Your left, and right, hand fingering probably have more to do with tone, than anything.
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Where Does the Magic Happen for You? Neck, Body, or Guts (electronics)
- Thread starter Bass Ape
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Your left, and right, hand fingering probably have more to do with tone, than anything.
Ergonomics, my favorite topic! It has to be comfortable in all ways: Neck, body, weight. Strings and pickups can always be changed.
I say neck - but clearly it's about the sum of the parts.
Today, I'm returning a bass with a great neck to Guitar Center.
That neck has 24 frets - but angles to 26 frets on the G.
Because it extends so far into the body, all available pickup locations are too close to the bridge.
The EA coil of the neck pickup sounds great, but the DG coil is too twangy.
The bridge pickup is even worse; completely unsuited to the tone I'm after.
Bummer, because it's an amazing bass that I got for a really fantastic price.
Today, I'm returning a bass with a great neck to Guitar Center.
That neck has 24 frets - but angles to 26 frets on the G.
Because it extends so far into the body, all available pickup locations are too close to the bridge.
The EA coil of the neck pickup sounds great, but the DG coil is too twangy.
The bridge pickup is even worse; completely unsuited to the tone I'm after.
Bummer, because it's an amazing bass that I got for a really fantastic price.
Barring some obvious deficiency in one particular area, if any of it matters at all, then all of it matters a little.
I agree with all the folks saying it's a package deal. I even think it's the player and the mastery over their instrument because that's where the magic is felt. That's Carrots.
The original question was, if you only had three options to choose from, which one would take the top spot for you?
The original question was, if you only had three options to choose from, which one would take the top spot for you?
Neck. If it doesn't feel good to my left hand, the rest of the bass is irrelevant. That's the first bar to be passed.
Definitely the neck for setup-ability and resonance!
But the body & electronics are also important links in the chain IME.
If I had to really skimp on something, it would probably be the body.
But the body & electronics are also important links in the chain IME.
If I had to really skimp on something, it would probably be the body.
Neck is most important, that's where most of 'the feel' is for me. Body has to be balanced, but other than that, all good - I have 4 different body shapes among my 6 basses and don't have an issue with any of them. Then electronics/sound.
But agree with the many who have said the 'magic' is the combination, when you're playing a bass and it just feels like it's carved out of one piece of Awesome and every little subtle thing you do immediately comes through the amp. That's the magic for me.
But agree with the many who have said the 'magic' is the combination, when you're playing a bass and it just feels like it's carved out of one piece of Awesome and every little subtle thing you do immediately comes through the amp. That's the magic for me.
I also voted carrots. "Playable" and "sound good" can be mutually exclusive. I have had great sounding basses that were uncomfortable and comfortable basses that were 'blecch'. For me, playability is an equal amount of neck ergonomics, right hand placement options and overall balance (zero neck dive). Sounding good, for me, is an even combination of pickup style (P, J, MM), strings and technique, with a little influence of electronics.
But in reality, we all know it's really the headstock decal..
I voted the neck like most of us.
1. NECK (comfort): Necks have great variability, and finding one that feels comfortable is gold.
2. GUTS (sound): Sound is important of course, but any standard passive bass can sound excellent.
3. BODY (platform): As long as nothing is egregiously wrong with balance, any standard body will do.
1. NECK (comfort): Necks have great variability, and finding one that feels comfortable is gold.
2. GUTS (sound): Sound is important of course, but any standard passive bass can sound excellent.
3. BODY (platform): As long as nothing is egregiously wrong with balance, any standard body will do.
Neck, always first. For me, owning a bass I'm not going to be comfortable playing is pointless.
There's a hierarchy but it's ultimately irrelevant to me. It all matters and I have no need or interest to cut corners.
Obviously it will be a combination of many things that make the magic. The poll was not about, what corners can we cut, but if you were forced to choose one.....
Anything other than the 3 bass options is carrots. And that's a valid answer.
I don't play carrots. (shrug)
All I see there is a question without a reason or cause.
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"All I see there is a question without a reason or cause."
Not sure what nerve was struck here. Why so serious?
I was expecting as many different answers as there are TB members and all of them are right to each. Nobody said anything about playing carrots. It's only an option if the other three are not suitable. If you don't like the questions...
"but it's ultimately irrelevant to me"
...Then why participate in the thread? (That was rhetorical, BTW.)
Not sure what nerve was struck here. Why so serious?
I was expecting as many different answers as there are TB members and all of them are right to each. Nobody said anything about playing carrots. It's only an option if the other three are not suitable. If you don't like the questions...
"but it's ultimately irrelevant to me"
...Then why participate in the thread? (That was rhetorical, BTW.)
While all of the above need to be in whatever unique harmony most suits the end user and most people say the magic is in the neck, I will be contrarian and say "body."
There is just something about when a bass body nestles against me just right. When a body balances the way I like, it can make even a slightly cumbersome neck feel playable. Conversely, a body with a short upper horn that doesn't nestle/balance the way I like can make even the fastest and smoothest neck feel like an effort to carry.
My #1 bass has a body shape that looks uncomfortable, but nestles against me just right and though its neck is chunkier than what I normally like, it feels wonderful in my hands. Attach that neck to a body that doesn't nestle or balance the way I like and it will be a log.
There is just something about when a bass body nestles against me just right. When a body balances the way I like, it can make even a slightly cumbersome neck feel playable. Conversely, a body with a short upper horn that doesn't nestle/balance the way I like can make even the fastest and smoothest neck feel like an effort to carry.
My #1 bass has a body shape that looks uncomfortable, but nestles against me just right and though its neck is chunkier than what I normally like, it feels wonderful in my hands. Attach that neck to a body that doesn't nestle or balance the way I like and it will be a log.
