Why HASN'T Gibson fixed neck dive on Thunderbirds?

[Rob Martinez]

Studio T-Birds already have that change. Mine has the strap buttons so it balances well.

I do agree about neck dive, I mean, big deal, just hold the damn bass!!! I play 12 string bass, that's just part of the deal. So the neck doesn't plummet to the earth I just hold it up! I mean, when you play, you have to hold it up anyway!! And that is for ANY bass!!

 

[spade2you]

The solution is a longer top horn ANY time there is neck dive. I'm convinced you could get a 12 string perfectly balanced if they had a sufficient top horn. My Conklin has a very long one, which is important for a 35" scale 6er. Bassists who tend to play more agile need something balanced so less effort is spent holding the bass and can be transferred to the fingers.

 

[Thunderitter]

Because is a classic? Also it's been said that if you use a really good and wide strap, it can take care of the neck dive.

+1 Neck dive is not a problem for me and thousands others! I should also add that I can play scales and don't have a baseball type grip!

I've been trying this one out on my T'Bird and I can only see folks trouble if they increase the angle of the neck over where it is naturally positioned, actually lifting it up, therefore when they 'let go' it is going to drop. Lifting a neck is not good technique!

As it has been said over and over again a wider, suede or similar strap is going to help enormously and it also helps having the strap button behind the neck/body join.

 

[Johnny Crab]

If this problem has always been there, why hasn't Gibson done anything to fix it?

Greetings from the North,

Gibson prolly has no intention of depriving new TBird owners of the 'Right of Passage Skill' of moving the strap button. It's not too complicated.

My NEW 2006 came with an additional button installed on the heel where I've always had to move them.
The tuning keys are smaller now and no longer contain the weight of a small boat anchor.
New:

Old:

This one(old) DOES have what some might call "neck dive":

This one(2006) does not:

 

[quadebass17]

its called TONE.

I don't reallly notice the neck dive unless i let go of the bass, which i never do. You guys that say they dive must put them on in the store and it falls a bit and you say its neckdive... i mean, it does that way and just lightly playing or different style. but for rock bass, its a great bass.
A lighterbodyweight T-Bird would be amazing........

 

[lastminute]

My NEW 2006 came with an additional button installed on the heel where I've always had to move them.
The tuning keys are smaller now and no longer contain the weight of a small boat anchor.
New:

Old:

This one(old) DOES have what some might call "neck dive":

This one(2006) does not:

Interesting....would anybody else with a recently made Thunderbird step forward?

 

[Rezdog]

Greetings,

How about that.... After all this time Gibson gave you a choice. Oh ya, nice Birds and your avatar made me smile too.

Happy Times,
Rezdog

 

[JimB52]

My 2000 TBird that I sold last year balanced right around 10 O'clock (or port arms) and weighed 8.5 lbs. Still felt like it wanted to pop off the strap sometimes. Great tone and killer looks on stage, though.

 

[J.D.B.]

Those pesky laws of physics. Tough to beat. Why bother trying? Just enjoy.
Josh

 

[Brendan]

Rockers laugh at us

Yes, yes we do.

 

[Jim Breece]

I've owned two '66's (nonreverse) and a bicentennial (reverse). They all had "neck dive" regardless of button placement. It's inherent in the design in my mind and if you like the whole package it's worth it. A bigger problem was the fact that the headstocks would snap off if you looked at them hard enough, but again, it's inherent in the design and the sound and feel of them more than make up for it.

 

[HOOLIGAN]

Becouse a quality strap isn't that expensive!

 

[RickenBoogie]

My T-bird Studio 5 is perfectly balanced.

Same here, not a problem. And it sounds great, too.

 

[bobyoung53]

Mine is a 2007 Gibson, has the very small black tuners and the button is located at the neck-body joint if that was what you wanted to know, it has no neck dive, is very well balanced. I would trade the lack of neck dive for the chrome pickups and tuners anyday though, very pretty.

 

[tplyons]

I don't believe it's a problem, I believe it's a quirk. Some hate it, some don't mind it.

 

[v-12]

if anything they need to fix the playability of anything past the 12th fret , but i never had any issues with neckdive....

 

[PWV]

...sure they do!

 

[beforeitsallove]

Interesting....would anybody else with a recently made Thunderbird step forward?

That'd be me.

A 2004 Epi Custom Thunderbird.
What i've done to balance it is to rest my elbow on the non-reverse cutout of it, and that puts more pressure on my neck (y'know, the one between my head and body? er. i mean between my chest and chin?) lets my arm rest right over the neck pickup. and still get good picking dexterity and allow less lifting of my fretting hand.

but it does weigh a crapload. oh god. i practiced for an hour today and my entire back hurts. and then the strap-post broke on me.
so.

that's why i came to TB again today. with a bolt on neck. where's the best spot to put the neck side strap post?

 

[myrockinbass]

Ok... reading all this made me laugh so hard, snot shot out my nose. I'll stick to my Fenders and Warwick.

 

[Ramstien]

The need to make obverse models for it. Obverse = non-reverse by the way.

Also, what's a good neck to replace the standard T-bird one?