The Warwick Neck Dive Issue

[Corporate Boy]

Cool... I guess I have to make it a priority to try out new straps. I have played the Thumb for 10 years years now and still haven't made peace with it yet. I did pick out a strap that I thought would work, but like I said it dives when I stand. I'm really sensitive to it because its a fretless and a little dive is a distraction to me. I really need to start practicing standing up with it.

 

[James Collins]

Cool... I guess I have to make it a priority to try out new straps. I have played the Thumb for 10 years years now and still haven't made peace with it yet. I did pick out a strap that I thought would work, but like I said it dives when I stand. I'm really sensitive to it because its a fretless and a little dive is a distraction to me. I really need to start practicing standing up with it.

It is a Levi's strap with suede backing. I think many old thumbs and even my 88 streamer has the off center bottom button. I do not have experience with the thumb that way, but I have read that it helps. My streamer has no balance issue, but neither do streamers with the center button.

Also, my 6 string with Ovangkol neck has less balance problems than the 5 string with Wenge. I think people with no neck dive may be using basses made in the Ovangkol era.

 

[Fenflex]

Got :
- A Corvette $$ 5 (Ovangkol neck, centered strap lock button) : no neck dive
- A Thumb NT 5 (Wenge/Bubinga neck, off center strap lock button) : almost no neck dive

I think the location of the straplock button is really important, I've seen some videos of Thumb basses (with a centered one) where the person was demonstrating the neck dive and it was huge compared to what I experience on mine.

I don't know why Warwick centered the strap button on more recent Thumbs