Why are people obsessed with weight??

[mmbongo]

It's been bothering me and I gotta ask....why are people so obsessed with the weight of a bass? Almost every FS thread I see has somebody inevitably asking "what does it weigh?? what does it weigh??"

Why does it matter? Why the obsession? I never cared about weight as I figured most any bass in in between 8 and 11 pounds, and there are other factors that matter more. I'll take a heavy bass that's properly balanced over a light neck diver any day. Maybe these people are weak and can't hold up a bass?

[gt96g]

dude, i have owned an eleven pound bass, and over the course of a 2 hour gig it destroys you shoulder and back and its no fun, if you play sitting down its fine but if not it sucks.

[eastcoasteddie]

I don't care about weight. To me, the heavier the better. My G&L weighs a ton, and I like it that way. The Rock Bass feels like it weighs 1/3 of the G&L...feels like a toy.
There's nothing like strapping a tree trunk to your body.

[LCW]

Well most people on this forum are 40+ so bad backs?

I dont worry about weight much , i got alot of energy , but i would never want a bass over 12 pounds.To be honest tho when i test a bass i never feel how heavy it is or ask a seller how heavey it is.

[Jefenator]

Do 5 set gigs and/or make it to your late '30s. You'll understand.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

It's been bothering me and I gotta ask....why are people so obsessed with the weight of a bass? Almost every FS thread I see has somebody inevitably asking "what does it weigh?? what does it weigh??"

Why does it matter? Why the obsession? I never cared about weight as I figured most any bass in in between 8 and 11 pounds, and there are other factors that matter more. I'll take a heavy bass that's properly balanced over a light neck diver any day. Maybe these people are weak and can't hold up a bass?

Why has it been bothering you since weight doesn't matter to you?

[grifff]

Because everyone is different.

[dmusic148]

I think when I was younger it didn't matter so much. Now, I'm 44, not terribly out of shape, but any bass over 10lbs. is now a deal breaker for me, even with a wide strap. I guess as we get older we get softer? Shoulder doesn't like it. I'm not injured or anything, it just doesn't feel good if it's heavy.

[MarkTAW]

I had a bass that was light as a feather. Sounded decent, but not great. Really thin neck, so with light strings the thing played like butter.

I regret getting rid of it, it would have been a good knock-around bass.

As a NY gigging bass player, I also have to lug the thing to & from shows & carrying 15+ lbs on your back isn't much fun.

Also with a lighter bass, you can jump around more (depending on your technique & how much it would suffer form that), the heavier basses keep you rooted to earth & if you're more comfortable grooving on stage, then so is the audience.

[SpamBot]

I like the feel of a heavier bass. Just personal preference. It's pretty easy to imagine that it'd go the other way too.

[spade2you]

I've become a weight weenie because I've found that heavier doesn't necessarily sound better, thus I really don't see much point in lugging the extra weight. I've really come to enjoy the sound of light ash and chambered construction.

[FL Knifemaker]

My Darkstarred Peavey T-45 weights 12lbs. Friends have borrowed it for gigs but only used it for 1-2 songs at a time. It sounds like thunder but weighs a ton.

[THand]

Originally Posted by spade2you

I've become a weight weenie because I've found that heavier doesn't necessarily sound better, thus I really don't see much point in lugging the extra weight. I've really come to enjoy the sound of light ash and chambered construction.

I'm interested in learning more about chambered construction. I know Sadowsky chambers these days, who else?

[etoncrow]

Actually I have Barophobia and need the extra weight of a heavy bass to keep me locked to the earth in the case of gravity failure. I even use ankle weights at night when I go the out house so I do not float away into the sky where no body would ever find me....

Actually a better question is who would want to tote all that stuff when it is no longer necessary to do so and achieve a great sound?

[5string5fingers]

Originally Posted by THand

I'm interested in learning more about chambered construction. I know Sadowsky chambers these days, who else?

I know Ibanez chambers some of their guitar lines,I don't know if they do the same with their basses.

[Thundar]

I never cared about the weight of a bass either...until I started playing 4-5 hour gigs...which sent me searching for the lightest basses I could find...fortunately I already had 2 in my stable...Ibanez SR885's from the mid-90's...both light as a feather and sound fantastic.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by grifff

Because everyone is different.

Do you have two accounts here?

[Rockman]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

It's been bothering me and I gotta ask....why are people so obsessed with the weight of a bass? Almost every FS thread I see has somebody inevitably asking "what does it weigh?? what does it weigh??"

Why does it matter? Why the obsession? I never cared about weight as I figured most any bass in in between 8 and 11 pounds, and there are other factors that matter more. I'll take a heavy bass that's properly balanced over a light neck diver any day. Maybe these people are weak and can't hold up a bass?

Seriously before you ask question like these you need to say whether or not you've ever had to play through and entire 2 hour gig with a 10 pound bass on your shoulder.

[cnltb]

I personally find lighter basses more comfortable and find they often sound better.
I don't think I'd buy a bass that was heavier than 4KG these days(and no chambers).

[RAM]

I care because I've got arthritis in my neck and have had 4 back surgeries in the past 2-1/2 years, all stemming from car accidents back in 1995.