Warmoth Custom Guitar Products

Choosing a new 4 string bass neck is pretty easy. The two main factors are hand size and the type of music you play. For the majority of 4 string players, the J Bass® neck is preferred 3 to 1 over the wider P Bass® neck. The narrow nut (1-1/2") of the J Bass® is very comfortable. Both the P Bass® and the J Bass® necks share the same heel width and bridge string pitch. If you have big hands the wider P Bass® neck (1-11/16") may be preferable. The wider neck also affords more room for thumb slapping and finger popping.

5-String Bass Necks

5 string necks are usually strung with a low B, though on occasion a high C may be preferred. Our selection of nut widths for a Fender® style peghead is pretty small: wide (1-3/4") and wider (1-7/8"). Big hands or a good reach are a necessity for these wide necks. The low B string can have a pretty floppy feeling and more prone to rattling on the frets in a 34" scale. We only offer the Deluxe 5 string bass neck in 34" scale.

The Gecko 5-string bass neck uses a 35" scale. Extending the scale to 35" really tightens up both the string tension and the tone. Our small and medium Gecko necks use a 1-7/8" nut width. The Gecko wide 5-stringuses a 2-3/16" nut width.

Pegheads

Basses with straight peghead necks will require a string retainer to hold the strings tight in the nut. A 13 degree angled peghead has uniform tension locking each string into the nut, therefore a string retainer is not needed.

All straight peghead necks feature truss rod adjustment at the heel. All angled peghead necks feature truss rod adjustment at the headstock.

Heels

Warmoth offers 20, 21, and 24 fret bass necks on our J Bass®, P Bass®, and Tele® bass necks. Our 21 and 24 fret over hung fingerboard is a direct replacement for 20 fret Fender® bass necks. No modifications are necessary. The fingerboard simply extends over the pickguard.

With the exception of some of the Tele® head basses, all the Fender® basses have a standard rounded heel (see picture). Some Tele® head models feature squared heels; Warmoth does not offer squared heel necks.

Warmoth Guitar Products, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor do we obtain any components from Fender Musical Instruments Corp.(FMIC).