As much as I love the Hofner, the neck dive is tragic. I mean seriously, I have to fight to keep the neck where I want it, which creates an additional challenge to playing
Anybody experiencing neck dive with any of your basses?
On a whim (and as an experiment) I ordered this scuba diver 1.2 lbs lead weight and attached it to the body end of the strap as a ballast (see attached photo).
Voila! it works like a charm (no more neck dive), and the weight is barely even visibly noticeable. Okay, it adds 1.2 lbs. to the total weight of the bass, but it’s better than fighting neck dive.
I remember reading somewhere that people reposition the front strap peg and it helps a lot. The standard position for it is bad and contributes a lot to the neck dive.
But in the end it’s a tiny bodied bass that’s hollow. You’re only going to be able to do so much there to offset the weight of the headstock, tuners, and neck.
I have a couple of Gibsons. An SG and an EB-3L On my SG replaced the tail end with heavier aftermarket units and replaced the tuning pegs with aftermarket light weight units. This along with the widest leather/suede strap that I could find cured my problem
Seems like that takes some of the purpose of having a light weight bass away. I guess if the weight is in an area that doesn’t add strain to YOUR neck or back, that its ok, and you don’t seem to mind, yet at least.
I wonder if you used the strap like some use on an acoustic guitar, where instead of using the strap button on the neck side of the bass, you tie the little strings that come on one end of many of the available straps, around the neck, right behind the nut.
IDK if it would feel awkward, or would be more comfortable or not, but if it was comfortable, it would remove the 12lb’s that have been added.
@PamPurrs My Ibanez 6 string has some neck dive to it. This may be the trick who knows? Mine isn’t unbearable but it is enough to notice that you are holding the neck instead of it resting comfortably.
Don"t know whether it’s relevant here, but I also had a heavy 6-string bass some years back that had bad neck-dive. I bought some “non-slip” tape that’s normally stuck underneath floor carpets to stop them sliding on a polished floor, and attached a strip of it at the shoulder point (underneath) my leather strap. (It has adhesive on its upper side to stick to the underside of carpet.) That stopped the strap moving downwards towards the neck (because of the “non-slip” friction between the strap and my shouder), and negated the neck-dive. Cheap but effective, and adds negligible weight.
So I just bought a Yamaha bass and I’m getting the dreaded neck dive. Two things I’ve tried and work to an extent but haven’t eradicated it completely. When sitting I tried resting the body of the bass between both thighs not on one, issue it extends the neck and makes it a stretch, but the bass held firm. The other was to buy a new strap with padding/ grip on it, this is what I’ve stuck with but I still get a bit of dive every so often. I like the weight idea, def going to try and add something like you have.
They make this strap by this company called slinger straps.
They’re a little expensive but might help with neck dive. You have to get used to the strap too. Good Luck fixing that dive.
I tried that slinger strap a couple years ago and hated it. I was able to get a full refund from the company.
It’s really not designed to resolve neck dive as much as it is for back and shoulder relief (although it does latently solve neck dive).
Actually if you read there add it says it Eliminates Neck Dive. It also for shoulder and back. You got to get used to it, beacuse its like also having a belt on, not just a shoulder strap. Not for everybody. I actually didn’t like it either, you just don’t have the freedom that your use to on a regular strap. when you put that strap on that bass is not going any where. I still have mine. Since my accident all my basses are 7.5 lbs or lighter. Then again I’m only playing short scale basses now a days.
I mainly hated putting it on and taking it off. I practice for several hours a day and take many breaks. I hated having to fight to get the thing off, and then struggle to untangle it every time I put it back on. I can’t even imagine having to go through all that in a live setting. (shudder).
Once you get it on, it’s fine. It’s putting it on and taking it off that’s problematic.
All of the carpet tape I have ever seen to stop sliding always had double sided sticky tape.
Will have to check this single sticky sided tape out when the hardware stores open up again.
Thanks for the tip.
My Cort A4 never had this problem so it has not been an issue but the new Vintera has much larger headstock and the tuners are in line “helping” the neck dive a bunch…
I noticed when I am using my neopren Kliq Aircell Strap it is hanging on to me so well that it does not allow the neck dive countering it with friction…
If I use my crappier Nylon EBS strap as I did first couple of days it is tends to slide on my clothes and I can feel the difficulty of holding the neck increased…
@PamPurrs’s solution got me thinking… What about using the bass without the strap?
Would it help to replace the strap peg with something bigger and heavier…
Without a strap your left hand will not be free to move around because you will be holding the neck up and I cannot see playing even a 1/2 hour session that way. Too much fatigue and risk for RSI in my opinion.
Couldn’t help myself.