Comments on: Bass Guitar Necks | Find the perfect bass guitar neck

By: Michael Ippersiel

Michael Ippersiel — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:15:12 +0000

Yehuda,

I appreciate the comment. I don’t have a ‘definitive’ source for learning more about the benefits of many tone woods. I do have a copy of a Bass Player magazine from the mid 1990′s that had a cover story on tone and if memory serves – Michael Tobias was considered one of the foremost experts on the subject. I’ll see if I can dig it up.

Aside from that – most bass builders have a wealth of information that can help you to make your decision. For instance, George Furlanetto has a basic recipe of woods that he likes to work with (ash and maple) for his F Bass BN5 series of basses and he states the benefits of the woods separately and in unison as an instrument.

So if you’re looking to have a bass built and you have a certain sound in mind and a certain builder in mind – you can ask them questions directly or see if they share more information on their website. Hopefully that helps you out while I research a more ‘definitive source’ for answers to your tone wood questions.

By: Yehuda

Yehuda — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:50:31 +0000

Hi Michael, thanks for this article. Can you please tell orrecommned a source to learn about how to choose the wood for the costum made bass? For example – what’s the advanages of the woods like: Wenge, Rosewood, Ovangkol, Maple?

By: Michael Ippersiel

Michael Ippersiel — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:43:04 +0000

Rahel,
I’d love to help you out, but it would be impossible for me to make a recommendation. I’ve haven’t played all of the basses you mentioned, and the last time I touched a Music Man Stingray was probably close to 10 years ago. Is it possible to reach out to other bass players in your city and possibly swap basses? I know a lot of online retailers like Amazon let you return a purchase if it’s not right for you – but since you said you’re from ‘abroad’ I’m not sure how viable that idea is for you. Don’t give up – where there’s a will, there’s a way. Finding the right neck is a very personal decision and bass guitar necks can vary from brand to brand, model to model and from year to year, which is why I stand behind playing a bass neck before you make the commitment. Good luck!

By: Rahel

Rahel — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:17:56 +0000

hi, I am also a woman with small hands starting out and have a similar question… I live abroad and there aren’t endless options to play at the music store in order to find what is comfortable. I tried the Fender Jazz, like that a lot, but its out of my price range. Been looking at guitars on line and wanted to ask you this: between a MMstingray, MMSub, or lakland Skyline 44-01 – do you know which bass has a comfortable neck (like the fender) and weight?

By: Michael Ippersiel

Michael Ippersiel — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:31:22 +0000

Hey Jewell, It sounds like you should be playing a bass that's smaller; if it feels too heavy and his hard for you to play in the first position you're going to have a hard time trying to learn the instrument. The Ibanez Soundgear basses are well known for having thinner necks, you can check those out. Fender Jazz basses (Squire Jazz basses too) have thinner necks, but you may also want to check out 3/4 sized basses with a 30" scale (short scale) instead of a full sized bass. The Fender Mustang bass, Fender Bronco Bass and Flea Bass Junior are the short scale basses that come to mind. Best of luck finding the bass that's right for you Jewell!