Moses neck...

[Moses]

Moses Graphite initially sent me a right handed telecaster neck. Returning that and getting my correct order sorted out took almost two months, but it's finally here.



As you may know, I have to take care of getting a nut and threaded inserts installed before it can get bolted onto a bass, so it'll be a couple days...

[screambasses]

I use Moses necks on two of my basses now, but when I started Scream Basses, I wanted to give lefty bassists a graphite option
at a reasonable price. In order to do this, I had to buy in bulk. I got with Steve Mosher and ordered $6,000 in necks. Then, I waited.
It took six months for them to fulfill my order. It was hell because I was trying to start a business. They ended up sending me half
the order and I cancelled the rest.

Be careful if you're going to drill the holes for the threaded inserts. Graphite is difficult to work with.

pete

[Moses]

That's brutal! I definitely don't have anything nice to say about their customer service, but the product, once it's in hand, appears to be high quality.

[Matt R.]

Nice. I'd like to try one sometime just for the hell of it.

[danomite64]

I had a Modulus and a Moses neck. The Modulus was way nicer.

And yeah, Mosher was a pain in the ass to deal with.

[pjmuck]

I'm still on the lookout for a lefty Tele style Moses, so if anybody sees one lemme know.

[superheavydeathmetal]

What is it going on? I see there is no radius, so do you have to put a fretboard on it? Even if you leave it fretless, won't you still have to put a fretboard on it to give it some radius?

(Don't feel obligated to respond to the barrage of questions .)

[Moses]

Hey no problem! Nope, it is just going to be a flat fingerboard. I believe that fretboard radius is nothing but a holdover from the viol family, where it is necessary to allow the use of a bow. There have been claims that it is more ergonomic for the hand, but I don't buy it. Time to design it out, IMO. Of course, we'll see how my theory works out once it's installed! I'm planning on taking advantage of graphite's additional strength over wood to string it up extremely heavy gauge and get very high tension on a very flat neck with very low action.

It will be mounted to my mahogany/rosewood top Warmoth - the old neck will be transferred to a backup P bass. With a very dark oil finish on the rosewood and all black hardware, she'll be 100% stealth.

I've read the threaded insert installation instructions on the Moses site very carefully a few times. I have a tabletop drill press and I believe the procedure is well within my capabilities. I'm pretty "handy" and have done plenty of woodworking, though I haven't worked with graphite or carbon before. Slow and steady will win the race, I'm sure.

[tim]

That sounds awesome!

[superheavydeathmetal]

I believe that fretboard radius is nothing but a holdover from the viol family.

I am inclined to agree. I wish I would have gotten the 12" radius (the highest available) on my G&L.

[Moses]

It took absolute ages (I am slow! So very slow!) but it is finally together and playable. Wish I had a camera that could do her justice.

[fivebass52]

Looks nice! Now that it's assembled, what are your thoughts on the playability of the flat neck?

[Moses]

I like it a lot. It is a fairly subtle change, so I don't get thrown off switching between this and my Precision. It's most noticeable when playing on the E string - it feels less like I'm reaching for the string and more like I'm simply placing my finger on the string. It requires a little less arch to get there which means a little less strain on the wrist. Which is really nice! The setup is another place the flat radius shines, it was a total breeze to get action exactly where I wanted it. Took less than half the time I would normally need for a setup. That is also partially due to how quickly and easily the graphite neck adjusts compared to maple, of course.