Why you prefer a wide neck?

[PennyroyalWe]

Have pretty short fingers, and what I’ve found to be more important than neck width is the neck thickness (fretboard to back of neck). The p bass width is hardly noticeable on my Defretted p bass because the neck is thinner without the frets. On jazz necks, I notice the tapering of the neck width more, and that throws me off more often than a p being too wide.

 

[HardNHeavy]

love the speed of a jazz neck, but the comfort and relaxed feel of the P. The hand isn't as cramped together playing the ole' p neck

 

[DanAdams]

I prefer wide string spacing because it makes my fingers happy.

 

[lowendrachel]

I got small hands but when in high-school when people say bass to me means bigger than guitar. So precision = bass

Also to me. I think it's easier to play.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

I'm a big man with big meaty paws.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't care either way, to be honest. I have thin necks, I have wide...I prefer thinner overall but I really don't care. You can get used to anything.

 

[Tom Gallo]

I don't like wide necks. Rickenbacker necks used to be narrower and a bit chunkier. Now they're C width, which is a pain in my rear end.

 

[sharkbait130]

I have a couple of basses with 1.50 nuts and a couple with 1.67 (1.63? not sure , both standard P Basses.) I prefer the wider ones for performing. Just a bit more wiggle room I guess. I don't particularly care for 1.75 necks but if someone throws one in my hand it's no big deal.

 

[75Ric]

I can play either, but my preference is the wider p-bass neck. I think it's because I've been playing that style neck for so long, it's just very comfortable for me to play. My hands aren't large and I don't have long fingers, just average. Several years ago I wanted to learn to play finger-style guitar, mostly delta and Texas blues on an acoustic 6-string. When I went shopping for a guitar, I found it very difficult to adjust to the to thinner necks on a 6-string. When I came across a 6-string that had a 1.75" neck and a volute, I said, "Oh yeah, this'll do."

 

[Diminishedfilth]

Because I inherited my Grandpa's
sausage fingers.

 

[Chad Michael]

"Bass" - stringed instruments invite multiple techniques for both the plucking fingers and 'fretting' fingers....

Mine like real estate. You do you. It is ok, just make music.

 

[rllefebv]

I get along with most standard nut-widths without even noticing (unless it's at the extreme, like the early thin VOX necks)... Like a few others, neck depth is where I have the preference. I tend to like chunkier necks, although both my Guild Starfire and Serek MW2 are examples of thinner, comfortable necks that I like as well.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Some background to my question. I have a jazz, a P, and a JMJ Mustang. I had been favoring the jazz and mustang lately as I’m trying to learn some busy songs that involve some stretching and lots of fast string skipping. But I dusted off the P last week and I have to admit it’s comfort in weight, non offset body, simple controls and that tone! The neck isn’t as fast but it’s comfortable in a different kinda way.
Let’s hear your reasons why you prefer a wider neck?

I don’t know. I can get up and down the fingerboard pretty fast on my PB. Let me clarify, I
never had to play a piece of music that would require me to play a different bass because the bass was slowing me down.

 

[Wolfhound32]

First it's important to define what you mean by "thick" and/or "wide."

To me the thickness of a neck is measured from the front of the fingerboard to the back of the neck.
Width is the distance between the edges of the fingerboard.

Today, people get all bent out of shape over 1/8 of an inch; "this Jazz bass feels great-- narrow and fast!" Then they pick up a modern P bass and say, "it's just too darn thick!" (when they mean wide).
Fender necks (as a baseline) over the past 10-years or so (in general):
- Jazz width 1.5"
- P-bass width 1 5/8"
Thickness is usually the same "modern 'C' shape."

The same statements in the 70s and early 80s made a little more sense (in general):
- J = 1.5"
- P = 1.75"
Then, the difference being twice as much at 1/4." The thickness of the neck was quite different, with the P usually having more meat to it. Today, you are hard pressed to find a neck as large as you could back then-- I've looked!

Today there are so many different companies with super narrow/thin necks that the baselines get blurred-- what is thick/narrow now?

To answer the OP's question, I like wide, thick necks and 4 strings. Having large hands is probably the main reason. The smaller the neck the more difficult it is for my hands to move around on it-- my fingers just don't have much room to move about comfortably. Compounded by the fact that as I'm getting older, I get to enjoy the challenges of arthritis

Personally, the modern neck shapes I've found to be the most comfortable are on the Stingray (more specifically the Classic models, but the Specials are nice too), and some Rickenbackers (which tend to vary greatly from instrument to instrument).

A few months ago I picked up an Ibanez that looked really nice, but the thing had the narrowest, thinnest neck I've ever encountered! Too bad, because it was super lightweight, had a great candy red finish and the control layout was very nice. Sadly my fingers just got tied in knots trying to play a basic Stax tune.

Boy, that reply was a lot longer than anticipated-- sorry 'bout that!

 

[And I]

i play 5ers, so i like a tapered neck. it's wider than a 4, sure, but less wide at the nut than it is at the 12th fret, fo sho. and when we get to the bridge, i'm accustomed to 19mm spacing and even 18mm is uncomfortable for me and would require a lot of getting used to in order to have all my "chops" available.

 

[slagheap]

Currently loving my 1.75 wide and thin P neck, I find the extra room nice for playing chords. I like J necks, too. I'm adaptable.

 

[sikamikanico]

I find that I prefer necks that are wide and thin/shallow at the nut. I always thought it was the string spacing, but I realized I’m just fine with narrow 5 string necks. I also prefer classical guitars to acoustic/electric guitars. I think wide and thin necks nudge me to play more correctly, and I find them more comfortable that way too...With narrower and rounder necks, I think I play more sloppily, and find it harder/less comfortable to play correctly.

But spacing is critical at the bridge end. I need 19 or 20 mm, otherwise my fingers make a knot

 

[JoeDoe]

With hands on the larger size I love some meat on the bone. Jazz widths feel too cramped.

I like a thick, wide neck because I can keep my fingers straighter (less arched) so I get less cramping and fatigue.

I prefer wide string spacing because it makes my fingers happy.

What they said!

 

[2112]

I own a mess of basses with varying neck widths. I reckon my favorite necks are my USA Geddy Jazzes. Even so, I don't have a strong preference for any of them over the others. I mean, even with my small hands (and fingers like tuna cans), a difference of 0.25" or whatever at the nut just doesn't seem to make much difference in playability to me. I just pick it up and play.

Now... this might be more of an issue with 5's and 6's because of my small hands (and fingers like tuna cans)... but I don't play those so I wouldn't know.

 

[Mastermold]

I don't care either way, to be honest. I have thin necks, I have wide...I prefer thinner overall but I really don't care. You can get used to anything.

Yeah that's my experience and I play all kinds of basses with different scale necks too. The differences in neck widths are so small on a 4 string bass, literally fractions of an inch. Doesn't take long to get comfy.