Basses for bassists with back issues

[V4Bass]

My "go to" bass for 3 + hour gigs is the H 22 Harmony from the 1960s. It only has one sound, but in Blues, Country, Rockabilly and others, well, it will indeed deliver BASS.
Never in the mix with the strats and teles and steel guitar. In fact, I have had players, when they hear it, turn and ask "What is that???" because they are used to Jazz basses in the band. These "lay the carpet" like an upright.
These Harmonys used to be $150 all day. Now an original is $1000. But, proudly, made in USA. Vintage. Cool look. Killer tone. And maybe 6 pounds. Wish I had more than the two that I do own and play often.
Next best, a real German Hofner CLUB BASS and then any Danelectro of your choice. ALL cool and feather weight. God bless all our backs!

 

[One Drop]

Yup.

 

[Hevy T]

The new Epi Tobias Tobys are only 7 lbs. I plan on getting one to see if they are infact any good. Stay away from the Ibanez ATK that sucker must be over 12 lbs. I wanted one untill I almost pulled my arm out of its socket trying to lift one lol

 

[experimental bassist]

Good suggestions in this thread.

Depending on your circumstances, if an ABG would be appropriate they are VERY light, however they tend to be more bulky and often require a longer reach, so definitely try before you buy.

Several of the Semi-Acoustics are very light too, and have less feedback issues than a full blown ABG.

Finally, forget any preconceptions and just TRY a quality shortscale bass. Light, light, light, good ergonomics, easy reach, just a pleasure to play. Don't be afraid to give them a shot, they WILL save you some back discomfort and yes, they are more than capable of delivering good sound.

 

[mongo2]

If scale length is not a concern, you can always try the Beatle violin bass. It's probably as light as you can get.

Agreed, I use the Icon Club since the body shape is more comfortable for me to play both standing and sitting.

 

[Baird6869]

Peavey T40

Not this..... And not a 12lb Gibson Les Paul oversized!

I had a 7lb Sadowsky and have Fender P and J basses that are both under 8lbs.

Any lighter than that you are looking at hollowbodies such as Danelectro, Hofner, Rob Allen, etc.

 

[bad_andy]

I use a Kala U-Bass 2 and just acquired a Kala SUB solid-body as well. I bought mine to knock around on and ended up discovering that it was quite usable as a gigging instrument. Very nice for those long 4 and 5 set shows. YMMV.

 

[bassmanrocke]

Post 90 Peavey Foundations. Body slightly smaller than a Precision, but an upper horn that extends to the 12th fret. Tend to range from 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 lbs. Excellent playing and sounding basses. Do not get earlier Foundations, While they are arguably better built they are significantly heavier

 

[sj_bass]

I'm sitting in the doc's office right now for my pain injection... So, here's my list of lightweights:

MM SUB-5 (2004-06): when 4 strings aren't enough. The SUB's come in under 9lbs, so its not too bad...

Fender MIJ E series (1984-87): crazy light, and with a classic Fender tone. My black/maple beauty is also a backsaver.

Epiphone EA-260 (1971-73): at a hair over 6lbs., this is the lightest of the all. Also, the 30.5" scale neck helps when reaching for lower notes get my neck twinging.

Also, a Comfort Strapp helps a lot.

Now, time for some Flexeral...

 

[nostatic]

This one was 6.1 lbs

this one is 7.65 lbs

 

[JohnnyB53]

Solid color Guild Pilots run around 7 lbs.

The solid color bass bodies are made from poplar.

I just picked up a Guild Pilot SB-601, (1-"P" pickup) and it weighs 6 lbs.!!!!!

+1!

I just picked up a P-pickup Guild Pilot fretless too. I haven't weighed it but it's definitely very light.

In addition, the Pilots are particularly well balanced and sculpted. I have two collapsed discs in my cervical vertebrae and my Guild Pilots, combined with the Levy's M29 Ergonomic Bass Strap, feel like the bass is barely there.

My other Pilot is a mahogany-bodied P/J Pilot Pro, but it's still pretty light and the small headstock with mini-tuners makes it balance particularly well.

 

[JoeVictim]

^ Nice. Ordered a Guitar Fetish P bass kit. Here's to hoping I don't spend too much on upgrades keeping it light. I wonder how much this is going to weigh when finished. I'll keep you guys updated. This may be a lightweight solution on the way cheap.

 

[Thumper]

Lightest basses I've had (in no particular order) Lakland 55-94, Sadowsky, Elrick, Rob Allen, Sukop, Jay Terser Beatle Bass.

The Sukop was really comfortable due to the concave back and light weight.

 

[Turxile]

Warwick Corvette Pro-Serie Standard Ash, 7.7 lbs.
There are a few other Warwick models which weight about there as well. The Warwick site actually states the avg. weight of each models in their specs.
Just stay away from the bubinga bodies which weigh quite a bit more.

 

[JoeVictim]

My project bass is coming along...well, it's coming. Kit should weigh about 7lbs when finished. More to come after I finish it. (prob another 2 weeks)

 

[KwinS]

Another vote for these:
mbrace_home

I have evil cervical spinal cord swelling, and several bulging thoracic discs.

The mbraces allowed me to keep playing, even when I thought I was going to have to give it up for ever. Seriously.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Danelectro Hodad -- approx 7 lbs. I also use a 4.5" padded Levy's strap.

You may also want to talk to another player/instructor who knows a thing or two about posture and ergonomics. Maybe there's something about the way you're standing or holding the bass that's making your problem worse?

 

[poomwah]

T-40, no wait, thats what causes the bad back to begin with

 

[BIG97BEN]

My back is a wreck. I've been laid up for almost 2 years with multiple surgeries, injections, and therapy. Has anyone tried using a stool or chair on stage. I'm even having trouble just playing for 30 minutes in my house, so I'm not even looking for something for the stage, I just want to be able to play longer in my home. My computer chair is mildly comfortable but my bass won't fit with the arms. my problems are all lower back in the L4-L5 and L5-S1 area.

 

[Phalex]

Barker vertical bass. If your back gets to hurting you real bad, you could just duct tape yourself to it......