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Best bass strap for back issues and weight distribution


funkyjimbob
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Used the new Gruv Gear SoloStrap Neo 4" last night for an hour or so at jam night and have to say it's amazing. I didn't know I had the bass on. It's wider than the Comfort Strapp and is definitely more comfortable. I paid £55 total in the end from the US including Import duty and can safely say it's worth it.

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You could use a stand..... no need for a strap at all ;) :D......

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/280971-playing-bass-with-a-neck-shoulder-or-back-problem-a-simple-design-for-a-strapless-bass-stand/page__p__3025584__hl__bass%20stand__fromsearch__1#entry3025584"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry3025584[/url]

If you dont want to build your own, the M-brace is pretty good, if you can get one.

Edited by loweringthetone
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SLinger do a double strap, which I didnt find that good because it's only 2 inch wide either side.

Another solution is their hip strap - but that requires you to put an extra strap button on the bottom horn of your precious bass.

[url="http://www.slingerstraps.com/"]http://www.slingerstraps.com/[/url]

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  • 4 weeks later...

IMO there are 2 ways to go, use at least a 3" padded strap and buy a bass that weighs less that the one you're using now.

8.5lbs is the upper limit for my 5 string basses but there are a lot more lighter 4 string basses out there. Hollow body basses can get down to 5 lbs.

Edited by chris_b
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  • 3 months later...

The Comfort Strapp has that bouncey thing...going on..
also they wear out & become painfull ive found.
I now use the Neotec Megabass which is far better for comfort & design.
I arrived at this via' Levys Leather straps which are well made & expensive also...but not as comfortable as the Megabass Strapp for myself.
Now im looking @ the Gruv gear Neo... which is expensive' plus they say it has faux leather?...@ nearly £50.00 that is a little trashy...i feel.

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The Duostrap makes a lot of sense but does it let you vary the position of your bass slightly while you're playing? I get the feeling that it holds it rigidly in one position. Mind you maybe the reason I have to move mine about is because it keeps shifting from where I put it in the first place - and all I'm doing is just moving it back to where it started.

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A guitar playing pal of mine had a harness made, that sits on both shoulders and spreads the weight. He swears by it. They are available commercially, for example, [url="http://www.slingerstraps.com/harness-strap-guitar-strap.html."]http://www.slingerst...tar-strap.html.[/url] There's a Planet Waves version that's available in this country. May be worth a try.

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A good strap is essential if you have back issues. Mine are 3-4 inches wide, but the area where you can make a real difference is getting a light bass. I'm comfortable with 8 1/2 lbs. Anything heavier is a problem even with a good strap.

Tonight I'm sitting on a stool as my back problem has flared up this week.

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[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1474019918' post='3134958']
A guitar playing pal of mine had a harness made, that sits on both shoulders and spreads the weight. He swears by it. They are available commercially, for example, [url="http://www.slingerstraps.com/harness-strap-guitar-strap.html."]http://www.slingerst...tar-strap.html.[/url][/quote]

That looks good, but I'm afeared the belt part wouldn't fit round my muscular frame... :unsure:

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Ive taken delivery of the Gruv Gear Neo 4in.....?
& my first reaction to it is.. So' So.. even dissapointment in the materials used in its construction.
@ this price' compared to brands such as Harvest' Levys' etc Who do use leather' this..its nothing special!!! I.M.O
My decision to return this' is wavering...?

Edited by paulo m
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[quote name='paulo m' timestamp='1473527230' post='3131030']
The Comfort Strapp has that bouncey thing...going on..
also they wear out & become painfull ive found.
I now use the Neotec Megabass which is far better for comfort & design.
I arrived at this via' Levys Leather straps which are well made & expensive also...but not as comfortable as the Megabass Strapp for myself.
Now im looking @ the Gruv gear Neo... which is expensive' plus they say it has faux leather?...@ nearly £50.00 that is a little trashy...i feel.
[/quote]
Among mine, I have an Overwater one with the elastic section at the front, bought best part of 15 years ago and used loads. Still comfortable, still on the go, sadly discontinued!
Had a Neotech, overall elastic-ish vibe with the neoprene, but shock absorbing rather than comedy stretch. Brilliant.
More recently got into Mono, of which I now have a few, bought both new and used. No elastic vibe, but very comfortable. Not had particular slippage problems meself. No leather at all.. they say it's the same rubber as used in US Navy Seals' boats! Deffo not a cheap feel.
As one of my basses is around 13lbs weight, and I've been a sciatica sufferer for 15 years plus, good straps are essential. However, if your bass doesn't balance well it'll still all sit on one shoulder. Yon 13 pounder balances beautifully!

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I've got a GruvGear duo and it does distribute the weight very evenly over both shoulders.

It does hold the bass fairly high, but I guess that's part of the 'correct' posture that I've been resolutely ignoring for the last few decades!

But yeah it certainly does the job. It seems to also counter neck dive a bit as well - I wonder if the extra surface contact of having straps over both shoulders does something to stop it slipping in that sense.

They are quite expensive (I got mine secondhand on here) but they do seem well made, and as far as I can tell it's possible to unscrew the second part of the strap and use it as a single, thick padded strap if you so wished.

I haven't gigged with it yet as I've been using a very lightweight and balanced Lull with a comfort strap lately, which seems to hold things comfortably already, but with my old precision it should work a treat.

If you're near Leicester you're more than welcome to pop in and try it.

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I have recently got a MONO strap to replace a leather one I was using, I defiantly found an improvement but it wasn't quite the revolution I was expecting! what I did found helped a lot was the fact there was a lot more adjustment in length unlike the set positions on the leather strap and this helps me make slight adjustments very quickly and this makes a massive difference over longer periods (may all be in my mind tbh!!)

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I use a heavy bass and found a solution for shoulder pain with the Minotaur straps:
http://www.minotaur.gr/product_info.php/cPath/25/products_id/64
It's the widest strap i've found and has some padding for the soulder. I've tried neoprene straps in the past and found that the continuos bouncing of the bass made my shoulder more tired and also my arms as i had to be constantly holding the neck or playing standing still.


The real right answer to this question is really to [b][u]get a lighter bass[/u][/b]. Until i find one with the same core tone as my current one i'll keep hauling it while i'm able.

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[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1474997961' post='3142189']
The real right answer to this question is really to [b][u]get a lighter bass[/u][/b]. Until i find one with the same core tone as my current one i'll keep hauling it while i'm able.
[/quote]
That's what I thought when I was gigging my Road Ready EV Mesa cabs. They were way too heavy for me, weighed about 99lbs each, and I knew it but they sounded so good I thought I'd use them for a bit longer. Then I damaged a disk in my back and life became very difficult.

Like the right time to use ear plugs is while you can hear everything clearly, before any hearing loss, the right time to get light weight basses and cabs is when you still find it easy to lift the heavy ones.

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I have got a neotech strap that I had shortened to "short" when I used to play my bass around my chin. Always found them to be always a little too long for me, hence the tailoring. I don't know whether or not it helped my back - but it was very comfortable when I was using it.

Edited by EBS_freak
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  • 4 weeks later...

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