Members Elessar [Sly] Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 Considering buying a Gibson SG. The problems (as many have suffered) with SG's in the past is the fact they are neck heavy. I know that thick straps help with this but are there any that 'better for this' than other straps? Perhaps some kind of weighted strap? Also, keep in mind I live in the UK. I don't mind shipping something in from outside the UK, but preferably a place that will ship here. Any help would be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sxyryan Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 FWIW I play mostly SG's and have yet to find a neck heavy Gibson (a very small amount of Epi ones I've tried have been). I had a Firebird that was crazy neck heavy. Get a leather strap that is rough on the side that touches you. It still pulls but it won't slide around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 I recently got a nice, and very thick leather strap on ebay for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blind radish Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 Get a leather strap that is rough on the side that touches you. It still pulls but it won't slide around. +1 works like a charm. ... If you go a a local flea market where they sell leather belts for tooling, those are the best. Bring a strap you have that fits, and ask the guys to punch holes in the leather for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 suede leather won't slip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Special J Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 A guy I used to play with had a strap that went arond you more like a harness. It was very comfortable, and evened out the weight of his guitar. It was also goofy looking as hell. I think I'd go for a 2.5-3" soft leather strap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 suede leather won't slip /thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 suede leather won't slip Truth. This is a strap I use for one of my Les Pauls, a Levy's M4. It's 3.5" wide with a suede back. Very comfortable. I have a Studio 50s Tribute LP that has a little neck dive, and when I hook this strap to it, neck dive is a non-issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marc G Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 I pretty much use these fender straps on all my guitars including my SG and I have no issues with neck dive http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/fender-patchworks-cotton-guitar-strap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elessar [Sly] Posted March 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 Pretty cool suggestions. I might have to get a suede leather strap. But I'm not keen on looks of the ones I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Heel Posted March 19, 2012 Members Share Posted March 19, 2012 Neck-heavy guitars drive me nuts. I use suede straps primarily, but I've not found them to be the cure-all for neck-heaviness as others have. Not saying that others are wrong, just wasn't comfortable for me. Although the guitar would generally stay in one place, it seemed to always be pulling on my shoulder, which I didn't like. So, I tried a "Heads Up" strap, designed by Joe Naylor (Reverend guitars). It actually worked like a charm, however, the strap itself was not very comfortable, and pretty ugly. So, I bought a Couch seat belt strap (got one that was slick so that it was free to move around a bit and wouldn't pull), then duct-taped a lead weight from the Heads Up to the lower end of the strap. This works perfectly for me, and you could find the lead weight just about anywhere. His are 8 oz each, and the one weight pretty much takes care of everything for me. As to SGs and neck-heavniness, I agree that most Gibson SGs are not inherently neck-heavy, or at least not to a crazy extent. I have found that most copies, even nice ones, tend to suffer from this for whatever reason. I've found SG Classics to be the best at balance, 61 RI's to be the worst, and Standards somewhere in the middle. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 suede leather won't slip ^^THIS^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crashclc Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 I agree with all the recommendations for Levy's suede straps. I DISagree with the "real SG's don't neck-dive". I have a Gibson SG standard that has the WORST neck dive. Or it did until I bought a Levy's strap for it. Now it mostly just sits where I put it, but even then it will sneak down when I'm not looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 Neck-heavy guitars drive me nuts. I use suede straps primarily, but I've not found them to be the cure-all for neck-heaviness as others have. Not saying that others are wrong, just wasn't comfortable for me. Although the guitar would generally stay in one place, it seemed to always be pulling on my shoulder, which I didn't like. So, I tried a "Heads Up" strap, designed by Joe Naylor (Reverend guitars). It actually worked like a charm, however, the strap itself was not very comfortable, and pretty ugly. So, I bought a Couch seat belt strap (got one that was slick so that it was free to move around a bit and wouldn't pull), then duct-taped a lead weight from the Heads Up to the lower end of the strap. This works perfectly for me, and you could find the lead weight just about anywhere. His are 8 oz each, and the one weight pretty much takes care of everything for me. As to SGs and neck-heavniness, I agree that most Gibson SGs are not inherently neck-heavy, or at least not to a crazy extent. I have found that most copies, even nice ones, tend to suffer from this for whatever reason. I've found SG Classics to be the best at balance, 61 RI's to be the worst, and Standards somewhere in the middle. Hope this helps. A suede-backed strap only really works for a mild neck dive. It's just not going to work that well if the SG's body is lighter than average, and maybe with thicker necks, as well. A really neck-heavy guitar with a suede-backed strap will only pull the neck of your t-shirt down with it. Then you could go punk and play shirtless, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elessar [Sly] Posted March 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 A suede-backed strap only really works for a mild neck dive. It's just not going to work that well if the SG's body is lighter than average, and maybe with thicker necks, as well. A really neck-heavy guitar with a suede-backed strap will only pull the neck of your t-shirt down with it. Then you could go punk and play shirtless, I suppose. Any advice to remedy this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members craigny Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 neck dive it my biggest peeve in a guitar...ive dealt with them on certian models and while a wide suede/leather strap helps...sometimes if its really bad all the strap will do is pull on your shirt...so uluess you play without a shirt there are SOME instances where a grippy strap dosent cure it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elessar [Sly] Posted March 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 neck dive it my biggest peeve in a guitar...ive dealt with them on certian models and while a wide suede/leather strap helps...sometimes if its really bad all the strap will do is pull on your shirt...so uluess you play withoug a shirt there are SOME instanced where a grippy strap dosent cure it Part of the reason I got rid of my SG copies. But I miss those guitars and love playing that guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Malcolm Ramone Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Just get one of those ZZ Top straps where you can spin your guitar around!!! -Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members craigny Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Part of the reason I got rid of my SG copies. But I miss those guitars and love playing that guitar. yeah i can put up with it to a point but if its bad it totally ruins it for me, i become too preoccupied..now ill always see how a guitar balances with a strap before i buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Any advice to remedy this? Some guys report suede-backed straps will cure some heavy neck dives, so it's a case of YMMV. Honestly, I've never owned a guitar with a lot of neck dive, because I simply will not tolerate it. Neck dive affects my playing. It makes me uncomfortable. I don't want my fretting hand spending part of its effort just keeping the neck from sagging. It's extra work and it's unnecessary. If I owned an SG, I'd at least try to find one on the heavier side. An SG with a heavier body should counter the neck diving issue. To me, that's a key to my ever owning an SG. Kind of a stupid idea, but if you really wanted to, you could apply a counterweight of some kind to the tail of the guitar. That would balance things out for a neck diving guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tedmich Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Jackson added a thing called a "butt plug" of solid brass behind the bridge to balance certain guitars, this and a Levy suede backed strap works GREAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor49 Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 counter weight at the bottom strap button.I use a tin of coins in a phone case that velcros on the strap.That helps but still it feels like it is rotating around the top strap button.May have to add more weights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tvvoodoo Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 I build straps. I have come up with some solid methods to minimize dive that does not involve counter weightingnor look like some golf swing gadget. PM me if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flatspotter Posted March 22, 2012 Members Share Posted March 22, 2012 Neck-heavy guitars drive me nuts. I use suede straps primarily, but I've not found them to be the cure-all for neck-heaviness as others have. Not saying that others are wrong, just wasn't comfortable for me. Although the guitar would generally stay in one place, it seemed to always be pulling on my shoulder, which I didn't like. So, I tried a "Heads Up" strap, designed by Joe Naylor (Reverend guitars). It actually worked like a charm, however, the strap itself was not very comfortable, and pretty ugly. So, I bought a Couch seat belt strap (got one that was slick so that it was free to move around a bit and wouldn't pull), then duct-taped a lead weight from the Heads Up to the lower end of the strap. This works perfectly for me, and you could find the lead weight just about anywhere. His are 8 oz each, and the one weight pretty much takes care of everything for me. As to SGs and neck-heavniness, I agree that most Gibson SGs are not inherently neck-heavy, or at least not to a crazy extent. I have found that most copies, even nice ones, tend to suffer from this for whatever reason. I've found SG Classics to be the best at balance, 61 RI's to be the worst, and Standards somewhere in the middle. Hope this helps. I tried a Heads Up strap, and had the same results/opinion. I bought a diving belt weight. It's designed to be put on a belt, so it threads onto a strap nicely, and it's coated, so it won't scratch. Works great, but if you jump around a lot on stage, it might not work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aksman Posted May 23, 2012 Members Share Posted May 23, 2012 Neck-heavy guitars drive me nuts. I use suede straps primarily, but I've not found them to be the cure-all for neck-heaviness as others have. Not saying that others are wrong, just wasn't comfortable for me. Although the guitar would generally stay in one place, it seemed to always be pulling on my shoulder, which I didn't like. So, I tried a "Heads Up" strap, designed by Joe Naylor (Reverend guitars). It actually worked like a charm, however, the strap itself was not very comfortable, and pretty ugly. So, I bought a Couch seat belt strap (got one that was slick so that it was free to move around a bit and wouldn't pull), then duct-taped a lead weight from the Heads Up to the lower end of the strap. This works perfectly for me, and you could find the lead weight just about anywhere. His are 8 oz each, and the one weight pretty much takes care of everything for me. As to SGs and neck-heavniness, I agree that most Gibson SGs are not inherently neck-heavy, or at least not to a crazy extent. I have found that most copies, even nice ones, tend to suffer from this for whatever reason. I've found SG Classics to be the best at balance, 61 RI's to be the worst, and Standards somewhere in the middle. Hope this helps. Anyone have a link to where to purchase the weights themselves? and not the strap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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