Bass ergonomics question

[mhoss32]

Hello all

im in the process of drawing up some plans for a new project and am running into the sticky issue of ergonomics

it may be that there is no hard-and-fast answer to this, but it would be good to get some opinions

the question is about the shape of the front of a bass body

 

a good example is Wal, here are examples of their mk1 and mk3:

 

 

the Mk1 has a straight carve out of the upper edge, the MK3 has a rounded carve out

 

is either of these specifically preferable? and if so why? would be very interested to see which people prefer from a comfort standpoint

 

 

[neepheid]

I prefer the first one - more flexibility for positioning your forearm.  I would worry that the second one is much more prescribed and you have to keep your forearm where the carve is - either side of it and you're actually going to be resting on a perceived hump/point.

[fretmeister]

First one in general.

The second one might be amazing when sitting but crap when standing and so on. It might be comfy for a fewer amount of people.

[itu]

Depending on the body proportions and the strap length, the first one is much more universal. Here I would say, more carve is better, but I have had issues with my hands. If the player sets the bass very low, the carve is nearly useless. 

[PaulThePlug]

Ergonomics... Ibanez SR