BTS_Spacebass Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hey guys, I'm considering a graphite neck for a new bass i'm purchasing. I have checked with status and they won't make it so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for somewhere I could put a custom order in. Thanks T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='BTS_Spacebass' post='1103037' date='Jan 26 2011, 12:30 AM']Hey guys, I'm considering a graphite neck for a new bass i'm purchasing. I have checked with status and they won't make it so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for somewhere I could put a custom order in.[/quote] The only 'neck only' company that springs to mind is Moses but they're based in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Yes, these are very specialised items, not typically the sort of thing you can get custom made off the bat like you would a wooden neck. They are made from moulds, where graphite fibres are laid up to form the shape of the neck. The moulds are extremely expensive to make, hence why Status, Moses, Modulus, Zon et al don't do custom neck profiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTS_Spacebass Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Interesting, didn't really think about the manufacture and how costly that would make things. Cheers for the heads up. The moses website is quite interesting too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='BTS_Spacebass' post='1103066' date='Jan 26 2011, 01:03 AM']Interesting, didn't really think about the manufacture and how costly that would make things. Cheers for the heads up. The moses website is quite interesting too[/quote] Yep. But at $700 for a neck I didn't stay long enough to get [b]that[/b] interested... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='BTS_Spacebass' post='1103066' date='Jan 26 2011, 01:03 AM']Interesting, didn't really think about the manufacture and how costly that would make things. Cheers for the heads up. The moses website is quite interesting too[/quote] Well, I quite like Moses necks, but back in the day they had a reputation for being poor quality and a lot of US customers were less than impressed. By all accounts, I think they've gotten better these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Talk to Simon Farmer at GUS Guitars, a very helpful chap but I'd be surprised if you got much change out of 600 quid. He will also prefer to lay the layers on top of a wooden (typically cedar) form rather than make a mold. Its a cheaper approach for one offs. He can do a mold for you if you want a monocoque (hollow) neck but its extremely expensive for one neck. [url="http://www.gusguitars.com/news.php?news_id=29"]http://www.gusguitars.com/news.php?news_id=29[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='Chris2112' post='1103092' date='Jan 26 2011, 02:09 AM']Well, I quite like Moses necks, but back in the day they had a reputation for being poor quality and a lot of US customers were less than impressed. By all accounts, I think they've gotten better these days.[/quote] I'd guess that, being a relatively new technology, they were making it up as they went along with what materials were available. I suspect that things are a lot different these days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Calling EBS_Freak and his tales of carbon neck troubles recently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='Chris2112' post='1103092' date='Jan 26 2011, 02:09 AM']Well, I quite like Moses necks, but back in the day they had a reputation for being poor quality and a lot of US customers were less than impressed. By all accounts, I think they've gotten better these days.[/quote] Moses just designed their necks differently to other manufacturers. I didn't like the one I had on my custom jaydee jazz bass because it lacked rigidity and moved around with temperature extremes. But moses never designed those necks to be like other graphite necks, they were designed to more like wood. Their steinberger necks are pretty damn good - very rigid, warm and not brittle sounding in the slightest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1103144' date='Jan 26 2011, 07:49 AM']Calling EBS_Freak and his tales of carbon neck troubles recently [/quote] Oh! He meant a bass neck ... I knew that really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='icastle' post='1103108' date='Jan 26 2011, 04:44 AM']I'd guess that, being a relatively new technology, they were making it up as they went along with what materials were available. I suspect that things are a lot different these days... [/quote] It was more quality control issues than anything that people seemed to complain about, silly things like the screw holes on the neck not matching up with the bass making it impossible to fit, or the screw holes being poorly done with stripped threads. When people got on with them, they seemed to be very positive about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1103144' date='Jan 26 2011, 07:49 AM']Calling EBS_Freak and his tales of carbon neck troubles recently [/quote] I missed this - link please someone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeCee Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='Chris2112' post='1103648' date='Jan 26 2011, 08:55 AM']It was more quality control issues than anything that people seemed to complain about, silly things like the screw holes on the neck not matching up with the bass making it impossible to fit, or the screw holes being poorly done with stripped threads. When people got on with them, they seemed to be very positive about them.[/quote] Their customer service is or was pretty bad too. I had asked Moses to build me a custom neck patterned after a Jaydee MK that I was going to ask John Diggins to use in a custom build. After about a year they still had not started and would not return phone calls or e-mails asking for an update on the project. They did eventually refund me the money and with a few extra dollars for interest, after I had started a Talkbass thread moaning about their non-responsiveness, but frankly I would rather have had the neck as I was really intrigued by the idea of a Jaydee with a graphite neck. To their credit, they were open to the idea of a one-off build. I had asked Rob Green at Status Graphite if he would be interested, but he would have needed to make a mould which would have cost thousands and was cost-prohibitive. As CK has indicated, their standard jazz necks do shift with changes in ambient temperature, which to me rather defeats the point of a graphite neck in the first place. Oh and the one I had was fabricated with the truss rod access at the body end so you had to take the neck off every time you needed to adjust the truss rod as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='RhysP' post='1103698' date='Jan 26 2011, 02:17 PM']I missed this - link please someone?[/quote] I'm not sure his wounds have healed enough yet to tell all but the basic jist is that a bolt on status neck is not quite as simple as it sounds! All in good time and I'm sure once it's all sorted he will do a detailed build thread, it should be a belter in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote name='GeeCee' post='1103764' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:54 PM']Their customer service is or was pretty bad too.[/quote] Yeah I remember something similar at the time I ordered the jazz neck. It took three months to arrive after three separate claims they'd loaded it onto a container to the UK with other stuff. The UK distributor was really apologetic and didn't know what on earth they were playing at. I got a free t-shirt by way of recognition I'd been dicked around which was kind of him. Moses eventually claimed they'd been moving facilities at the time but that didn't really explain why it took three months. [quote name='GeeCee' post='1103764' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:54 PM']As CK has indicated, their standard jazz necks do shift with changes in ambient temperature, which to me rather defeats the point of a graphite neck in the first place. Oh and the one I had was fabricated with the truss rod access at the body end so you had to take the neck off every time you needed to adjust the truss rod as well.[/quote] I encountered the same truss rod access issue too because it was hidden under a fingerboard extension...you'd imagine their design QC would have picked that up before the neck went into production... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmshaw37 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I could make you one - exactly to your spec! Would set you back around £600 for one, but about £70 for each one after that! And that's before the hours of labour that go into it! Hence why I wouldn't personally pay that amount! With current composite costings on time you'd be looking at £1200 for the first one and £300 each one after that! This is assuming you have a neck to take a mould off! If not, add another £500! I've never made a composite neck before but as a composite laminator, that is your costings through a normal high end pre preg firm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Be aware that it's not a straight forward process. You might have a few failures before hitting the right balance between rigidity and sound. It took Status YEARS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1104646' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:00 AM']Be aware that it's not a straight forward process. You might have a few failures before hitting the right balance between rigidity and sound. It took Status YEARS.[/quote] GMT stuff is particularly known for having "flaws" in the graphite weave, though I have seen Status basses with irregularities too. Doesn't really make a difference to the bass though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Unless the recipe of the phenolic fingerboard resin was wrong and it didn't give the necks enough stiffness. Rob Greens approach to neck construction been trialled and tested over 20 years to help tune the necks and make them sound better. Graphite necks need VERY selective dampening to sound good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I think Rob's design was at it's peak in the 80's, when the graphite necks were a "paddle" design with wooden wings attached. They sounded incredible, and after he shortened the neck design it was never as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 [quote name='Chris2112' post='1104997' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:10 PM']I think Rob's design was at it's peak in the 80's, when the graphite necks were a "paddle" design with wooden wings attached. They sounded incredible, and after he shortened the neck design it was never as good.[/quote] I think they're better now, but then you know that already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 [quote name='Chris2112' post='1104997' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:10 PM']I think Rob's design was at it's peak in the 80's, when the graphite necks were a "paddle" design with wooden wings attached. They sounded incredible, and after he shortened the neck design it was never as good.[/quote] They make Status basses with wood in them? Well what's the world coming to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 [quote name='martthebass' post='1105386' date='Jan 27 2011, 06:33 PM']They make Status basses with wood in them? Well what's the world coming to [/quote] I'm sure my old Stealth 6 string was built around a wooden frame. Not that I could split it open to see, mind. That was one hell of a bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 That'll be one of the Series 1 Stealth models using an MDF core A little heavy compared to the Series II design which used epoxy foam in the core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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