Beat to death?... the issue of necks and thickness

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:30 pm

I was thinking about this back when the debates were raging... but I never posted, or if I did the comment got lost in the volume of posts.

Some people want thinner necks... some don't care much or prefer thicker. I prefer necks on the medium to thin side (simply because my first bass was a jazz, then a 96' ric with a very thin neck so I am used to it).

With that being said, I can understand ric going to a thicker neck design in modern times to increase neck reliability. thinner necks would mean an increase in the number of people complaining about a twist in the neck that developed over time.

Everything is a balance. Thinner necks have positive and negative trade-offs.

Now... one reason I LOVE 70's rics is the skunk stripe. And that was added to beef up neck strength to accomadate roundwounds was it not?

Maybe a way to increase neck integrity while allowing a smaller profile would be to bring back the skunk stripe. I think it would look killer with the walnut ears!

anyway, that is my 2 cents.

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:31 pm

I should note that thicker necks don't bother me at all. I get used to the feel very quickly, and I don't see it as a negative at all.

johnnyb · Post by **johnnyb** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:44 pm

John,I agree with you I think the strip of walnut
is a little stiffer and would allow a thinner profile neck, however the neck on my 05 4003 is perfect for me...but i have rather large mitts to begin with.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:50 pm

When I got my first 4003, I was 16 and really didn't know much other then the fact that I loved Ricks and had to have one. It was not until just last September, when I got my 4001c64, that I realized how chunky the neck on my 4003 really was!

That being said, I like the real slim neck on my c64, but my 4003 has become sort of a "norm" for me. I pick it up and I never give it a second thought - to me, that's just how basses are supposed to feel, whereas I pick up the c64 and am always slightly taken aback by it.

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:22 pm

Oooh, the skunk stripe would be so cool. My plan is actually to find a mapleglo 4001S bass and have walnut headstock wings put on. I imagine it would look somewhat like a 4002 headstock, or the older 4005 headstocks: i.e. really freaking awesome.

Also, just as a thought, considering that so many basses these days are going for the "multi-piece" look, I think Rics would be even more noticeable if they had that going on with the headstock. I know people always comment on how gorgeous the old 4004Ci looked, and it's because the whole striped deal really catches peoples' attention.

Still hankering for the S option to come back . . . or for the C64 to be available with a normal headstock . . .

ratso · Post by **ratso** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:56 pm

I second that last thought Bobcat!

edski · Post by **edski** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:52 am

I like all kinds of necks!

My J Bass is a toothpick, my Laredo is a super-highway, my '75-4001 is somewhat in-between...

Right now I'm dissing the 4001, but I think it's the strings...very light RW's like on my Laredo. Too light, too bright. I need flats on that bass!

But intrinisically I don't think I dislike the neck - 1) I've had it 25 years and never had a problem with the feel of that bass and 2) I like necks both larger and smaller...

And yes skunk stripes are great, if you can see them!

apollo11 · Post by **apollo11** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:20 am

With the rave reviews of the C64 neck, Ric should give an option when ordering a new 4003---with the C64 neck thickness or the standard thickness. I'll bet you'd see somewhere around 50% of orders for each.

rickaddict · Post by **rickaddict** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:15 am

I'm a huge fan of the skunk stripe. And I'm a fan of the walnut wings as well. But I don't think I'd want both on the same bass. That being said...I agree with John. I'd like to see the return of the skunk stripe as a way to reduce the necks size without reducing its strength.

Hey Ed- You know...that 4001 wouldn't be as bright if you bypassed the cap!

chefothefuture · Post by **chefothefuture** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 5:35 am

This would make John Hall throw up his hands....
I think one of the reasons why Rick dropped the skunk is that the "vintage crowd" wanted single piece necks....

Remember that the first 4003's had two piece necks.
LOL
Maybe Rick should do a 4001v72!

s4001 · Post by **s4001** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 5:37 am

I don't like the skunk stripes. They look F*nderish. I like walnut wings - as God intended.

My CS has a thicker neck and, actually, I like it. I've got thin neck Rics, too and like them. I'm more partial to fretboard radius. I also prefer wider string spacing, but seeing as that's not an option with Rics, then I'll live with it.

rickaddict · Post by **rickaddict** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:10 am

Hmmm....a 4001V72...I like it! I'll order one of those along with my V68.

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:33 am

Count me in too!

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:30 am

I'm with Scott in that I'm not a huge fan of skunks; prefer maple with walnut headwings. Certainly don't like wider spacing though...that's what I like best about Rics and Alembics.

Personally I don't see why you'd need walnut to make a neck stiffer; maple is plenty stiff (much stiffer than walnut so far as I'm aware). You hardly ever see walnut necks, and I'm sure there's a reason for that....

chefothefuture · Post by **chefothefuture** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 3:24 pm

It wan't so much the wood; Rick changed from Walnut to Maple in 1960 for that reason.
It's the lamination; when you laminate wood, the joint adds
stiffness. The skunk was for look. You guys might recall that the first 4003's had a two piece neck.