5 string bass nut width

[B3Guy]

not a serious bass player here, just wondering what the minimum nut width would be for a 5 string? 1+3/4? 1+1/2?

 

[BassmanAK]

The width on my Modulus is 1.85'', which is pretty damn skinny....
IMHO the THICKNESS of the neck has more to do with comfort than nut width.
You might be able to swing a thinner width, but just keep in mind that the thinner the nut is,
the more the neck has to taper to accommodate a decent width for the right hand.
This can goof you up as you play up the neck, which now looks more like an arrow,
as well as needing a compound radius board to prevent excessive buzzing....

Whew.... :icon_biggrin:

Another thought: Since W's necks are "steel reinforced" for the most part, how thin, front to back, can they go?

 

[B3Guy]

I wasn't thinking so much of neck thickness or comfort, as "could I get a short scale and make it a 4+1 headstock?"  :icon_biggrin: (all of them in showcase have 1.5" nut width)

 

[bob7point7]

I think the 1.5" nut width would be too small for a 5 string bass. It would be really crowded. The neck wouldn't be wide enough at the heel, either. I think a production bridge may put the high and low strings over the edge of the fretboard. Do you really need that extra string?

 

[B3Guy]

oh, idk. I was just thinking. I like the feel of (for example) violin basses, which have incredibly narrow necks, so I wouldn't mind crowded strings as long as they didn't buzz against each other. as for a bridge, I would figure something out myself to make that work.