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Bass to heavy

#62
Bodeanly said:
Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that a bass can be fairly heavy and still feel comfortable; it's the neck dive that can destroy me/ wear me out by the end of a gig. I have since replaced all my tuners with ultralites and even the heaviest of my basses are a breeze to play, if the strap is wide enough.
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yeah. distribution is important. leverage can make every ounce feel like a pound.
 
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#63
EmilyH said:
I recently posted about being new to bass playing. I've got 2 basses - a short scale Jay Turser and a Squier Jaguar bass (not short scale). The short scale is of course much lighter than the Squier but the short scale doesn't sound as good as the Squier. Bottom line is I am struggling to find a bass that is light enough but sounds good. My neck is hurting from the weight of the Squier.

Any suggestions on light weight basses that sound good?

Thanks.

Emily
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Pretty much any bass with a basswood body
 
#64
EmilyH said:
Thanks for this info. I've been trying to achieve the '"float" in front of your body while both your hands "dance" on it' stance but find that I have a death grip on the neck and am constantly adjusting to find the right position. The short scale Jay Turser "floats" but I don't like the sound of it. Maybe it needs new strings and an adjustment.

I see pushups in my future...
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"death grip" bad, look at left hand technique also.
 
#65
A few thoughts (most of which were posted by others):

A wide strap will help reduce pressure (but not weight) on your shoulder. I use a 4.5-inch Levy's leather strap.

As mentioned, balance is at least as important as overall weight. Fighting neck dive is tiring. A set of ultralight tuners (Hipshot Ultralite or Gotoh GB350s) may help. They are about 40 g each. You can weigh one of yours, estimate the total weight loss, then then approximate it by removing one or two of your tuners from the headstock and see how the balance feels. I run these tuners on all my basses, even the ones that balance well from the factory. Unfortunately, they are about 30 dollars each. Oh, be sure to get the right size.

I think the best value in lightweight solid-body basses is probably the Ibanez Soundgear (SR) line. (I don't know much about hollow-bodies.) They also have thin and narrow necks, so if you have smaller hands, you might like that. You might also try some of the other shorts-scale basses to see how they sound. I have an Ibanez Mikro (GSRM) that I like.

Sweetwater.com posts photos and weights of all their basses, so you know before you buy.

You could also modify the electronics of your short-scale to see if you can improve the tone.

Questions:

What's your budget?

How much does your Squire weigh?
 
#68
Another vote for Ibanez Sound Gear. I outfitted my son with two of them. An Ibanez GSR100EX, and a GSR500L. The 100 model is a one humbucker rig that really puts out the sound. All of the other models feature two pick-ups, including a P/J combo if you favor the "Fender-ish"sound. The weight is nice on his 500 model, and it is all mahogany.
 
#69
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vs. a regular bass:

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#70
We need more info.

If your bass is only around eight pounds, that's average for a bass and a better strap is the key.

If it is heavier though, I would personally look for another bass. There many options these days that make it to around eight pounds or less. No need to be uncomfortable if you don't have to.
 
#71
For long scale basses, look at semi-hollow's and ones with smaller bodies or ones made of basswood. My old basswood Ibanez and my Dimension are both around 8 pounds which is less than some of my guitars. Also a nice wide strap with good padding helps a lot.
 
#73
EmilyH said:
I recently posted about being new to bass playing. I've got 2 basses - a short scale Jay Turser and a Squier Jaguar bass (not short scale). The short scale is of course much lighter than the Squier but the short scale doesn't sound as good as the Squier. Bottom line is I am struggling to find a bass that is light enough but sounds good. My neck is hurting from the weight of the Squier.

Any suggestions on light weight basses that sound good?

Thanks.

Emily
Click to expand...

Need a lot more info. How much do the basses you own weigh? What kind of strap are you using? What type of look and sound are you looking for? Short scale? Long scale?
 
#79
EmilyH said:
I recently posted about being new to bass playing. I've got 2 basses - a short scale Jay Turser and a Squier Jaguar bass (not short scale). The short scale is of course much lighter than the Squier but the short scale doesn't sound as good as the Squier. Bottom line is I am struggling to find a bass that is light enough but sounds good. My neck is hurting from the weight of the Squier.

Any suggestions on light weight basses that sound good?

Thanks.

Emily
Click to expand...
Easy... take a look In a look in a Peavey Cirrus Sarzo, very nice instrument and honest prices.
 
#80
wilder said:
In the lower priced ranges look for an Agathis body or use Sweetwater as suggested. P-Basses will be lighter than offsets like the jag or jazz because there is less body wood. For $700 or less you can get a used Fender Road Worn precision and they are generally very light. My main gig bass is a Road Worn P and is under 8lbs.

Edited to add that hollow body basses are all usually quite light as well.
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If the VM Jaguar the OP has is the full scale it is Agathis. I had this bass for a minute and it has some weight on it... Invalid Link Removed
 

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