Skout Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 As noted before I was planning on purchasing a Warwick Thumb Bolt-On. As a final check up, before I bought it I brought a strap. After putting the strap on and standing up, the headstock plunged towards the floor. Obviously, that bass was neck heavy, and playing it normally was a struggle. But the thing is, everything else about that bass is amazing, sound, design, etc. I really like playing that bass, but I normally play standing up, and prolonged periods of time with it would strain my shoulder/arm. Any ideas on what I could do? Thanks again Skout Words of Inspiration: Not everyone needs to be Jaco. Sometimes your band just needs a bass player, somebody to just play root notes - Dirk Lance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Z Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 This may sound like a goofy answer, but the same thing happened to me on my bass, and it was because the strap was made of some type of nylon material and the strap was actually slipping. When I use my leather strap, I have no slipping problems at all. Fortunately, I had used the leather strap first, so I knew how it was supposed to behave. This may not be your case at all, but I thought I'd share it. ... Connie Z "Change comes from within." - Jeremy Cohen The definition of LUCK: When Preparation meets Opportunity! http://www.cybergumbo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beermouse Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 My music teacher has one, and has let me play it on several occasions... never had any problem with it regarding neck dive. My advice would be to try some other straps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 The neck dive on Thumbs is notorious. For lots of reasons, get a 3 inch leather strap, finished on one side, rough on the other. No pad to slide around or anything. I've used the same one for 28 years now. Still works (although the leather is stiff around my neck sweat area) And the best thing is, it will grip to your back and eliminate neck dive. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 just sounds like a poorly designed instrument to me. how attached are you to the prospect of owning a warwick? if it's a must have then you need to find a strap that can hold it in place or find a way to counteract the neck heaviness of the instrument. if you are open to other options, explore them. Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 Hard to say that Thumb, in original format, was poorly designed...it was designed by Ned Steinberger. Fact is, the Thumb was an experiment in using the heaviest, most dense woods possible...in an effort to get that tight, punchy tone. Even the neck is made of these woods. And the instrument, if built to a traditional size, would be uncomfortably heavy. So they thinned and shrunk the body of the bass, which changed the balance. Now, the neck could be made of rock maple, which is lighter and doesn't dive...but then you would compromise the tone. Warwick did make the Thumb out of lighter woods...they named it the Streamer... I play an original Streamer primarily because of the weight, neck dive issues. I like the tone of the Thumb better. But I made a choice. Warwick, as well as every other manufacturer, makes choices...and those choices are devil's bargains... If you like the tone of this bolt on, you like it because of the choices Warwick made. And you have to accept the dark side of those choices. Steinberger made other choices. He wanted to build a bass of extremely dense material. He wanted to eliminate the dead spots induced by the headstock. He wanted to use humbucking pickups that still had punch. He wanted to eliminate the possibility of neck joint problems. And he made the little, rectangular, headless Steinberger bass. Here\'s a link to a bunch of links about this bass, and a bonus pic. Ned Steinberger and Stuart Spector turned the bass world on it's head. The traditional high end bass, PJ active humbucking pickup, neck through, dense and exotic woods, curved back, and many other innovations are all a result of Ned Steinberger designs. Okay! Alembic and Rob Wickersham actually got there first. But they were making custom, one-off instruments. The Steinberger designs were an effort to take the best ideas of all basses and put them in one place. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skout Posted June 28, 2003 Author Share Posted June 28, 2003 Hey everyone, Thanks for all the help . . . I've decided on giving the Thumb one more shot with a leather strap. Hopefully it works out. Thanks again Skout Words of Inspiration: Not everyone needs to be Jaco. Sometimes your band just needs a bass player, somebody to just play root notes - Dirk Lance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill C from Nashvegas Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 I quit using nylon straps years ago. I have a Warwick Fortress Flashback 5 string and I use a 3 inch leather strap on it. No neckdive problem. For the ultimate neck dive experience, try a Gibson Les Paul Special Bass. (I had a 5 string for a couple of years.) Sound was good, but due to the Les Paul shape, very unbalanced. Yet with a leather strap it was tolerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE_COMBS Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 Reminds me of the time my guitarust got a Dimebag Darrel "STEALTH" the neck of the guitar was to heavy to play standing up so we had to fix this liitle problem of his.So I suggested that he put a bag of pennys in the back panel of his axe and would you no it.it actually worked,good liitle trick, might not work for all guitars or basses but you could try it if you bought it.My other suggestion would be that,well if you play standing up when your practicing or just playing by your self,play setting down or if its a problem with shows play another bass,or get used to the wieght and work around it.When I look for a bass the wieght is a big factor, but the fell and the sound is most important.If you want the bass for performance wise work around it or find a new bass with the same qualitys as that one,but if your getting it for the sound,thump ect. get the bass.It will be worth it then. Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Martin Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 Originally posted by Bastid E: just sounds like a poorly designed instrument to me. if you are open to other options, explore them.I dunno - my 1969 P Bass did the same thing; in fact, most Fenders seem neck heavy to me. Dave Martin Java Jive Studio Nashville, TN www.javajivestudio.com Cuppa Joe Records www.cuppajoerecords.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 Hey Skout, I know this doesn't really help pre-purchase, but here is something that I have done: The strap knob at the bridge end of the bass, and its position, have a big influence on balance. The closer the strap knob is to the centerline of the bass, the more the weight of the bass pulls towards the neck; the more the knob is moved up, toward your arm/elbow, more of the body's weight moves below the new knob position, and tends to improve balance. Try it! If you don't want to drill lots of holes in your bass, trying to find the optimum spot to position the strap knob, try this: Have someone else support the bass in front of you, approximating playing position. Attach the strap to the top knob (by the neck), and then have the other person adjust the bass with you until it feels right. Place the end of the strap against the bass, mark the spot, and reposition the strap knob. Voila! Hope this helps. Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay J. Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 the thumb is a really cool bass, but the BO version does have a neck dive issue. many basses are a little neck heavey but for me it was an issue on the thumb. I love the tone of them but find them uncomfortable to play. have you tried any of the other warwicks, like the Corvette or Streamer body. those are more balanced. the other thing you could do is try and get a used thumb that was made in the early 90's. those seem to be better all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 So you could try the leather "grab your back" approach favored by some. Or you could change the mechanics by moving the straplock as wraub suggested (FYI my custom made bass came with two tail straplocks - you could add one in a new position without leaving a hole where the old one was). I like both of these suggestions, but I made a different choice. I use the Planet Waves rachet lock strap with a sliding pad with my Gibson EB3. It's a smaller bass than the Warwick (in length and weight), so it may not work as well for you. I still have to hold the neck up. But I can let go of the neck when I'm not playing. Sure - the head drops like a stone, but it doesn't come off (or never has ) and it's too short to hit the floor. I think I'd add another straplock if I had a Thumb... Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skout Posted July 2, 2003 Author Share Posted July 2, 2003 Hey Everyone, Thank you so much for all the help, it means a lot to me. I finally bought the Bolt-On (with a leather strap that is), and man, it is one slammin' bass! I couldn't have done it with out all your help. Thanks again. Skout Words of Inspiration: Not everyone needs to be Jaco. Sometimes your band just needs a bass player, somebody to just play root notes - Dirk Lance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Originally posted by davebrownbass: Warwick did make the Thumb out of lighter woods...they named it the Streamer... I play an original Streamer primarily because of the weight, neck dive issues. I like the tone of the Thumb better. But I made a choice. Warwick, as well as every other manufacturer, makes choices...and those choices are devil's bargains... Good post. Interesting, I play a Thumb 5 NT (butt heavy) and a Streamer Pro-M 4 BO (less heavy). My Thumb 5 gets almost all of my attention. The tone from the Thumb is just TOO good to pass up, in my opinion. I agree, it's a bit heavy, but I'm not playing long sets, so I can deal; a one hour set of original material is workable. Very non-traditional, but I dig it. And, other than neck dive and weight, I have never played a more "playable" bass. The neck, construction, finish, frets, and fret-board are like butter. - Maury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.