FENDER P-BASS 1977 NECK DIVING??

[warwick1992]

Hi, I'm planning to buy a vintage fender p-bass 1977 and my bass teacher told me to look out for neck diving problems. Do someone knows I to recognize this problem on a bass?

[Baird6869]

Never.

I have owned light (8lbs) and heavy (12+lbs) 1970's P basses and neck dive has never been an issue. I. Have likely owned a dozen P basses over the years.... No neck dive.

[bassguitarthund]

I really never heard of any Fender with neck dive issues. Doesn't mean they don't, just none of mine or anyone else I know that plays Fenders have that issue.

[KeithAlanK]

Originally Posted by warwick1992

Do someone knows I to recognize this problem on a bass?

Strap on the bass, adjust height to your preference.
Remove both hands from the instrument and wiggle around a little, to simulate body movement on stage.
Does the neck dive towards the floor?

P and J basses balance well as a rule because the strap button is near the 12th to 14th fret area.
Les Paul, Thunderbird, Iceman, ASAT, and a few other designs have neck dive because there's no body wood anywhere near the 12th fret to attach the strap.
They don't balance without a little help, so if you let go of the neck it will drop, sometimes dramatically.
It's more difficult and tiring to play a bass when you have to hold the neck up all the time.

I added almost 2 pounds of lead to the control cavity and strap to get my new Iceman balanced, and I couldn't be happier despite the extra effort.

Get a new teacher--yours sounds like an amateur that spreads BS without explaining or even understanding what they're talking about.
If they can get Pbass=Neckdive so completely wrong, what other worthless garbage are they teaching you?

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by KeithAlanK

Strap on the bass, adjust height to your preference.
Remove both hands from the instrument and wiggle around a little, to simulate body movement on stage.
Does the neck dive towards the floor?

P and J basses balance well as a rule because the strap button is near the 12th to 14th fret area.
Les Paul, Thunderbird, Iceman, ASAT, and a few other designs have neck dive because there's no body wood anywhere near the 12th fret to attach the strap.
They don't balance without a little help, so if you let go of the neck it will drop, sometimes dramatically.
It's more difficult and tiring to play a bass when you have to hold the neck up all the time.

I added almost 2 pounds of lead to the control cavity and strap to get my new Iceman balanced, and I couldn't be happier despite the extra effort.

Get a new teacher--yours sounds like an amateur that spreads BS without explaining or even understanding what they're talking about.
If they can get Pbass=Neckdive so completely wrong, what other worthless garbage are they teaching you?

Good post - especially the part about the "teacher"...


- georgestrings

[thunderstation]

Originally Posted by warwick1992

Hi, I'm planning to buy a vintage fender p-bass 1977 and my bass teacher told me to look out for neck diving problems. Do someone knows I to recognize this problem on a bass?

I own a Precision & jazz bass and have played dozens over the years. the only neck dive problem i have encountered is when someone changed the neck strap button location

other than that - i have always found any fender to be really well balanced and very comfortale to play

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by KeithAlanK

Strap on the bass, adjust height to your preference.
Remove both hands from the instrument and wiggle around a little, to simulate body movement on stage.
Does the neck dive towards the floor?

Do This ^^^^

[bassdude51]

My .02 cents. Fender Ps and Js don't neck dive..................unless if the body is some super mega light weight wood. Like an un-loaded body weight of less than 3.5 lbs.

Usually, if the strap button on a bass' upper horn is right above the 12 fret, it won't dive.

[wvbass]

My P bass doesn't neck dive,but it does balance. If I angle the neck up and let go, it will level itself. Not exactly neck dive, but not no-dive either. My other two P basses are heavier and stay put.

I am also going to be disagreeable and say I have had J basses not stay put when on a strap. However, these are exceptions and far from the rule.

IME. YMMV.

[bassman1232]

Hi, i own an old P bass, neck dive has never been an issue, Thunderbirds are notorious for it however, great basses tho'.

[sratas]

had 2 specimes af fender jazz bass wich had some sort of neck-dive, but this illusory problem was not so evident when standing with a strap, because of the smart positioning of the upper horn of the body. A strap a little bit wider zero'd the issue and the diving was evident only when sitting with the bass put on the right leg. These basses were mexican Fenders, and the body was extremely light, whereas the tuning machines were very heavy...
Had other jazzes, no issues at all, my G&L JB is perfectly balanced.
I think that a neck dive could happen on a J or P, but, in that cases (the minority), it does not constitute a true issue and it solves almost magically when the bass is holded by a strap.

[nubs]

bologny...Pbasses dont neck dive, gimme a break

[bostonasphalt2]

Originally Posted by nubs

bologny...Pbasses dont neck dive, gimme a break

Some do for sure

[FunkRenegade]

Fenders don't balance vertical as some like, but they certainly don't dive straight down to the floor. They more or less stay horizontal .

[Immigrant]

Neck dive when in the standing playing position is neck dive. Neck dive in the sitting position is gonna happen because the balance point of the bass isn't where it sits on your thigh. I personally think neck dive in the sitting position should be referred to as something else, maybe idiocy.

If you have a Fender that dives (you don't and won't), get a suede strap.

If your teacher throws any other terms at you that you're not familiar with, decipher them here. Hopefully his real teaching concerning playing isn't as vague.

[slagbass]

'77 Precisions are typically not known for having neck dive problems. Usually, the bodies are too heavy to allow the neck to dive.

Not to scare you, but as the owner of a '77 P who tried many from that era before he purchased, there are a LOT of OTHER things you should watch for if you are considering purchase. If there is a competent luthier close to you it would be worthwhile paying him a few bucks to give the bass a once-over before you pull the trigger.

[lowphatbass]

"Full Body Bass Dive" would be more of a concern IMO, aka: Fender did build some heavy instruments around that time. Even so, not all are heavy, and a lot of people love their heavyweights.

[thiocyclist]

I wouldn't listen to people who are saying it NEVER happens. I don't think it's very common with Fenders, but wood varies, and I have played a couple of Fenders that neck-dived on me before. One was an Aerodyne and the other was some sort of aged P Bass (not a Road Worn though). Rather than come worrying to TalkBass just follow the sacred rule "Try Before You Buy" and you'll be fine.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by nubs

bologny...Pbasses dont neck dive, gimme a break

That depends on the particular P bass.

[godofthunder59]

What he said. Your teacher doesn't know squat.

Originally Posted by nubs

bologny...Pbasses dont neck dive, gimme a break