Upper horn extender

DirtPoorRobins · #1 03-30-2010, 10:31 AM

I've seen lots of posts about people putting bolts where the upper horn is to extend the strap as to help neck dive and such. Can you guys explain exactly what you did so I might replicate? Thanks

bongomania · #2 03-30-2010, 12:49 PM

I've gone two ways:

One, I had a woodworker here on TB lathe a 2" long cylinder of wood (matching the fretboard), which I ran a 5" screw through, attaching it to the bass in the usual upper-horn location. Looked great and worked great. The downside there was I had to semi-permanently attach the strap to that screw; there was no easy way to attach a regular strap peg or straplock, due to the thick diameter of screw required for strength. It could be done I guess, I just couldn't figure out how.

The other way was with the Steinberger Synapse Strap Hook Extender, which is a 6" black metal hook that you bolt onto the back of your bass (at the heel or on the back of the upper horn). The pros: it gives you a lot of extra length on that top horn, and the hook end holds your strap pretty securely under normal use. The cons: you have to put two big screw holes in the back of your bass, and it's a big black hook--might not look good to some people.

The first one is classy and looks great, but a big hassle for attaching the strap. The second one is no hassle and works great, but it's kind of brutal.

lug · #3 03-30-2010, 01:55 PM

I bought this starp extender though Ebay. Unfortunately, I've gone back and can't find the vender anymore.

Brass tube with strap head with a long brass screw. Have had no problems with the extended lengh but I don't jump around or bounce the bass much.

krustwell · #4 10-05-2011, 09:20 AM

back from the grave...

Bongo, do you have pics of solution #1? I just got an old Carvin LB70 and the upper horn/strap button is even with the 14th or 15th fret position and I'd like to get it closer to the 12th for neck dive and left hand position.

Thanks!

krust

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

I've gone two ways:

One, I had a woodworker here on TB lathe a 2" long cylinder of wood (matching the fretboard), which I ran a 5" screw through, attaching it to the bass in the usual upper-horn location. Looked great and worked great. The downside there was I had to semi-permanently attach the strap to that screw; there was no easy way to attach a regular strap peg or straplock, due to the thick diameter of screw required for strength. It could be done I guess, I just couldn't figure out how.

The other way was with the Steinberger Synapse Strap Hook Extender, which is a 6" black metal hook that you bolt onto the back of your bass (at the heel or on the back of the upper horn). The pros: it gives you a lot of extra length on that top horn, and the hook end holds your strap pretty securely under normal use. The cons: you have to put two big screw holes in the back of your bass, and it's a big black hook--might not look good to some people.

The first one is classy and looks great, but a big hassle for attaching the strap. The second one is no hassle and works great, but it's kind of brutal.

FunkMetalBass · #5 10-05-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krustwell

back from the grave...

Bongo, do you have pics of solution #1? I just got an old Carvin LB70 and the upper horn/strap button is even with the 14th or 15th fret position and I'd like to get it closer to the 12th for neck dive and left hand position.

Thanks!

krust

On the bridge-end of the bass, try taping your strap an inch or two higher and testing it out. You may be able to achieve a comfortable feel by repositioning it over there and saving time.

darkstorm · #6 10-05-2011, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

On the bridge-end of the bass, try taping your strap an inch or two higher and testing it out. You may be able to achieve a comfortable feel by repositioning it over there and saving time.

This can actually work even though it sounds like it would do the opposite. Ive used this trick succesfully a couple times.

bongomania · #7 10-06-2011, 12:47 AM

Anyone here with a lathe care to make a small item for me?

krustwell · #8 10-06-2011, 07:46 AM

Bongo, that's conceptually what I had in mind to resolve my issue. Searches online make me believe the "BassBalancer.com" product is no more, which is a shame b/c it looks like the same idea as yours, out of the box and no skill required (a plus for me).

I know this "neck dive" issue is all over the boards (I'm reading those threads, too), but that isn't necessarily my issue: I'm 6'6" with long arms and the way this thing sits against my body, I'm having to really reach to access the lowest fret positions. not cool!

Thanks for the responses. I will take all suggestions into account.

Nedmundo · #9 10-06-2011, 08:40 AM

I took Bongo's approach with a DiPinto Belvedere semi-hollow, which had its upper horn strap button around fret 16. The back and sides of the bass were black, so I just drilled through a two inch length of dowel rod (5/8" wide, IIRC), painted it black, and used a long screw that went about an inch into the body. The screw was narrow enough to use a regular strap button, so I avoided that issue, though you could also drill a wider hole through a strap button to use a thicker screw. I was concerned about stability with a screw that thin, but it seemed really solid for the short time I used it. I sold the bass to a guy about 6' 4", who was comfortable without using the extender.

krustwell · #10 10-06-2011, 10:14 AM

an addendum: the bassbalancer product doesn't look nearly as nice as your custom fix and I've PM'd Mr. Nelson to see if I can commission him to do the same for me.

Thanks again, everyone.

Monkey · #11 10-07-2011, 03:14 PM

I absolutely HATE neck dive and have tried various things on many different basses. My current bass (which I built myself) was slightly neck-heavy, so I I came up with a cheap and effective solution. The fingerboard is ebony, so I took the body of a black inkpen, cut off the ends to leave a 2-inch long tube. I then used a long screw and put a standard strap button on the end. It works great.

slaphappychappy · #12 10-07-2011, 03:26 PM

Does that mean u extended where the lead hooks on? I have a 3.5 inch wide leather strap and that stops it moving around.

bongomania · #13 10-07-2011, 03:29 PM

Doesn't always work. For example if you are wearing a shirt that has any looseness at all, the strap drags the shirt up in a dorky way, while the neck sinks down. Also if the issue is the distance to reach the outer frets, a wide strap does nothing about that.

krustwell · #14 10-07-2011, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Also if the issue is the distance to reach the outer frets, a wide strap does nothing about that.

...which is exactly my problem.

spigmu · #15 10-07-2011, 08:57 PM

I've wanted to screw a dowel style extender on righty bodies that I use lefty but I was afraid that if I went more than an inch out the angled tension might cause it to rip out unless I went pretty deep. Visually it seems kind of precarious. These success stories give me the gumption to do it.

lug · #16 10-08-2011, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spigmu

I've wanted to screw a dowel style extender on righty bodies that I use lefty but I was afraid that if I went more than an inch out the angled tension might cause it to rip out unless I went pretty deep. Visually it seems kind of precarious. These success stories give me the gumption to do it.

If you do this another precaution you can take is to get one of the stretch style straps. This will eliminate any inital shock to the post if you are jumping around.