Are all 6 string basses neck heavy?

[gimmeagig]

I just bought a Brice HXB 406 6 string bass. Sort of as a fun project to modify and to see if I can actually get used to playing one of those beasts.
The bass is fairly light. 10 pounds or so. I noticed that the neck feels pretty heavy when I sit down without a strap.
I'm wondering if that is just the nature of 6 string basses or if there are some that are better balanced than others.

 

[MobileHolmes]

My 2 carvin's are well balanced

 

[GIBrat51]

I don't have one myself, but I'd think..
- The potential is probably higher to be neck heavy. 2 more tuners, and (maybe) a bigger head stock certainly wouldn't help...
- The increasing use of lighter body woods, coupled with 2 more tuners, etc., etc., wouldn't help, either...
Like any other type/style bass, I'm sure there are 6-stringers that are better balanced than others. But, I don't know which ones they are; sorry. I'm sure there are lots of folks who do, though... and one showed up as I was typing this, in fact.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I don't have one myself, but I'd think..
- The potential is probably higher to be neck heavy. 2 more tuners, and (maybe) a bigger head stock certainly wouldn't help...
- The increasing use of lighter body woods, coupled with 2 more tuners, etc., etc., wouldn't help, either...
Like any other type/style bass, I'm sure there are 6-stringers that are better balanced than others. But, I don't know which ones they are; sorry. I'm sure there are lots of folks who do, though... and one showed up as I was typing this, in fact.

I think you are right about the potential for neck dive. Fortunately, most 6s use a 3x3 headstock, so they aren't so long, and a fair number of manufacturers are using ultralight tuners now to try to offset the issue

 

[Bob_Ross]

no

 

[Paulabass]

Nice long upper horn does it. My Tobias 6 balances very well.

 

[TolerancEJ]

All of my 6-string and a 7-string balance just fine. That said, I also play with my bass worn a bit higher, which eliminates most neckdive problems. They include the following:

FBass BN6
Greg Curbow Petite 6
EBMM Bongo HS 6
Ken Smith KSD Burner 6
Elegee Custom Fretless 6
Warwick Thumb 6 (For my Thumb, I also have a wide strap with a rough suede backing which grips my shirt to hold it in place.)
Conklin BDGT-7
Warwick-Rockbass Alien Deluxe 6

 

[dabbler]

Nice long upper horn does it. My Tobias 6 balances very well.

But unless you wear you bass very high, the horn and strap don't do much for neck dive when you are sitting down, as the OP mentioned.

 

[gimmeagig]

When I stand up using the strap I don't have a problem. The friction of the strap combined with how it is suspended on the horn makes the neck dive less of an issue.I was talking about playing sitting down without a strap. It seems to me that the fatter neck ( 2 truss rods) even with a 3+3 headstock would be heavy. Also it's a 2 octave neck. I'm not sure if a different body design can counteract that

 

[Watchootognbout]

You and I both have the same model bass.

Sitting without a strap.
Yes.
Sitting with a strap.
No.

Most six stringers have more neck width and girth because of the extra strings.
Plus a couple extra tuners.

Solution?Do what I do.
Use a strap while sitting.
If you don't you are holding the bass neck and fretting at the same time.
You are adding forearm tension to the fretting hand.

Also many play with the bass on their RIGHT leg.
I play with the bass on my LEFT.
Or rather between my legs

Oh...and get a Comfort Strapp!

 

[Mastodon2]

My Raro custom is fine. It's not neck-heavy at all, it's just flat out heavy. Basses with small bodies and short upper horns can be prone to being neck-heavy, neither of which is an issue with this bass.

I wear it on a high on a wide strap when standing. I play it in regular position when seated, it has a cut near the bridge as a leg rest for use when playing it on the left knee, like a classical guitarist.

 

[gimmeagig]

You and I both have the same model bass.

Sitting without a strap.
Yes.
Sitting with a strap.
No.

Most six stringers have more neck width and girth because of the extra strings.
Solution?Do what I do.
Use a strap while sitting.
If you don't you are holding the bass neck and fretting at the same time.
You are adding forearm tension to the fretting hand.

Also many play with the bass on their RIGHT leg.
I play with the bass on my LEFT.
Or rather between my legs
View attachment 3009339
Oh...and get a Comfort Strapp!

Yes, I saw some of your posts when i first discovered the bass at the local pawnshop. I'll be installing EMG P45 JX pickups pretty soon. I 'll also be moving the locations of them.I like the sound of a 70s J bass maybe i can get close. I'll post some pictures when I'm done with it.
Anyway you're right, no strap while sitting down makes it very difficult to play for longer periods.
I also tried putting the bass on my left leg, that feels very weird to me. besides, everybody is going to think I'm trying to be Hadrien Feraud. Too much pressure

 

[Watchootognbout]

My Brice does not dive while standing.
Hands off!

 

[Watchootognbout]

Yes, I saw some of your posts when i first discovered the bass at the local pawnshop. I'll be installing EMG P45 JX pickups pretty soon. I 'll also be moving the locations of them.I like the sound of a 70s J bass maybe i can get close. I'll post some pictures when I'm done with it.
Anyway you're right, no strap while sitting down makes it very difficult to play for longer periods.
I also tried putting the bass on my left leg, that feels very weird to me. besides, everybody is going to think I'm trying to be Hadrien Feraud. Too much pressure

You'd be in good company!

Hadrien Feraud.

 

[Epitaph04]

I have 3 current 6 string bass guitars. A fretless ibanez, a bongo 6, and a wal mk3. The ibanez likes to dive strap or no strap. Lightest of the bunch. Bongo balances relatively well. Wal mk3 balances perfectly and is the heaviest of the bunch.

Every warwick thumb Ive owned has dived pretty badly. One NT7, two NT 6ers, and one BO 5er. An inherent charm of the design. Theyve all been pretty heavy as well.

Its all about the construction and design of the instrument. Some are worse than others.

 

[IconBasser]

Nope.

Fact is, you are using a Brice. For the money, they're great. For that money though, not every detail is going to be thought through. Corners have been cut to make their production costs so low.

Most sixers I've tried have all balanced pretty well. I'd say your bass is the exception rather than the norm for 6 strings.

 

[Manticore]

Neither of my Alembics neck dive; hey are both incredibly well-balanced.

 

[Thumpin6string]

No, not if they are built right.

 

[IronSpatula]

I think makers of high quality six strings are aware of their greater need for ergonomic design consideration, and aware that their potential buyers are less likely to be concerned about traditional design aesthetics than players of more common basses. Most six strings I've played (Carvin BB, Peavey Cirrus, Ibanez BTB...) have long upper horns reaching to the 12th fret or close, and this tends to make them balance well.

So essentially, no. There are poorly balanced sixes out there but no more than fours or fives in my experience. In fact the most neck-dive prone bass I've ever played was a 5-string P bass.

 

[TheMaynorD]

I've exclusively played 6ers for the past 7 years and I have never really noticed an issue. Even my cheap mod rod Ibanez SR506 had decent balance. My bongo balances just fine, but I would expect nothing less from EBMM's only 6er. The biggest thing I have learned in my time on the darkside is that a good strap is crucial. With a little ibanez SR 1004 that probably weighs less than the burritos I get at Chipotle, you can probably get away with any old leather strap or that skull and lightening bolts strap you bought when you were 14 (or at least that's what you tell people). With a 6er that weighs 9-13lb a thicker strap, with the neoprene stretch is in my opinion a sine qua non. My shoulders used to hurt after practices before I switched to the Neo straps. Now they only hurt after shoulder day at the gym.