I was once an owner of a '73 precision that weighed 13 lbs.
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All these questions about weight?
- Thread starter pedulla-2007
- Start date
I was once an owner of a '73 precision that weighed 13 lbs.
Remember those ads in the newspapers back in the day looking for bass players?
Same here with the scoliosis. It makes a difference. RE: balance, I have a Jack Casady and while I love a lot about it, man is it neck-heavy. Ugh. And it's heavy (for me). I'm only 5'1", so a giant bass makes a difference on my frame. That said, I play my JC the most, so that's my own (poor?) decision.
I've never thought about weight either, but I just got a spring balance out and it seems my beloved Tokai jazz I've been playing for the last 35 years is just a shade over 8lbs so maybe that's why...
All these questions about weight? I have no questions about the weight of my instruments or that of any other bass player's instruments. My opinions aren't going to influence any other forum member and other's opinions have no bearing on my choices. Sometimes I wonder why topics such as this one come up over and over again and then my eye catches that big logo in the top left corner of my desktop monitor. Yes, that Talkbass.com logo snaps me back to reality and reminds me that this forum is called Talkbass. I guess if folks are going to talk about bass this is the best place to do it! 
I'll let myself out, now.
M. M.
I'll let myself out, now.M. M.
I turn 70 this year and I can tell you weight has mattered to me. I had a Smith that was wonderful, but was so heavy I had neck problems. Once I got a lighter bass the neck problem was under control. To each his own, but my 8 lb bass makes a big difference to me vs my 11+ lb bass.
8 vs 9 vs 10, 11, 12... Holly cow thats silly. Never cared or noticed and Im an old fart. Work out for god sakes. (Those with REAL physical limations not included).
I’ve started thinking about weight after recent back pain. And my Pbass is only about 9.5. Found rehearsals were worse than gigs - at least at gigs I take it off for 30 mins between sets. 2 1/2 hour rehearsal would leave me in pain - bought a wider strap (4 inches) and that has helped. But if I find i decent 7-8 pounder that I like I might grab it.
- Mar 18, 2008
- 15
- 18
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: EMG, Rotosound, Hartke ,Steinberger, NS Designs
Don’t try this with Wolfhounds.
A decent digital scale can be found for cheap on eBay. I use it to weigh basses and suitcases/gear bound for the airport (the infamous 50 lb limit). Just get something with a 70-100 lb max range.
Light basses are very comfortable and can be amazing, but only great basses are great. I recently built a 7 pound Jazz that (despite my doubts) turned out truly amazing, as well as a gorgeously full 13 pound P bass. What matters is how well the neck and body resonate, and how the body vibrates. I used to think a P bass body needed to be heavy to be full sounding, but I have ended up with a few rather heavy AND dead P basses, so weight alone is not the only determining factor.
If you play the 14 lb bass and it is killer, buy a stool and enjoy.
Not all women are petite and or weak. I've never concerned myself for more than a second about the weight of my instrument. I will admit that I would probably not enjoy for long playing on something like a 6-string bubinga Warwick, but the 4-string version of the same has felt pretty comfortable to me, even though they are noticeably heavier than the ash-bodied, maple-necked instruments which have been my mainstays.
Heavier instruments sound objectively better. They have richer harmonics and greater sustain. Give me a fat plank with a high mass bridge. Lighter weight instruments are easier to transport, but they are almost always a compromise in terms of tone.
So a bassist who's perfectly capable of playing an 11 pound bass for four hours must get rid of their lighter basses simply because some internet expert says so? Maybe the better solution is for the internet experts to stop trying to dictate other peoples' choices and simply mind their own business.
As I've said earlier in this thread, my Stingray 5 and my L-2500 get the overwhelming majority of my playing time, and my Jazz and Precision aren't exactly lightweights either. However, there is ZERO compulsion in me to try to tell other bassists what they can prefer in a bass. Want to discuss the rationale for your preferences, sure. This is Talkbass, after all. But those things are simply your opinion, apply only to you, and have no bearing on anyone else. The same goes for others' preferences, which have no bearing on you.
How fragile does someone have to be to assume they have the right and authority to dictate to others what they must do, or do more of, in order to play a proper bass in order to satisfy some anonymous "expert"? Especially when it's something that has no bearing on themselves. Posts like these simply boggle my mind ....
I'm 65, have a little scoliosis and I have lightweight and heavy basses, I switch back and forth all the time, The weight doesn't bother me, even after a long night. Am I the only one who doesn't mind a heavier bass? I don't have any other health issues and I'm 5'10" and about 180, so I'm just an average size guy.
How many weight concered people hear can honestly say they are in decent shape, exercise an are not overweight. Im sure there is a correlation.
I'm 54 and work out regularly. My basses are pretty "beefy" but I also traded one Stingray that weighted 11.5 pounds and sounded awesome for my current Stingray that weighs 9.5 and sounds awesome. I lost nothing in that trade, and in fact I got a bass that was even prettier than the first one I had. (EDIT: my current one is the sweet looking thing in my avatar! 
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I'm 60. Long before Talkbass existed I was always weight conscious! Never ever wanted a heavy bass no matter how good a bass it was. Some folks seem to have an issue when someone asks what the weight of a bass is. One member went so far to say it 'drives him insane!' Really?!?!
Stop worrying about what others desire in an instrument. It may just 'drive you insane'!
I can as of the last year. What's it to you?
It is pretty simple: Those of us who care about the weight of a bass do so because using a heavy bass causes us pain or other discomfort. It is not a matter of opinion or a question of our personal character, but a simple and painful matter of fact. Whether or not a heavy bass causes you similar problems is not relevant to our individual situations. If you believe that some sort of superior moral principal is at issue that should make us keep using heavier basses regardless of pain or try to work around it through other means, I would respectfully submit that your priorities are out of order.
Best post of the thread, but I wouldn't submit that respectfully. The disrespect towards us has been clear, and I see no need to sugarcoat a thing anymore .
I, very briefly, owned a Fender Marcus Miller sig that I received in a trade. I didn't ask about the weight. Bass was literally almost 14lbs. Played like butter. I gigged it once. Almost killed me. Traded it away. Never again.
