Classic/Comfort taper choices...

[rowka]

I've decided that I need an Exploiter and ordered one through Beaver at Bass Central (taking advantage of the August LED special) but find myself flip-flopping over the neck taper choice.
 
I have a Distillate with the Classic narrow taper, and that seems to me to be part of the Alembic feel.  However, it's a bit tight for me when it comes time to slap a little.
 
Currently the Exploiter's going to be built with the Comfort taper.  
 
Confused...

[olieoliver]

Hi Daniel and welcome to the club.
 
I have both narrow and comfort taper necks and while I do like both I find myself playing the narrow tapers more often. I cut my teeth on a Jazz bass so I have been accustom to the wider string spacing at the neck and PUP's.  
Where I have my problem with slap style playing is on my 5 string basses. I can do it but it's not as clean as my 4's.
 
OO

[apdavis]

I second that, the narrow taper on my 87 exploiter 5 string is awesome for fingerstyle, but harder to execute slap on. The Comfort taper is much easier.

[rowka]

Thanks for the welcome.
 
I'm a 4 string guy.  The Distillate is a 4 (of course) and the Exploiter is going to be a 4.
 
My other basses are all Fender Jazz-like, so I don't think either taper will present a problem.  I just hate a choice for which there is no clear correct solution.

[David Houck]

Hi Daniel; welcome to the board and congrats on the Exploiter!  Just out of curiosity, what scale length will the Exploiter be?

[rowka]

The Exploiter will be 34.

[bsee]

Why choose either?  Get what you want.  Go out and play every bass you can get your hands on.  Don't worry about tone, just neck feel.  When you find one that is perfect, then measure it or come up with a way to accurately describe it.  How wide at the nut?  How wide at the bridge?  Round or flattish neck shape?  How thick is the neck at the nut?  How thick at the twelfth fret?
 
For an expensive bass that you're custom ordering, it seems like one of the first things one should spec.  Make it fit you like a glove.

[bassman10096]

+1 to Bob's idea -- When I ordered, I assembled all the basses I felt most comfortable playing and found they shared a lot in common.  I took measurements, talked the design through with Mica and my Alembic is the most comfortable, usable bass I've ever played.
Bill

[keurosix]

Hi Dan,
Congrats on the custom order. I own a comfort taper Europa 6 string, and an Epic 5 string which is not as tight as the classic taper. I find the Europa is a bit wider than my hands like for slap, but the Epic is just right. I would think you could get something in between Classic and Comfort taper that would be perfect for you. You can search the club posts for spacing or Taper and get a whole bunch of ideas on this topic. Here is one for a starter:
 
http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/52511.html?1214298448
 
Happy hunting!
Kris

[white_cloud]

I just hate a choice where there is no clear correct solution.
 
What a wonderful, compact and insightful statement! I think that sums up exactly how I would feel in this very situation lol!!
 
I must admit I usually go with my gut instinct and adapt myself to any given instrument as opposed to getting the neck just right for me
 
John.

[georgie_boy]

So do I John!!
Get the sound right-then sort all the resrt
Just my $0.02
 
G

[bsee]

Georgie, it's thoughts like that that are responsible for some of the Alembics we see for sale on eBay every day.  Would you walk into the local clothing store and buy whatever size is on the shelf and then hope to gain or lose weight until it fits?  Maybe try a women's size?
 
If you're looking for your first or second Alembic on the used market, then absolutely take what you can get.  Get a feel for them and understand how the neck construction and the woods interact to alter the tone and feel.  By the time you're ordering a custom and paying the full new price, though, you really need to get it right.  In general, the guys selling their custom Alembics within 2-3 years of purchase are taking hits in the thousands of dollars.  You don't want to be one of those guys.
 
As far as there being no right answer, there is.  I gave it to you.  Figure out what neck dimensions will fit you best, describe them accurately and sit back while Alembic builds you a dream bass.  There isn't an off-the-shelf size that is the single right answer for everyone, but that's not the same as there being no right answer.  
 
Ideally, getting these specs right is what the dealer should be doing for you to earn his percentage.  I worked with some of the highest renowned dealers out there when I was looking to order a custom and not one of them seemed to care about this level of detail.

[David Houck]

Just for fun, just to make things even more confusing, and also perhaps to add a little more to think about, I'm going to offer a couple perspectives that differ from some of those mentioned above.
 
I find that the differences between comfort and classic tapers on six and five strings are not directly comparable to the differences between comfort and classic taper on a four string.  The differences between my classic and comfort four strings, while notable, are nothing compared to the differences between my classic and comfort six strings.
 
Also, we change over time.  While there may be players who never change their technique, there are others who do.  And I don't think it unreasonable to consider that the technique a player is using today might not be the technique that player will be using a year from now.  One's choice of neck taper will have an effect on one's technique.  There are things that are easier to do on a comfort taper than on a classic taper; and there are things that are easier on a classic taper.
 
And; strap length.  Raising or lowering strap length changes wrist angles, which changes technique, making some techniques easier and some more difficult.  So when changing to a bass with a different neck taper, sometimes changing strap length can be helpful.
 
There; that should muddy the waters a bit.
 
None of this is to say that the points made by others above are not valid, as I think they are indeed valuable considerations.  I'm just trying to help make things more confusing.
 
Classic versus Comfort; what a wonderful dilemma to have!!!
 
Practically speaking, you may want to acquire a used comfort taper bass like an Essence.  If you get one at market price, you should be able to sell it for what you have in it once you get the Exploiter.

[daveski]

Can someone please just clarify that the classic taper consists of a 16.5mm string spacing(which is the standard for signature and series basses) and a comfort taper is 19mm string spacing(which is the standard on other Alembic models)

[mica]

CLASSIC TAPER 4  1.75 x 2.25 fingerboard
For a long scale bass, the string spacing at the bridge is about .6 inches (which converts to about 15.2mm) EDGE-to-EDGE spacing. The centers measure out at about :
string center 1 to 2 = 0.675 (17.2mm)
string center 2 to 3 = 0.6925 (17.6mm)
string center 3 to 4 = 0.7125 (18.1mm)
 
COMFORT TAPER 4  1.625 x 2.36 fingerboard
For a long scale bass, the string spacing at the bridge is about .66 inches (which converts to about 16.8mm) EDGE-to-EDGE spacing. The centers measure out at about:
string center 1 to 2 = 0.715   (18.2mm)
string center 2 to 3 = 0.7325   (18.6mm)
string center 3 to 4 = 0.7525   (19.1mm)
 
Many companies (probably everyone but us) slot the bridges with center-to-center spacing. We'll do that too if you request it, but our default is edge-to-edge spacing at the bridge.  
 
Why?
 
For the nut end, we actually slot center-to-center, since with your fretting hand, you are generally aiming for the center of the string. For the plucking hand, the spacing is edge-to-edge since you are generally aiming for the edge of the string, whether it's with a finger or a pick.
 
Center-to-center spacing makes the fatter strings closer together than the thinner strings. Here's an example of the edge-to-edge spacing on comfort taper fingerboard 4-string long scale bass if we cut the centers all .73 (18.5mm):
spacing between 1 and 2 = 0.675 (17.1mm)
spacing between 2 and 3 = 0.6575 (16.7mm)
spacing between 3 and 4 = 0.6375 (16.2mm)
 
One way to look at it is that you can select to have even spacing between the strings or between the centers of the strings. Which ever one you choose, the other will vary depending on the string pair you are measuring.  
 
So, if you specify string spacing at the bridge, make sure to designate the spacing scheme: edge-to-edge or center-to-center so that we build what you have in mind. Either way there is no extra charge.