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Bass weight

#41
Lose the BAII bridge. You will most likely not be able to tell the difference in tone (if there is any) and those listening to you play absolutely will not notice. You'll drop some weight on the bass that way but it will contribute a bit to neck dive, which Fenders are prone to anyway.

Routing out some wood below the pickguard would also reduce some weight. I've got some routs under the 'guard of my Atkinson P bass, but the thing is still very heavy.

If you try a few things and the bass is still to heavy for you, go for a hollowbody. You can't beat the tone :)
 
#44
Exploiter8 said:
I bought a sling for MY WIFE but she was too embarrassed to use it.

Maybe if she played guitar? IDK

;)
Click to expand...

Well my wife has had cancer 3 times now, and with the meds she has had to take, there has been some tendon damage in her shoulders and hands.

ANYTHING I can do to help her keep playing , I do.

Yes, she does play a guitar. She had a Les Paul (too heavy) now she is playing a strat.
 
#47
I had the same problem. Herniated discs from an auto accident. That suddenly made my American Standard Jazz bass feel a lot heavier. I used to bring a milk crate on stage and put my right foot on it to help distribute the weight and take some strain off my back. Then one day at a music store I ran into a Jerry Jones Longhorn bass and my troubles were over! It became my number 1 bass for about 15 years until I made the dumb mistake of selling it. Now I play a Rickenbacker 4003 which I love but it can start to get heavy in a hurry also. So maybe you could check some of the smaller short scale basses that are available now. There are some fine high quality ones out now including Gretch and Birdsong makes some fine short scales. Also JJ Longhorns are great when you can find them. About half the weight or more of a Fender and extremely fast and comfortable necks.
 
#50
I removed the tuners & badass2. Lost an even 2 lbs. it's a start. I'm still not routing out the inside. If I add a small bridge & ultralites I guess that's a half pound. Then a fat strap. If there's a thin or balsa control plate I'll get it. A wood plate might look nice.
 
#51
The brown truck brought an unfinished 4 lb, 1 oz Allparts swamp ash PJ body this afternoon. Two piece, but the joint avoids the routs by a very respectful margin. Whoa, yeah.

I also received a digital scale I bought to weigh basses and bodies with. I haven't stripped the SQ-series Ps down yet, but Evil Edna, AKA The One, is 8 lb, 1.2 oz with a little weight added by a Babicz bridge, flush mount Dunlop strap locks, and an aluminum shield behind the pickguard, and the unnamed second is 8 lb, 7 oz dead stock.

Well, YEAH, they sound a world different. The One unplugged is louder than some acoustic guitars.
 
#52
I have basses that weigh between 7.8 and 12.6 pounds and the heavier basses use to kill my shoulder and neck after a 4 hour gig or rehearsal.

On a whim (cause of the price tag I definitely had my 2nd thoughts) I purchased one of the Damian Erskine DuoStraps and have been in heaven ever since. I can tell no discernible difference in the weights of my different basses wearing this strap and I have completely eliminated my shoulder and back pain. Obviously at the price it is not for everyone but if you gig out and make money it is a great investment.

http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-signature
 
#53
Stephent28 said:
I have basses that weigh between 7.8 and 12.6 pounds and the heavier basses use to kill my shoulder and neck after a 4 hour gig or rehearsal.

On a whim (cause of the price tag I definitely had my 2nd thoughts) I purchased one of the Damian Erskine DuoStraps and have been in heaven ever since. I can tell no discernible difference in the weights of my different basses wearing this strap and I have completely eliminated my shoulder and back pain. Obviously at the price it is not for everyone but if you gig out and make money it is a great investment.

http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-signature
Click to expand...

What kind of bass is the 7.8 lb one, and what wood?

I've seen Spalt King bodies on eBay lately in the 3-lb range, but they're either spalted maple or walnut capped 1) Aspen (related to poplar) or 2) Western Red Cedar.

Yeah that duostrap is cool for spreading the weight over both shoulders. Ever since I got T-boned off my motorcycle by a little old lady in a hurry, the left side of my body has hurt.
 
#54
I've dealt with major back problems since 2008. The resulting surgeries, 5 of them so far, have been unable to fix the problems and have actually contributed to increasing the pain.

Of course I didn't want to stop playing, so I started looking at every possible option. Lighter basses, I've got em. Wider straps, yup.

My main player is a MIA P, weighs 9.5 pounds (doing the bathroom scale weighing myself holding/not holding the bass). The bass is my main player because it sounds and plays perfectly for my style. I don't want to change anything on or in it. Not an option.

So I use a wider strap, and when it gets to be too much, I sit down. That's all. I sit. There's no shame in sitting while you play, in fact it lets you focus more on the music.
 
#55
Rip Topaz said:
I've dealt with major back problems since 2008. The resulting surgeries, 5 of them so far, have been unable to fix the problems and have actually contributed to increasing the pain.

Of course I didn't want to stop playing, so I started looking at every possible option. Lighter basses, I've got em. Wider straps, yup.

My main player is a MIA P, weighs 9.5 pounds (doing the bathroom scale weighing myself holding/not holding the bass). The bass is my main player because it sounds and plays perfectly for my style. I don't want to change anything on or in it. Not an option.

So I use a wider strap, and when it gets to be too much, I sit down. That's all. I sit. There's no shame in sitting while you play, in fact it lets you focus more on the music.
Click to expand...

Try an office chair on stage this way you could roll around to the music. :)
 
#58
... it is suprising how much a tall stool even helps, just to sit/lean on and prop your right leg on a rung to take most of the load off ... unless you are a front man, nobody would even care and may not even call it 'sitting' ...

... it is amazing just how awareness has increased in the last half dozen years that I have been on here with bass weights and residual affects ... years ago, many felt the heavier the better ...
 
#60
Sounds like changing the bridge and tuners helped - 2 pounds is a lot!

That also should maintain the balance of the instrument - and routing under the PG would surely let it become neck-heavy.

I think you've done about all you can to lighten the bass without routing the body...so other than a wide, grippy strap, I'm not sure what else you can do.

I'll jusr reiterate that there are lighter jazz basses out there - you might shop around for one.
 

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