Bad back, Advice on lightweight basses needed

[mark roberts]

I haven't read all the posts, so apologies if my suggestion is redundant. Musicman Bongo. Light, great preamp to get any tone/style, well balanced.

Watch out for light body, standard neck. Could be recipe for neck-dive under certain circumstances.

Good luck.

 

[firecrasher]

My Fender Zone is small bodied and 7.2 lbs - it's basically the Mexican version of a P-Bass Lyte.

 

[bikeplate]

Sadowsky nyc

 

[Whil57]

Ditto back to first page.Paulownia bass, love the sound and the way it vibrates. Find its really versatile, The tone cap at .047 seems to do more on the soft wood versus the alders ands ashes i have. Way lighter than the Fender. You need to be aware of the "can damage easy" and get a thick strap cause the "machine heads make it neck heavy".

 

[James Keith]

Thanks everyone! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 

[MrWalker]

Contact Tom Clement, he'll build you a nice and lightweight bass ;-)

 

[Groove Doctor]

....the Kubicki ex factor. It's a little over 7.5lbs but the balance on the shoulder is unsurpassed. Sounds great too.

$2-3k. Ouch!!
Any other basses with balance this good??

 

[EricMordus]

Whenever the issue of "weight" comes up, I always point to my Fender Aerodyne. It may not be quite as fancy as a high-end or custom bass, but it's very lightweight (mine's 8.5lbs), versatile (love that P/J config), incredibly balanced (I can balance it on three fingertips right at the neck joint!) and sexy as Hell.

+1 for the Aerodyne! I love mine, its under 9 pounds, and for a lightweight bass it has amazing tone even with stock pickups. The only thing I changed was the bridge to a Badass II

 

[FlaCharlie]

I recently bought a Squire VM Precision Fretless from Sweetwater. Thanks to some previous TB posts, I learned that the gallery section of their website shows pictures of the individual basses they sell and also lists their actual weights. The one I bought not only looked nicer than the other one they had at the time but it was also lighter at 7 lbs 3 oz. I just put a set of GHS tapewounds on it and I'm lovin' it!

. . . Charlie

 

[halfjackson]

Birdsong. They are all made passive, but are well made and sound great. Another option is to use a stool for part or the whole of a gig. I've had to use one because of various injuries over the years, and I can tell you that as long as the band is happening, no one cares that you aren't standing and bouncing around.

 

[frankieC]

Hofner Club Bass. A more traditional single cutaway hollow body (similar to a Less Paul shape), and very light will killer tone quality and playability. Not a bass that's suitable for metal or puck stuff, but excellent for Rock n roll, classic rock, jazz, and so much more.

 

[Mike M.]

I have an Ibanez SR 4 string. It hurts my back. Might need to try that strap out

If the SR causes you pain then your back must be in worse shape then mine...and I sympathize! My SR505 weighs 7.5 pounds and it's been a life saver for me. I also use a 3" wide strap with it.

Other than a Hofner I really don't know offhand what would be lighter than an Ibanez.

Good luck to you!

 

[Maxdusty]

While I haven't tried it, the Yamaha RBX4 A2M is 6.6 lbs.
There's one currently on ebay, I would probably bid on it if I hadn't bought my quota of basses.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-RBX4...r-/380776916162?pt=Guitar&hash=item58a812a4c2

 

[Groove Doctor]

For OP:
Find out what weight you CAN handle, either at a guitar shop or at a friends house. That'll tell us what your limit is.

Are you doing warm ups & stretches for your back etc BEFORE you play? You might find that very helpful.

 

[Rockin Mike]

If you are into Carvin, you can get them in Swamp Ash for lighter weight. I'm guessing a Swamp Ash SB4000 with the chambered body option might be the lightest end of the Carvin spectrum. Only your Carvin rep knows for sure. If it doesn't work out they have a pretty decent return policy, 10 days no questions asked.

 

[Sid Fang]

Status Streamline. It's headless made of soild carbon, around 5 lbs.

If it were solid carbon, it would weigh as much as a Steinberger XL, 8-9 pounds, but in fact Rob Green's technique involves having a core of lightweight foam, covered with layers of woven graphite fiber. Very strong, very stable, very light. The Status Stealth II is another very light and very excellent bass, made using the same techniques as the Streamline, but with a more conventional body shape. I've got a headless Stealth 5-string that weights about 7.5 pounds. A 4-string would be lighter. There are also headed versions, if you prefer to tune with your left hand.

These are made to order, and not cheap, but very high quality instruments.

 

[Stumbo]

How about a strap the redistributes the weight?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap
Link Removed

 

[DrDAV14]

If it were solid carbon, it would weigh as much as a Steinberger XL, 8-9 pounds, but in fact Rob Green's technique involves having a core of lightweight foam, covered with layers of woven graphite fiber. Very strong, very stable, very light. The Status Stealth II is another very light and very excellent bass, made using the same techniques as the Streamline, but with a more conventional body shape. I've got a headless Stealth 5-string that weights about 7.5 pounds. A 4-string would be lighter. There are also headed versions, if you prefer to tune with your left hand.

These are made to order, and not cheap, but very high quality instruments.

Agree!!!!

 

[radioface]

I have a 2000 fender American Deluxe Jazz 4 that is very light. If you can find one used or left over, give it a try.