Lightweight bass with no neck dive - Is it possible ?

[2saddleslab]

Your bass looks awesome!!!!

Thank you, sir!

 

[johnh89]

What great Basses these are! Mine had a hint of neck dive. I corrected it with Gotoh GB350 ultralight tuning machines. Took 3oz off the top and solved my first world problem.




If it doesn’t concern you it at least has crossed your mind! Perhaps you saw a Peavey T40 that looked like Swiss cheese and it disturbed you? You might not be looking for new gear now, but you are on Talkbass so....

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I didn't say I'm not after new gear . I have the GAS problem as bad as any . Latecomer to the bass so making up for lost time . Easier for me not being constrained by weight , scale length , nut width etc . Steinberger and danelectro currently on the radar . Some bargains to be had out there .
Seriously good points made by all posters so far

 

[Hundred proof]

And it’s a 34” neck

 

[ClusterFlux]

I prefer lighter basses, one is a 5.5 pound short scale. A wide strap with enough grip (leather/suede) almost always takes care of any neck dive.

 

[mrjim123]

My 2 cents - I haven't had a single neck dive incident since I switched from cheap nylon straps to leather straps decades ago, and that is on multiple basses.

 

[beatlebass64]

Birdsong basses

 

[Thumper]

Roasted mahogany body, roasted maple neck, Gotoh Res-O Lite tuners, 8 lbs, 5 oz. No neck dive, I'm 69 y.o. and can play it at practice for 3 hours standing. Could have reduced the weight 3-5 more ozs with a bent plate bridge, but it's light enough for me.

 

[Watchootognbout]

It's possible if the headstock and hardware are lighter than the bodies weight.
And/or the upper horn reaches the twelfth fret.
Otherwise you can just do this.

 

[BASSDROID]

The basses I currently own are all very light in weight and perfectly balanced, for all of the reasons mentioned previously:
Weight-conscious construction
Lower strap button located on the bass side
Extended upper horn
Light weight tuners and hardware

But probably most significantly, I use a wide leather strap and play seated 100% of the time. The strap is adjusted to hold the bass at lap level, so it does not support the full weight of the bass. Ultimately, a heavy bass or one that dives is never an issue because of how it is supported.

 

[Viggo51]

Sub 8# and a beast! No neck dive at all

 

[ctmullins]

Wide and/or sticky straps fix the symptom, not the problem.

Adding weights to the body side of the strap fixes the symptom, not the problem.

Looping the strap into your belt fixes the symptom, not the problem.

Proper weight distribution is the fix to the problem.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

All of these are ridiculously light (under 8#] and have perfect balance. My favorite is the one on the right. Tone for days, wide neck, 7.4# and perfect balance. They do exist but you may have to look outside of fender shaped objects.

View attachment 4299769

Nice! I picked up a 4 string AFR recently and absolutely love it. So light and comfortable to play.

 

[Shlabotnik]

Check out the Sandberg SuperLight for a 4-string that's just over 6 lbs.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

Reading this forum in depth over the years , it seems that the two most complained about aspects of the electric bass are neck dive on lightweight basses , and dislike of basses that are over 8lb or so . It seems to me that neck dive is always going to be an issue if you insist on a super lightweight body . How do you guys find the happy medium ?
From my point of view , neither of them are a problem . Apart from my Jack Casady which is prone to neck dive ( not a problem by the way as I tend to use both hands ! ) , my lightweight walnut J bass is over 9 lb and the EMG equipped P bass is a tad over 12lb 2oz . ( also not a problem ) . I have never been concerned about anything other than the sound from the bass and will accomodate any nut width , weight , balance etc within reason if the sound is good .
Maybe I am fortunate to be easily contented and it must be infuriating to try and find the holy grail of bassy goodness if you are more particular .
So.....is it possible ?

yes it is possible, I own several Fender JBSs' from the late 80s, all of them are light weight( basswood)under or just at 8 lbs. they are fairly well balanced, I did once changed out the Oem tuners, for some hefty Grover Titan tuners for looks & upgrade, but I quickly had to change them back because of "dive" those titans caused, they were very heavy & problematic, the posts were too high & caused alignment problems too! they looked great ,but were useless & swiftly returned!! in the meantime I got a hold of some hipshots Ultralights that did wonders for another bass that I bought a Warmoth replacement Neck that was very heavy due to their "super condtruction" steel rods!they cured the "dive" immediately! I soon moved onto gotoh resolites for looks & they are even lighter than the hipshots!! & IMHO look much better! so now I live in paradise with a great sounding bass that's super light & comfortable with looks killer! So yes, I believe it is possible to have a Light bass with a big Girthy Tone!!w/o Neck Dive!
I totally avoid all the moving the strap pin options, as they all seem very ugly or intrusive! but my experience with tuners that are designed to be "Light" or totally worth their price!I also believe you need to start with a good balanced instrument in the first place! I messed with mine , addng a 3rd party neck that through off its balance, luckily the "Light" tuners did the trick!!GL

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Headless or shorter headstock.
Light tuners with short headstock.
Top horn lower than 12.
Heavy Bridge / knobs
Relocate strap pin at butt of body either to the bass side from center, or to the back of the body.

Lighten the bass by making the body narrower (closer to centerline) only along the top edge

 

[halcyo]

I mean, if it’s headless, then it’s a lot less likely to neck dive. Singlecut body styles keep more weight in the middle as well.

 

[Raman]

Played an Ibanez EDA905 for years (the Affirma's ancestor). Super light. Not touching it, I could walk around, bend down and adjust my pedals and the bass almost always stayed in place, balancing itself.
So I'd say it's definitely possible, at least if you don't mind the weird shape.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Wide and/or sticky straps fix the symptom, not the problem.

Adding weights to the body side of the strap fixes the symptom, not the problem.

Looping the strap into your belt fixes the symptom, not the problem.

Proper weight distribution is the fix to the problem.

We all know that.
And despite that fact,manufacturers keep cranking out basses that have the same problem.
So that we all have to keep looking for a solution.

But that won't happen.
Because we all want different basses of different designs.
And sometimes a "problem"is not so huge that it prevents it from being bought.
Examples:Flying V,Thunderbird,EB0's and 8-12 string basses.

And no one wants to have to buy one type/style/design of bass.

 

[johnh89]

The solution would seem to be to stop buying basses that have that problem . That is the only way that manufacturers will take notice . Why do folk spend hard earned money on products that have to improved from new to reach acceptable standards . A lot of premium brands get away with this . Harley Davidson as an example . Vote with your cash folks .

 

[Hevy T]

I looked at a couple of Jackson Spectra Pros yesterday! They were extremely light and very comfy. I have the one pictured coming later in the week. I will try and remember to do a NBD post.

I also have a Spectra JV3 which is pretty darn light and sits perfectly and sounds great. That's the white one