The Electric Bass and You. How Do You Size Up?

[Parabolic Box]

All right, I'm not sure if this has been done before, and I'm sort of oblivious on how to search it. It's also entirely just for fun, so don't take it seriously at all.

The question is: How does the bass fit you, physically? It's a fairly sizable instrument, and the first time I saw one before I began playing, thought that it required a fairly sizable person to play it. Now, we know that's not true, but I'm wondering how do you look with a bass. Are you The Ox and it naturally looks the right size for you, or are you Jack Bruce and can still maneuver faster than most people?

For myself, I'm a little under six feet, so not too short by most measures, but I'm a very lanky young lad. I have the height, just not the meat on the bones, as it were. I can probably say a Warwick neck is thicker than my wrist. My hands aren't too big either, so I can honestly say I look extremely goofy when I see myself play.

How about you people?

[bongomania]

I'm about average in build, but I notice that I wear the bass way off to the right side of my body so that the upper strap button (at the 12th fret) lines up with the center buttons of my shirt. It's comfy for my arms/wrists/hands that way, but the bass body contours don't match up with my body at all. Way, way off. Just seems odd to me.

[BassChuck]

I think its mostly in the hands... if your hands can reach 4 frets, and most peoples do, or they can deal with it. Anyone with an extremely small body can find a bass design or scale that will work. I've met people much short than I (I'm 5'10) and with smaller hands that are playing DB professionally so it just a matter of figuring a way to make things work.

OTOH, there have been some interesting threads here in the past about women and basses.........

[jomahu]

everyone makes fun of me and my behemoth bass. i am 5'3 and play an 11lb jazz. and female.
it used to bug me, but then i realized me'shell n'degeocello is shorter than i am and can still rock a jazz bass...

[Tony G]

I feel pretty comfortable with a full size jazz bass on me. My MTD has a smaller body, and while it is light and comfortable to play, it doesn't seem to hug my ummm...curves...(cough)...as well as a jazz bass.

[bassman1185]

I'm a fairly big dude (6' even and 230 pounds) and I feel like I dwarf a lot of basses that I play. I've got a Jazz that looks about right on me, but P-basses just look silly, I think. I think if I were to lose a few (or a lot) of pounds, it would even out a little.

[Jeramaya]

I am 5'5" and have a scrawny body type--you know, I was a 115 lb weakling for a good 15 years before the beer took ahold. I play an Alembic Epic 4-string and I make it work, but stretching one finger per fret down toward the nut is sometimes a challenge. But really it's all conditioning and shifting--I can make it work when I'm in good playing shape. As for the body of the Alembic and my body, it fits quite nicely when I'm sitting or standing (the usual position). But I always have to laugh at how small I appear when I play the bass. Maybe it's just me. What do you think?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ereiam_j_h/61105582/

[kumde]

I'm about 5'5" as well and can barely reach the G string tuner on a Jazz My fingers are long though so no problems with playing. Also when I carry my rectangular case on my back it almost looks bigger than me.

[dave64o]

I was 37 when I started playing bass. By that time I was approaching middle age, my metabolism was slowing down, and I was no longer the buff 175 pounds of studliness I was only a few years before. I'm now almost 44 and am much meatier, so I guess it was only appropriate that I wait until I was physically a better match to such a meaty instrument.

[PaleMelanesian]

6'2" and 150lb - long and thin, just like the instrument.

[mjolnir]

6'1", nearly 300 pounds... Yeah, thing looks just fine on me.

[megadan]

Very badly. I'm not quite 6" tall but I'm super skinny. I see so many people playing bass and it just looks so natural. To me, it feels like a struggle. I feel like I'll never find a comfy position.

Since I tend to pick very close to the bridge, the neck is always far out and it's a strain to reach the lowest frets sometimes. So many people seem to be able to push the body out past their sides, but I can't seem to get a bass to hang that way.

[Gard]

I'm 6'2", 250 lbs, and look like I was born to play bass.

Now, you wanna funny mental photo - I played [shudder] guitar for 13 years, and for 4 of those years, my main guitar was a Steinberger GL2T in white.

Just like this one (which looks OK on Rick Derringer in the photo, but Rick's about half my size! ):

[Gard]

Originally Posted by megadan

Very badly. I'm not quite 6" tall but I'm super skinny.

Wow, you're 6" tall???



Do your friends and family have to be careful where they step when you're around?

[megadan]

Damn imperial measurements!!

I'm 182cm tall!

[nsmar4211]

Never realized how loooooong a bass neck is until I saw a pic of myself playing.....wow it just sticks right out there.

Long as I stick to certain body shapes (am female and have been in one of those aformentioned threads) it looks fine.

Only time it looks weird is when I'm hanging out waiting with it on, to keep the long neck from whacking into something I'll point it straight up (after checking for ceiling fans and lights) and use it as a leaning post...... considering theres a foot or more of neck above my head then it's a bit odd .

[rob2966]

6'2", around 300lbs. The bass looks just right on me. I kind of look funny shredding away on my PRS Custom 22 though. Maybe that is why I play bass live instead of guitar.

Later
Rob

[CamMcIntyre]

6ft 205 pounds. It looks natural to me. I've got a beer belly, but i've also got muscular arms.

My Ray5 fits like a glove. The body size is just right and the reach to the first fret is very comfortable. My bias is that it has been my main bass for 5-6 years now.

My Douglas 6-the body looks undersized, but the neck makes up for it. I wear the Douglas higher than i wear the Ray5.

For the real size comparison-check out my profile picture on here. That's me [about 10-15 pounds lighter] and my NS Cleveland. That bass is huge on most people, it makes me look much more "average" sized. It's to the point where i've had other basses say "Man, this feels huge compared to my bass." Granted-those guys mostly play basses similar in size to the old Kays-violin corners and everything.

[iamlowsound]

I am 5'10" and 160lbs, I wear it high and it looks like it fits me well. At least I think that it does.

lowsound

[CrazyArcher]

Umm I'm 5'9" and 136lbs, pretty thin. My bass reaches my solar plexus when it's standing, and is prety heavy (12 lbs). Well, I get along with it... A bit too heavy to jump with, but overall okay.