When did the necks change on the newer 4003 basses?

[henry5]

I’ve heard that the recent necks - maybe the last couple of years? - are very slim, more like the ‘70s basses. Did this change coincide with the return of the skunk stripe, or does it pre-date this? I’ve been looking at a bass from 2022 online and was wondering what the neck was likely to be like, and whether or not the newer ones will be thinner. FWIW I prefer my basses skunk-free aesthetically so as long as the neck wasn’t big it’s not necessarily a deal breaker, but I’d be interested to know.

[cassius987]

I keep an eye on the neck thickness posted by Wildwood Guitars for fun.

Over the last 2-3 years, not exactly sure when, the typical thickness dropped from 0.9'' to 0.8''. This is a difference of 2.5 mm. I'm honestly not sure how perceptible that is in the hand- but I'm guessing it's enough of a difference that it can be felt.

[henry5]

I keep an eye on the neck thickness posted by Wildwood Guitars for fun.

Over the last 2-3 years, not exactly sure when, the typical thickness dropped from 0.9'' to 0.8''. This is a difference of 2.5 mm. I'm honestly not sure how perceptible that is in the hand- but I'm guessing it's enough of a difference that it can be felt.

2.5mm? Wow, that’s pretty big. I suspect even O.5mm would be noticeable, albeit not necessarily bothersome, so I’m pretty surprised at that. I wonder when it did actually change?

[cassius987]

If I had to guess, this is because of the switch to a single truss rod. Less wood removed, and better truss rod generally = stiffer neck, less mass needed to remain straight. They may have even been forced to slim the necks up so that regular string tension would produce enough relief. Just as an example of this, my 1976 4001FL has zero relief unless I use very heavy strings on it. TIs, for example, are not compatible (neck backbows and can't recover). In the case of that instrument I'm not sure why the neck is so prone to backbow, and of course it's on the old rods that I've barely touched save trying to loosen them (does nothing).

[henry5]

That’s something I was wondering, whether it coincided with the change to the single rod, or whether it’s changed again since. Does anyone know exactly when the single rod came in?

With regards to relief, I hate anything but minimal relief (In fact prefer my necks as straight as can be). I’ve never had a bass with natural backbow. I dream about that!

[cassius987]

I have gotten my hands on one of the newer neck profiles (0.79'' at 12th fret), and it feels SKINNY. More "D-shaped" than my '76 4001FL ("C-shaped"), and one of the thinnest Ric neck I have played.

[lumgimfong]

My 2016 is really thin and D shaped feeling. I will have to measure at 12th fret for comparison.