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Skinny Necks?


BigAlonBass
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I have read a lot of the guys on here saying that the necks on various Basses are "too thin" for them. My problem is very different. I have fairly thin and shortish fingers, and to top it all, I am looking at even more operations to replace my thumb/finger joints through arthritis. :) I am starting to find the Precision neck a bit of a painful stretch on some numbers, but I can't imagine NOT playing in the future. With this in mind, what Basses have you come across where you find the necks too thin/skinny for you to comfortably play? The thinner the better as far as I'm concerned, so I have a chance of reaching all the frets in my dotage! :huh:
All comments welcomed.

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[quote name='Stewart' post='82013' date='Nov 1 2007, 12:17 AM']That'll be any Ibanez SR/SRX (or of course a DWB3, like the one I have up for sale :) )[/quote]

+1 on Ibby SoundGear necks - I played an SR800 for years, neck like a matchstick! I have pretty big hands & lately have gravitated towards wider fingerboards, though.

Jon.

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Jazz is the obvious answer. Thin necks like fat pencils. I think you need to work out your ideal nut width (precision 42mm Jazz 38mm) and then whether you can live with a semicircular (like half a circle) or more of a c section (which normally means shorter front to back than side to side but as you can see already is entirely dependant on font!). If you cant find what you want off the shelf there are lots of custom builders.

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The skinniest of skinny necks is on a Fender Performer - it's like playing a chopstick, brilliant!

[attachment=3197:full.jpg]

Finding one is a different matter though. There was someone on here recently though who had a mint one that they were thinking about selling - worth a search. That's the only one I've ever seen (almost) for sale in the UK.

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Precision necks are too thick and the jazz neck I have now is too thin to be honest. But far more bearable than the P.
I can't understand why people like the kind of neck where it isn't a half-circle. They're really uncomfortable for me.

I think necks are tricky because they can take time to adapt to. I don't understand how the traditional Fender suit the majority, to be honest. I think it's a case of playing and finding something you like. Perhaps once you find something BCers can give ideas for basses with similar necks.

What pickups are you after? I couldn't tell if you were an exclusive precision tone junkie or not.

Edited by paul, the
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Sorry to hear about your finger woes!

+1 on both the Ibanez and Jazzes of all flavours (Squier, MIM, MIJ, MIA)

Assuming that you're looking for a 4-string, you may find Yamahas pretty okay; BB414 BB614 & various RBXs.

Got a bigger budget?

Musicman Sterling
Vigiers (Passion, Arpege or Excess)
Custom...

Edited by Lfalex v1.1
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Warwick JD Thumb - not the standard Warwick, they've got necks like tree trunks. I've had mine for nearly 20 years now, couldn't resist buying it, even though it was an absolute fortune. I bought a non-JD Thumb more recently for defretting and had the neck skimmed down to the same profile as the JD Thumb. They are the two most playable basses I have ever played.

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First, I'm really sorry to hear of the problems encountered. I know it's an expensive option, but a custom bass can give you pretty much whatever you want. I'm not on a retainer to the Gallery (see other posts), but the neck on my Sei is super slim. A custom order for a narrow board (and whatever taper suits you) shouldn't be an issue either. Also, have you considered a shorter scale? I find 32" or 33" a good compromise and there's a noticeable reduction is stretching.

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+1 for an ibanez SR. not only are they slim necks, but they (the SR500 is the only one I've played, its on the right on my avatar) are extremely light and one of the best sounding basses I've heard for that price. If they had a fener logo i bet their price would be up with the american deluxe series.

Edited by lwtait
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another vote for ibanez soundgear basses. By far the thinest necks i've played....

Bass collection or Tune basses are also pretty thin. Basically looking at late 80's or 90's metal/shred influenced designs would be your best bet. I'm not sure I'd agree with the comments on jazz basses. The width is pretty narrow yes but not that 'thin' by ibanez standards.

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[quote name='Jono' post='82936' date='Nov 2 2007, 08:58 PM']Bass collection or Tune basses are also pretty thin.[/quote]
The Tune that I have ([url="http://www.tuneguitars.com/store/wizmart.php?code=000101&lv=2"]TWB43[/url]) is thin, but not extremely so - probably comparable to a Fender Jazz. However, I agree with other posters, that you may want to consider a shorter scale as part of the solution.

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