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How to solve neck dive
- Thread starter Rod Barchetta
- Start date
ive got a 1964 gibson thunderbird i put some wheel balancing weights in the back casing til it was level from memory it was 3 small weights but would need to pull it out of storage and look
"Neck dive" is a thing you'll never have to contend with, with an upper horn like that on your bass.
Six string basses are notorious for neck dive.
But my Ibby BTB doesn't dive because of the long upper horn.
But my Ibby BTB doesn't dive because of the long upper horn.
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I've wondered if this was McCartney's solution to neck dive for his Hofner. See how he's clipped the end of the dog leash strap to over his bass and onto the tail piece. He played this way for years. The other end goes under the fretboard and across the body.
With every forum member I see claiming to be obsessed with low weight basses, it’s cracking me up to see everyone adding weights to their instruments lolol
Their issue is about balance and not so much about weight.
My sixers are 10.5lbs -+
With a Comfort Strapp they balance and weight is not an issue.
Many buyers don't bring a strap with them when they go to try out a bass.
Although they should.
Neck dive is discovered after it is bought home.
Where they then "cope" with it.
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Should not be surprising, really. Lightweight basses are naturally more prone to neck dive, and adding a few ounces to a lightweight bass is still a lightweight bass.
I have 2 bass guitars from the 70s. Super heavy.
My other basses are all from the last 10 years and they are all much lighter.
It has always been my belief that it is harder to find the dense wood bass guitars. Maybe forests have been designed (engineered) to grow faster nowadays. I think the dense wood may contribute to their sound quality and may be one reason why the older basses from that era are so prized. Just my experience and opinion.
My other basses are all from the last 10 years and they are all much lighter.
It has always been my belief that it is harder to find the dense wood bass guitars. Maybe forests have been designed (engineered) to grow faster nowadays. I think the dense wood may contribute to their sound quality and may be one reason why the older basses from that era are so prized. Just my experience and opinion.
How about buying something that doesn't dive in the first place? If it does dive I consider it a poor design as there are plenty of basses that don't.
Like I said before, I totally agree with bringing your strap to the guitar store and making sure what your buying has everything, including proper balance. But if you buy online, it becomes a little bit of a crap shoot. Not all wood weighs the same and the one that gets shipped your way may have come from a different tree.
I would add, there are also more than a few basses out there with nose dive in the design that still sound awesome and deserve some playing time. This is a way to fix the problem without breaking your back or wallet or ditching a bass you otherwise really like to play. Several other creative ways to solve the problem have been given. For me, I enjoy playing the two basses I play with these modified straps and don't give it a 2nd thought.
But I get it. Balance is super important. A well-designed bass has this quality built in to the design.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
My preferred solution is to move the tuners to the bridge end.
