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how to check for neck dive?

#21
I have a parts bass that had neck dive. It has a very light body (4 lbs. 4 oz.). I was constantly dragging the neck back up and doing some sort of weird shoulder aerobics to get it back into place as I was playing. I put some res-o-lites on it and the problem went away. I have another parts bass with a body that is a little heavier and it does not have this issue so I have left it alone.
So...I guess if it is not severe, and you can find some lighter tuning machines, you can "fix" it that way.
 
#22
R. Laevinus said:
...the problem with neck dive making an instrument hard to play, is simply that you shouldn't have to support the neck with your fretting hand. Your fingers are there to fret the notes. Your thumb is there to provide an anchor point so that the notes can actually be fretted. No part of the equation involves supporting weight, and when the neck dive of an instrument forces you to do that, you are unable to shift as quickly as you would otherwise be able to, and some of us have difficulty with fretting complex passages when there is weight on the hand.

Some of us also have wrist injuries/tendonitis that make supporting the weight of the neck extremely uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

The worst case of having to support a neck was with my headless. That silly thing would not stay put! I think that the body was just to light.
 
#23
On any standard P or P-style bass, one of the best ways to get rid of neck dive is to ditch the old-fashioned large elephant ear Schaller or Schaller-style tuners and get Hipshot lightweight aluminum tuners. The old-fashioned tuners weigh at least a pound for the set, and the Hipshot lightweights weight right at 1/2 pound. That 1/2 pound makes all the difference at the headstock end of the bass, and the Hipshots come in either the "Y" or the cloverleaf pattern tab to retain the visual appearance. Not only that, but getting rid of that extra 1/2 pound is definitely noticable on the shoulder after a 3-hour gig.
 
#27
R. Laevinus said:
...the problem with neck dive making an instrument hard to play, is simply that you shouldn't have to support the neck with your fretting hand. Your fingers are there to fret the notes. Your thumb is there to provide an anchor point so that the notes can actually be fretted. No part of the equation involves supporting weight, and when the neck dive of an instrument forces you to do that, you are unable to shift as quickly as you would otherwise be able to, and some of us have difficulty with fretting complex passages when there is weight on the hand.

Some of us also have wrist injuries/tendonitis that make supporting the weight of the neck extremely uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

+1

I understand that a lot of basses ill sag a bit on the neck side, but a bass that you have to fight to keep it from pointing at the floor (or even parallel with the floor) is totally unacceptable IMO.
 
#38
I've never experienced neck dive, been usin the same 2.5" wide canvas strap since '91 and I got me a big ol gut pressin against the back of the bass (it helps with the resonance, thats mt story and I'm stickin to it!)...neck dive? What neck dive?:p
 
#40
jgore said:
Isn't neck dive compensated with the right arm rest ?

I don't see too much problem there if that's the case
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This is what I always think of when this topic comes up. My right arm rests on the body of the bass and pretty much holds it in place. If I sling it a little lower, then I might have a slight neck dive problem. Either way, the whole "issue" doesn't carry much weight for me. (Pun intended.)
 

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