Ian2k

[quote name='mep' post='1139169' date='Feb 23 2011, 09:02 PM']Hi & welcome. I'm from sunny! Devon too, Paignton in fact. Where are you based? If you are gigging locally I might pop by.[/quote]

Thanks. I'm in Exmouth. We've just lost our drummer - it happens, so no gig in the near future, but I'll certainly let you know when we've something lined up, although it'd be a little trek depending on where. That looks like it was a fun gig (video on your website), I really like playing outside.

[quote name='lettsguitars' post='1139176' date='Feb 23 2011, 09:09 PM']warwick have similar neck thickness. check out their web site for neck dimensions. quite interesting if you're as sad as me. although i have heard someone complain about warwicks diving.[/quote]

Thanks, I'll head over there and have a look.

[quote name='fretmeister' post='1139146' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:46 PM']I hate neck dive with a passion. I don't care how nice a bass sounds, if it dives then it goes.

Yamaha Attitude Mk1 was bad, Fender Jazz was bad.

My Statii have all been good, my Modulus VJ is great.

I have a Status Streamline on order - narrow string spacing, headless. That won't dive at all.


So if you want the ultimate non-dive - go headless.[/quote]

I'd also been thinking that that would be the way to go, the Hohner started me off thinking about that solution. I'm interested in what lettsguitars is saying too, hopefully it'll help me to understand where the problem actually lies within a design.

[quote name='lettsguitars' post='1139152' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:49 PM']looking at the rbx the bass horn is looking heavy on its own which is pushing the weight forward, while the bridge end is totally round, making the trble side significantly smaller than the bass side. the treble side is where the counter balance exists, or not as the case may be. [url="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.acguitars.co.uk/gfxs/gallery/img_4507.jpg&imgrefurl=http://finnbass.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D6218&usg=__ZrpFlLo1u5BUTPiuH2CATx8DEU8=&h=377&w=800&sz=23&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=8REzRk2GkPoeKM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=295&ei=6XJlTajCKtO7hAer18TpBQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dacg%2Bbass%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox%26biw%3D1007%26bih%3D671%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=256&vpy=346&dur=4765&hovh=154&hovw=327&tx=103&ty=84&oei=6XJlTajCKtO7hAer18TpBQ&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0"]this is how a bass with no dive should look.[/url] generally, not that all basses should look the same.[/quote]

Thanks. I'm not sure I quite understand. The RBX bass horn reaches to around the 12th fret, and the lower bout does extend back further. What I thought was the case was the counter balance was the going to basically be the bridge end of the bass, but do I understand you correctly that it's really treble side rather than what's towards the bridge?

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1139123' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:38 PM']The Viola suffers from that so I bought a long strap and fixed it (acoustic guitar style) to the neck.

Job done no more neck dive!

[/quote]


That's interesting, I had thought about that, but have never seen it done, and I was worried whether that would put a strain on the neck joint that it wasn't designed for. Presumably you've not had any indications of any problems like that?

[quote name='martthebass' post='1139115' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:33 PM']Like you I don't have a great deal of love for basses with neck dive.

At the minute the 2 Rays I have certainly aren't lightweights, the 4 stringer is about 9.5lb and the 5 a bit over 10, however the weight is in the body on both so they balance well. Due to this both are tolerable on gigs even tho I'm a lightweight mid 5 footer.

I've had a couple of lightweight basses (7lb ish) an Overwater Perception and an Epi EBO. Due to the small light bodies on both they both suffered with neck dive and both ended up going.

The only lightweight bass I've owned (and still own) that doesn't suffer from neck dive is my Status. Because of this it gets all the longer set gigs.[/quote]

The Status is headless I belive? What's the thickness of the neck like - I don't know how to technically describe it, but what I'm used to and like with the RBX is the neck thinness, so for example at fret 1, from fretboard to the back of the neck is around 2cm.

My first bass was a Yamaha RBX 260, which I still have. I was perfectly happy with it until my playing progressed to the point where I realised that it was hampering my playing as I was having to stop it neck diving. I must have been unconsciously doing it for quite some time before I realised the problem. It became very apparent after I changed my playing postition slightly and got a new stap that was non-grippy. I know a grippy strap can mitigate to a certain extent, but it's not really ideal as with that my shirt moves instead. Some people seem to manage fine with neck heavy instruments, but unfortunately I'm not one of them.

I spoke to one of the Yamaha reps at a recent show, and my understanding from that conversation is that the designs are done for the higher spec. instruments, and then when they come to make the cheaper instruments they use different, lighter, wood, hence the neck dive. I know wood is a natural product and does vary, but I keep coming back to the conclusion that it amounts to poor design. I measured the RBX and it needed a balance of 1 and 1/2 lbs to stop the dive, which I think is quite a lot. I considered drilling out part of the body and putting in lead plugs, but don't know what that would do to the sound. Still haven't abandoned that idea completely, but I'll probably use the neck as the basis for a project at some point.

In desperation I bought a Hohner "The Jack", untried, from a well known auction site ... (that's another story all in itself). It's headless, so no neck dive, but a much chunkier neck, which I'm not very keen on, so the search for my perfect bass is on, hampered by the fact that the RBX that I learnt on was 24 fret, and so I do use right up to fret 24. (The Hohner is 24 fret too).

So, I thought it would be interesting to hear your experiences of neck dive, or not. And any recommendations for 24 fret, thin necked, non neck divers!

VERDICT:

Yahama RBX 260 - guilty
Hohner "The Jack" - innocent

Hi All,

Well, not quite so Sunny Devon right now ... night ...

I've been playing aroung 15 years on and off, current gear RBX 260, Hohner "The Jack", Markbass CMD151 mini, Markbass CL104.

Playing in a "genre blurring" band - well, we don't know what it is we play, and no-one can tell us either. Probably due to us being in our 30s and 40s with a diverse range of influences to call up. Keeps 'em guessing!

Anyway, I've read this forum quite a bit, so thought it was time to join and contribute!