Titanium screws

[odin70]

I really need to reduce the weight on my pbass. I would like to replace all screws with titanium. Does anyone know where to get em?

[Deathblade Eric]

Can't help with suppliers, other than to maybe suggest specialist engineers (Rally Cars, Aircraft etc.)... but I suspect you'd only carve 50 - 100g (2 - 4oz) off the total weight.

I'd expect the bulk of the weight lies in the body, & that's not easy to lose without recourse to a big chisel or a router.

How heavy is your P overall?

P.

[odin70]

I dont really know. But its heavy Mahogany body, warmoth padouk/ebony neck, badass bridge, schaller tuners. I also have machine screws as neck screws and they are quite heavy. I thought that if i changed them and they screws on the badass it would help a bit.

[joeyl]

Mahogany's weight vary wildly but that padouk ebony neck with the steel rods is probably very heavy by itself. If you cannot get comfortable with it, I would suggest selling the neck and getting something more traditional like maple/maple with graphite, all the other measures like lighter screws will never achieve that kind of weight reduction.

[joeyl]

wow, you have a Badass bridge too, you must have picked all the components marked "HEAVY"

[PhiDeck]

Depending on whence you remove weight you may aggravate neck dive.

[odin70]

Originally Posted by joeyl

wow, you have a Badass bridge too, you must have picked all the components marked "HEAVY"

I did I really like the bass as it is, but my shoulder complaints from time to time.

[JLS]

Invest in a really good strap. Changing out the screws would be a waste of time and money.

[halfjackson]

+1

Originally Posted by JLS

Invest in a really good strap. Changing out the screws would be a waste of time and money.

I used to have shoulder and back pain too. I no longer do, except maybe during marathon gigs. Here's what I did:

1) I don't know how you hold your bass, but I used to hold mine high. I have since dropped it down a bit and hold the bass more vertically- at about 45 degrees. This has helped by A) The head of my bass is closer to my body so my arm doesn't have to extend nearly as far to play in the lower registers, which was uncomfortable before, and B) I no longer rest my forearm on the body of the bass. Nothing adds weight to your bass like resting your arm on it.

2) A good, padded strap. Seems obvious, but I didn't always appreciate this.

3) I started taking better care of myself.

Back and/or shoulder pain can be brutal so I hope you get past it.

If all else fails, you could consider a lighter bass too. It may not be ideal but it certainly beats not playing and gigging.

[Angus]

Originally Posted by odin70

I really need to reduce the weight on my pbass. I would like to replace all screws with titanium. Does anyone know where to get em?

You won't remove really any noticeable weight- this isn't a car with steel bolts. The weight on your bass isn't coming from the fasteners.

Get yourself a better strap and that's about all you'll be able to do.

[202dy]

Isn't this sort of like ordering the entire left side of the menu and then opting for a Diet Coke?

As pointed out above, a wide strap can spread the load over your shoulder so the guitar won't feel so heavy.

Sometimes, no matter how much we like a particular guitar, it's the wrong guitar for us. When that is true, it is time to find another guitar.

[dbhokie]

I feel you here, I am 27 years old and have already been through three back surgeries due to an injury when I was 21. I gig up to 4-5 hour sets, sometimes 3 times a week. Whenever I am gigging I am standing up, practicing, I sit down mostly. I don't know where you are on weight but the single thing that helped me most, was doing some stretching and back workouts every day, and I was at 325lbs 6'4", now I am at 280 lbs, I am trying to lose more weight again, that first 45 helped immeasurably, I am hoping to lose another 40 this year.

[FunkMetalBass]

New neck without steel rod(s)
Hipshot Ultralites or Gotoh Res-O-Lites
Titanium screws
Aluminum bridge
Plastic knobs
Lighter strings
Route out large areas underneath the pickguard
Alpha mini pots
Thinner wire between pots, pickups, and input jack

That's everything I can think of off-hand.

[Angus]

A stamped zinc bridge would be lighter.

[odin70]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

New neck without steel rod(s)
Hipshot Ultralites or Gotoh Res-O-Lites
Titanium screws
Aluminum bridge
Plastic knobs
Lighter strings
Route out large areas underneath the pickguard
Alpha mini pots
Thinner wire between pots, pickups, and input jack

That's everything I can think of off-hand.

Im afraid to do anything that could affect the sound.. The heavy knobs i used to have are already gone.

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Angus

A stamped zinc bridge would be lighter.

A wood bridge w/ bone saddle would be lighter still.

[maturanesa]

Did you try lowering the bass height from the strap? Actually your body suffer the bass weight more when the bass is high

[packhowitzer]

screws? seriously? could you even feel the difference? Titanium screws seems like an expensive option with very little payoff. I believe the money could be better spent in a strap as some of the other posters have said. I'm not trying to belittle your back problems, but lighter screws would be WAY down my list of things to do to my bass if I was trying to save weight or make it feel more comfortable to play. good luck.

[allexcosta]

Get Hipshot Ultralights or Gotoh Reso-lites and a lighter bridge.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by odin70

Im afraid to do anything that could affect the sound.. The heavy knobs i used to have are already gone.

So get a good strap. They make them that go over both shoulders.