Neck dive - a way to solve...

[Shoewreck]

Yesterday while practicing at home I finally found a way of ultra-comfortable hanging the bass on myself. Just used two straps - one as usual, from right side to left shoulder, as most right-handed players do, and another, set somewhat longer, from left side to right shoulder. Neck was raised much higher without any help from my hands. My back thanked me instantly, too.
There is another comfy way to hang a bass with a single strap - from in-between legs to left shoulder, but it feels way too sexy to play and requires a longer strap.

PS: beware, i started GASing for a heavier WW. Wideneck 6-string Thumb would look nice on me, i believe.

 

[Margus Alviste]

I didn't understand. Could you describe once again how to connect the second strap? Thanks!

 

[Akami]

Just used two straps - one as usual, from right side to left shoulder, as most right-handed players do, and another, set somewhat longer, from left side to right shoulder.

Not sure if it's just because I'm tired, but I'm having a hard time picturing what you're talking about.

Can you post a pic?

 

[trasser]

Yeah, pics please

 

[Shoewreck]

Pics may come later.
Try to explain. Being right-handed I put the auxilary strap as if I was left-handed. The straps cross on my back.

 

[UnDoNe]

a bit like this...?

Link Removed

 

[Margus Alviste]

You mean that you connect the right end of your second strap to the strap button which is at the bridge side of the body and the left end to the strap button on the upper horn?

 

[JayAmel]

There are many solutions for neck dive, including a set of harnesses suspending from the ceiling .

The best solution (at least to me) is the Comfort Strapp, simply because it (almost) never slips.

 

[Shoewreck]

Now I have a strong urge to get to a digital camera. Currently at work, so I won't be able to post the pics soon. Dare strap is the same on shoulder side, but it doesn't hold the bridge side.

 

[Bryan316]

For me, if the neck is heavy, I just step forward with my right foot, and rest the bottom of the body on the inside of my thigh. I've been doing that whenever I'm playing something more intricate up the fretboard, around the 12th fret.


Plus it's a kickass rock star pose. \m/

 

[synaesthesia]

I bought a dare strap for the only bass I have with a neck dive problem when standing up (it is one of my favourites to sit down and play). It is a telecaster body style bass with a 34" neck - like as ASAT except that this is custom made.

The dare is extremely uncomfortable to wear as it is just cheap nylon webbing. Does it cure neck dive? no. The Klondyke padded (single) strap I used has better traction over the shoulder and holds the bass better and does a more comfortable job.

Nice concept and I appreciate the idea behind it but to me it need refining - the swivel joint is another part I would redesign.

 

[ehque]

if you loop one short strap from upper horn, over the neck, back, under the left arm and back to the upper horn knob, it might help too.

me? i play a six string with a moody strap. perfect balance, which makes me hate Tbirds.

 

[62Walnut]

Here's another commercialy available solution, although it's designed for more efficient weight distribution, rather than neck dive. I'm not sure hw desirable it would be though, in terms of looks and coolness. I'm sure there will be plenty though, who will see the benefit for their back and neck is far more important than any looks issue.

http://www.activemusician.com/item--MC.10100

Walnut

 

[Shoewreck]

I see ehque got the idea - my way is from upper horn button to right shoulder, behind my back, then under left arm, to bridge-side button.

62Walnut, the dude is gonna break both his wrists, I keep mine straight . Neck looks much higher, almost upright-esque.

 

[lefty007]

. . . Just used two straps - one as usual, from right side to left shoulder, as most right-handed players do, and another, set somewhat longer, from left side to right shoulder...

Been doing this for awhile with some of my heavy basses, but a heavy bass is a heavy bass. You can distribute the weight better and make it more comfortable for awhile, but the weight is still there.

Anyhow, it is definitely recommended, and I'm even doing it with my lighter basses, because it just feels nice to be able to switch the load of the bass from shoulder to shoulder, and it does place the bass in a nice playing position.

 

[Shoewreck]

lefty007, playing position was actually the main goal. I enjoy effortless playing it provides. Weight distribution doesn't reduce weight - the extra strap weights something, right?

 

[Shoewreck]

Here are two shots attached. The guy is me, you can see two straps going from upper horn and the auxilary strap going round my body.

Sorry for artifacts - I had to remove our vocalist from the photo.

 

[RickBlair]

Here's another commercialy available solution, although it's designed for more efficient weight distribution, rather than neck dive. I'm not sure hw desirable it would be though, in terms of looks and coolness. I'm sure there will be plenty though, who will see the benefit for their back and neck is far more important than any looks issue.

http://www.activemusician.com/item--MC.10100

Walnut

I have had a Slider strap for a few years and I hardly ever use it. There are a couple of basic issues - the harness straps aren't long enough so the bass sits too high for my taste, and since my arms aren't super long I have to shift the bass to the right a bit when playing near the nut on my 35" scale Modulus. The Slider doesn't allow me to shift the bass. It won't help a lot with neck dive either because the 2 straps slide back and forth allowing the neck to be raised and lowered vertically. The only help with neck dive comes from the shortness of the straps.

I recently dug it out to try on a Douglas Violin bass because the Violin bass dives like a fish and while the neck dive is limited at the lower point by the straps I still have to hold the neck up to play and the playing position still doesn't feel right.

Rick B.

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

Guys, any of you heard of Tri-Strap? I can't find info now but when I bought a Warwick Thumb 6 back in 91/92 I found a small ad in Bass Player magazine that advertised it. I bought it and it worked wonderfully.

The thumb as you know has a very short upper horn, and that along with a big neck makes for a massive neckdive and uncomfortably long reach to the first fret.

I'll try to explain it (Right handed).
STEP 1:I had the main strap going from the upper horn over my _right_ shoulder and to the strap point behind the bridge. It's like when you put a regular bass on you but not take the strap over your head.

STEP 2: If you stood behind me then, you would see that on the main strap, on my back, there was a circled stiff leather piece. From this piece, an second strap began, and went under my left arm, in almost waist height, and connected near the upper horn, onto the main strap, with a click-on.

This solved the long reach problem!

If anyone has some old bass player mags, it should be a small ad for it around 91 - 92 or thereabouts in the second half of the magazine. Cool if anyone could scan it in.
I took 5 mins and made something in MSPaint, LOL. Can you see what I mean? Red is main strap and pink is secondary strap. Hope you see what I mean, it really worked !

 

[emythefretless]

I change the place of the strap button at the bottom of the bass for the J models, it works too.