verdict on the status graphite necks?

[marcus bell]

Hi guys, picked up a sub series stingray musicman in a deal a little while back and in the slightly distant future was thinking of the possibility of fitting one of the status graphite necks to it?


any verdict on how it affects the tone/balance etc...?

[Dingus]

Stingray with a graphite neck sounds absolutely wicked - even more punch and slice than a regular 'Ray . The balance will be pretty unchanged - I think the graphite neck weighs about the same as a wooden one .

[marcus bell]

sweet man , ill definately be considering one in the future...only problem is on the status website it says the heel is 2.5 inches wide and the heel on my bass is slightly slimmer...

[cocco]

It's worth noting that without a truss rod there will be no relief at all, so it might change the feel of the bass somewhat, I'm not sure if the ray replacement necks have a rod or not though.

[Dingus]

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1364931267' post='2032958']
sweet man , ill definately be considering one in the future...only problem is on the status website it says the heel is 2.5 inches wide and the heel on my bass is slightly slimmer...
[/quote]
[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1364931740' post='2032969']
It's worth noting that without a truss rod there will be no relief at all, so it might change the feel of the bass somewhat, I'm not sure if the ray replacement necks have a rod or not though.
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure that Status necks have a rod in . Regarding the fit on a Sub , I would contact Status and discuss it with them . They can fit the neck for you , and that may be the best option under the circumstamces .

[dlloyd]

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1364931740' post='2032969']
It's worth noting that without a truss rod there will be no relief at all, so it might change the feel of the bass somewhat, I'm not sure if the ray replacement necks have a rod or not though.
[/quote]

The Status necks have a truss rod... it's the Modulus necks that the original Cutlass basses came with that were rodless.

Sound is a bit brighter. Not massively different.

[thisnameistaken]

Do they still typically give you a dead spot somewhere between D and E on the G like most traditionally built basses?

[Kiwi]

Deadspots happen when the resonancy frequency of the wood in the neck overlaps with the harmonics of a note. Graphite necks are normally stiff enough to mean a very low resonancy frequency - with the exception of Moses Jazz necks (which I had a dead spot on). Moses steinberger necks are fine though.

[marcus bell]

Nice information thanks guys

[ikay]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1364935615' post='2033065']
Graphite necks are normally stiff enough to mean a very low resonancy frequency
[/quote]

I think stiffer necks such as graphite have a higher resonance frequency (not lower). This generally has the effect of moving any potential deadspots up into the higher fretted note range or beyond.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1364974854' post='2033393']
I think stiffer necks such as graphite have a higher resonance frequency (not lower). This generally has the effect of moving any potential deadspots up into the higher fretted note range or beyond.
[/quote]
To be honest, its been a year since this topic was last discussed and its possible I may have confused myself in the meantime. I recall Alembic saying the peak went down, but Michael Tobias says it goes up.

But anyway, here's a vid;

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/1324-neck-dead-spots/page__view__findpost__p__867638"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/1324-neck-dead-spots/page__view__findpost__p__867638[/url]

[Lynottfan]

I have a graphite neck on my Stingray, its a Status, I think they are the best Graphite necks in the world at the moment, the tuning stability is stunning, I have no dead spots on my neck that I notice, the overall tone is very even, don't over do the treble settings or it canbe very glassy and brittle, I find that the neck is heavy and does affect the balance of the bass, so I changed to a nice wide strap, bungee like material and now have no problems at all.

Now as for fitting on a Sub, ask Status themselves, and as for the fitting of the neck find a damn good shop/luthier, they have been horror stories of very bad Graphite Neck replacements, a good job with all the drilling done and a set up is going to cost you £100 or so.

[Lfalex v1.1]

You'll need to be sure it's what you want.
It's an expensive exercise otherwise.
How much is the neck? £350/400?
Bear in mind they come with blank headstocks- you've got to drill them for your choice of hardware. Or they'll do it for you. At a price. Factor in possible issues with fitting it to the body and it might hit £550+ if you're unlucky.

That's another SUB's worth and then some!
Would it be an improvement? That's a very subjective question. Have you tried one?

[marcus bell]

Good point I think I need to get out there and try someone's bass

[Dingus]

If I might venture , getting one of these necks is very worthwhile exercise ( if you like the sound and feel of graphite - i do ) but considering the considerable effort and expense of getting a neck and having it fitted ( I would strongly recommend getting Status or an experienced luthier to do it or you risk making a complete bollocks up of your bass and/ or the neck ) it seems a bit of waste spending all that money on a Sub . Good as those basses are , if you flogged it and got a real EBMM Musicman Stingray to have converted , especially at the bargain prices they often crop up for on Basschat , then you would end up with a quality bass that you could keep for the rest of your life . As Lfalex points out , it's a lot of money to spend on a budget bass .

[Cairobill]

Are they heavier than a standard Ray maple neck with a metal trussrod? That's a bit bonkers given how light graphite is. The best thing about the Ray design is the balance. I have a light one and even that has no headstock dive at all, which is a pet hate of mine...

[Lfalex v1.1]

Graphite/carbon composites [i]can[/i] be lighter than traditional materials in many applications. They don't have to be, though.
The primary goals in a graphite neck design might well be

Rigidity
Stability
Adjustability - which will determine if a t-rod is used
Profile
Weight

If I were manufacturing replacement parts, I'd aim to make them as close to the original in every way, including feel. Just better.

[marcus bell]

To be honest I would probably swap my precision and my stingray for a better stingray.

[stingrayPete1977]

I'd swerve the whole lot and buy a modulus funk5

[marcus bell]

NOOOOOOOO! I love the stingray look Aswell

[roger]

I've recently acquired a maple/natural stingray with a lovely grain to the neck, after picking up the bass again after 20+ years it's just something I had to have, ( kind of a mid-life crisis I guess), but wow what a stunning work of art this bass is, i dont even need to play it, i can just look at it!! now don't get me wrong I've owned a status but why would anyone want to mess around with an iconic bass such as a stingray? When you think of all the amazing baselines written/recorded on a stingray why would you change it? It's perfect, good enough for Bernard Edwards n'all that, I can't help thinking these status necks are more of an image thing, as said before does it really improve the bass? I can understand replacing a damaged neck but it's a lot of money for a piece of graphite, hey just my thoughts guys