Active Band Man Chats ~ Necks ~

Today's theme is necks!

Necks this time…

You have neck preferences, right?

Ah, of course. And when I play, it may be the part that I like the most.

Yeah, it’s a pretty important factor. So let’s talk about the neck! Once again, the neck is a long, thin part connected to the body that you hold with your left hand (for right-handed people). There is a fingerboard with frets that determines the pitch of the string when played.

Exactly. That’s an important part.

Do you have a neck preference?

Ah, anything without a head (laughs)

No, no. A neck preference (laughs)

The first bass I got was the Yamaha MOTION series, and having learned on that... I liked similar types of necks. Since it was a log type, when it comes to the Jazz Bass or the Precision Bass, I preferred the Jazz. Now that I’ve played various types, I’m a little more flexible. People are biased by the instrument they first pick up... That's right.

So that's it~. Strictly speaking, you’re looking at it from the neck, but do you also have a fingerboard preference?

Fingerboards... nothing in particular, I think? I understand that it has an effect on the sound output, but I don’t think it has to be “this”.

By the way, how do you feel about a maple fingerboard?

Yeah, I haven’t really used maple much. Not never, but….

For me, I prefer a neck that is thin and narrow.

What is the reason or the cause for that?

In the past, I really wanted the Fernandez Tomoyasu Hotei model, so I liked that kind of flatness and width (?) But my tastes have also changed.

I thought so. Imprinted in your mind? (Lol)

Well, it’s like I’m following my parent... (laughs) On the contrary, when I played a domestic Les Paul copy model with a big neck like a log, I felt I didn’t sound good.

The instrument is different, but it's the opposite of me. What do you like in terms of the fingerboard?

I felt that ebony was the best because of the influence of the Hotei model (?). But at one point I felt, "Isn't it too hard to get a good sound and feel?" After that, I mostly use rosewood fingerboards. You see, I am a rose prince!

I agree.

Good! I was afraid you wouldn’t agree! Please always react positively like this! (Laughs) Oh, I want the fingerboard to have a inlays ~ I like block inlays. But now I want a maple fretboard guitar on top of the rosewood fingerboards.

As I said earlier, there are some character differences.

Oh, now I remember what I wanted to say. The most important point about the neck for me is that it does not have a matte finish!

That, too?

I'm not good at playing with a smooth, matte finish. I want the back of the neck to be slippery. (It seems this is also the influence of the Hotei model)

I also like smooth.

Ah! And recently I’ve also come to think that frets and nuts are pretty important, too. Since the Tesco nut I’m using now is plastic, I'd like to try stainless steel for the frets instead of bovine bone. I want to try it during a time when I can't play live.

It’s worth exploring.

Yes, and everything?

Is for love!