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Fretless Neck-dive ; Solutions?

The Real Jake

The Real Jake

Jan 17, 2019
11
4
#1
FRETLESS NECK-DIVE ; Solutions?

Fellow Axemen,

In transforming my Squier Precision-J Bass into a fretless bass, I’ve got a serious case of neck-dive.

I prefer the Precision bass body shape for playability and I like the extra jazz pickup in the “PJ” design. Therefore, the Squier Vintage Modified Precision Bass seemed like the perfect affordable option for my fretless bass project.

For the neck, I bought a wonderful MIM Fender Jazz Fretless neck (maple and pau ferro). It’s as functional and comfortable as a maple-rosewood American Fender Fretless Bass I played in college. (The finished bass, red, is pictured herein.)

The only problem is that Fender neck is heavier than the Squier body, thus some serious neck-dive. More than the annoyance, I worry about long-term wear and tear functionality problems the neck dive might cause.

So, I’m considering switching out the Squire body for a Fender Body that might better equal the weight — I mentioned I like the PJ design –– unfortunately, not a common Fender product. The MIM bodies from some of these active pickup Fender precision basses have that desired PJ design… the only problem is they have a funky neck attachment design. (The white body, also pictured herein. Neck area is circled.) Will a little drilling on my neck solve that problem; i;e will my neck fit securely to the body with some minor modification?

The Fender Body (white) is 6 lbs… it’s Alder. I’m not sure the weight of my Squier body at this moment. A critical piece of info, yes. I do know that the Squier body is Agathis.

Maybe I should just get used to the neck dive, but could it damage the body or neck if not corrected? I’m just curious if any one else has experience with this or some idea of how they would proceed if it was your budget-fretless ambition…

BTW, I’d hate to lose that candy apple red color, but playability will always win over style for me!

-TRJ

PS: Squier did produce a fretless precision and fretless jazz bass; neither of these are solutions for me; I tried them and found the Squier fretless necks to be of poor quality — Fret buzz! — which is the last thing you should have to worry about on a fretless neck…
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#2
Suede backed strap will help keep the bass in place.

The white body pictured may be designed for a 22 fret neck. Be aware of that before proceeding. I’d consider a Warmoth body from their in stock/screaming deals section. They will route a j cavity in a finished p body for no additional charge.

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#3
You can save 5 or 6 ounces or so on the headstock by switching to Hipshot Ultralight or Gotoh Resolite tuners. That doesn't sound like much, but the neck acts as a lever, which multiplies the effect of the weight. I think it is about the same weight savings as removing 2 of the stock tuning keys, but I would research that rather than believe me :)
If I'm right, though, you could remove 2 tuning keys and check the balance to see what it would be like.
 
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#7
No, as Turnaround - and others - have said; it won't harm the bass. Unless it irritates you to the point that you smash it to bits, that is...
There are all kinds of "remedies" for neck dive. Depending on the player, and how bad the dive actually is, they may work - or they may not. For example;
Kramer 2.JPG Aluminum necked Kramers, like my 450B, are pretty much the definitive neck diving bass. Left to itself, with a grippy strap, it will be trying hard to pull your shirt off over your head in about a minute. I know, 'cause I've timed it... Short of hanging a 5 lb. weight off the back strap pin, there is no remedy for the neck dive with one of these. Holding this neck up is like holding a cast iron skillet out at arm's length. But, for as long as you can stand it, the tone is worth it...
DSCN0349.JPG On the other end of the Dive spectrum are violin basses - at least, they're divers to some people. I prefer to think of them as "basses with a slight forward bias, weight wise". I don't really consider holding up something the weight of an Egg MacMuffin to be a neck diver; but some people do. And, I suppose that for them, it is...
So.. is your bass really a neck diver, or does it just prefer to hang in one particular position if you give it a choice?
T-Bird 1.JPG '73 Ric 4001.JPG My Thunderbirds and my Ricks are like that. I just play them the way they like to be played, and we're both happy. As for the rest of my basses? No problem with them..
So, I'd say, just try some of the suggestions, and see what works best for you. Maybe you can fix it; or, maybe not - and you'll just have to live with it. Just don't go overboard, though; you could wind up with something like my Kramer Duke;
Lefty Duke 1.JPG it's actually butt heavy. I have to hold the neck down (a little) when I play it. Feels very strange, too...:whistle:
 
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#9
Move the strap button from the end of the bass to someplace closer to the horn. (looking at the bass, move the bottom button from 6:00 to about 8:00)
Another option is to extend the upper horn, but that involves changes most people don't want to deal with.
 

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