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All these questions about weight?

#81
Two shoulder surgeries within a 12 1/2 month period brought on by a lifetime of karate. Still in p/t for another 4-6 months. Weight absolutely matters to me!!!

I’m also seriously considering adding a Slinger strap to my new custom build. (I’ll make the final decision after I get it and see how it sits and feels.)
 
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#83
pedulla-2007 said:
It is not my intention to anger any of my bass brothers, but for the life of me, help me understand all the concerns about bass weight. I spent 25 yrs playing professionally with a compression fracture in my spine from falling over backwards on my butt bone. My only concern in playing was how comfortable and wide my strap was. Never would the weight of a particular bass keep me from buying it. I just saw a beautiful 70's natural Precision that weighed in at 14lbs., when they used to build basses really good, is this seller wasting his time trying to sell because his bass is too heavy? How many members have accurate scales that honestly give the proper weight of a bass, all I have is bathroom scales and at a loss trying to get the bass I am selling to register. I have thick skin so let me have it, I'm an old man so I've heard some pretty good arguments from numerous women! Ha!
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Here’s an alternative approach: consider yourself lucky that it isn’t an issue for you and there’s a plethora of boat anchors available to you.

Seriously this topic comes up once a week at least. Here’s a more serious question: why does someone who doesn’t care about weight, care so much that other people care about weight? Are you looking for reassurance?
 
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#84
pedulla-2007 said:
It is not my intention to anger any of my bass brothers, but for the life of me, help me understand all the concerns about bass weight. I spent 25 yrs playing professionally with a compression fracture in my spine from falling over backwards on my butt bone. My only concern in playing was how comfortable and wide my strap was. Never would the weight of a particular bass keep me from buying it. I just saw a beautiful 70's natural Precision that weighed in at 14lbs., when they used to build basses really good, is this seller wasting his time trying to sell because his bass is too heavy? How many members have accurate scales that honestly give the proper weight of a bass, all I have is bathroom scales and at a loss trying to get the bass I am selling to register. I have thick skin so let me have it, I'm an old man so I've heard some pretty good arguments from numerous women! Ha!
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I make basses, have an accurate (hanging w/hook) scale, play in bands and would never consider owning, much less playing (live) a bass that weighs over 10lbs. The basses I make are in the 8lb range - sometimes lighter, (latest is 7lbs/12oz) which is my designing/building goal. Glad there's players out there who don't care how much their instrument weighs and feel they sound better because they weigh so much as there's plenty of heavy basses out there for them. :)
 
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#85
I don't understand when people split hairs on 8.5 or 9 lbs. In my book that is light. Half a pound shouldn't matter. When it started to matter is when I got my Spector Euro 5LX. That thing is a monster and I needed to get a wide, comfy strap for it. Nothing else sounds like it, so that's what it takes. I also play for only an hour at a time and only a few times a week.
 
#88
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.
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GregC said:
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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pedulla-2007 said:
Ford trucks made of aluminum ?
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What about them? We've already established that heavier doesn't necessarily mean safer or better quality. Also, how is this even relevant to the topic? Basses are typically still made from the same types of wood now as they were 50 years ago.
 
#90
baileyboy said:
You say you are an older man who has had back issues, but can still gig with a heavy bass? I say "kudos to you, and God bless". I wish I could say the same. For me, weight is the number one consideration for purchasing a bass- nothing over 9 lbs.- and so that weeds out a majority of basses on the market. There are many out there who think heavier basses have better tone, sustain, etc- not sure if this is true. I envy your vitality.
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It's so crazy how you can start a thread talking about apples, and by the end of the thread people are talking about oranges, oh well.
 
#91
Stranger Danger said:
Here’s an alternative approach: consider yourself lucky that it isn’t an issue for you and there’s a plethora of boat anchors available to you.

Seriously this topic comes up once a week at least. Here’s a more serious question: why does someone who doesn’t care about weight, care so much that other people care about weight? Are you looking for reassurance?
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It is really good to let your aggressions out every once in a while, so many ways to twist the original post, let it all out! HeeHee! I'm just an old fool, do you feel like you have accomplished anything?
 
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#92
pedulla-2007 said:
It is not my intention to anger any of my bass brothers, but for the life of me, help me understand all the concerns about bass weight. I spent 25 yrs playing professionally with a compression fracture in my spine from falling over backwards on my butt bone. My only concern in playing was how comfortable and wide my strap was. Never would the weight of a particular bass keep me from buying it. I just saw a beautiful 70's natural Precision that weighed in at 14lbs., when they used to build basses really good, is this seller wasting his time trying to sell because his bass is too heavy? How many members have accurate scales that honestly give the proper weight of a bass, all I have is bathroom scales and at a loss trying to get the bass I am selling to register. I have thick skin so let me have it, I'm an old man so I've heard some pretty good arguments from numerous women! Ha!
Click to expand...

Fella, I’m with you. For me, it’s how does it sound, will it hold up in use, will the voice fit my musical project, and is the price reasonable. In that order. The last thing I would ever consider weight. I have always thought that buying an inferior sounding instrument/amp/rig/cab due to weight concerns, unless there is a serious medical issue, is a compromise on your body of work. That’s said, there are undoubtedly some lighter weight options than what I’m using which may be suitable, but the cost benefit ratio is not workable. Besides, a little extra work hasn’t killed anybody.
 
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#94
dbsfgyd1 said:
Fella, I’m with you. For me, it’s how does it sound, will it hold up in use, will the voice fit my musical project, and is the price reasonable. In that order. The last thing I would ever consider weight. I have always thought that buying an inferior sounding instrument/amp/rig/cab due to weight concerns, unless there is a serious medical issue, is a compromise on your body of work. That’s said, there are undoubtedly some lighter weight options than what I’m using which may be suitable, but the cost benefit ratio is not workable. Besides, a little extra work hasn’t killed anybody.
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Thank you Sir for an honest civil opinion. I have always been grateful to be able to afford any new bass to my collection, without the word weight ever crossing my mind, but apparently I have opened a wound that has been festering for a while. Believe me that was not my intention.
 
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#95
pedulla-2007 said:
Whenever I spend my hard earned money on any bass I am considering buying, I just walk down the old information highway called the computer, and go to the manufactures website , and do my due diligence to find out all the specifications I desire, but I guess that is just me?
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Works for a bass still in production, but what about discontinued vintage?
 
#96
pedulla-2007 said:
It is really good to let your aggressions out every once in a while, so many ways to twist the original post, let it all out! HeeHee! I'm just an old fool, do you feel like you have accomplished anything?
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Do you? It's just really tiresome. This same exact topic gets posted every week. We all get it. You're not a wuss who's concerned about weight. You welcome a 50 pound bass. Everybody is very impressed with your feats of strength. "Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the women!"
 
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#100
Stand on the scale while holding the bass. Set the bass aside and weigh just yourself. Subtract the second weight from the first to get the bass weight.

I have a bad back and arthritis but can manage even a relatively heavy bass for 4 sets. Still, I would never second guess anyone who has trouble in that area. Everybody is different.
 

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