Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: cmerki on August 03, 2003, 04:21:40 PM

Title: Question for Mica -- Thinning down the Essence 5 Neck
Post by: cmerki on August 03, 2003, 04:21:40 PM

Hi Mica,
 
I currently own an Essence 5 but find the neck  difficult to play because of its thickness (I have small hands).  
I was wondering if it would be possible to thin down the neck without affecting the tension and without causing the neck to curve.
 
Thanks much!
Claire

Title: Question for Mica -- Thinning down the Essence 5 Neck
Post by: mica on August 04, 2003, 10:02:16 AM

Hi Claire,
 
There is a limit to how thin the neck can be carved before the truss rods will bust out the back. In general, most of our necks average .9 inches thick from the top of the fingerboard to the back of the neck (easiest to measure with dial calipers with the strings off).  
 
A couple of considerations: 1) the less mass in the neck, the more mobile it will be. This means that a smaller difference in humidity will affect the neck. 2) Cost. While the price of the labor to carve the neck is not so high ( about $150) to make the bass look nice again it will require refinishing, which averages $950. Without a complete refinish, the modification will be quite noticeable.  
 
If you ever order a custom built bass from us, please note that custom neck carving is not an additional charge on most models.
 
-Mica