Balancing a J-Bass...

neuftone

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OK, I'm looking at a lamtop J-bass, with the core wood being walnut.  I want a wenge neck.  The question I am wondering is how will the bass balance?  I know walnut can be a heavy wood...if I order it as a chambered J-bass, which I was leaning towards, would that throw the bass off balance, with the Warmoth super bass neck in an exotic like wenge?  I can do it either way...if the bass is likely to still balance well, I'll go for the chambered J, but if it is likely to be a bit neck heavy, I can save a few bucks and deal with a pretty girthy bass, which isn't a problem for me with a good strap. 

 
neuftone said:
OK, I'm looking at a lamtop J-bass, with the core wood being walnut.  I want a wenge neck.  The question I am wondering is how will the bass balance?  I know walnut can be a heavy wood...if I order it as a chambered J-bass, which I was leaning towards, would that throw the bass off balance, with the Warmoth super bass neck in an exotic like wenge?  I can do it either way...if the bass is likely to still balance well, I'll go for the chambered J, but if it is likely to be a bit neck heavy, I can save a few bucks and deal with a pretty girthy bass, which isn't a problem for me with a good strap. 

Because of the steel re-enforcement bars, warmoth bass necks are on the heavy side.  From my personal experience, my warmoth thunderbird  (with a fairly heavy body) just balances.  Just. 

In your case, the j body has the front strap button 4 inches ahead of where it would be on the t-bird.  This with hipshot ultralite tuners and I suspect you'll be fine.
 
The more I think about it, the more I lean towards just leaving it solid.  I may go ahead and do the ultralights, too...they have 1/2 inch versions, I see, which offsets the price increase in that Warmoth charges $25 to drill smaller peghead holes.

Originally I wanted a Thunderbird...it certainly would look sweet.  I opted against it because I was worried about neck balance...and the Jazz is just so comfortable!  Maybe a Thunderbird someday, though.

 
Hi, I have a warmoth P\J bass with a lightweight (don't know the exact weight) ash P-body and wenge/ebony neck. I put on quite heavy hipshot tuners and experience a little neckdive. The warmoth neck turned out  a lot heavier than the neck on my Jazz bass. Guess the jazz shape helps the balance a bit, but i would really consider lightweight tuners if I were you.  Good luck!
 
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