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How do you combat Neck Dive?

Unless the body is very heavy, all of the stock Ps and Js I've ever played had neck dive.

I have NEVER played a Fender that had neck dive.

It appears that there are different definitions of neck dive.

Most of us would define neck dive as ... When you let go of the neck it takes a dive towards the floor ... But some define it as if your bass doesn't hang at a 45 degree angle by itself then it is neck diving.

Well there are pretty much almost no basses that will hang at 45 degrees. That is not neck dive to most bass players.
 
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Unless the body is very heavy, all of the stock Ps and Js I've ever played had neck dive.


not true, my G&L JB, some other high price jazz basses I have owned or played were pretty lightweight, especially for the swamp ash body or chambered body, and the neck dive was apparent IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY only when sitting and playing with the bass on the thigh...but, man, I hope most of you judge the balance in the standing position, uh?
If you refer to the bass diving when sitting, I can agree with you, but, honestly, I think the diving should be judged in the standing position only, just to have the strap playing a major role and "standardize" as much as possible opinions and experiences...
 
Unless the body is very heavy, all of the stock Ps and Js I've ever played had neck dive.

^This.
I have NEVER played a Fender that had neck dive.

It appears that there are different definitions of neck dive.

Most of us would define neck dive as ... When you let go of the neck it takes a dive towards the floor ... But some define it as if your bass doesn't hang at a 45 degree angle by itself then it is neck diving.

Well there are pretty much almost no basses that will hang at 45 degrees. That is not neck dive to most bass players.

Depends on how and where your bass hangs relative to one's body. Those who wear basses high on the chest vs those, like me, who have them hanging low can have a completely different experience with the same bass.
 
Firstly you should always do something to the bass that can be un-done before performing any needless surgery. I agree with another poster who recommended ultralite machines. The weight difference between just one of these and the standard tuner they are replacing is drastic. I switched mine out for a well loved five string and it worked out that the new tuners shed the entire weight of one tuner, ie five ultralites weighed the same as four standard weight tuners. And those older tuners are heavy.
 
If you refer to the bass diving when sitting, I can agree with you, but, honestly, I think the diving should be judged in the standing position only, just to have the strap playing a major role and "standardize" as much as possible opinions and experiences...

A properly balanced bass will balance when sitting without a strap, to me anything that doesn't suffers from neck dive.
 
With out all the ranting and raving or telling you to buy another bass.

Add weight to the bridge end of the bass on the back. Stick on wheel weights from an auto parts store will work and they are incremental.

WheelWeights.jpg


Add a spacer and a longer screw to the button on the horn. This one is metal but a piece of wooden dowel will work, paint to match or contrast.

mock-strapbutton.jpg



Matt
 
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Fenders certainly can have neck-dive. The worst dive I have at the moment is a light-bodied P-bass that dives down to near-horizontal. It doesn't bother me all that much, but it's certainly noticeable, and becomes a hassle when I reach for my drink and the headstock falls and hits the cymbal next to me. :)

I see some claims here that upper horn length/position at a particular fret will determine whether neck dive is a problem for the design. Not true.

The angle at which something hangs when suspended from two support points depends both on the location of the support points AND the weight distribution (and therefore center of gravity) of the item itself. You cannot predict the angle something will hang if you only know the position of the support points.

Now, clearly some designs are more likely to balance properly given expected ranges of material weights. But wood weights differ so extensively, from chambered basswood to the densest mahogany, that you can easily be fooled.
 
I have NEVER played a Fender that had neck dive.

It appears that there are different definitions of neck dive.

Most of us would define neck dive as ... When you let go of the neck it takes a dive towards the floor ... But some define it as if your bass doesn't hang at a 45 degree angle by itself then it is neck diving.

Well there are pretty much almost no basses that will hang at 45 degrees. That is not neck dive to most bass players.

I define neck dive as when the bass neck drops when I let go of it.
 
There are some useless, crabby old farts on here. I never knew a simple question like this could ignite the douchebaggery of 'sell it'.

I'm going to look into the hippoopie ultralight tuners and a wider strap. I went to GC but they wanted 70$ for a strap. I could get one custom made for cheaper.
 
$160 for a set for what?

And where do you get a car payment that's only $160?

$160 for the set of Hipshot Ultralites.

Have good credit, and put a down payment on the car and you can easily get a payment of 160. In 2006 I bought a new Civic with 5000 down and my monthly payment was $143. Now I have a 2014 Jeep and the payment on a 27000$ vehicle is only 209 a month.
 
$160 for the set of Hipshot Ultralites.

Have good credit, and put a down payment on the car and you can easily get a payment of 160. In 2006 I bought a new Civic with 5000 down and my monthly payment was $143. Now I have a 2014 Jeep and the payment on a 27000$ vehicle is only 209 a month.

Got great credit but a large down payment would be a bit rough right now. Maybe if I stop buying instruments and gear and start selling it off. :)

I've seen Gotoh Res-O-Light 350 replacements for the GB7 style tuner for $92/set on the 'net.
 
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Got great credit but a large down payment would be a bit rough right now. Maybe if I stop buying instruments and gear and start selling it off. ;)

I've seen Gotoh Res-O-Light 350 replacements for the GB7 style tuner for $92/set on the 'net.

I'll probably grab a strap online for now. Just 'feeling' it on my shirt is what will prompt me to actually buy it. GC had one that stuck to my shirt like glue and I believe would have done the job but I wasn't willing to spend the money when I really believe I could get it online for a fraction of the price.
 
I have NEVER played a Fender that had neck dive.

It appears that there are different definitions of neck dive.

Most of us would define neck dive as ... When you let go of the neck it takes a dive towards the floor ... But some define it as if your bass doesn't hang at a 45 degree angle by itself then it is neck diving.

Well there are pretty much almost no basses that will hang at 45 degrees. That is not neck dive to most bass players.

Then you haven't played enough basses ;) :D I've made a point of almost exclusively buying basses that don't drop from about 40 degrees when let go for the past ten years or so. There's lots of them. If they do, then it's neck dive IMO.
 
A trick I picked up when hanging a tele low and dirty like Keef....I moved the rear strap mount 1" higher up the back....big change in the balance..
One other thing...I saw an ad for this problem....it featured a 4" wide strap with a pocket the size of a pack of cigarettes low down at the rear of the strap...it takes a weighty metal bar....steel?...lead?...seemed to make sense........just saying...
 
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