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Neck dive is when the headstock end of your bass drops when not being supported by your hand. Having to hold the neck up to play can add to fatique, and muscle pain. Some basses are not well balanced.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the explanation.
That is good... Usually from my experience pain is an indication of something wrong with your posture. Are you renewing up? Maybe pressing on the frets too hard? Are you trying to look over the fret board to see what you are playing? Try playing in front of a mirrir. Also once you get used to the feel of the neck knowing which string you are on will be second nature... How old are you? How tall are you? How tall are your parents and which one do you take after most if you are still growing?
I can't handle a bass above 10 lbs... All of mine are well under that..
What do your current two basses weigh?
My Jag SS, Ibby Mikro and modded Bronco shortscales all fall in the 6 to 7 pound range.
"Too" heavy. Sorry but that is a biggie.... now go hit the gym!
D'oh! I'm so embarrassed about the misspelling...
Sorry - I didn't think about people thinking I was a kid or something. I'm an almost 50 y/o average height woman who needs to get to the gym but has too many other obligations - family, pets, the whole work thing... I changed my avatar - that is me.
You mentioned looking at the fret board. I'm guilty of that. I am more comfortable standing up practicing than sitting down.
Oh ok.. so that makes this easier.. Yeah .. just try to watch the posture.. don't tense up (I see the auto spell on my tablet rendered a part of my post you quoted useless..) and get used to the feel of the stings.. looking down is not so bad.. and necessary for beginners.. but just make sure you are not craning your neck. Use the fret markers to help you find your way .. Also set your strap so that sitting down or standing up the bass is in the same spot... and get a wider strap... This may be something you just have to work through. Also stretching before you practice is a good thing.. stretch your arms.. fingers.. neck.. shoulders.. Check out the article below as well.
Article on posture at NoTreble
Neck dive is when the headstock end of your bass drops when not being supported by your hand. Having to hold the neck up to play can add to fatique, and muscle pain. Some basses are not well balanced.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for explaining this.
Hmmm. I see.
I too am a "look at the frets while playing" type.
I have had what you describe from time to time.
I've tried really wide straps. Didn't like them. Many were wide but quite stiff. And they just dig into my neck irritatingly.
I don't think the width is as much important as the material the strap is made from.
The strap in the pic below is 2 1/2 inches wide. But it is very soft and pliable. Soft leather.
I wouldn't go less than 2 1/2 inches though.
I use this same strap on all my basses. No problem.
When playing standing up I also shift the neck of the bass a little so it is pointing a bit more forward than sideways.
On some basses it's not so much the weight......it's the way the bassmaker located the strap buttons on the bass initially.
I have found on some basses where the strap is sort of a tight "horseshoe" around one's neck because of the buttons....these tend to dig into the neck more than one where the strap isn't so
"tight horseshoe".
The one in the picture is a "house brand " strap from Long and McQuade ( one of my Canuck music 'goto' stores). Think I only paid $19.95 or close to that.
But it's the nicest strap I've used so far.
Playing for long periods while looking at the frets with neck cranked deep to one side
can be not good.
I usually do some simple exercises to counteract that.
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Exercise is the key. Both me and my guitar playing lady are 61. She'll sling on a heavy guitar or bass like it doesn't even exist. And rock it till the night is over. But we do both get exercise. Makes a huge difference.
Besides - calendar age is just a number. Barring a serious illness, you're as old or young as you let yourself feel.
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How about completely inverted? and just put a strap around the feet, like a stirrup.
Now if the whole band did that..I'd pay to see that!
I've got a Squire Mike Dirnt P Bass and it weighs a little bit over 3kg, 25℅ less than my Ray34. I put a hot pickup in it and now it's my go to bass.
I had many years of pain carrying guitars and basses due to injuries and this does the trick for me.
I had many years of pain carrying guitars and basses due to injuries and this does the trick for me.
