I'm an absolute beginner who has just bought an entry-level bass guitar. When I put the bass on with a strap, the guitar immediately rotates and the neck drops down if I leave both hands off. But I saw on TV guitarists don't have to always keep a hand on the guitar.
Is there any trick to keep the guitar in balance on a strap?
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John
Welcome to the asylum for the musically insane. I've moved you down to the bass forum. I think you'll get a quicker response there.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Sounds like it's a matter of positioning the strap appropriately around your body. If you keep the strap over your left shoulder short then it should tend to balance properly. (that's assuming your righty).
Dave
Sometimes in life you get shown the light,
In the strangest of places if you look at it right.
It's a real common problem John, even in some hi-end basses. Some guys will say to get a little bag and fill it with pennies (or something else relatively heavy) and attach it to the strap where it connects to the bottom strap button, some will say to try to move the strap button lower (or higher) so get the balance right. I've even heard someone say that when you get into shielding the controls (from outside hum and noise) to use lead (which other guys will say is not recommended because of the toxicity of lead), but sometimes there's nothing you can do about it.
The reason is most necks, even on the less expensive basses, still have to be made of some sort of maple, and maple's heavy no matter what you do. Then the manufacturer tries to make the overall weight of the bass manageable by using a light wood for the body, and there's the problem.
The only time you'd ever really have both hands off the bass is when there's a pause in the concert (if that's what you're doing), and maybe the drummer is going off on an unacompanied solo, and the rest of the band is clapping their hands over their head to get the audience going.
Or, you're in a P&W band at church, and there's that worship time where everybody has their hands up. Either way, having the bass sag makes you feel weird and uncomfortable.
If you're in a rock band and the drummer's going off and the crowd is going wild, one thing you could do -- a workaround so to speak -- is to slip the bass off your shoulder, hold it by the neck and raise the whole thing above your head. Nobody will see it sag, and it'll look incredible. I'm not kidding, this really happens.
But if you're in a P&W band, that kind of thing probably won't do. You'd just have to keep your forearm/elbow on the thing like most of us have to do and raise the other hand. Or, like I saw one guy do, just take the bass off and put it in the stand, then come back to the front and raise both hands. It's like showing total surrender and "I don't even need an instrument to worship You" sort of thing, if you know what I mean. When the moment ends, quietly go back, put the bass on and wait for the next cue.
Like I said, it happens even with expensive basses, but there's workarounds, and sometimes the workarounds are kinda fun in and of themselves.
Hope this helps.
A wider strap can hold it in place better. If you like drilling, you might move a strap button, as was mentioned. I finally found a good spot for mine.
Thanks for all the replies.
I've got myself a leather strap this morning (to replace the nylon one) and the bass stays much better in position. But I still need to lightly rest my right forearm on the body to keep it in balance.
DemoEtc, is this the practice you refer to? Just wanted to make sure I'm not getting into any bad habits which are hard to correct in the future. :roll:
Thanks.
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John
Yes, it becomes second-nature after awhile. I find myself doing it even with basses that are balanced; it's just a nice snug, safe sorta feeling to feel it pressed down against your elbow/forearm and feeling the weight on your shoulder. It can be a little awkward at times, but you get used to it.
Glad it's working out!
Take care.
