{"id":6408,"date":"2014-10-13T08:38:49","date_gmt":"2014-10-13T13:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/?p=6408"},"modified":"2014-10-13T09:18:43","modified_gmt":"2014-10-13T14:18:43","slug":"can-you-tell-if-a-bass-will-have-neck-dive-problems-just-by-looking-at-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/article\/can-you-tell-if-a-bass-will-have-neck-dive-problems-just-by-looking-at-it.html","title":{"rendered":"Can you tell if a bass will have neck dive problems just by looking at it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A big reason why so many bass players are fond of the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass designs (even when not made by Fender) is because those models do not have what’s known as “neck dive.” Neck dive happens when you strap on a bass guitar, and the headstock immediately leans toward the floor, requiring you to physically hold up the instrument with your fret hand.<\/p>\n

An example of a bass guitar with what some consider to be horrendous neck dive is the Gibson SG bass:<\/p>\n

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But why would the SG bass have neck dive while the Precision and Jazz wouldn’t?<\/p>\n

Most players would guess that the headstock must have been designed too heavy or the body not heavy enough. Those can be factors, but the main reason for neck dive on the SG bass is that the top horn of the body does not extend to the 12th fret of the neck, and the strap button is nowhere near the 12th fret either.<\/p>\n

On traditionally styled bass guitars (meaning the kind without any experimental wacky designs,) if the top horn of the body does not<\/em> go over the 12th fret of the neck, and the fret-side strap button isn’t near the 12th fret either, it is safe to assume the bass guitar will probably have neck dive problems.<\/p>\n

Another bass guitar infamous for its neck dive is the B.C. Rich Warlock bass:<\/p>\n

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Again, you see that the top horn does not get anywhere near the 12th fret, and neither does the strap button. While not all Warlock bass guitars have neck dive issues, many of them do.<\/p>\n

Hipshot Ultralight tuners<\/a> can help to cure neck dive along with a wide guitar strap<\/a>. <\/p>\n

And then there is the counterweight method, which is something you can make yourself fairly easily – but bear in mind that this video concentrates mainly on seated-position playing:<\/p>\n