Bass Weight Considerations

[jblock]

Weight has become a key consideration of any new bass purchase (4 strings exclusively) for me lately. I don't even look if a retailer doesn't list the weight or there's no way to contact them about that. I'm even to the point where I forgo 15%-20% off sales when I can't tell the weight of a bass. I can deal with a weight up to 9 lbs, although I'd prefer around 8 lbs. It's a bit of a pain as there are a lot of nice basses out there in the 9.5-10.5 lbs range. Luckily, my 5 pound Rob Allen Mouse is great, but I want a fretted bass that's less than $2,500.

Just curious if anyone else is in this boat and how you approach your purchases.

 

[Cheez]

There are some pretty fine light weight basses around. I have a nice Maruszczyk Ellwood L (L=light) that weighs about 7 pounds. You can find one for under $1500. Or get a fretted Mouse or Turner Renaissance.

 

[babaseen]

I agree with the OP, and sorry this is a bit of a rant that I have to get off my chest. Weight is a key specification for selling a bass. More often than not, it is one of the primary selling points and a "must have" before making a decision. That said, the majority of listings on Reverb, Music Store websites, even in the classifieds rarely post this up front (OK most of the high end bass luthiers spec this and for the $$$ they should). I have also noticed that Sweetwater makes an effort to post the weight (most of the time). My beef is that it is often something that has to be requested, hence my frustration. Come on people, if you want to sell a bass, pay attention to what is needed for a potential buyer to make a decision with minimal hassle. OK I feel better now.

 

[GlennRH]

I find this thread timely.

Been playing bass since 1984. Been totally satisfied with just one particular bass since 2003. However...

I have always regarded my one keeper bass as medium weight. It's such a keeper in every respect (feel, tone, comfort, playability) that I have only recently allowed myself to acknowledge that I get asymmetrical soreness in my back/shoulder most times I play for over an hour. Sometimes I also get clicking in my neck.

I lost about 1/2" height in 2003 because of compression fractures in six vertebrae in a motor-vehicle accident.

I finally weighed my bass last year: precisely 10 pounds even.

I love this bass so much. Yet, I do not want to lose any more height. I like the idea of not having to do the stretch that the chiropractor taught me about 20 years ago. Oh, to roll over in bed without triggering that tender spot in my back.

The best instrument shop in my area is just a few minutes walk away. They have a really nice, lightweight bass in stock now, going for a good price.

It's not my brand. I love the bass I have.

 

[Old Fart]

In some instances, sellers may be omitting this information for a reason. Hmmm....

I would not buy a bass without knowing its weight.

 

[JimmyM]

Simple...if I can't get a weight, I don't buy. I don't need any more new basses, I'm not in the market, and I'm not so desperately looking for deals that I have to accept something out of my weight range.

 

[JD Supernatural]

My JD is heavy, 5kg, I think that's 11lb.
Weirdly I also play Hofner violin. Which is probably the lightest bass out there.
Weight is a big issue these days. I also have a Tokai Jazz which is 4kg. Thats about the heaviest I'd buy nowadays.
Age is a big factor in this surely.

 

[GlennRH]

Three categories of bass weight as context for my query:

• light: under 8.5 lbs (under 3.86 kg)
• medium: 8.5 to 10 lbs (3.86 to 4.54 kg)
• heavy: over 10 lbs (over 4.54 kg)

Anybody who has played (for at least a few hours total) a light-weight bass, liked overall (i.e. good tone, good playability, good looks), and NOT found the light weight a big bonus or serious value-add, please tell us why its light weight was not a significant advantage.

 

[fermata]

Agreed, weight is an important ergonomic spec, just like scale length or string spacing. And I would add body design to the spec list: size (which sometimes correlates to weight) and how the bass hangs (centered, pushed to the left, pushed to the right) which can affect reach, hand position, and wrist angle.

In short, the instrument needs to fit the player in a variety of ways for it to become a transparent tool that allows musical ideas to easily translate into sound. A poor ergonomic fit gets in the way of that process.

And the only way to really know whether a bass fits is by playing it. So it's either in-person shopping or online shopping with a liberal return policy. The risks of a poor fit are otherwise too high.

 

[Killing Floor]

I don't really have a weight range. If it sounds good and balances on a strap that's my target. I'd be 100% OK with a couple extra pounds on the body if it keeps a nice feeling neck from diving (talking to you, Fender). My heaviest bass is actually one of the best balanced basses I own, a 73P that is almost 12 pounds. I get that lighter instruments are easier to shoulder. I think about those kids in high school rocking the Sousa, that's pretty close to 40 pounds swinging out there. I do not ask and I do not care how much a bass weighs, I genuinely don't care if it's on the spec or not. But lots of people do care and that's cool. I don't think I have ever owned a bass heavier than 12#, at least not that I remember. Never had a Peavey but I have tried a few that I think were more than that.
I figure the difference between my lightest and heaviest bass that I'd use live is within the delta of the weight of awesome stage shoes and attire so I really don't notice it when I play. Honestly I could put my phone, wallet, and keys on the floor and lose a pound. Now neck shape, that's another thread.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I have three six string basses.
The average weight of all three is 10.6 lbs.

When you pick up a six,you have to expect some heft.

A sixers neck is wider than most basses.
So the bodies must weigh more than the necks to help counter neck dive.


If the upper horn is long enough,that is taken care of.
Also a wide,thick strap helps.

 

[BAG]

This just came up for sale here in NZ. Swamp Kauri + semi-transparent epoxy resin body with Entwistle Jazz Bass pickups. Now, I don't care if it is the best sounding best playing bass on the planet. At just under 12lbs I would not want to even play it sitting down for more than a few songs. At least he included the weight in the ad.

 

[DirkP]

My first really expensive bass, I bought new was a G&L L2000 for 2.000,- in Germany 1993. It was about 11 lbs.
I didn't care much back then, it is not that I had a huge problem playing it standing for a few hours back then. But even back then I simply always grabbed for one of my lighter basses, when playing at home. Sold the L2000 a few years ago. Owning about 12 basses, I still have one Fender Jazz from 1978 that is about 11 lbs. Don't play it a lot, wouldn't gig with it, but keep it. I have a 1974 Fender Precision made of ash that is under 9 lbs.

Resumé after playing more than 30 years: I wouldn't buy a bass that is more than 9 lbs., no matter how cool it is, no matter how it sounds, no matter that it is incredible cheap for a vintage jewel.

What makes me curious about the human condition is the following:
Most bass players seem to agree that above a certain weight (significantly above 9 lbs.), a bass is noticeable heavy. But this doesn't seem to relate to the physical attributes of the player. I'm very lightweight (< 60 kg), but players, who are nearly double my weight, seem to consider the same weight in a bass heavy as I do. But these players - well some of them - could lift weights 3 times as heavy as I could do.