '74 rosewood jazz is exactly that.

 

[Baa]

I find that the combination wide nut/thin neck works best for me. Since i hurt my wrist at work i found that chunky necks made it more static, and on WN/TN i have to flex it more, and it does´nt stiffen up.

 

[ibnzneksrul]

I'm partial to the thinner Ibanez type necks.

Jazz necks are too narrow at the nut.

My MM stingray neck was a little too thick for my taste.

 

[thumbin]

Love my thumbs neck... extremly wide and flat

 

[MAJOR METAL]

I prefer wider but no thicker and got to keep the profile and fingerboard as flat as possible !

 

[vtwo]

I picked wide nut/thin front-back but both of my basses have narrow nuts and thin front-back. It's not as important as other aspects of the bass I suppose. <- to me at least

 

[Fealach]

Tobias or MTD asymmetrical necks. Nothing better.

 

[moro]

Hm. I'm surprised by the results so far. I would have thought that the Jazz profile would be the most popular. I figure that's why Sadowsky is putting Jazz necks on their P/J Metros.

Not just Sadowsky--I hear about people putting Jazz necks on P basses a lot more than people putting P necks on Jazz basses.

 

[blackbassist]

wide nut/thin neck
i've got fairly long fingers so i dont really like a narrow board.
but i dont like the neck itself to feel like a lamp post

 

[anonymous278347457]

I don't like things too thin front to back either, not on bass atleast. For guitar, anything that is thin both ways is awesome.

 

[BartmanPDX]

I'm going to be in the minority, but I like a narrow nut, with a thick neck. I really liked my Lakland DJ5, but the neck seemed too thin front to back, and my hand would cramp up after a while.

 

[Thunder_Fingers]

I like my custom bass neck, a little wide and a little thin, but i love the chunky 70's

 

[Figjam]

Not sure. thin nut.. medium depth? Sterling ish? heh, the geddy is a bit small, I like a little more shoulder.

 

[lefty007]

Not sure. thin nut.. medium depth? Sterling ish? heh, the geddy is a bit small, I like a little more shoulder.

You are right, Figjam, a Sterling is medium depth.

The question/poll was prompted because I was comparing the necks of some basses I have right now.

I have two American Jazz Deluxes. One has a very thin neck; the other has a very rounded and thick neck.

The Sterling is right in between. Then I tried an MIA P that had a thin neck, but P-width, obviouly. . . didn't like that for sure.
I actually stopped playing 5-strings because at the end of the day they all seemed too wide for me, and the narrow string spacing in some felt too cramped.

I have mixed feeling about what I like, hence the poll.

I seem to like thicker necks - one of the ADJ has a really thick neck, almost like a '70s P-Bass (but with Jazz nut, of course), but it feels good.

 

[SuperSnake2012]

I have a 70's P and the neck is sometimes too much for me to handle for faster songs... I do love the jazz bass profile though.

 

[X Wolf]

I prefer the nut @ 1.52" and the back of the neck to be a "C" shape with a little more than medium depth eg: Slightly chunky and a 7.25" radius fretboard with the edges of the board and fret ends rolled profusely.

George

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

I prefer the nut @ 1.52" and the back of the neck to be a "C" shape with a little more than medium depth eg: Slightly chunky and a 7.25" radius fretboard with the edges of the board and fret ends rolled profusely.

George

Pretty much +1 to all of the above. I don't know if I have it down to the hundredths of an inch like you do (generally, I like the 1.5" width though, plus or minus a few hundredths is OK). I also like the C shape and I LOVE the 7.25" radius. I don't know why, but that shape is just so easy for me to play.

 

[spudmaster34]

big and fat, obese in fact

 

[DaBassman]

MTD Kingston necks!!!!!!!!