Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
All these questions about weight?
- Thread starter pedulla-2007
- Start date
So in a nutshell if you have physical limitations associated with age and/or injury of you back/upper torso you prefer lighter, well balanced instruments.
I’m in the same boat but it’s my legs that force size weight limitations on me. It’s not so much a weight thing as it is a (physically) large or bulky thing that limits how big a barge i can lift and bale i can tote. I can’t carry something if it’s laying sown the front of my torso/legs as the slightest knock on my lega from the knee down reaults in split akin and a bleeding wound. There was a time when my 96 pound Hartke 410XL was a simple grab, stand up and walk with it resting on my legs and them banging off the bottom of the cabinet as i carried it to and from my vehicle. Lifting it up into the back was and remains no problem. I just can’t afford to let any kind of weighty item bang on my shins or i bleed and i will never leave home with gear i can’t schlep on my own.
I’m in the same boat but it’s my legs that force size weight limitations on me. It’s not so much a weight thing as it is a (physically) large or bulky thing that limits how big a barge i can lift and bale i can tote. I can’t carry something if it’s laying sown the front of my torso/legs as the slightest knock on my lega from the knee down reaults in split akin and a bleeding wound. There was a time when my 96 pound Hartke 410XL was a simple grab, stand up and walk with it resting on my legs and them banging off the bottom of the cabinet as i carried it to and from my vehicle. Lifting it up into the back was and remains no problem. I just can’t afford to let any kind of weighty item bang on my shins or i bleed and i will never leave home with gear i can’t schlep on my own.
I respect and sympathize with my bass brethren who have back/neck/shoulder or other issues and need to be careful about the weight of their instruments. It's usually duration that becomes a problem, and for them a 1-2 pound difference can mean cutting the length of their playing session much shorter.
I don't have those issues, and I am skeptical of light basses (and guitars). When I see something really nice in every other way, and then the seller boasts that it is "only 8.3 pounds!" I take a pass every time. I've had my best luck with tone/sustain etc. with heavier instruments. When they started drilling holes in Les Pauls to lighten them up, that was a sad day and forced me to shop used and vintage for decent prices on solid mahogany.
I don't have those issues, and I am skeptical of light basses (and guitars). When I see something really nice in every other way, and then the seller boasts that it is "only 8.3 pounds!" I take a pass every time. I've had my best luck with tone/sustain etc. with heavier instruments. When they started drilling holes in Les Pauls to lighten them up, that was a sad day and forced me to shop used and vintage for decent prices on solid mahogany.
Burwabit
Likes guitars that tune good and firm feelin women
Wow trigger warning. Why is weight so divisive? Important to some but not others, no problem. It only matters if an instrument is trading hands. As a measure of courtesy, if it matters to the receiver, it should matter to the provider just like any other detail. It’s part of doing business over the Internet. For your own instruments, that’s your business.
Exactly. I don't understand why there's such annoyance/hostility over someone just asking the weight of a bass listed for sale.
I do care about weight, and wouldn't gig with a 14lbs bass. Didn't care back then, and ended up getting a disk removed from my neck.
I find it kind of baffling as well. I get newer players asking why because they genuinely don't know whether they should care about weight, but the number of people who already have a settled preference who feel the need to make a thing of it is very weird to me.
(abbreviated because the paragraph weighed too much)
Man, thank you for posting this. I feel you 110%. I'm in the same boat as you (since we're talking anchors). It's crazy because I have the same compression fracture from falling from a high distance on my tailbone. Weight does affect me somewhat after 3 or 4 hours of standing, but not to the point where I can't power through it or I will let it affect my decision on purchasing a bass I really like.
I grew up learning on a 95lb 70's Gibson RD bass, and I guess that's why. Those 3" straps you mention make all the difference in the world. I also have a Goldtop Les Paul that weighs 13lbs and sounds as thick as it weighs. As far as weight playing a role in the overall tone of the bass, I think other factors play a much bigger role... I have a 6-string custom Xylem bass that is about 1.5" thick and weighs next to nothing, equipped with Villex pickups, that sounds like absolute thunder -- the thickest syrup I've ever heard.
Anyhow, just my rant. Agree with OP, but definitely know it's a necessity for others, especially after a few hours and/or multiple sets...
Attached is a pic of my thin/light Xylem bass and also some crazy look slinger strap fanny-pack straps I found. Great for when you're selling a bass that weighs too much... you should probably just include one of these as part of the sale.
*ps I hope you guys get the humor, I totally get that everyone has their preference and not only do I appreciate that, but I also think that's the neat part of this community... learning about other players.ps - I bought one of these scales for $17 on Amazon and not only are they accurate but come in handy selling on here, eBay and Reverb, etc.
Attachments
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
I are about accurate weight about as much as you care about getting an accurate payment. $1700? I'll just send $1500 and that's close enough, right?
A 8 lb bass is going to feel a lot better towards the end of a three or four hour gig than a 9 lb bass, so it's important to me. I wouldn't touch a 14 lb bass even if it had the voice of angels.
A 8 lb bass is going to feel a lot better towards the end of a three or four hour gig than a 9 lb bass, so it's important to me. I wouldn't touch a 14 lb bass even if it had the voice of angels.
When buying instruments, there are only a couple of objective metrics - scale length, nut width, bridge spacing, and weight come to mind. Beyond that, it becomes highly subjective. I've had basses with identical pickups and electronics sound significantly different. Neck shape (one man's comfy is another man's baseball bat), balance (I've had basses that people said "balances perfectly" but in my hands, didn't), color (photos can be off), etc - all somewhat of a crapshoot. So why wouldn't a seller list (and a buyer ask for) all the objective specifications?
And you may want to avoid that bass if you're in a death metal band as well...likely existential difficulties.
I too find the obsession over weight a peculiarly odd phenomenon here. It’s almost as much as a badge of honor as having 30 year old flat wound strings that are just starting to sound good.
At age 66, I’m hauling approximately 150lbs of cabs and amp rack, 25lbs worth of gig bag, plus a bass made from the second most dense wood on the planet.
At least I’m doing it for now. Check back with me about 10 years. I might be of a different opinion...Lol! Seriously, who is going to care what a 76 year old hack Is playing anyway?
Have good one!
I think I get why weight is so divisive. Somebody’s got a big 10 pound baby that they treasure and a bunch of us treat it like it’s radioactive because it’s 1 1/2 pounds too heavy. It’s amost like fat shaming.
Although there are many with their versions of why weight matters and probably many stories that reflect mine... back, neck and rotator cuff surgeries dictate what bass I use and for how long. I play my heavier basses, some of which I love, at home, sitting down or standing up till discomfort or out right pain says I can't any more and then move to lighter ones. At gigs I take my two lightest and roll on.
10 lbs equals “right around nine on my bathroom scale”.
I'm absolutely baffled by the attitude of so many who think heavy basses are inherently superior. Yes, there are people for whom weight is a factor. So what? 
FWIW, my Stingray 5 and my L-2500, two common examples of "manly" basses, get 90% of the playing time. But if someone prefers lighter weight basses, it has absolutely no impact on my ability to get through the day.
FWIW, my Stingray 5 and my L-2500, two common examples of "manly" basses, get 90% of the playing time. But if someone prefers lighter weight basses, it has absolutely no impact on my ability to get through the day.
Last edited:
Simple....You want to sell your bass?...make money?
Give as much technical info as you can to get a speedy sale
List the weight!
Give as much technical info as you can to get a speedy sale
List the weight!
Weight is just another specification of the bass that is important to some and not important to others.
I think it is becoming more and more important to many as manufacturers are starting to make a concious effort to keep the weights reasonable.
By the way, I am one of those that think it's an important feature.
I think it is becoming more and more important to many as manufacturers are starting to make a concious effort to keep the weights reasonable.
By the way, I am one of those that think it's an important feature.
Ah, the blissful ignorance of youth.
I grew up listening to my dad make excuses about his aching back, totally disregarding his pain as some bogus reason for not getting out to play ball with me.
I was highly active, more so than many given my military occupation and strenuous sports activities, and never once thought about back problems. I was ignorant.
One night, years later (30 years old at the time), I was sitting at an IT console for a few hours... I stood up and had the sudden rush of an ice pick being jammed through my spine. Pain like none other. The start of thirty years of back issues. The point is this: you feel perfect until you don’t. When you don’t, you’ll be asking about weight, believe me.
I grew up listening to my dad make excuses about his aching back, totally disregarding his pain as some bogus reason for not getting out to play ball with me.
I was highly active, more so than many given my military occupation and strenuous sports activities, and never once thought about back problems. I was ignorant.
One night, years later (30 years old at the time), I was sitting at an IT console for a few hours... I stood up and had the sudden rush of an ice pick being jammed through my spine. Pain like none other. The start of thirty years of back issues. The point is this: you feel perfect until you don’t. When you don’t, you’ll be asking about weight, believe me.
