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No don't apologise, what I meant was your not alone in wondering this. I have had this conversation many times in the past and it is just incredibly annoying that there isn't an option on a Jazz when it would be relatively simple to do. I have big hands and I struggle with jazz necks when playing down by the nut, my hand actually cramps quite badly, which is weird because it has never happened on massive necks like on my 5 string. If it is your dream bass I strongly suggest a parts bass like Beedster says. A guitarist I know has two Warmoth parts Strats and the build quality is incredible. One has a roasted figured neck and its a dream, and the whole build with hardware came in under 1k. Get the bits and even send them off to a great guitar tech to be assembled and finished. One day I will do it, but for now I might just have to settle for a P neck on my Harley Benton Jazz.

You are not the first person to ask this question and you wont be the last. I have been asking the question myself over the past couple of years since I moved back to mainly playing a 4 string basses. Jaco used to put a precision neck on his jazz for practice, there is a picture of it somewhere on the tinterweb. I think that most companies presume that a thin neck is faster/easier to play, which is why they offer the Precision sound with the 'easier to play' neck of a Jazz, and not the other way round. You can pick up the odd PJ Fender with a Precision nut width but they are hard to find and usually special editions. It is daft to me but maybe we are in the minority and it isn't worth big companies offering it as an option. Although I don't see how it makes any difference as the necks are mostly interchangeable anyway. I looked into it and came to the conclusion I would need to put together a bitsa bass or spend a lot of money and buy a custom built bass. I presume Fender CS would do it if you threw enough money at them, and I would hope most other custom builders could do the same.

A good friend of mine picked up an Ashdown electric blue combo for £100 a couple of weeks ago. I have it until he’s back in the country and it’s bloody brilliant! Heavy, solid, big sound, sub harmonic button is great fun and the compressor is suprisingly good. I jam along to songs on YouTube with my Bluetooth speaker, great option when I don’t fancy headphones with my laptop.

Congrats, beautiful bass. I have had so many moments where I nearly bought a secondhand Sei but something has always got in the way or I was just too late. One day.....

What a phenomenal rhythm section, awesome stuff. I watched a video of Nate Smith playing with one stick the other day, he was still twice as tasteful and in the groove than most drummers I have met. What a talent.

Local Facebook groups and probably going to a regular open mic night and meeting people. There tends to be a lot of musicians there playing and watching and if you get up for a Jam you never know who you mights chat to that needs a bass player at some point.

If you are used to EBS and have been happy with the sound go and try the big Reidmar head. I had one for a couple of years and it sadly got stolen. I had the lower powered head they made originally and it was massively loud and kicked like a mule, I never had to push it with my EBS 410. I replaced it with a Aguilar Tonehammer just because I fancied a change, and that has been an incredibly solid and reliable head. You can give it a vintage vibe or go super clean with it, it’s a great head and very light. If you have a good chunk to spend I would take look at the Vanderkley Spartan too.

Well I saw him last night and whilst I knew a lot of the stories from his book and a couple of YouTube vids over the years, it was a pure joy to watch him tell them in person. He seemed so incredibly humbled by the fact people had paid to go and see him talk and seemed to bit a little nervous to start but really warmed up when he realised how much everyone was loving the show. Said hello, shook his hand and said thanks for being a big influence and got my very old copy of his book signed. One big tick off my list. As a funny side note, the venue he was playing and the Diner next door were owned by Keith Allen. Having seen him on TV and being a cult figure amongst me and friend for his appearance in Twin Town, it was really strange to have him bring me dinner and then see him singing vindaloo with Guy at the end of the night. Good times!

If I was looking for a 5 string to cover multiple situations and had a few pounds for a more ‘boutique’ bass I would be looking at the following brands: lakland USA (although the skylines are excellent too for a lot less), GB basses Spitfire 5, Moollon 5 string Jazz, Sei Jazz 5, Overwater Basses and Sadowsky. I have had experience with all but the Moollon and you won’t go wrong with any of them it just depends on personal preference. If I had a massive budget I would be trying to find a Tom Stenback or a Fodera to try out but your talking big bucks.

This Friday is in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He does them fairly often but never really a tour, just odd shows here and there.

There are some really interesting bits in Guy's book. The one that took me by surprise was that he wrote the music and even appeared in an episode of, A young persons guide to becoming a rockstar. It was a comedy series on Channel 4 years ago and it is available in full on 4 on demand. I thought it was brilliant when I was younger and recently re-watched it and it was still very amusing. Guy plays an A&R man along with Keith Allen (who he also wrote Vindaloo with). I'm going to see Guy's show on Friday, cant wait and hoping to get my book signed at the very least.

It’s crap they didn’t give you a straight response one way or another after the first email, but seeing as it doesn’t appear on either the U.K. or Japanese Ibanez website yet, I’m not surprised they didn’t give you any information on the spec and price.

I have a sunburst Harley Benton Fretless Jazz that I want a maple Precision neck for, coincidentally a bit like Jaco used to do with his jazz.

I have always had a slight struggle with Jazz width necks but I have no doubt that I would get used to it. I do wish there were a few more 4 string options with fatter necks and I wish just once Fender would make a Jazz with a Precision neck rather than it always being the other way around. One of the most comfortable necks I have played was a 44mm 50s precision, such a lovely shape. I was used to playing 5 strings though so it didn’t feel that big at the time.

I went to 5 strings exclusively about 7-8 years ago. I occasionally bought a 4 string because I liked the look of it but they quickly got sold because of the lack of use. About 18 months ago I had some financial issues, sold all my expensive kit and happily kept playing with some squier 5 strings which were superb. I wanted something a bit more ‘professional’ and got serious GAS for a Stingray and because I couldn’t get on with the 5 string I had years ago I went for a 4 and have been playing it almost exclusively since. There is the odd song where I think it would be a lot easier on a 5, but in general It hasn’t bothered me or caused me any issues, plus I have a cheap 5 still if I need it. Part of my reasoning was that I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable on a 4 string, I had picked up a few over the years and just felt lost and disorientated on them. Now I feel comfortable in both, and if the right bass came along, or new project that needed it, I may switch to 5 full time again.

Yes Scott plays a Moollon, they are custom order basses from Korea I think and don’t show up very often. They are made to be really close to Pre CBS Fenders and there is some high praise out there for them. You would probably need to track down a Moollon owner on here to try one.

That’s the one! I couldn’t find it anywhere last night. Cool bass

Have you had a look at Moollon? I have noticed a lot of players with them on the internet and all really positive reviews. A few guys say they are as good if not better than the Pino. The headstocks can be a bit ‘marmite’ though. Search for them on Instagram if you have it. There is a trans white Lakland on here that I would seriously consider if I was looking for P bass too, the USA basses are insanely good.

Sadly I have never made it to the shop in all the years I have been playing. I’m not a frequent visitor to London but next time I am there I am making a special pilgrimage. I really respect you coming on here and having a presence and opening yourselves up to criticism as well as all of the compliments. Good customer service is as much about resolving issues, as it is providing faultless service from the start, in my opinion. Well done on the Instagram too, lots of lovely basses!

Yeah I would, I mentioned earlier that I have played a superb example, actually two come to mention it. I thought it was an incredibly well made, very playable and resonant instrument. At £1000 it’s a brilliant bass especially if you get the case and all the case candy. Try it and inspect it though as we all know the big companies let a few Friday afternoon basses through the doors on occasion.

I saw and incredible looking Maruszczyk precision somewhere secondhand for about £700, it was black with tort guard, very classy. They are seriously good and the necks and fretwork are amazing.

If you think there is a chance you could change your mind and end up selling this bass, my suggestion would be to avoid anything from a small boutique builder unless you can buy secondhand. It will be and incredible instrument but there is a very good chance you will take a big hit on it if you decide to sell. I have seen stunning custom built uk basses go for silly money secondhand. I tried a 63 Precision and it was a superb instrument, finish, feel and resonance where amazing but it’s Fender and I could have just played a good one. The same goes for Fender CS stuff, everything I have played by the CS has been incredible but others have played duds. The only saving grace with Fender is that if you buy secondhand you don’t often loose money in my experience. In fact I sold one for more than I paid on eBay once. Go and try them if you have a chance and you might find a stunning Fender CS.

At last nights rehearsal our guitarist brought along his latest acquisition, a new Suhr Strat. Apart from looking stunning, finished in a nice trans seafoam green, it was perfectly finished and the neck was nothing short of breathtaking. It was resonant, rounded fretboard and impeccable fret work. It got me thinking, if the guitars are this good, surely that must cross over to their basses? I did a quick search and a couple have popped up for sale here but they don’t seem common. Are there many owners on here who can help convince me to sell my MusicMan and get one? What are the necks like, super slim jazz or a bit more of a handful like on the 60s type jazzes?

I have been keeping an eye out for HB basses secondhand but had the same thought, I then have a fretless neck on another body that won’t get used very much taking up room. I could have worse problems though. 😄

That’s really interesting about the neck pockets and now I’m googling replacement necks 😄. Just need to keep an eye out for something solid but inexpensive, I don’t really want to be paying warmoth prices.