warwick thumb neck dive.. help

Add a weighted pack to the side of the strap where it connects to the body of the bass on your right side... It will help.

 

i had the same problem with mine since i wear my basses up high, ended up trading it for a streamer. but i have a friend who moved the strap button on hers higher up on the body so it balanced a little better. the weighted pack idea is pretty good too.

 

Try wrapping 3 D batteries with black tape, and then attaching them to the strap, but moving the button will work too.

 

You haven't seen the countless threads talking about the weight and neck dive?

 

out of all the basses I own this is the one thats the most, "not for everyone". People complain about the neck dive or the ergonomics, this does not bother me at all on my thumb. Its got a great tone but it is drastically different feelwise to most basses ive played. Trying wearing it much higher or much lower than your used to. I cant wear this bass at belt buckle level. I usually wear it down around my knees and I dont notice the neck dive.

 

You can either move the rear strap button and/or do what another TBer did and add an extension to the top horn. The major shortcoming of most neck divers is that the top horn is simply too short to balance the neck.

 

An extension? Got any pics of this?

 

The Thumb has got to be one of my all time favorite basses, the sound is incredible. I would own one and be done with it all right now if it wasn't so freakin' uncomfortable. I cannot stand the neck dive at all. It's a ridiculous design on Warwick's part IMO. They just have to give it a bigger body and horn, that's it. I guess it's a pride issue or something.

Per others' suggestions, I would try moving the strap button and getting some Hipshot Ultralight tuning machines.

 

get one of the wide leather straps that Zon sells. The one with the rough back. It provided enough traction that my thumb 5 doesn't dive anymore. I wear it fairly low too, which is against traditional "thumb logic".

 

I don't, but some dude used some sort of metal tube that I'd guestimate to be about 1/4" thick that extended from the top horn about 3-4".

The sound is interesting, although I'd think the electronics and pickup placement are about 60% of the tone. I would think the same results could be had by using traditional alder or ash wings with some sort of dense tone block down the center to get the additional attack without the weight.

Realistically, I think you're right about it being a pride issue. There are plenty of arguments that being sensitive to the neck dive means you're a wimp. I like the tone, but the dive doesn't jive with the form I spent about a decade or so developing. Really, the bicep is not a necessary muscle for playing guitar or bass.

 

When I first grabbed up my '98 Thumb a few months back, I suffered the same way. Though I look at it a bit differently...it's not unbalanced...it's just too balanced. Like you said, it wants to hang horizontal on the strap...no angle at all.

Eventually I just set it up by putting my fretting hand out at what would be my normal height and angle, then bringing the body up to roughly match that height. It's a bit higher than I was used to playing (which was E-string at the belt), but I've been fine with it ever since.

 

What I have always done is use a wide padded leather strap and wear the bass up high enough to create a good balance.

The leather creates enough friction so the instrument will not move and is comfortable at the same time.

I play a 6 string thumb and a corvette fretless (which weighs about as much as the six) and never have any problems with it.

Good luck.

Gerry

 

I also heard from VERY reliable source close to Warwick that changing out the tuners to Hipshot Ultralights actually does help.

 

Sell it. You can lessen the degree of neck dive but you'll never come close to eliminating it. Whoever designed the Thumb must have flunked high school Physics 101.

Riis

 

Always try before buying. Use a strap that is textured so it helps hold the bass up. Good luck to you.

 

Lovely basses, but the neck dive is a major oversight. At any price.

 

Hard lesson to learn, but I think that's right.