Neck Dive in Technical Q&A: Ask Mike Forum

0 Points

Neck Dive

Author	Comment
basstard	Neck Dive		Lead	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/23/09 7:14 PM Charter Member	Tags : None Strangers have the best candy. Don't be tempted Remove this ad Hi Telemikester, I had a question about neck dive. I play bass and own an instrument notorious for poor balance and neck dive. Any advice on how to combat this? I've tried wider leather straps and even went as far as relocating the strap buttons on the instrument. Very little improvement in both cases. Buy a new bass? Haha! Thanks for the advice... basstard (my username, not you)
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
Telemikester		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 144 04/23/09 7:55 PM Moderator	Hi Basstard, Interesting problem. A friend of mine just went through this on two of his SG's. As I remember, we came up with several options to fix the problem and I believe you already mentioned 3 of them. 1. Use a wider strap, 2. Move the Strap buttons. -I'm really surprised that didn't do it! Say, what kind of Bass are we talking about here? 3. Buy a new Bass, 4. Add weight to the Bridge end of the Bass. As a test, I suggest hanging a bag on the bridge end strap button while wearing the instrument, and then add change until it balances. Once you know how much weight it will take you will need to find some way of adding something of the same weight to the bridge side of the Bass. Hopefully it will just be a few ounces that you could stash in the control cavity area to remedy the problem, or at least lessen the severity of the neck dives. 5. If possible, change to lighter Tuners, 6. Shave/Sand the neck, or if a Bolt-On, replace it, 7.Install a heavier Bridge Plate. Check out these guys and their brass bass bridge plates: http://armadilloguitar.com/main/armadillo-guitar-parts.html I'm not sure how much they weigh, or what kind of Bass you have, but it may help and they claim to do custom work. I have not dealt with them myself, so your on you're own. 8. Buy a new Bass... ;-) If you can't fix it by finding the right balancing point by moving the strap buttons, something either has to get lighter on the neck side, or heavier on the bridge side. I guess you already knew that though. Good Luck Basstard! -TMster Last Edited By: Telemikester 04/23/09 8:39 PM. Edited 1 time.
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
basstard		#2	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/23/09 8:58 PM Charter Member	TMster, the bass in question is a Warwick Thumb Bass. The problem is a less than adequate top horn length. In addition, the neck is heavy to start with and so is the hardware! That is a recipe for disaster. I like the Thumb because of its small body. If they would only increase the top horn length to improve overall balance. Maybe someday. In the mean time, I'll be playing my Musician, which has excellent balance and a much longer top horn. Thanks again for the great advice. I will check out the info you provided - basstard!
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
Bonedaddy		#3	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 42 04/26/09 9:38 PM Charter Member	You could put some fishing weights on the strap button at the end of the body.... ;) I kid, I kid....
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
Tricone		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 569 04/26/09 9:39 PM Moderator	Dang, BD, you must really want to ditch that "Newbie" tag! Bay Area Guitar Swap http://bayareaguitarswap.com
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
Bonedaddy		#5	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 42 04/26/09 9:54 PM Charter Member	Strangers have the best candy. Don't be tempted Remove this ad It's hard to resist a challenge, no?
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
Tricone		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 569 04/26/09 10:01 PM Moderator	Well, congrats. You made it. Bay Area Guitar Swap http://bayareaguitarswap.com
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
The Mule.aussiedvdandhtf...		#7	[url]	[-]
Newbie Posts: 16 04/27/09 2:31 PM	>> A friend of mine just went through this on two of his SG's. Hee, hee, the third one was the charm. The predominant issue was indeed neck-heaviness. One comment, it's not just a wide strap, although that helps. What you need to look for is a wide strap with a good friction inducing underside. If you've ever seen those leather straps where the leather is "unfinished" on the underside, those work really well. Any kind of polyester, plastic, forget it. Too much slippage. I realize that for some people, this isn't a big deal, but to me, it's a flaw in either design or manufacturing. If the neck is on the heavier side, then the maker should mate it with a heavier body to keep that balance in check. Same-o, match up a lighter neck with a lighter body to keep the overall balance.
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
basstard		#8	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/29/09 2:57 PM Charter Member	The Mule is right on target with this. Nylon straps are great if you want to swing the guitar behind your back while scissor kicking off the drum riser. The straps I've found with the most grip are those with a suede / unfinished leather back. Suede will grip your shirt better and help eliminate some neck dive, but don't expect a drastic improvement. And just to be fair here, a lot of it comes down to personal preference as well. When I play bass, I like the neck pointed towards the sky. That is comfortable to me. Others may prefer a more neutral neck position. Neck dive for one person may be interpreted as perfectly comfortable to another.
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote
basstard		#9	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/29/09 9:06 PM Charter Member	Strangers have the best candy. Don't be tempted Remove this ad TMster, My cover is blown
Interact My Recent Posts	Reply Quote

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Yuku free message boards

Neck Dive

Neck Dive