Nut widths - anyone notices this?

[Greg Edwards69]

On 15/11/2022 at 10:05, leschirons said:

Strange. Never once have I ever considered the nut width of a bass or thought that it may present a problem for me. I have a Jazz, a P bass, a Status, and a Maruszczyk. The Fenders being 4 stringers and the others being 5s. The only considerations for me are the scale length and the neck shape as to whether a bass is comfortable to play. No offence to anyone as I'm now genuinely interested in this subject but is there a possibility that this becomes an issue  because people think it may be, or should be, an issue?

My arthritis has dictated that I don't play 6 string basses anymore but that's a whole neck width problem. 

 

I suppose the other possible answer is that I'm just too daft and amateurish to have noticed any differences🤣

Until recently, I had convinced myself that my preference was for chunky bassball bat necks, with wide nuts. I used to play a 5 string Warwick Thumb with a huge neck but found that my hand would occasionally cramp up on when playing repetitive riffs near the nut. I was sure the problem was the narrower spacing at the nut. My Yamaha Attitude has a chunky vintage P profile and feels great. I later got lower end Attitude as a backup (that I stupidly p/exed a Yamaha RBX4/A2 for*) with the same nut width, but I really didn't enjoy playing it as the neck was considerably thinner. That got replaced by my Squier 50s P.  It's not a huge neck but has a very comfortable C profile.  This got me thinking that maybe my issue wasn't nut width, but profile. I had a hankering for a lightweight Jazz bass and ended up getting my G&L Tribute JB-2. It has a smaller jazz nut width with a sensible C profile. Again, very comfortable to play. In retrospect, I now wonder if the Warwick's neck was too big for me, and combined with terrible ergonomics (tiny body and mile long neck), this was the main cause of the hand cramping, and not the string spacing.

 

*I really wish I had kept this one. Not the prettiest of basses, but in hindsight, I never had an issue with the 40mm nut width and the neck profile was perfect. I also prefer lighter weight basses these days This one really ticked all the boxes.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Greg Edwards69

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, Ralf1e said:

I can relate to that. I just had a run around with calipers this morning measuring bass necks and overall string widths just below the nut.

The narrowest was Classic Vibe 70's Squier Jazz bought recently at 38.5 neck width and a 31.08 string width

The widest 4 string was my Aria SB900 which surprised me with 45.25 neck width and a 36.89 string width. Not that far from my 5string L&G L2000 Legacy @ 45.6 and 38.87

I never even think about neck widths. I just spread my hands out a bit more. I suspect my playing is not as refined as most on here 😀

There are tribes as yet undiscovered deep in the Amazon jungle who have developed a more refined technique than me in playing the electric bass guitar, without having access to either electricity or a bass guitar. 
 

I hear they complain about guitarists being too loud though 

[Henrythe8]

On 16/11/2022 at 13:57, mario_buoninfante said:

 

Also found this that, despite being 1 data point, suggests that Precisions are the most sold basses, followed by other basses with "thick" necks.

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2022/11/10/reverb-releases-list-of-best-selling-basses-of-2022/

 

You're right. I was just talking about the nut width, historically the one of the Jazz. 
The BassVI is an epiphenomemnon, But the Mustang, Gretsch, Ray34, the Bronco, the Ibbys... all have 38.5 nut width. 
Although I'm surprised by the good score of the P Basses that have the 41/42mm. Thanks for pointing that out. 

Is it the "whole" numbers or just the stats on Reverb site ? 

[mario_buoninfante]

1 hour ago, Henrythe8 said:

You're right. I was just talking about the nut width, historically the one of the Jazz. 
The BassVI is an epiphenomemnon, But the Mustang, Gretsch, Ray34, the Bronco, the Ibbys... all have 38.5 nut width. 
Although I'm surprised by the good score of the P Basses that have the 41/42mm. Thanks for pointing that out. 

Is it the "whole" numbers or just the stats on Reverb site ? 

 

I think just Reverb. Curious to see if there's any more data out there though