• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Big thick necks and neck dive on P basses

#21
Watchootognbout said:
It all depends on how you sit while playing with a strap.

Every one else wants to play off the right leg.(picture below)
This where they get neck dive while sittng.
The balance point is shifted back to the lower horn.
And you end up holding the neck up while fretting.

View attachment 3467764





I sit like this.
I get no dive because the bass is supported by both legs and the horn is against my chest and the strap helps hold it up.
View attachment 3467763
Click to expand...

Wait. Neck dive is a SITTING issue? That explains a lot.
 
#25
Bikeguy57 said:
View attachment 3467808 3 1/2 inch Levi suede strap. Neck will stay wherever you want it.
Click to expand...
That’s the truth. Also good for heavy basses - weight distribution is so broad that you won’t know you had a bass on at the end of your gig. I’ve used Italia 4” ever since I got a boat anchor Alembic but it’s great for all. 4 Inch Wide Guitar Straps and Bass Straps Don’t let the prices throw you. There’s always a two ‘fer one going on. Great, thick leather. They last forever.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Watchootognbout
#26
bassman10096 said:
That’s the truth. Also good for heavy basses - weight distribution is so broad that you won’t know you had a bass on at the end of your gig. I’ve used Italia 4” ever since I got a boat anchor Alembic but it’s great for all. 4 Inch Wide Guitar Straps and Bass Straps Don’t let the prices throw you. There’s always a two ‘fer one going on. Great, thick leather. They last forever.
Click to expand...

Yes, they are pricey. I have two with strap locks that I can clip on any bass in seconds.
 
#27
NikkiVibes said:
Hello Talkbass.

I've been shopping around for a P bass lately, I've really grown to dig the tone.

So I went to my one of my favorite music shops here in Tokyo and decided to try out some of the P basses to get a feel for what I'm after.

Last week I tried the Fender Player P bass and I quite liked it. It had the tone i was looking for.

Today I went in again and tried a number of basses with different neck sizes.
Initially i thought that i wouldn't like the baseball bat thick neck, but the more i play them the more comfortable they feel. I feel like theres a tonal difference at play somehow too.

Anyways, onto the basses. (All maple fretboards)
(In the order i tried them)
FGN (Fujigen) NPB, Precision Bass
- This bass was the lightest of all the 3. Super light body.
- Pickups are 62 style, they sounded great. My favorite sound out of the 3.
- Major NECK DIVE. This one, if you held the bass at the neck joint, it would start falling towards the floor. The neck on this one was HUGE, but really smooth and nice to play. But the light body combined with the big thick neck led to some huge dive.
(More on this at the end)
- More of a Modern tone

Fender MIJ Hybrid 50's Precision Bass
- A little tiny bit slimmer than the FGN,but really big thick neck, also very comfortable
- Tone was a little less.. Extreme? It had some good tones, but these are USA Vintage era pickups, that may be the reason.
- A little bit on the heavier side, with a little bit of neck dive. Wasnt nearly overall as bad as the FGN, much better balance.
- Vintage tone

Fender Player series Precision Bass
- Comfortable thinner back neck, little less to grab onto, felt a little more tighter
- Sound was comparable to the MIJ, just a little bit of a different profile (Possibly due to the newer Alnico style pickups)
- More affordable
- NO neck dive, really good balance.


Onto the reason I made this post, I'm looking for some advice on the neck dive. I play sitting down with a strap plugged into an audio interface regularly for practice at home, but standing into a bass amp when Jamming. It seems like the neck dive issue could be quite problematic sitting.
I'm in the market for a quality, nice P bass that I can keep for a long time. Current bass im playing feels a little cheap and now that Ive been playing instruments around the 1K price range its starting to become my standard.

Any advice on neck dive or neck size vs body weight and balance with P basses? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Click to expand...

I’ve been playing Fender P Basses for decades. I have never had neck dive on any of them. I do use a 4 inch fabric (not leather) strap. As for neck dive while sitting, strap or no strap, never.
 
#28
Kerplunk said:
For me, neck dive is an instant fail. I can adjust to different necks over time, but neck dive will always be an issue. You end up holding the neck up, which impedes your movement along the neck. Then comes weight. You maybe young and your enthusiasm may counter a weight issue, but as you age, that issue can become tedious. I have a boat anchor I've had over 30 years, but it sounds great. I only play it when I'm seated.

I don't think holding the bass at the neck joint is a good indication. You're best bringing a strap with you and trying the bass out whilst standing. If it were me, I'd be choosing the Player series PBass because, as you mentioned, it was light with no neck dive. You can always change the pickup if the sound becomes bothersome.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing about the neck dive! I was like...hmmm this ones a Lemon:bored:, its neck is so much heavier than the body! Although, all in all it made it feel light so it wouldnt be so bad hung around with a strap for long periods of time. it had the best tone of all of them though o_O ><

The player had a much thinner neck and im inclined to go for something with a much thicker neck for my next bass. I may end up going for the player one if some of the thicker neck ones i test out dont quite jive. Im also a trying to convince myself to spend the extra and go for MIJ for the quality and upgrade.

Cutter8 said:
If the FujiGen model you tried has the same tuners on it that my FGN Expert MJ has (pic below), you may be able to solve the problem pretty easily. Those tuners are super high quality, but they are basically military grade and weigh a ton! They are the heaviest tuners I’ve ever come across. The fix may be as simple as replacing them with Hipshot Ultralites or something similar, which could lighten up the headstock by nearly 300 grams.
View attachment 3468020
Click to expand...

Those look like the same tuners. Seems like good quality hardware(military grade:laugh:). The lightening method of changing those out could be part of a solution. I've heard i could change the bridge too, that would add a lot of weight to the body. The body was just sooo light...
It seems odd to have to put modifications on a 1K$ price point bass. at that price point it shouldnt need anything done to it other than a good setup and some strings.

This is the bass model:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
It has GOTOH tuners apparently. GOTOH GB2
 
Last edited:
#30
NikkiVibes said:
I've heard i could change the bridge too, that would add a lot of weight to the body. The body was just sooo light...
Click to expand...
The bridge on my FGN Makes the tuners seem lightweight!
A93F5FA1-29A8-4B44-8F34-E2C099A5A218.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aaron Mc and Watchootognbout
#33
NikkiVibes said:
Hello Talkbass.

I've been shopping around for a P bass lately, I've really grown to dig the tone.

So I went to my one of my favorite music shops here in Tokyo and decided to try out some of the P basses to get a feel for what I'm after.

Last week I tried the Fender Player P bass and I quite liked it. It had the tone i was looking for.

Today I went in again and tried a number of basses with different neck sizes.
Initially i thought that i wouldn't like the baseball bat thick neck, but the more i play them the more comfortable they feel. I feel like theres a tonal difference at play somehow too.

Anyways, onto the basses. (All maple fretboards)
(In the order i tried them)
FGN (Fujigen) NPB, Precision Bass
- This bass was the lightest of all the 3. Super light body.
- Pickups are 62 style, they sounded great. My favorite sound out of the 3.
- Major NECK DIVE. This one, if you held the bass at the neck joint, it would start falling towards the floor. The neck on this one was HUGE, but really smooth and nice to play. But the light body combined with the big thick neck led to some huge dive.
(More on this at the end)
- More of a Modern tone

Fender MIJ Hybrid 50's Precision Bass
- A little tiny bit slimmer than the FGN,but really big thick neck, also very comfortable
- Tone was a little less.. Extreme? It had some good tones, but these are USA Vintage era pickups, that may be the reason.
- A little bit on the heavier side, with a little bit of neck dive. Wasnt nearly overall as bad as the FGN, much better balance.
- Vintage tone

Fender Player series Precision Bass
- Comfortable thinner back neck, little less to grab onto, felt a little more tighter
- Sound was comparable to the MIJ, just a little bit of a different profile (Possibly due to the newer Alnico style pickups)
- More affordable
- NO neck dive, really good balance.


Onto the reason I made this post, I'm looking for some advice on the neck dive. I play sitting down with a strap plugged into an audio interface regularly for practice at home, but standing into a bass amp when Jamming. It seems like the neck dive issue could be quite problematic sitting.
I'm in the market for a quality, nice P bass that I can keep for a long time. Current bass im playing feels a little cheap and now that Ive been playing instruments around the 1K price range its starting to become my standard.

Any advice on neck dive or neck size vs body weight and balance with P basses? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Click to expand...
I love neck dive tastes good with a cold beer!!:roflmao:
 
#35
Pops OB said:
Click to expand...
I have these and a (heavy) Badass bridge. Light tuners make a huge amount of difference because you're removing the weight from the end of the neck. Res-o-lite tuners are literally half the weight of regular tuners. I was amazed how much difference they make to the feel and the balance of the bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Watchootognbout and EatS1stBassist
#37
Neck dive on a P while sitting? You definitely don’t want a J - the offset body adds to siting neck dive.

Anyway, your problem isn’t the “heavy” neck. It’s the pile of crap iron at the end. A set of Hipshot ultralites will make the thing behave sitting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Watchootognbout
#39
I went and tried a couple more models today, I got curious!

There was another FGN there. It had some dive but not quite as bad as the previous one I tried. After playing it a while, I have to fight the neck a bit more than I'd like. If I got one of replace the tuners and it would work :)

Tried another hybrid fender. It's the fancy nice model for me. Neck is nice and a bit wide but it's vintage spec. No real dive on it, quite well balanced.

I ended up trying
.. a Yamaha BB434m! I actually really liked it. It had a fairly big neck and p bass sizing for the neck. It's 40mm at the nut, same as the fujigen actually. Liked it more than I thought and Im really considering it. Well within my budget too ^_^

Based on all the great tips here I'm going to get a nice big strap when I get a new Bass. It will be good for my ergonomics. A nice big fat supportive strap.
 
#40
Pops OB said:
Click to expand...
Old thread but I have a question, if I were to get this model, is there a drop D extender option? I couldn't find one. I've never used one but want to go to having one, and I'm in the market for lighter tuners, so I don't want to purchase something that doesn't allow for a drop D option. Thanks and sorry for resurrecting this thread:)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back