Opinions - can a bass be TOO lightweight?

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by johndough247

On a side note: when you guys mention a good neoprene strap, which one(s) did you have in mind? I used the comfort strapp (wider bass version) on the 12 pounder for years...isn't that neoprene too?

Here are a few links to check out if you need some info on comfortable straps.
1 Comfortable strap
2
3
4
5

[/sidenote]

[tastybasslines]

I just tried the Ray4 at GC and got exactly this feeling. It was too light for me when I went to slap, even on my knee. I need a little substance, especially when I'm moving around as its movement is easier is easier to predict and control. Light but not too light, and with some beef but not too beefy.

[bootsox]

Lightest solidbody I own is around 5 pounds and it's too light. it just doesn't feel very substantial and I'm worried that the body will eventually swell up or something

[Darren Low]

It has to feel like a bass; made of proper parts, not air, paper, etc.
If so, the lighter the better.

[ShirazBop]

Originally Posted by johndough247

On a side note: when you guys mention a good neoprene strap, which one(s) did you have in mind? I used the comfort strapp (wider bass version) on the 12 pounder for years...isn't that neoprene too?

^^^^ Exactly! Comfort Strapp's what I have, and love. I've seen good ones made by Sadowsky and Fender as well...

[Lee H]

I am a large man, so a little weight does not bother me. That being said, I am more interested in balance then overall weight..
I am currently having a love/ hate relationship with a bass I recently finished. It is a fender style jazz bass. The tone is right on, but I am not liking the feel of the slim contour Warmoth neck. It is too narrow.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Turxile

As light as possible without neck dive. I prefer light basses but I'd rather have weight than neck dive.

I really don't care about weight. I care about tone. In my opinion some light basses just don't have the tone. But that's not always true. My Carvin Semi-hollow body is only about 6 pounds and it has no shortage of tone. My Heaviest bass is the Conklin at 12 pounds. The rest are mostly in the 10-11 pound range.

[Hotblack]

I think my solid body basses are in the 9-11 pound range. I have one that probably clocks in over twelve, and I am never taking it to a gig where I have to stand up.
If you could achieve nice balance, and not shrink the body to near Steinberger size, I would say make it as light as possible.

[MysticMichael]

Strictly speaking, the real issue with bass guitars is rigidity - not necessarily weight, per se. Until the very recent development of super-rigid, lightweight synthetic materials, the only practical material option was wood. So in actual application, weight and rigidity were pretty much parallel considerations: you couldn't have much of one without the other.

That said, I've been playing long enough so that I've developed a real affinity for bass guitars that have a certain degree of heft that I can feel in my hands and in my body. There's just a visceral sense about it that feels right - regardless of what the state of the art might produce in future, in terms of ultra-lightweight bodies.

I like instrument bodies that are relatively compact, but with a relatively large headstock, very ergonomic - and densely-packed. FYI, my favorite instruments thus far are all of maple/walnut or maple/maple construction, with neck-through bodies, and ebony fretboards/fingerboards.

But that's just me...

MM

[Turxile]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

I really don't care about weight. I care about tone. In my opinion some light basses just don't have the tone. But that's not always true. My Carvin Semi-hollow body is only about 6 pounds and it has no shortage of tone. My Heaviest bass is the Conklin at 12 pounds. The rest are mostly in the 10-11 pound range.

That's true, there will be lightweight basses with all the tone and there will be those with none. Likewise, there will be heavy basses with all the tone and those with none. It's not so much about weight but construction. (hey TB this is the part to say tone is in the fingers :P)
My Warwick Corvette is about 7.7 lbs and it has tone for days, so much so that my band don't like me playing any other bass.

All other things equal, I'd get a lightweight bass.
Again I can't stand neck dive, I'd rather have my left hand do the fretting than lifting.

[jmattbassplaya]

IME, once a bass gets under a certain weight point it just seems to flop around way too much whenever I'm moving around on stage, and that makes playing incredibly difficult.

[JoZac21]

So long as there's no significant neck-dive, a bass can't be too light.

So long as it doesn't hurt my back a bunch, a bass can't be too heavy.

I just want the bass to be good.

YMMV.

[AuntieBeeb]

If anything, I'm interested in heavier basses. As a passive player, I've always found that the denser woods give me more satisfying tones. My shoulders are just going to have to get used to the weight of that Model T...

[hgiles]

I tried a German made Warwick Corvette Standard and that thing just felt WAY heavier then it needed to be. My Ibanez SR706 feels neither too light nor too heavy.

[1stnamebassist]

I played Jerry Jones Longhorns exclusively for years and I loved them! Very light, short scale and fast comfortable neck which had a little bit of neck dive but was so light it didn't matter. Out of all the basses i've owned which included Fenders, Gibsons and Rickenbackers The Longhorns were my favorites. Don't know the weight but I would guess about 5 to 6 pounds.

[mongo2]

Obviously subjective, but for me lighter is better until the point where I feel structure, playability, or tone is compromised.

[RickC]

Due to my back, and long gigs (3+ hours of actual play time), I can't gig anything much over 8lbs; a few ounces over at most. I can't really say I've ever played a bass that was too light, but between 7.5 and 8 usually feels very *right* to me.

/rick