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Lower Strap Button Placement

MochaFiend

MochaFiend

Gold Supporting Member
Jan 6, 2022
185
430
#1
I own a Mustang bass that's got an unusable amount of neck dive. It's been pissing me off since I bought it.

I had an idea to relocate the lower strap button to a higher location on the lower bout to improve the balance. I do not care about affecting the resale value. I'm going to die with this bass.

When you're placing a button, how do you (or builders, or repairers) figure out where the balance point is? I'd rather drill one hole than ten, so would like to have some idea of where to place it.
 
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#2
MochaFiend said:
I own a Mustang bass that's got an unusable amount of neck dive. It's been pissing me off since I bought it.

I had an idea to relocate the lower strap button to a higher location on the lower bout to improve the balance. I do not care about affecting the resale value. I'm going to die with this bass.

When you're placing a button, how do you (or builders, or repairers) figure out where the balance point is? I'd rather drill one hole than ten, so would like to have some idea of where to place it.
Click to expand...
I didn't (and still don't) know either so I put the second button to match the next existing hole in the strap. Now the strap can still go on other basses
without any length changes. I didn't think there was a significant difference in balance.
If there is an optimal spot I would like to know also.

Extending the upper horn button did make a noticeable difference.

I didn't like the usual spacers with a long screw people usually try. The long screw visibly flexes and will ultimately break.
I used a compression fitting from the hardware store. (second pic). I think this one was the middle size choice available.
The female end is screwed to the bass using the original button screw and a tiny washer. (pic 3 and 4).
The strap button is held to the other female end with a machine screw. You can experiment with length here. The part screwed to the bass stays.
I gained more than an inch.
You can make a few of these to play with lengths and if you put a female end on other basses your extension can move interchangeably to them.
Balanced my jazz bass and is not as ugly as some schemes I have seen.
 

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#3
Major Seven said:
I used a compression fitting from the hardware store. (second pic). I think this one was the middle size choice available.
The female end is screwed to the bass using the original button screw and a tiny washer. (pic 3 and 4).
The strap button is held to the other female end with a machine screw. You can experiment with length here. The part screwed to the bass stays.
I gained more than an inch.
You can make a few of these to play with lengths and if you put a female end on other basses your extension can move interchangeably to them.
Balanced my jazz bass and is not as ugly as some schemes I have seen.
Click to expand...
This is a unique approach. I've seen a lot of different ways to extend the horn, but this is novel and seems secure -- and the modular idea is a nice touch.
 
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#4
MochaFiend said:
I own a Mustang bass that's got an unusable amount of neck dive. It's been pissing me off since I bought it.

I had an idea to relocate the lower strap button to a higher location on the lower bout to improve the balance. I do not care about affecting the resale value. I'm going to die with this bass.

When you're placing a button, how do you (or builders, or repairers) figure out where the balance point is? I'd rather drill one hole than ten, so would like to have some idea of where to place it.
Click to expand...

You can rig it up temporarily to try out the effect of raising the rear strap button. Put the strap on the button where it is, and then use a piece of duct tape to tape the strap tight against the body up higher. This will be about the same effect as moving the strap button to that upper point. Try it on and see if it works.

Raising the rear strap button can help with the balance, but it probably won't be enough for you. Since you're describing the neck dive as unusable. You'll probably need to move the upper strap button by making some kind of extension.
 
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#5
....and then there are the usual tricks like running the strap through your belt loop, but they seem like a bit of a hassle unless you can jigger up some kind of quick release. I always liked Mustangs, and pick one up every time I run across one.... and then put it down again because of the neck dive.
 
#6
Somewhere around four to five inches higher than the current one. Exact placement isn’t critical.

You’ll get better relief by swapping out tuners for ultra-lights.
 
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#8
I agree w/ @Major Seven & @Bruce Johnson on both strap ideas.

Every little bit helps and a nylon spacer works great on the top horn. I add a contour to match the top horn, paint it black, add a slightly longer screw.
IMG_0560.jpg


Bruce's suggestion of using tape to determine the proper back side button location will save lots of time & effort. Or, possibly save you from drilling at all, depending on the results.
 
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#9
Well if you really want an out of the box solution (relocating both strap buttons way outside the upper horn and lower bout), that also gives a good answer to the question of finding the balance point on your instrument there's this thread at sevenstring.org Determining guitar balance, which applies to bass. Like others said, the best way is using tape (I use copious amounts of green painters tape) to find the right strap button placement for you.

I find the standard upper-horn/bottom of bass doesn't let basses hang anywhere but mostly horizontal, so I modified a bass by moving the strap buttons to the bottom horn at the back and right in the front where the belly carve would be a la
1000031987.jpg

Which has it sit like this (I'll post better pictures if curious)
1000029485.webp

This works best for basses that are already body heavy, but it may have the bass sit way more vertical than what you're used to.

Depending on what works best for you, getting rid of weight on the headstock helps immediately. Mustang basses have the main problem of having the big fender style tuning keys that make the bass drop to the floor. The easiest solution is getting lightweight tuners, usually hipshot ultralites (for fenders the 1/2" models work) or Gotoh res-o-lites if you're looking for a model that keeps the footprint without having to fill in all the holes from the previous tuners. The easiest way to check is to remove the already existing tuners (either one at a time or all at once) and see how the bass hangs on the body before doing anything drastic, I find this is a good way to gauge the shift in balance on a strap as the weight of ultralites tuners and strings on will be similar to how the bass sits without tuners, if that makes sense.
 
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#10
Depends ..... are we talking standing / sitting or both? I have that exact same bass.... no I mean my JMJ has wicked neck dive too. I have the strap extension AND relocating the aft button (I probably didn't move it far enough. I like Bruce' idea to use the tape to test it). The changes were small and only affect it while standing. I even found a BRASS thumb-rest that was kinda heavy. In its normal position it did a little. I strapped it to the rear strap button and it still didn't DO a while lot. I suppose it helped some. But all those and a thick strap made playing while standing acceptable. But when you sit down I still had a problem. 3 things will get you past this. 1. Get over your vanity and expectations of what your bass should look like. 2. Get a footrest online ($20 for the nicest one). I'm embarrassed to say how comfortable that is by having the R leg up in a position of your choosing. 3. Get an old telephone "hands free" cushion online ($7). This is a game changer. It happens to perfectly match the contour of the bass. What a HUGE difference it makes. It raises it up about 1/2 inch and it holds the neck up so nicely I almost cried. I was just gonna use this as a proof of concept kinda thing. But it worked out SO NICE that I just left it as is. Nobody see's it but me (till now) and I've gotten to like it - considering what it does for me.
TIP: Before you put it on, contaminate the double sided tape a bit by sticking it to your pants first. I wanted to be sure I could take it off or move it (which I did need to do) without ripping the paint off. It works well. Comes off when I wanna. Yeah, it looks like a left handed football bat, but it eliminates the issue.

1768831233177.png
 
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#14
I also only play mustangs, and I found the best way to balance mine was to raise the lower strap button by 3 inches, and to relocate the upper strap button to the neck plate, and to hold the bass fairly upright. I learned of this way from playing an epi eb0 for a while, and grew to love it. It's comparable to the classical guitar approach, similar to holding the bass on the left leg with the lower bout between the legs. One accidental benefit of this is also that both of my wrists are straight while playing, but forget about being able to see what your fingers are doing, as the fretboard is facing away.
 
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#15
SpiderBass1965 said:
That is nice. Where did you get that from?
Click to expand...
Thanks! I had them cut & anodized because at one time I owned 6 ASAT basses and something had to be done about the [for me] less than comfortable ergonomics. Even sold about a dozen all over the world. But alas, I sold all the ASATs & returned to my slab roots.
Scan 2.jpeg
 
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#16
Neck dive? First, replace the tuners with ultra light weight ones!

Years ago I moved my end strap button from the end of the body to the back of the body, positioning it probably 6" in from the end. Yes it worked.

BUT

The opening between the two strap buttons became narrow so the strap sort of choked my body. And the whole bass hung more to my right which was great to reduce the reach to the low notes but upper frets became harder to play. And having the button on the back of the body rather than the end made the bass want to rotate away from me as a player. It just didn't hang the same.

I discovered that solving the root issue (too much headstock weight) was as a better overall solution for me.
 
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