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All these questions about weight?

#21
I have a (cheap) digital bathroom scale, and it's very consistent. But when I borrowed the postal scales at my office, I discovered that my Kramer Vanguard - which I had previously pegged at 12+ ... is actually 10 pounds, zero ounces. WhooDaThunkIt?? :)

It's still my heaviest (of 14 basses) and very much one of my favorites tone-wise. After toying with a Status Streamline for a while (under 7 lbs!) I decided that I should try to replace the Vanguard with a lighter-weight Kramer Duke, but while the Duke is indeed nearly three pounds lighter, it just doesn't have the satisfying bottom end roundness of the Vanguard. Can I put that down to the Vanguard's hefty maple body? Maybe! But possibly the Duke's (unusual) double-J quad coil pup is just miswired... I won't pronounce it 'too thin" until I have had a go at checking that out.

bass-weights.png

Some of my other basses are shown above... the Duke didn't make that list yet (just arrived last week) and there are three others also not on the list that are in various stages of assembly. But none of those three will likely be much over 8 pounds.

All that said, I'm now firmly of the personal opinion that for me to wear a bass guitar for a multi-set gig, it has got to be eight pounds or less. Ten-pounders are fine for studio use! YMMV :)
 
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#24
pedulla-2007 said:
I spent 25 yrs playing professionally with a compression fracture in my spine from falling over backwards on my butt bone. ...I have thick skin so let me have it, I'm an old man...
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I guess you are just a meaner, tougher more badass bassist than some others. Good for you!

I cannot explain why because I'm neither a psychologist nor neurologist, but pain tolerances are not universal.
 
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#26
REV said:
Foe me, it's not so much about weight as it is about balance. A well balanced instrument just feels better. I have a couple of Geddy Lee Jazz basses that weigh about 10 lbs but they are well balanced and the weight doesn't bother me a bit.
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This. ^ It isn't actual weight so much as perceived weight. Even a heavy bass becomes tolerable with the right weight distribution and parts of your body other than the strap shoulder bearing some of the load.
 
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#27
DigitalMan said:
Some people don’t mind when others chew gum with their lips smacking open and closed. I’m not one of those people (either the gum chewer or the impervious to it).

Different stuff bothers different people.

PS - (dirty mouth breathers!) :roflmao:
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So funny you mention that, my Son was in the military and while eating at the mess hall, people that used to smack their lips while eating would drive him insane, I caught him reprimanding one of his Sons at the table and I thought it petty but that quirk still stays with him.
 
#30
pedulla-2007 said:
Should the weight of a bass keep you from buying it?
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For me, it does. That said, balance and (as you mentioned) a good strap can make it okay. But I wouldn't buy something "heavy" without feeling VERY good about that being mitigated.

And, let's face it, if you then try to sell the bass you will run into the same concerns from other buyers.
 
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#31
nostatic said:
People are different.

If you think the 70's was "when they used to build basses really good", that is another example.
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My reasoning in that statement was educated by the fact that I have been an auto worker all my life and seen EPA standards change the complete structure of a car. Everything is plastic to meet MPG standards, barely making it safe to withstand a side impact any more! If you have worked on an assembly line for 27 years with millions of repetitious movements, you can say "things were built better in the 70's". Sending basses to Japan or Korea to be assembled to cut costs raises a question in my mind as to their quality and resale value, and tributing a bass to get close to the original? I have mentioned no names out of respect for the manufactures.
 
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#32
pcake said:
i never used to care about weight till i tore both of my rotator cuffs. doctors didn't recommend surgery, so very glacially slowly with PT, my shoulders have been getting better. we're talking about a period of maybe 10 years, and things are improved, but if lifting anything heavier than a few pounds for more than a minute or two, the pain makes itself felt. as far as wearing an 8lb+ bass, it soon becomes agonizing and the pain can last for days or for weeks; if i'm unlucky, it could mean further damage in the form of scar tissue that could further limit my mobility.
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My best to You, shoulder injuries are an element that I forgot to consider, and are some of the most annoying injuries. What a horrible injury you must have sustained. That Sir, sheds a whole new light on my subject matter!
 
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#33
REV said:
Foe me, it's not so much about weight as it is about balance. A well balanced instrument just feels better. I have a couple of Geddy Lee Jazz basses that weigh about 10 lbs but they are well balanced and the weight doesn't bother me a bit.
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Wondering how often we have the luxury of feeling the bass on our backs before we buy? 3/4's of my basses were bought on this website or on ebay, without a chance to feel their balance. I have found at my old age that you pay your money, and you take your chances, although I have been pleased with every Talkbass purchase luckily.
 
#34
CentralCoastBass said:
I can't understand why these help me understand weight threads keep coming up....
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When you retire you have nothing but time to reflect on your life's decisions and mistakes, like I said in earlier posts' a couple of pounds would not have kept me from buying an Alembic if the chance had ever presented itself. It's all subjective and not meant to annoy you.
 
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#35
I agree that the strap can help. I use a Comfort strap for my 10+ pound 6er. It distributes the weight between both shoulders. However, I have arthritis in my back and end up playing sitting down. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to walk the next day. I love my bass and don't plan on getting rid of it, even if I have to play it laying on my back. If you like playing heavy basses, good for you, but I bet you'll change your mind in the future when the pain exceeds the pleasure.
 
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#37
I suppose if I were to play sitting down weight would not be a concern. Problem for me is I always play standing (practice or otherwise) without exception. A nice strap does help, but the heavier bases are definitely burdensome after two plus hours of playing no matter how you look at it.

I am a large man and I’m in excellent physical condition. I love to lift heavy when I’m at the gym. Lifting heavy things at the gym serves a purpose important to the end result. When playing my bass I want comfort and ergonomics above all else. Lifting heavy basses serves no purpose whatsoever.

Lots of choices available in today’s market. There’s simply no reason to put up with a heavy, poorly balanced instrument when seeking to add something new to your collection. There is a deep pool of lighter basses to be had that retain the excellent tone everyone covets if one puts forth the effort to look.
 
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#38
The Deep said:
I suppose if I were to play sitting down weight would not be a concern. Problem for me is I always play standing (practice or otherwise) without exception. A nice strap does help, but the heavier bases are definitely burdensome after two plus hours of playing no matter how you look at it.

I am a large man and I’m in excellent physical condition. I love to lift heavy when I’m at the gym. Lifting heavy things at the gym serves a purpose important to the end result. When playing my bass I want comfort and ergonomics above all else. Lifting heavy basses serves no purpose whatsoever.

Lots of choices available in today’s market. There’s simply no reason to put up with a heavy, poorly balanced instrument when seeking to add something new to your collection. There is a deep pool of lighter basses to be had that retain the excellent tone everyone covets if one puts forth the effort to look.
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In all 25 years of playing, my gigs signed contractually, have been 4 sets, an hour long with 45 minutes of songs and a 15 minute break. I can see where " 2 hours plus of playing" might be trying and painful.
 
#39
monkeyland said:
I don’t think I’ve ever heard that the 70s was a time when fender built instruments really well. More like that there were some good ones from that time but also a lot of real dogs, many of which are a lot like a cinder block hanging from a rope.
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I agree with this. I was touring in the 70's and went through basses-- buy, sell, buy, sell.... And a lot of the Fenders had real quality control issues. The '70's bass legend' is just that. You had to weed through the lot to find one you liked. And yes, they were heavy back then, but technology has changed all that. In short-- nowadays why put on a 14 pound bass when you could put on an 8 pound bass that's technologically and musically better than a vintage instrument?
 
#40
pedulla-2007 said:
My reasoning in that statement was educated by the fact that I have been an auto worker all my life and seen EPA standards change the complete structure of a car. Everything is plastic to meet MPG standards, barely making it safe to withstand a side impact any more! If you have worked on an assembly line for 27 years with millions of repetitious movements, you can say "things were built better in the 70's". Sending basses to Japan or Korea to be assembled to cut costs raises a question in my mind as to their quality and resale value, and tributing a bass to get close to the original? I have mentioned no names out of respect for the manufactures.
Click to expand...
I'm no engineer and I've never worked on cars, but I've read numerous times that cars today are safer than they were at any time in the past. Here's one example. Invalid Link Removed
 
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