Why Do people prefer thinner necks?

[BBox Bass]

Neck thickness is a dealbreaker for my 5'4" frame with hands to match. I went through more basses, guitars, and hours of hand cramps than I care to recall before figuring out that for me, there's no "getting used to" certain necks no matter how much I play on them. Then there was the gender issue. When Daisy Rock guitars first made their appearance, I sneered at the concept of playing female-sized instruments, since I still believed that "real" women musicians would suck it up and play man-sized guitars. Then I tried one last year and changed my mind. Last week I installed some new pickups and it screams. Playing something with a thin neck is not tantamount to wimping out and conforming to all the girl stereotypes I've spent most of my life trying to avoid. IMO, It's all about finding an instrument that one's hands are compatible with.

My favorite bass neck profile is the Ibanez SR. I own 2 5-strings from that series and can play them for hours with no problems. When I had a custom 5-string built, I took an SR neck to the luthier and asked him to duplicate it. He did a beautiful job, which wasn't surprising given that he's had a lot of practice. He told me that many of his customers have asked for thin-necked basses because they weren't comfortable with the size of traditional Fender-style necks.

I also own a Dean Edge 5 and a Schecter Stiletto Deluxe 5, both of which are 35" scale. The Dean's neck is very similar to my SRs; it's another one I can play for hours without problems, though I was skeptical at first since I assumed the scale would give me issues. The Stiletto's is a hair thicker and while it's certainly playable, my arthritic fingers can still tell the difference.

BTW, my thumb usually stays on the back of the neck. It's too short to go much further!

 

[Kwesi]

20 years on guitar is like 40 years on bass.

Lol, I try to keep my guitarist biases to a minimum but stuff like this makes it hard. I'm sure someone has already gone and given this guy a sensible answer though so I'll just hang around for the lulz.

 

[LanEvo]

I'm a big guy and have large hands with long fingers. For whatever reason, I strongly prefer necks that are thin and have narrow string spacing, like my '72 Jazz, Pedulla Buzz, Kawai KRB, and Fernandez Jazz clone.

I generally play fretless basses strung with light gauge, low-tension round wounds. I keep my action low and play with a very light touch. For some reason, pencil-necks just work better for my style.

 

[gnjpowell]

Human nature is to prefer what you are used to. Thinner necks are in general easier to play for those of us with smaller hands.

 

[Antoanto]

Whatever your technique is, a narrower neck means less distance to cover on the freeboard. Depending on your physiology, style and technique this will more or less relevant. I have small hands and I do find narrower neck more comfortable. Thinner neck as well.

 

[Gaolee]

I like big ol' baseball bat sized necks best, but I'm happy playing just about any neck size and configuration.

 

[denchiq]

My pal couldn't play my Ibanez SR5 because of its thin neck. Or, he could, but was very uncomfortable with that. He earns his living by playing bass I must add.
On the other hand, I couldn't cope with the baseball bat of his Warwick Corvette's neck. My fingers and wrist literally began to ache after a few minutes, and I am not overreacting here.
Now, the Lakland 55's necks are wider with their "as on 4-string" spacing and longer with their 35"scale. It took me time to come home with them, but I never had a shade of pain with them in the 3+ years I play them. They are beefy but fast. Maybe it is the multiradius profile that makes them more comfortable to play

The OP is a former/current guitar player, so I may add. ALL FELLOW BASS PLAYERS SHUT YOUR EYES!!! I MEAN NOW!!! I always thought I liked the skinny Ibanez RG necks because they are more "playable". Then by chance I got a japanese inner market Fernandes STJ120 Limited Edition which, I reckon, is a "lawsuit copy" of the late eighties Jackson Soloist (probably made by the same hands that made japanese Jacksons of the time too) with a beefier, more round neck, and... it just does it! I haven't played lots of guitars, maybe a few dozen, but this neck SUDDENLY! is the guitar neck that does it for me

to each his own, should I conclude?

 

[Ironderby]

Isn't this obvious? people can move faster up and down

 

[denchiq]

Isn't this obvious? people can move faster up and down

careful! we have minors here

 

[teleharmonium]

I usually tend to have strong preferences about instrument design choices, but when it comes to neck profiles I like them thick, thin, and in between. It all depends on the specific instrument. The only thing I don't like is when the board is narrow. I need some space. I've played J basses, Mosrite basses, and some older Japanese basses that didn't work for me. But Hofners usually seem OK even though they look narrow ? Radius probably factors into it as well.

With a thin neck I feel like I am reaching easier and able to hover over the board in a way that would allow me to play more complex stuff if I needed to. With a thicker neck I think I have more stamina in the left hand and maybe I find it a little easier to forget about the mechanics of playing and just do it.

I don't think the tonal difference is especially significant. It's not going to be so much that you couldn't override it by varying where you are playing with your right hand. And I have never not had enough sustain on any of my instruments. So those factors, while I don't deny their existence, wouldn't change a preference for a neck.

 

[Ironderby]

careful! we have minors here

Exactly, they'll have smaller hands too. God i sound like a paedophile.

 

[Nobody]

I smashed the tip(20% of it according to the doctor) of my left thumb off in an industrial accident. Thinner necks are less painful for me to play. "Good technique" won't bring back my thumb tip. I know, no pic no missing thumb tip. I will post a pic when I have more time. Why does it matter anyway if some people prefer thinner necks?

 

[kcole4001]

............ Why does it matter anyway if some people prefer thinner necks?

It doesn't matter.
At all.

 

[metron]

I don't like thin necks actually, my left hand cramps up faster on them. Plus they don't sound as good IMO.

Nonsense

 

[Nobody]

Bump for added pics(see my post above) of my painful thumb that makes me prefer thinner necks!

 

[KillianRussell]

I like a thinner Jazz type neck because in real life (although online I am six foot three) because I am not a big dude with small hands and a smaller brain.

 

[lucas vigor]

I can't stand my fender jazz any more. After years of playing upright, all I can handle in a 4 string is a P-Bass "baseball bat"...and I love wide 5 strings only. Bigger the better! I wish I could find someone locally that wanted to buy my jazz. I never use it any more.

 

[TAZ]

I never, ever, never, ever, touch a thick neck. Always thin Jazz necks (1.5" at the nut too).

Until... I bought a bass on-line that had the fat, fat, fat and wide (1.75" at the nut). I was so disappointed when I received it that I was just going to flip it asap.

I played it for a week at rehearsals and at a gig. I'm a small guy and the neck fills my palm and it is wonderfully comfortable.

Long story short... it takes all kinds and as for me, I sold my other basses and replaced them with extra fat Precision Bass type necks.

 

[TinIndian]

Yep, I always played thinner jazz necks with the narrow nut. When I switched to 5 strings I have found when I go back and play a 4, I prefer a wider P style neck. Just seems more comfy now.

 

[spade2you]

Lol, I try to keep my guitarist biases to a minimum but stuff like this makes it hard. I'm sure someone has already gone and given this guy a sensible answer though so I'll just hang around for the lulz.

LOL, I'm sure the mods aren't always fond of my antics, especially my usual rhetoric of Warwicks, growl, the low C, as well as SX basses being $11 and playing better than Fedoras.......

Having been a musician off and on for a while, it's not too hard to sift through people who put time and thought into their choice of specs, people who think they know it all after playing a handful of basses, people who haven't devoted more than 5 minutes to good ergonomic technique, etc. Some of my old rock star instructional VHS tapes (yes, old) had horrific technique and that's what they were supposed to be teaching us. Well, they weren't all bad, the Gary Willis one showed me I needed to undo a lot of things!

Like anything else, there are plenty of people who focus on looking cool only and throw ergonomics out the window. Working harder to accomplish the same task is simply not my style. Some call it lazy, others efficiency. Still, there are several famous bassists that could give me tendinitis just watching them.

That being said, the thumb overwrap is why a lot of folks tend to hate thin neck profiles and perhaps 5-6+ string bass. With good technique and a reasonably ergonomic bass, neck profile isn't nearly as dramatic, although I still hate hard V necks because they seem to want my hand to wrap my thumb around the neck. There are a few exceptions, but after a while, players with certain techniques gravitate to certain basses.