Seriously..."neck dive"...???

[amimbari]

A 4" width leather strap has always neutralized the problem completely for me (at least on stage and on my feet). The added benefit is that distributing the weight does away with all (or at least 90%) of the fatigue associated with multiple, long sets + and 11lb plus instrument.

Come to think of it -- Who do those basses think they are?!? We gotta show them who's boss!!! (Now I feel better - LOL)

I am with you bassman, I don't really love a heavy guitar on my shoulder all night, but with the good strap, I never seem to notice. ( I have 2 Jacksons in the 15lb category )

For me, my 8lb 5 string bass makes the neck move all over the place, and I hate that it, plus my days of swinging the thing around my head stopped when I bought something worth more than a couple hundred bucks..

and show your bass who's the boss? ?? that's pretty apparent the very minute you plug it into the amp, and beat on the strings...
you ever hear a guitar NOT cry when you smack the strings really hard?... It's the high quality guitars that can actually TAKE the punishment for 20 years, and still look like it did when you bought it.

my closing point for the topic of the thread is, if you have issues with ANY guitar that you don't like due to the way you have to "comfortably" wear it, and because of that it dives, you have 2 choices naturally ---- find something that you like better and sell the neckdiver, or suffer with the awesome bass you already have.

 

[john turner]

this belongs in misc, not basses.

 

[spade2you]

+1 I play Alembics (known for excessive weight and neck dive) a Guild M-85 and have had a couple other heavyweights over the years. A 4" width leather strap has always neutralized the problem completely for me (at least on stage and on my feet). The added benefit is that distributing the weight does away with all (or at least 90%) of the fatigue associated with multiple, long sets + and 11lb plus instrument.

Me too. Come to think of it -- Who do those basses think they are?!? We gotta show them who's boss!!! (Now I feel better - LOL)

Not to bash Alebmic, but I more or less think their style is more in line with the old school designs. Like Fender, they aren't really required to update their design as they will always sell. Most of the new school luthiers tend to capitalize on this aspect of amazing comfort and ergonomics. I love the sound of Alembics, but once you try something by a luthier like Cliff Bordwell, you don't want to go back. Subsequently, I've been thinking about ordering some Alembic pickups and havin' Cliff build me something with some sort of dense tone block to add some snap while still maintaining a light bass.

 

[Ric5]

Ric5 - Nice solution to the Fenderbrid! I expect there is much less to no neck dive with that setup?

My Spector Rebop 5 also had neck diving issues and I still have not put a Thunderbird (Epiphone or Gibson) in my hands that did not suffer from neck dive. I really don't want to hold a bass a different way just to counteract neck-dive. I play my bass a little below the gut and if I can't do that with a bass, back on the shelf it goes. No matter what, I am not going to let my fretting hand slow down by holding up the bass - there goes my playing!

As for fixing it myself, I really don't want to spend the time doing that. I want the bass to be awesome right away in my hands when I stand up. No matter how you fix it, there is still a little bit of adjustment in playing style to get everything to work right playing wise. Like a previous post said, there are many choices for basses without neck dive - so shop around.

I should add that I use damn good leather straps when trying out any bass. I can't believe they still sell those nylon straps that couldn't grab your shirt even if your shirt was made of nails.

Zero neck dive on my fenderbirds now ... they balance perfectly on the strap ... they are much easier to play ...

I also will NOT play a bass with neck dive ...

 

[Bass Viking]

Maybe you should try a Fatfinger on your basses just to get an idea of the difference a weight change on the headstock can have. Just for trying you can also use a small carpenter c-clamp. (OT content: that will give you a real neck dive )

Maybe I will as an experiment. but on the other hand I don't see the need to. The Sad and the Dingwall don't require it in my opinion. I know that Sadowsky recommends the Fat Finger (on his web site) but I doubt he would use lightweight tuners if he felt they caused problems.

 

[bad_andy]

My strapping position: (medium bow-tie)

Anything higher is uncomfortable for my right hand, anything lower gets bad for my left wrist.

Neck Dive? Totally exists. My first base was a Hohner Steinberger headless that only stayed as elevated as my left hand. Take the hands away and it instantly tried to point towards gravity.

My first 6 string was a cheap Washburn MB-6 that behaved the same way. All of my current basses stay where I put them and can be played without the neck touching the palm of my hand or my thumb touching the back of the neck.

Sitting vs. Standing: The advice I always heard was to set your strap so that the instrument was in the same position whether you sat or stood.

 

[oli@bass]

Ever heard of Sadowsky? There are a few guys who have 5ers that weigh under 8lbs.

I think that this...

I know that Sadowsky recommends the Fat Finger (on his web site)

...answers your question.

And the man himself says this:

"Roger Sadowsky answers: Dead spots are a fact of life, especially on 34" scale bolt on instruments. In order to reduce dead spots as much as possible we have increased the thickness of our headstocks and increased the overall stiffness of our necks. An all graphite neck will move the dead spot to where you won’t look for it but a graphite neck really changes the tone of the bass. The best aftermarket device for dealing with dead spots is the Groove Tubes Fat Finger, which is a small metal clamp that attaches to the headstock and increases mass at that end of the neck. It really works!"

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The weight difference by adding a fat finger is a bit more than using heavy old style tuners vs new lightweight one's but in the same leage. Naturally, clamping on a Fatfinger is easier than swapping out the tuners. And since even Roger Sadowsky recommedns it, just try it! (but it will probably give you neck dive)

 

[Ric5]

Heavier basses seem to have less of a problem with dead spots ... usually.

 

[spade2you]

Heavier basses seem to have less of a problem with dead spots ... usually.

I think construction will always trump light vs. heavy wood debates.

I think that this...



...answers your question.

And the man himself says this:

"Roger Sadowsky answers: Dead spots are a fact of life, especially on 34" scale bolt on instruments. In order to reduce dead spots as much as possible we have increased the thickness of our headstocks and increased the overall stiffness of our necks. An all graphite neck will move the dead spot to where you won’t look for it but a graphite neck really changes the tone of the bass. The best aftermarket device for dealing with dead spots is the Groove Tubes Fat Finger, which is a small metal clamp that attaches to the headstock and increases mass at that end of the neck. It really works!"

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The weight difference by adding a fat finger is a bit more than using heavy old style tuners vs new lightweight one's but in the same leage. Naturally, clamping on a Fatfinger is easier than swapping out the tuners. And since even Roger Sadowsky recommedns it, just try it! (but it will probably give you neck dive)

Yes, but how many Sadowskys have you played that needed the Fat Finger? It's been a long time since I've seen or played one, but there was enough sustain and I didn't notice any dead spots.

 

[Munjibunga]

Out of 20 basses I've owned, two had neck dive. I still own one, but it's minor enough that a suede-backed strap handles it. The OP is just lucky he's never bought one. Here's Keith Horne wearing his bow tie. Ish.