Calling all graphite neck enthusiasts!

[Beedster]

3 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

 

The Bunker tension-free neck comes to mind. Ibanez had them make the USRG and USATK series with this neck tech, and Bunker has been building guitars and basses with this neck since the 1970's.

They use a construction method where a steel rod holds all the string tension, while a wooden "shell" around it makes for a traditional feeling and playing instrument:

 

 

 

 

That's exactly what I was thinking, albeit I hadn't quite got to the point at which the attachment and truss rod were essentially one and the same. Headless graphite necks could be bought in a limited number of sizes - specifically heel dimensions and nut width - with the headstock shape being an option at point of sale? 

[itu]

Tuners to both sides of the headstock, like 3+1, 2+2, 3+2. I also like the idea, that the strings are inline from bridge to saddle to tuner. Zero fret and string retainer if needed, phosphorescent side dots are a must. I hate front dots/blocks. 

 

I am very bad in designing, that's why links: 

 

https://gb.pinterest.com/b25976y/guitar-headstock/ 

 

https://www.shutterstock.com/gb/search/guitar-headstock 

 

https://www.guitarpedalx.com/news/gpx-blog/the-shape-of-a-guitars-headstock-has-a-significant-impact-on-tuning-stability 

[itu]

Headless may be doable, too. Although not all bodies work well with headless design. 

[Woodinblack]

Could go for an SR5 neck, on the basis that I could just find a body to attach it to easily. 

[Wolverinebass]

@Kiwi, I didn't really have a brand in mind. You've covered the main ones. My view was totally bespoke neck to my own specs. I'd imagine that the Fender and MM necks will be the main thing for most people ordering.

 

I remember playing your graphite necked series 1 Alembic when you gave me a lift to one of the bass Bashes and really liked it.

 

Maybe we're past replacement necks here, but how about full basses a la Stienberger? Status Stealth or Buzzard? Full on one piece instruments? I've probably pushed the boat out too far there.

[Bagman]

6 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

@Kiwi, I didn't really have a brand in mind. You've covered the main ones. My view was totally bespoke neck to my own specs. I'd imagine that the Fender and MM necks will be the main thing for most people ordering.

 

I remember playing your graphite necked series 1 Alembic when you gave me a lift to one of the bass Bashes and really liked it.

 

Maybe we're past replacement necks here, but how about full basses a la Stienberger? Status Stealth or Buzzard? Full on one piece instruments? I've probably pushed the boat out too far there.

there was some talk 24 months ago of Gibson relaunching graphite Steinberger with Ned involved 

 

the reason always given for why no more graphite Steinberger's was cost cost cost 

the second hand , or used, market reflects this - everything I see for L2 or XL-2 is serious coin. 

 

It might not be possible for Steve to "price" into this market 

[Kiwi]

15 hours ago, tauzero said:

Just an idle thought, as it's really the headless that interests me: with the Fender and Stingray necks, could the headstocks be tilted back rather than using the awful original design, so there's no need for string trees?

Yes, a 13-15 degree tilt should possible technically people often find reassurance in things that are normal even if they are sub optimal.  I wouldn't want the neck to look like it had a broken headstock.

 

15 hours ago, Russ said:

I'm intrigued by the idea of some kind of modular setup - the neck itself could be full graphite, and you could have a P, a J, and a couple of 5- and 6-string options with different widths, but then have neck pocket adapters enabling these necks to be bolted onto a range of bodies, and some way to make switchable headstocks or just go headless. The headstock and neck pocket adapter needn't be full carbon fibre, but could use some other strong but easier to mould composite that doesn't require all the same tooling and setup as making bespoke carbon fibre components. Something where the moulds could just be 3D-printed or easily CNC'd.

I toyed many years ago with a latching idea to secure necks to bodies but the devil is in the detail, especially high precision tolerances.   Carbon composite might not work as well as milled aluminium.  How would you deal with differences in string alignment?

 

15 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

The Bunker tension-free neck comes to mind. Ibanez had them make the USRG and USATK series with this neck tech, and Bunker has been building guitars and basses with this neck since the 1970's.

They use a construction method where a steel rod holds all the string tension, while a wooden "shell" around it makes for a traditional feeling and playing instrument:

If it's relying on greater rigidity to reduce the pull of the neck on the string, it might have some similarities to Vigier's 90/10 system as well.  My Pentabuzz has steel rods to achieve a similar outcome (whippy necks make the poly coating on the fingerboard crack) and maybe the neck on my Alembic is over engineering enough to achieve the same outcome.  There's a delicate balance to achieve with graphite necks though, if they are too stiff, they can become brittle sounding without a fingerboard that dampens any unpleasant frequencies.  

 

8 hours ago, Bagman said:

there was some talk 24 months ago of Gibson relaunching graphite Steinberger with Ned involved 

 

the reason always given for why no more graphite Steinberger's was cost cost cost 

the second hand , or used, market reflects this - everything I see for L2 or XL-2 is serious coin. 

 

It might not be possible for Steve to "price" into this market 

I suspect prices have been pushed up by fetishisation amongst collectors.  The same thing is happening to MM Cutlass basses from 1983-84 and Modulus Basstar necked basses from late seventies early eighties.  I'm not sure about Gibson's circumstances but I do remember the moulds for Steinberger stuff were sold off and Ed Roman got his hands on them at one point for his LSR series of instruments.  I wonder whether the tooling up costs for manufacturing vs unknown demand might have not been an attractive enough proposition for them?  Fantastic sounding basses though, oozing warmth and depth - it's no surprise Reggae players favoured them.  And the HAZ Labs eq was nifty as well - frequency centres and Q were absolutely spot on.

 

8 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

Maybe we're past replacement necks here, but how about full basses a la Stienberger? Status Stealth or Buzzard? Full on one piece instruments? I've probably pushed the boat out too far there.

Probably!  😄 An all composite bass would be very satisfying to work on but would definitely be overreaching at this point in time.  Obviously I'm not going to copy other manufacturers of graphite necked instruments either, I have too respect for what they've achieved.

 

OK as Richard Branson said, 'screw it, let's do it'.   I'd like to put a feeler for P bass or J bass out there and see what genuine level of interest there is.  Anyone interested in a p bass neck click here, like wise in a jazz bass go here.  Dimensions will be the same as currently available on Fender(tm) licensed products, so obviously check compatibility with your own instrument but as far as I'm aware 2.5" is a standard Fender bass heel width.  First neck to reach 5 orders or more will be fabricated first.  If both hit five or more then I'll see if arrangements can be made to increase capacity temporarily.  If either or both fail to reach the minimum order inside 30 days then I'll refund deposits.
 

[Russ]

12 hours ago, Kiwi said:

OK as Richard Branson said, 'screw it, let's do it'.   I'd like to put a feeler for P bass or J bass out there and see what genuine level of interest there is.  Anyone interested in a p bass neck click here, like wise in a jazz bass go here.  Dimensions will be the same as currently available on Fender(tm) licensed products, so obviously check compatibility with your own instrument but as far as I'm aware 2.5" is a standard Fender bass heel width.  First neck to reach 5 orders or more will be fabricated first.  If both hit five or more then I'll see if arrangements can be made to increase capacity temporarily.  If either or both fail to reach the minimum order inside 30 days then I'll refund deposits.
 

 

Extremely tempted to put together a bitsa-Jazz just to go with the neck. Any choice of inlays (blocks plz), maybe a 22-fret fingerboard extension? 

[roger]

16 hours ago, Kiwi said:

Yes, a 13-15 degree tilt should possible technically people often find reassurance in things that are normal even if they are sub optimal.  I wouldn't want the neck to look like it had a broken headstock.

 

I toyed many years ago with a latching idea to secure necks to bodies but the devil is in the detail, especially high precision tolerances.   Carbon composite might not work as well as milled aluminium.  How would you deal with differences in string alignment?

 

If it's relying on greater rigidity to reduce the pull of the neck on the string, it might have some similarities to Vigier's 90/10 system as well.  My Pentabuzz has steel rods to achieve a similar outcome (whippy necks make the poly coating on the fingerboard crack) and maybe the neck on my Alembic is over engineering enough to achieve the same outcome.  There's a delicate balance to achieve with graphite necks though, if they are too stiff, they can become brittle sounding without a fingerboard that dampens any unpleasant frequencies.  

 

I suspect prices have been pushed up by fetishisation amongst collectors.  The same thing is happening to MM Cutlass basses from 1983-84 and Modulus Basstar necked basses from late seventies early eighties.  I'm not sure about Gibson's circumstances but I do remember the moulds for Steinberger stuff were sold off and Ed Roman got his hands on them at one point for his LSR series of instruments.  I wonder whether the tooling up costs for manufacturing vs unknown demand might have not been an attractive enough proposition for them?  Fantastic sounding basses though, oozing warmth and depth - it's no surprise Reggae players favoured them.  And the HAZ Labs eq was nifty as well - frequency centres and Q were absolutely spot on.

 

Probably!  😄 An all composite bass would be very satisfying to work on but would definitely be overreaching at this point in time.  Obviously I'm not going to copy other manufacturers of graphite necked instruments either, I have too respect for what they've achieved.

 

OK as Richard Branson said, 'screw it, let's do it'.   I'd like to put a feeler for P bass or J bass out there and see what genuine level of interest there is.  Anyone interested in a p bass neck click here, like wise in a jazz bass go here.  Dimensions will be the same as currently available on Fender(tm) licensed products, so obviously check compatibility with your own instrument but as far as I'm aware 2.5" is a standard Fender bass heel width.  First neck to reach 5 orders or more will be fabricated first.  If both hit five or more then I'll see if arrangements can be made to increase capacity temporarily.  If either or both fail to reach the minimum order inside 30 days then I'll refund deposits.
 

+1 Steinberger, all these years on and it's still groundbreaking, cut short wayyyyy too short too early, stupidly sold my L2 last year! perhaps a 42mm nut with a shallower neck profile and you have perfection IMO, the strap design worked well and wow what sustain, is that because of resin as opposed to graphite? the pure 'mass' of the construction

[BlueMoon]

I may have missed it but is (unlined) fretless being considered in the mix at all?

[matbard]

I would like a narrow nut SR4 neck for my Stingray Retro 76 (3 bolt plate)

[Kiwi]

42 minutes ago, BlueMoon said:

I may have missed it but is (unlined) fretless being considered in the mix at all?

Possible yes, may be able to accommodate it in a batch of five at no extra charge.

[BlueMoon]

1 hour ago, Kiwi said:

Possible yes, may be able to accommodate it in a batch of five at no extra charge.

Great. If this can be arranged……..the I’m in.

[itu]

This may be from my faint memory. Ned Steinberger said in a interview, that he was trying to get rid of ghost notes. He cut a piece from the headstock, and continued it until there was no headstock left. Ghost notes rose to heights they were no more an issue. Headless design was found. 

[Kiwi]

23 hours ago, Russ said:

 

Extremely tempted to put together a bitsa-Jazz just to go with the neck. Any choice of inlays (blocks plz), maybe a 22-fret fingerboard extension? 

Yes, blocks are available for a £30 upcharge, 22 fret fingerboard is no charge.

 

On 15/07/2025 at 01:35, Woodinblack said:

Could go for an SR5 neck, on the basis that I could just find a body to attach it to easily. 

3 hours ago, matbard said:

I would like a narrow nut SR4 neck for my Stingray Retro 76 (3 bolt plate)

I haven't overlooked this interest.  As mentioned, I'm personally tempted by a SR5 neck.  The neck off my preEB could be used for the other mold.  This is very feasible but I have to avoid being stretched in too many directions at once right now.  So if the jazz bass necks don't go ahead, maybe we will try SR5 and SR4 to see what broader interest there might be. 

[BlueMoon]

18 hours ago, Kiwi said:

So if the jazz bass necks don't go ahead, maybe we will try SR5 and SR4 to see what broader interest there might be. 

Colour me interested if a SR4 unlined fretless is a possible consideration.

[Dan Dare]

Why isn't there a "None" option in the questions?

[Jack]

Colour me interested. I always wanted a graphic neck for my various Stingrays, but then I found one with the most amazing neck ever and sort of got over it. I'd either try and get this one recreated for the Ray or I'd buy a standard sized one and build a bitsa around it. 

 

Good work though!

Edited July 17 by Jack

[Kiwi]

3 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

Why isn't there a "None" option in the questions?

I'm not sure what the point of a none option would be when not participating is an option.

[Beedster]

37 minutes ago, Kiwi said:

I'm not sure what the point of a none option would be when not participating is an option.

It would give you an idea of overall percentage of bass players interested which I suspect could be quite useful unless you specifically don’t want to know? Non participating doesn’t help you much….

[Jabba_the_gut]

Stingray 4 would definitely be of interest.

[RaNoFuNkY]

I would be VERY keen on one for a pre-EB so I can finally own a "cutlass". I have played a few from Status (Jazz, Musicman, Musicman with narrow nut). The latter is my favourite, although this is obviously personal preference. I also fine the modulus flea bass neck to be nice. 

 

Any interest in a short scale stingray neck? I would be hugely interested in that.

 

Well done man, this looks great

[Kiwi]

16 hours ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

Stingray 4 would definitely be of interest.

Great, narrow or original nut width?

 

4 hours ago, RaNoFuNkY said:

I would be VERY keen on one for a pre-EB so I can finally own a "cutlass".

This is very much my aspiration, having owned four of them.  I'm not sure how much of the Cutlass sound was due to the less rigid neck though.  I guess we shall see, I'm definitely planning on getting an SR5 neck made for my Classic 5 and then it'll be the closest thing to a 5 string Cutlass out there, with the vintage eq.

[WalMan]

I was looking to build a bitsa with a Status neck just before they stopped producing. I have looked at Klos necks that BassDirect have on occasion, though since in managed to get the Geddy Jazz with a Status neck out of @Beedster’s hands the itch is temporarily satisfied, but I’m sure it’ll be back sometime.

 

something that is a straight drop in for Fender or MM would probably be a preference (itch starting for a P) and I do like the black and graphite weave showing through on my Status necks so would prefer not to lose that

Edited July 20 by WalMan

[itu]

I tried to make a list of necks and options proposed so far. I am not quite sure if all options are available to every neck. I suppose that depends on the interest. 

 

- J (£450) 

- P (£450) 

- MM (£480) 

- MM5 (£480) 

 

- normal nut 

- slim nut 

 

- frets 20/22 

- fretless 

 

- no dots / unlined 

- dots / lined 

- blocks (+£30) 

 

Prices do not include P&P.