How Much Does Your Bass Weigh?

[Roonz]

My Engelhardt ES-1 weighs 20.4 lbs.

You all know the construction of an Engelhardt Supreme model: plywood with ebony fingerboard and ebony tailpiece. It has LaBella strings and nothing else on it except my sweat.

Roonz

[Marcus Johnson]

No idea. Feels like a feather, though. (NS La Scala).

[Silversorcerer]

Mine's heavy. Probably around 30 lbs. or more. I don't have a scale but that's my impression. It's a 4/4 5-er, so it is a good bit larger than most 3/4 DBs. [edit for Martin: It is maple and spruce with ebony FB, dyed hardwood TP (heavy) with a deep carved swelled back.] I should mention that my first teacher's bass was a 200+ year old German 3/4 size 4-string and it is even heavier and made of the same woods but may have been a flat back. It is so old it was made more like a violone with the flush plates at the rib.]

[Edit: held it while standing on a friend's bathroom scale, then weighed me without the DB and subtracted = 31.5 lbs. with the leather quiver.]

[Martin Sheridan]

Very good topic.
Let's not just post weight though. Be sure to add bass size and flat back or arched. Also, wood if you know it. Willow should be substantially lighter.
I had a 3/4 bass, round back and maple that weighed about thirty pounds; heavy for a 3/4. A friend had a flat back 3/4
Romanian bass that was only 18 pounds.

[christ andronis]

My first bass was an Anton Schroetter (Strunal) 3/4 hybrid with the nuclear goop shellac on it. I don't know exactly, but that sucker was really heavy. When I bought my carved Christopher, it was like night and day. The Chrissy is super light, so much so that at first I thought I was being cheated.

[Paul Warburton]

My Bohmann 5 stringer with double shoulders, out-landish machines, 7/8 carved back weighs in at a hefty 30 lbs! Maple. Strangley, the ribs are laminated on this bass.
See on Talkbass eye candy.....

[Rathmine]

My current bass is 24.8 lbs. It's a 3/4 size instrument with a mensur of 41.5 inches. I believe the top is spruce while the sides are maple, but I don't remember exactly.

Adding to the weight is a fully-chromatic K.C. Strings extension; I only bring that up because the weight of it causes the scroll of the bass to rest on the ground when I put the instrument down on its side. It's really wild to watch the entire lower bout levitate an inch above the stage!

[bribass]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

My Bohmann 5 stringer with double shoulders, out-landish machines, 7/8 carved back weighs in at a hefty 30 lbs! Maple. Strangley, the ribs are laminated on this bass.
See on Talkbass eye candy.....

That's even heavier than my 1820's Prescott flatback gamba. Rock maple back w/ spruce or pine top w/ lots of cleat and patch repairs. A large 3/4 w/ DEEP ribs that make it almost a 7/8. Original old iron machines. Ribs re-lined inside w/ willow. I believe it's 28.5 lbs. I'm afraid to put on an extension because of the weight.

See also on Talkbass eye candy.....

[Matthew Tucker]

I was really surprised how much the solid neck/fingerboard assembly weighs in relation to the body of the bass. My neck assembly weighs about 6lbs!

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

I was really surprised how much the solid neck/fingerboard assembly weighs in relation to the body of the bass. My neck assembly weighs about 6lbs!

Just beautiful Matthew! Is that your own pattern? The F's are really long. Your bass looks very familiar to me.
What do you figure the total weight is?

[fregoman]

Well what an intresting thread - quite a range, from 18 to 30 lbs! I have a fancy Shen SB1000 (1996 vintage) that has hatpeg tuners, full carved maple and spruce, 3/4 size, rounded back and it weighs in at 21.9 pounds (9.9 kilos for the metric folks).

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by fregoman

Well what an intresting thread - quite a range, from 18 to 30 lbs! I have a fancy Shen SB1000 (1996 vintage) that has hatpeg tuners, full carved maple and spruce, 3/4 size, rounded back and it weighs in at 21.9 pounds (9.9 kilos for the metric folks).

My bass' full plates are made of cast iron! ( Machines themselve are brass of course ) but they are extremely heavy... and, of course, the double shoulders add plenty exrtra weight.

[bassplayer57]

25 pounds on the 100 year old laminate!!

[mocorob]

I thought I'd jump in on this topic, I have a Kolstein Baker that weighs a little over 24lbs. It's 7/8, flatback, spruce top, willow sides and back. I've been wondering how what other comparably sized basses weigh. The Baker is fairly large, with oversized scroll, big brass machines, plus the large Kolstein tailpiece.

[mcnaire2004]

I'd say my Juzek is anywhere from 30 to 40 pounds.

[M Ramsey]

My 2 American Standards come in at about 22-23 lbs each. #731 is from the 1939-1941 era and #2753 is from the mid-to-late 50's. Both have ebony fingerboards and ebonized hardwood tailpieces. Older bass has gut strings and newer bass has Velvets. Both have original tuning gears installed. Both basses have had the endpin changed to a modern hollow tube assembly.

I'd like to know how these compare (in weight) to a New Standard Cleveland.

Thanks,

[Matthew Tucker]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Just beautiful Matthew! Is that your own pattern? The F's are really long. Your bass looks very familiar to me.
What do you figure the total weight is?

No its not my own pattern, it's a copy of a bass that (I think) Corkie Davis owns. It's in the Elgar book, attributed to Daniel Parker but in Chandlers book it is attributed to Nicolo Amati by Voight & Sons.

Total weight is close to 24 lbs. It's quite a big bass, but I've built it as lightly as I can.

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

No its not my own pattern, it's a copy of a bass that (I think) Corkie Davis owns. It's in the Elgar book, attributed to Daniel Parker but in Chandlers book it is attributed to Nicolo Amati by Voight & Sons.
Total weight is close to 24 lbs. It's quite a big bass, but I've built it as lightly as I can.

I thiught so. Page170, right? The C's are so big and the F's so long.
I remembered that bass. I guess my memory still works, at least when it comes to basses!
Congratulations again.

[ao'connor17]

400 series fully carved maple body with spruce top Christopher bass. flat back, gamba style

weighs too much

[MingusAmongUs]

I always thought my Epiphone was much heavier than any other plywood bass I've picked up. But I never weighed it until now. On my crappy human scale, which never seems to show the same number twice, it reads anywhere from 30-34 lbs. Hefty!