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neck dive

L

lowstandereds

Jun 1, 2009
28
0
#1
i have come to the conclusion that me and neck dive are now enimies. its the worst thing to happen to a bass. im trying so hard to love my mockingbird but the neckdive is just killing the mood.:bawl:

are there any basses with no neckdive issues?

does such a thing exist?

:help:
 
#5
i'm sorry this sounds kind of newbie but what's the big deal with the neck dive??? i mean, you just have to put your hand and that's it!!!! i have an eb-3 that sound pretty bad-ass and i won't change it just because of the neck dive!
 
#8
hdracer said:
How do you get a broken headstock from neck dive?

Unless you are under 4'
Click to expand...

Depends on the particular instrument, but keep in mind that lots of folks who love the T-bird hang it about to their knees sometimes. To be honest, I've just seen the broken headstocks at the shop and didn't delve into what happened. It could have fallen off the stand among plenty of other things.

Somehow neck dive and a fragile headstock seems like Gibson is making fun of us.
 
#11
lowstandereds said:
i have come to the conclusion that me and neck dive are now enimies. its the worst thing to happen to a bass. im trying so hard to love my mockingbird but the neckdive is just killing the mood.:bawl:

are there any basses with no neckdive issues?

does such a thing exist?

:help:
Click to expand...

sorry about that. i designed the mockingbird back in 1975 and didn't get a chance to correct that issue while it was first being produced.

most basses don't have neck dive (like fender p or jazz basses).

i have since bought a couple of the mockingbird heritage classic models and have corrected the neck dive problem on both of them. you can view the modifications in this thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=692615&page=3
 
#12
Neck dive sucks, there's no getting around it. You are constantly re-adjusting, holding the bass up, or weighting the body with the right hand. After a while your back will hurt from the awkward posture.

Once you pick up a properly balanced bass, you'll never look back.

I have the worst of offenders, a 13 lb+ Kramer aluminum neck. It kills my back and drives me crazy. I only play it sitting down now. Nice fretless noodling. It just doesn't get out much now that I've got perfectly balanced, 8 lb Dingwalls.
 
#15
My Epi Blacjbird has a **** ton of neck dive, but it's very light, so it's almost not a problem.

Heavy basses usually have no neck dive in my experience.

I've got a 5 string Warlock, the neck dips a bit, but no dive. That sucker isn't going anywhere.
 
#19
hdracer said:
You can also try moving the strap buttons.
Click to expand...
Moving them where? If the front strap button is already at the nutwardmost point of the top horn (where it usually is) then there's really nowhere you can move it to that will make it any better. The rear strap button position is not a factor; when the neck dives the rear button is not supporting any of the weight of the bass.

I solved the neck dive on my Tacoma Thunderchief by putting a 1lb SCUBA weight on the strap at the rear button.
 
#20
ggunn said:
Moving them where? If the front strap button is already at the nutwardmost point of the top horn (where it usually is) then there's really nowhere you can move it to that will make it any better.
Click to expand...

i moved mine on my mocks and extended them, basically making the bass 'think' that it has a longer horn. it now balances perfectly. the original button was on the back of the horn and not all the way to the edge:

mock-tummycut-3.jpg


it may not look quite as nice as when it's on the back, but i'll trade balance and comfort for the minor 'looks' difference.
 

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