Sweetwater (not sure about others) will often allow people to pick specific basses (and guitars) of a particular model they have in stock. Each of them has their weight indicated. Some of the same models differ in weight by several ounces, say, 1/2 a pound for a 9 pound bass, even with the exact same specs. If you were to order an instrument online and choosing between model XYZ that weighs 9 pounds 2 ounces and model XYZ that weighs 9 pounds 10 ounces, would you prefer the lighter or heavier instrument? If it were just about comfort, I would think it a no-brainer to go with the lighter instrument. But I'm sort of wondering what goes into that extra weight. Is it just a body cut slightly different or differences in wood densities? Would you expect the sound/resonance to be better with a heavier or lighter instrument of the same model?
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With CNC machines making.... probably EVERY bass sold at Sweetwater, I'd venture to say the differences are not in one bass being thicker or cut differently than another of the same model, but rather due to differences in the density of one body blank vs another.
I worked at a big name guitar manufacturer for a few years and held thousands of blanks and they can vary quite a lot, even with the same dimensions.
I generally choose lighter basses when given the opportunity, mainly just for comfort. I don't know why..... my favorite basses happen to be my heaviest!
I worked at a big name guitar manufacturer for a few years and held thousands of blanks and they can vary quite a lot, even with the same dimensions.
I generally choose lighter basses when given the opportunity, mainly just for comfort. I don't know why..... my favorite basses happen to be my heaviest!
The weight of a body is related to the micro environment the tree grew in. And the aging/drying process and time. Even in a perfect world it’s a formerly living thing and lattice structures can vary, even in the same tree, a foot apart.
Carbon composite basses can be controlled more precisely for weight. And even then there’s variance from compaction.
To first question I don’t know why anyone would specifically seek out a heavier bass. But personally I wouldn’t care, I’d just as soon not know. I’ve never weighed a guitar except when it was in a case, in a box to ship. I worked for a major guitar manufacturer for 7 years but it was before bassists weighed their instruments so we never even had a scale in the QC shop.
Carbon composite basses can be controlled more precisely for weight. And even then there’s variance from compaction.
To first question I don’t know why anyone would specifically seek out a heavier bass. But personally I wouldn’t care, I’d just as soon not know. I’ve never weighed a guitar except when it was in a case, in a box to ship. I worked for a major guitar manufacturer for 7 years but it was before bassists weighed their instruments so we never even had a scale in the QC shop.
My choice depends on if the upper horn ends at the twelfth fret.
The lighter the body the greater chance of neckdive.
Balance is a greater issue than weight.
The lighter the body the greater chance of neckdive.
Balance is a greater issue than weight.
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I have two nearly identical Lakland 55-94 basses, built around the same time. One is @ 1/2 lbs lighter than the other. They both sound
like Lakland 55-94’s the lighter one feels better under my fingers and over my shoulders. Just my take.
like Lakland 55-94’s the lighter one feels better under my fingers and over my shoulders. Just my take.
i would expect the weight of the instrument, alone, to have no bearing on the quality of sound. the best sounding P-bass on earth happens to be one that i own: 6 lbs.
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I would only choose heavier it it were 2 very light basses. Every bass I've owned under 8lbs was too light for me. I prefer 8.5-9.5lbs for proper balance.
Not all wood weighs the same. I prefer lighter basses but sometimes a light body is matched to a heavier neck and the balance is terrible making it worse on the shoulder. While it's great to be able to see the weight of instrument's on Sweetwater, you don't know if it's gonna balance all that great on a strap.
It’s like buying a steak. Muscle weighs more than fat. 2 basses in the exact same size and specs, the heavier one will be slightly beefier with more meat in the tone.
There's been a couple of times when I've ordered from Sweetwater where I chose a heavier bass, but that was primarily because I liked the wood grain better on it. I'm not super picky about weights--more concerned about balance.
Case in point: my Fodera Emperor 5 Standard is the heaviest bass I own, but it has the best balance. I never really feel fatigued after playing a 4-hour gig. It's just shy of 13 lbs.
Case in point: my Fodera Emperor 5 Standard is the heaviest bass I own, but it has the best balance. I never really feel fatigued after playing a 4-hour gig. It's just shy of 13 lbs.
When we are young I don't think weight is too much of a concern. As we age I think then we become more aware of what we are playing. So lighter may be the choice? The older I get I look to the lighter side of things to include my PA, my bass cab, and most of our setup. To each their own.
I'm no expert at all but over the years, I've owned around 40 or more bass guitars. Some heavy, some light. Basses are like fingerprints, they all sound different. (Although not usually by all that much. Ex. a P will sound like a P.)
There is no rhyme nor reason for the sound of a bass. Two basses made from the same tree will sound different.
I had 2 G&L "wunkays". One was made from mahogany and the other swamp ash. Logic would say that the mahogany would sound warmer than the ash. No. The mahogany sounded brighter. Woods are unpredictable.
IMHO and IME, the "Goldilocks Rule" generally applies to basses (and everything else in life). Not too heavy, not too light.
YMMV
If offered the choice between those two, I'd pass altogether - anything over 8 pounds, I won't even consider. But yes, the lighter bass is probably the best choice for most folks. As long as the upper horn is at the twelfth fret, the chance of neck dive is minimal, even with a very light bass.
The difference in weight is due almost entirely to the difference in the wood density. Necks are more consistent than bodies (maple has less variation that ash in density), and the neck has less volume, so the bulk of the weight difference is the density/weight of the body wood.
I'll take the one that weighs 7.5 pounds, thanks
It's just variations in the wood. Unless you're having them hand carve something, it's all CNC these days.
Nope.
For example, I wound up two versions of the exact same bass. One weighs 9 lbs, the other is 7.5 lbs. There is no detectable difference in the tone between the two. None, nada, zippo.
If there is a difference that didn't manifest in those two particular instruments, then....
• the idea that wood species matters to tone doesn't make sense, because variations within a given species are so large that it doesn't make sense to associate a type of tone with a species anyway
and/or
• the variation is so small that it would be lost in any mix, or by adjusting any EQ dial by 0.05%, or standing 2 inches to the left of the amp, or utterly ignored by the audience.
More importantly, I haven't seen any truly rigorous repeatable tests, based on a sufficiently large sample of instruments where the wood density is the only variable, which proves that weight/density results in a detectable difference. I'm not holding my breath on that, either.
IMO you should just apply whatever criteria you want. Light, heavy, aesthetics of the wood grain, whatever floats your boat.
I have a Gibson LP DC Tribute. It's a short scale. When I ordered it and a 9.5lb bass showed up I was a little surprised. It's plays awesome and sounds amazing but 9.5lbs is heavy for a short scale.
So last week I found the exact same model but at 7.3lbs....a full 2lbs less. The bass is still on its way. I'll AB and decide if they sound different. I can't believe they can vary that much.
So last week I found the exact same model but at 7.3lbs....a full 2lbs less. The bass is still on its way. I'll AB and decide if they sound different. I can't believe they can vary that much.
I don’t buy that second part.
my 20 fret 4 string PBass upper horn comes to the middle of the 12th fret.
my 24 fret 5 string jazz shaped the horn comes to a 1/4 below the 12 fret.
the 5 balances better despite being much lighter.
I would always choose the better instrument regardless of weight unless there like a 3 pound or so difference.
If everyone else believes this, it'll make it easier for me to get one of the good ones.
