Speaking of neck dive...

[u84six]

For players who like to do things such as tapping or play more complicated things and everything in between, neck dive can be an issue.

It's one think to lightly rest your arm on the instruments body. It's another to actually have to push down on it to keep the angle of the neck playable for the fretting hand.

Exactly, I like to use a lot of different techniques, so when my hands are free from holding the neck and resting on the body, the strap slips and the bass dives. I just ordered a suede strap. I like to start with the simple and cheap solutions and go from there.

 

[AudioDwebe]

This is the kind of position I want my bass without having to maintain it with my fretting arm. I have the same bass:

If it's the same bass, I'm sure the player (Roger Waters, right?) has the same issue.

I'd agree with others who have said you will need to extend the horn. Maybe by using something like a dingy used on Rick Turner Renaissance basses.

Good luck.

 

[marchone]

I can only hope I don't begin thinking I have a neck dive problem where there never was any before because of the power of suggestion.

:scowl:

 

[NorCal Dog]

For players who like to do things such as tapping or play more complicated things and everything in between, neck dive can be an issue.

It's one think to lightly rest your arm on the instruments body. It's another to actually have to push down on it to keep the angle of the neck playable for the fretting hand.

it's actually quite an amazing thing for your instrument to be solidly anchored in ANY desired position with ZERO neckdive whatsoever as it totally frees both your hands to do what comes naturally ( play the friggin bass instead of holding it up )

 

[Showdown]

OP:

I seem to recall seeing some gizmo that you attach to the strap that adds weight to the part of the strap that is near the butt end of the bass, thereby bringing up the neck.

I have no idea if that gizmo actually works, but perhaps someone here on TB knows what thingie I'm talking about and maybe can offer comments on its effectiveness.

http://guitarless.com/2010/06/prevent-neck-heavy-guitar-headstock-diving/

The site for them doesn't seem to work anymore so I don't know if they are still available.

I was very leery of this when I first heard about it because I thought if I'm having back pain (as I do) adding more weight is the worst thing to do. But I eventually got one and it works very well. The added weight doesn't really make that much difference since my neck heavy basses all have light bodies and I have discovered that my back pain is worse with an unbalanced bass than with a heavy bass. It has allowed me to keep a couple of basses that I was ready to sell.

 

[Showdown]

Fuse a couple of vertebrae in your upper spine, crack a couple more, throw in a badly broken jaw just to add to the muscle trauma in the vicinity, let it get arthritic over several decades and then get back to us with your new opinion on the subject.

Yup. I bought the '76 Thunderbird in my avatar new when I was 15. It neck dives like crazy. I played it as my main bass for almost 20 years without pain (although holding the neck up is annoying). If you had asked me then I would have said neck dive doesn't matter. Ask me now at 51 with rheumatoid arthritis and I'll give you a different answer.

If only we could stay young forever...

 

[bigmoosepi]

I'm really not understanding how you play a bass WITHOUT resting your arm on the body. How?

My arm has to actually extend out from my body and go back down to not put it on the bass.

There is no hand position I can find that stops the weight of my arm/hand resting on the body.

 

[marchone]

+1

Standing or sitting.

 

[Showdown]

I'm really not understanding how you play a bass WITHOUT resting your arm on the body. How?

My arm has to actually extend out from my body and go back down to not put it on the bass.

There is no hand position I can find that stops the weight of my arm/hand resting on the body.

I rest my arm on the bass, but I don't press down. It just lays across. It is not much weight on the bass, and certainly (I know from long experience) not enough to keep the neck from diving. If you press down hard enough to stop neck dive you will limit your hand/arm movement and strain your shoulder, back, etc. I have done this. If you want a bass that doesn't neck dive and gives you complete freedom of movement for both arms/hands pushing down on the body with your arm is not the way to get it.

 

[darkstorm]

Get a bass that doesnt neck dive plus nice wide soft leather strap for best answer imo.

 

[bigmoosepi]

I don't press down or anything. Maybe I have heavy arms.

 

[Showdown]

Get a bass that doesnt neck dive plus nice wide soft leather strap for best answer imo.

There are some great sounding and playing basses that neck dive. No reason to limit yourself. I say this as a person who has excruciating back pain when a bass is unbalanced. If I like a bass I will do what I need to to make it useable for me.

For example, one Peavey Dyna 5 was fixed with Hipshot Ultra-Lite tuners. The other one, with a much lighter body, needed a weighted strap. Have you heard the Super Ferrite pickups? I don't want to give those up.

Another example, my three Gibson Thunderbirds. One '76 I bought new in '76. It was my first good bass and I will never sell it. The other two are great basses too. That is 5 basses that I don't want to get rid of.

 

[Showdown]

I don't press down or anything. Maybe I have heavy arms.

Or maybe your basses don't neck dive much. Trust me, a bass with serious neck dive will not be fixed just by resting your arm on the body. You have to press down, which then adds to the weight of the bass on your shoulder. And for me it won't be fixed with a wide or non-slippery strap (although it can be made worse with a bad strap).

 

[megafiddle]

I seem to remember straps long ago that had a seperate wide section that the narrower
main strap ran through. I don't know if they still make them. But the wide section could
not slide on your shoulders like a simple narrow strap. It pretty much stayed put, and held
the narrower strap in place also.

 

[Rotation]

I'm really not understanding how you play a bass WITHOUT resting your arm on the body. How?

My arm has to actually extend out from my body and go back down to not put it on the bass.

There is no hand position I can find that stops the weight of my arm/hand resting on the body.

I often play a headless with a canoe-paddle body style; couldn't use my forearm if I wanted to. Hands-off with a slippy strap over a slippy shirt it balances around 45 degrees, just a bit more horizontal than I'd prefer. Between pressing very lightly on the neck pickup and maybe lifting very slightly with my other hand I have the feeling of great balance with very little stress.

It only weighs around 8 pounds but I use a wide neoprene strap to baby my left shoulder (messed up in a work accident years ago). YMMV

 

[Davo-London]

For a few bucks more than a good strap you can change your tuners to Hipshot Ultralites or Gotoh Res-O-Lites that will physically reduce the leverage that causes neck dive rather than masking it with the friction of a sticky strap.

Absolutely agree with this. My pre-CBS bass is so light that the tuner replacement made the difference!

Davo

 

[Rotation]

I rest my arm on the bass, but I don't press down. It just lays across. It is not much weight on the bass, and certainly (I know from long experience) not enough to keep the neck from diving. If you press down hard enough to stop neck dive you will limit your hand/arm movement and strain your shoulder, back, etc. I have done this.If you want a bass that doesn't neck dive and gives you complete freedom of movement for both arms/hands pushing down on the body with your arm is not the way to get it.

Well said, and I'd like to emphasize the strain an unbalanced instrument imposes. Spending lots of time playing even the most perfectly balanced bass is an invitation to stress & strain injuries. Sorting the balance will go some way to preventing that and allow you greater freedom of expression.

 

[Davo-London]

I'd also say that Levy's widest straps are really good. Suede finish underside and variable length. I put 3 holes in the bottom of the strap to give me 3 strap lengths. Then it fits every bass and every playing style and can be changed in 3 seconds!

Davo

 

[Rotation]

I agree with ideas in this post. I love my Fender Js and Ps, but i find naturally they want to hang horizontal on a strap when I let go. The way I get around this is 3 fold. Replace the stock tuners with Hipshot Ultralites, add some fishing sinkers to the control cavity and finally move the bottom strap button up higher on the bottom of the bass (so the strap button is closer to the top of the bass where the forearm contour starts). This will add some weight but balances the bass just right.
Just for the record I reckon that Waters is holding his bass in that position. It wouldn't hang naturally like that.

I'm following in your tracks with a very light Squier VM Jag SS that dives to the floor. Gotoh GB350s should be here Tuesday and I think they'll make it OK for playing seated (which I dislike but my back has been acting up). For decent balance while standing I think I'll try fooling around with masking tape to simulate moving the strap button. Hate to add weight but it's really light and balance trumps weight. IMHO

 

[Jeff Bonny]

I'm really not understanding how you play a bass WITHOUT resting your arm on the body. How?

My arm has to actually extend out from my body and go back down to not put it on the bass.

There is no hand position I can find that stops the weight of my arm/hand resting on the body.

None of these guys are putting significant arm weight onto the instrument.

Got it figured out now?