Is a bass neck supposed to be wider than it's body?

Charlie hunter comes to mind with his 8 string guitar/bass. That 15 strings looks like it's a chapman stick.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWyiezH8KGo

[quote author="Emperor-TK"]That 15 string bass has to be a gag instrument. Look at this from the same seller:

more is better[/quote]

That one looks like something from Rick Nielson's collection!

I play a 28 fret 6 string Fodera bass. Low B to high E.
I definitely use that low B string.

When I am on a 4 string I feel underpowered and slower.
I rather than jump up the neck for a line you just go up
a string and it's close by. Flip boxes need to be flipped
before you can get to those notes.

When I am grooving it's about the same,
but little licks are closer and faster, so I can add them.
When I solo I can use the whole range, and I CAN solo.
Once you understand what's available you don't want to go back.

I have jammed 6 string basses with Victor Wooten at the factory,
he played mine I played his. N power wasted with these bases.

A funk player friend has an 8 string bass,
I could go 7 but had no use for the top string.

I also play upright bass, I have two 3/4 four strings,
but have played a 7/8 six string upright in Paris,
it was awesome, I just couldn't afford to buy one.

I also have used the E string flip lever for a low C extension,
put there because the earlier classical basses were tune LOW C
not E, the strings wouldn't tensions up that far back then.

I have played a, 180 year old, 3 string, C tuned classical bass in NYC,
with hand made original era style strings. It was used for
St Martins Of The Fields original period instruments classical recordings.
Trying to duplicate the 'original period sound' as much as possible.

My largest Pedal Steel only has 14 strings on one neck,
I see no need for this 15 string bass.
it is combining a regular low B bass with an octave bass
or piccolo bass like Stanley Clarke played. Cool for solos.

Yes it is into lower guitar range, but string spacing is for using
fingers not a pick, so really not the same thing.
And played like that has a quite different percussive sound.

You can make one by using lighter gauge strings
on something like a short scale Fender Mustang Bass.

The BasTard is good for solo player especialy a tapper, to have full range
but looks like hell in that design.