Strap for your Dingwall

That would be Lomo. If I remember correctly, they do not make them anymore.

Hmmm...my 4" Italia leather strap is pretty comfy. Never thought about the belt system.

NOTHING beats the Bass Brace strap for comfort! Although it's no longer produced, you can make one. I'll post pics later this week. It's basically a weightlifter's belt that closes with velcro. Where the buckle would be is a tongue of leather with a single Dunlop straplock. Ypu put a flushmount/recessed Dunlop straplock receiver on the lower body edge of the bass (easy and takes 3 minutes, even for me, Mr. not-very-handy who's drill is his only power tool). The belt then holds 95% of the bass weight on your hips, and you wear a strap only to keep it in your desired playing position. I used to get shoulder pain after 30 minutes, and had spent $$$$ on light basses. Now I can play a 12 lb boat anchor forever (or until my fingers throb). An added bonus is that because you choose the anchor point, even a bass that neck dives can be made to balance perfectly on a strap. The reason the straplock receiver must be recessed is that this way it's virtually invisible (unless you're on the floor looking up at the bass) and will not get in the way when playing seated.

pics...

and more...

Thanks for the great info and pics

+1 Lomo - YOU DE MAN! I'm going to give it a try.

[quote="bassplayinbill":3hl3p5np]+1 Lomo - YOU DE MAN! I'm going to give it a try.[/quote:3hl3p5np] Actually, De Man is some dude from Ontario who invented it and used to advertise in the back of Bass Player. His name escapes me (half-timer's disease, LOL). This thing totally changed my approach to bass. I'm waaaaay more musical now that I have zero discomfort and all my basses balance perfectly. The recessed Dunlop straplock receivers can be had at Allparts, and the hole to accomodate them is a 3/8 inch. I just balance the bass with one finger on the lower body edge to find my sweet spot. I also have a stand that'll hold any bass in almost any position (bought before I found the belt), but it works best with front mounted jacks (designed for a Jazz) and then you can't move around. It's sitting in the cavern of unused/unmoved gear. The belt is definitely THE ANSWER!

[quote="lomo":1yevjqv3] Actually, De Man is some dude from Ontario who invented it and used to advertise in the back of Bass Player. His name escapes me (half-timer's disease, LOL). [/quote:1yevjqv3] Hey Morris, Half-timers disease, does it predispose you to all-timers disease. You know, all this time I just thought my fellow hillbillies were just mispronouncing Alzheimers Disease. ;-^) Another popular variation around here is oldtimers disease. That is definitely an interesting setup. I played a bass back at the 1994 NAMM Show that had a pivot point on the back and used a reverse strap. It probly wouldn't do much for bad backs, but it did reduce some of the strain on your shoulder. It was really comfortable to play, but I guess it didn't catch on. For those of you unwilling to take a drill to your Dingwall, I highly recommend the Neotech neoprene bass strap. I used to have an ash body 74 P-Bass that weighed a few ounces short of a ton. After an hour, my shoulder and back would be killing me. Picked up one of these straps after reading about it somewhere and, oh boy, it made a huge difference. I can't imagine playing without it now.

My absolute favorite bass strap is the inflatable D'Addario one. They stopped making them few years now. I still have 3 in use: one with my "Uber Alles", one with my "Transparent" and one with my Hamer Chapparal 5 (US). My current favorite is the Comfort Strapp. Very nice and easy on the shoulder.

[quote="fullrangebass":j7zjrojq]My absolute favorite bass strap is the inflatable D'Addario one. They stopped making them few years now. I still have 3 in use: one with my "Uber Alles", one with my "Transparent" and one with my Hamer Chapparal 5 (US). [/quote:j7zjrojq] I have one and don't really like it. I currently have the Comfort Strapps.

You could easily make a bass brace type strap with a weightlifter's belt or even a warehouse worker's belt and a regular strap sewn on to it.

All, Thought I would throw in my .02 here. I have tried maybe 6 straps over the past few years. Originally I had a nice 3" wide black leather strap. But then heard about the virtues of the neoprene strap, so I bought two from brooklyn gear. One of the straps wasn't put together well, and their customer service is horrible (actually, it's non-existent. Good luck getting a hold of anyone up there after you order), so I kept it. While the strap seemed to do a good job of shock-absorption, I did not like the way it moved on my shoulder. Rather than sitting nicely like a leather strap, I found that it bunched my shirt up and made me somewhat uncomfortable. Now I use the italia strap (4" wide, found easily on ebay) which will cost you around $30 including shipping if you're patient. They take 2-3 weeks minimum to deliver, but it's a fantastic quality, no-frills, heavy-duty leather strap with a sueded side (that's the side that lays on your shoulder). Obviously, your mileage may vary, but this was my experience. Rob H

I just ordered a couple of 3" signature straps from Double Treble. Should be here in a couple of weeks. I'll post my impressions then. http://www.doubletreble.com/signature.html Mark

I actually really like the neoprene strap. I have a Brooklyn Gear version and a Comfort Strap version, and they both work great for me.

I've tried a lot of different straps over the years, including the neoprene ones. They're very comfortable My favorite by far is the one Glenn Cronkhite makes. I ordered a Cronkhite goig bag a few years ago--absolutely great bag, no gimmicks, just gets the job done perfectly. While I was at it I ordered a strap. It's excellent--a wide leather strap that's folded, so there are no seams at your neck, and it's cut on a curve. Fits like a glove. It's far and away the best I've ever used He has a very minimal website and gets his biz mostly buy word of mouth. He's a great guy to talk to and a working musician who actually lugs gear to gigs

Comfort Strapp is my favorite so far

4" Moody strap is the best I've tried. Very soft and supple leather.

+1 for the Comfort Strapp's!!

another +1 for the italia strap - really well made, you can get them off ebay (dont pay full price), and they really do support the bass really well. -carl