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neck/sound quality?


leftyhook
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So I decided I wanted a P bass, not enough cash for the real deal,bought a Squire P/J cheap from Gumtree only to find the truss is, as someone else put it, Maxed out'.
I can get it sorted for say, £40 but my local luthier. But |I have a Westfield P bass in bits, I really like the neck, even though it
may be deemed as 'cheap crap' by bass snobs ;)

My question: how much does a neck affect the overall sound produced?


thanks for any help

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As it sounds like you have nothing to loose, why not fix it yourself. I would think a few carefully chosen washers would give you the extra threads you might need. With the caveat that I have no idea what I'm talking about, luthers seem to have a rig to clamp the neck to stress it in the right direction - presumably takes the strain off the truss rod while getting a rough setting. Shouldn't be too hard to rig up.

Other than that, sound quality is in the ear of the beholder. If you like it, bolt it on (assuming it fits of course) and see what happens.

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I don't think that the neck makes a huge difference (maybe if you get into high end/graphite etc) but on low to mid range basses, not a lot.
I tried a Westfield P next to a Squire affinity PJ, the Westfield was better in every way, nicer neck, (I couldn't set the Squire up as nicely) far better tone.
Westfield Ps are cheap good basses.

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The thing with the sound quality is a reeeeaaaally complicated stuff, y'know.
I have a cheap neck installed on even cheaper, post-soviet body with the cheapest bridge available installed and all together this abomination of a bass sounds really great! Dunno how that happened, really, maybe it's the strings? Anyway, I'm one of those, who would try out any combination in case of finding a great instrument in the place least probable.

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I find that those with an opinion, tend to describe the tone of a neck based on the colour of the fingerboard wood rather than it's actual density which if anything should make the most difference - so according to accepted popular [s]ramblings[/s] belief maple = bright and rosewood = dark... but I have yet to hear someone describe an ebony board sounding brighter than maple and yet it is infinitely more brittle and dense. :D

I have swapped two similar necks, one had maple the other rosewood. There was a difference in tone between the two. One neck had a better fit. I believe herein lies the real answer to the audible nuances.

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I agree with all of the above :rolleyes:
If it fits, swop it - you are unlikely to regret it, and it might transform the feel of the bass. While it (may or) may not make a huge change to the actual tone, it certainly is most unlikely to reduce it and, if you feel better with it, your playing will improve which will improve the sound in any case.
While you're at it, pop a set of D'Addario Chromes on - smooth as flats but bright as rounds...
Andy

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[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1325263588' post='1481501']
I agree with all of the above :rolleyes:
If it fits, swop it - you are unlikely to regret it, and it might transform the feel of the bass. While it (may or) may not make a huge change to the actual tone, it certainly is most unlikely to reduce it and, if you feel better with it, your playing will improve which will improve the sound in any case.
While you're at it, pop a set of D'Addario Chromes on - smooth as flats but bright as rounds...
Andy
[/quote]
Andy
I've been using Chromes for 5 years. Brilliant strings. Beautiful feel, and as you say, a surprisingly bright tone ;)

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[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1325256921' post='1481399']
I find that those with an opinion, tend to describe the tone of a neck based on the colour of the fingerboard wood rather than it's actual density which if anything should make the most difference - so according to accepted popular [s]ramblings[/s] belief maple = bright and rosewood = dark... but I have yet to hear someone describe an ebony board sounding brighter than maple and yet it is infinitely more brittle and dense. :D

I have swapped two similar necks, one had maple the other rosewood. There was a difference in tone between the two. One neck had a better fit. I believe herein lies the real answer to the audible nuances.
[/quote]

Funny, I'm sure I've heard ebony described as being a very bright-sounding fretboard wood. OTOH ebony's far less common than maple so perhaps that explains a relative lack of comments? Of course, the maple tends to be lacquered which further complicates the issue.
I have to say that my subjective opinion based on playing quite a few maple v rosewood basses is that the maple does indeed tend towards being brighter, a conclusion I came to long before I started reading forum ramblings! Why it should be, I don't know since it seems so minor a component of the neck's total mass/structure.

A while ago I asked a question about the effect of fret profile on tone...as intuitively the nature of the metal-metal contact seems like it could make a significant difference, but no-one seemed to have much to say either way. My own experience is that bigger, flatter frets give more of a grinding, clanking sound which I like. Shame all my basses have tiny vintage fret profiles really!

Btw Muzz is probably spot on IMO, just depends how much you care about that 5%!

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