get back surgery, my dad did it last year. 6 rods and 12 screws later and i swear hes like a new man!
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Beloved bass that's too heavy?
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With some considerable pain, I could probably stand up wearing my go-to 12 lb. bass for a whole song, if it's a short song. But I don't even try. I've found a stool that's comfortable for me, and that's how I play. No real option. But back problems, I don't know. My problem is my knees...
got a roscoe skb-5006 neckthru (one of the originals),got to weigh over 13 lbs. wouldn't trade it for anything
a wide , padded strap is all i need. it sits in one place for me and it is my self defence weapon of choice.
a wide , padded strap is all i need. it sits in one place for me and it is my self defence weapon of choice.
You could always get a router and go mental with it....
What, I see it done on ebay all the time..........
Seriously, check into the two shoulder straps or get good playin sitting down....
What, I see it done on ebay all the time..........
Seriously, check into the two shoulder straps or get good playin sitting down....
That's a 40 thousand dollar solution (at least before insurance) to a $10k (cost of Alembic?) problem.
Wow, you guys should move here. It would be free. Public healthcare FTW.
You can play a bass carved out of stone if you want
edit: 2 of my 4 basses weigh over 13lbs, no problems. Sad to hear about the problem, seems like the guy has tried pretty much everything. If he can't do any workout to strengthen his back (start from swimming?), he doesn't have much options IMO.
Wow, you guys should move here. It would be free. Public healthcare FTW.
You can play a bass carved out of stone if you want
edit: 2 of my 4 basses weigh over 13lbs, no problems. Sad to hear about the problem, seems like the guy has tried pretty much everything. If he can't do any workout to strengthen his back (start from swimming?), he doesn't have much options IMO.
I'd hate to burst anyone's bubble, but we're not quite to the point where surgeons can replace stuff and have it better than an original healthy joint. Sure, rods or a knee replacement are better than the destroyed joint, but if surgeons could built a replacement than the real deal all orthopedic surgeons would have a new knee before their original one wears out.
Public healthcare for the win though.
I know your situation all too well. My favorite bass is my Spector NS 5 XL. It has my favorite sound and feel but she weighs 10lbs 6 oz. After having her on me for 3 sets I feel it. I started using a nice 4 inch wide Levy's leather strap. It has some padding under neath the leather. It seems to help. If it gets bad I put a wash cloth under my shirt over my shoulder for extra padding. The usually does the trick. Here is a pic of my beauty. Good luck and I hope your pain goes away.
I used to work in a job that involved studying people's medical history; I've read hundreds of reports on back surgery and have yet to read one where the person undergoing it wasn't as bad or worse (sometimes far worse) a few years later. In the same job I worked with a back surgeon and they didn't recommend it except as an absolute last resort. I think I'll pass.....good luck to your dad though, maybe he'll be an exception! I hope so...obviously some work out fine. I just don't want to be one of those that doesn't!
I have one of those '72 Jazz Basses with the one-piece Ash body that's just as heavy.
I got a wild hair a few years ago and decided I would build myself a bass that would sustain like no other. I bought a Black Korina blank from Warmoth and cut it in a Stingray5 shape, put on a Moses graphite neck, a 2TEK bridge, Warwick brass nut, and Hipshot Ultralite tuners. Electronically it has Lane Poor pickups and preamp, and I wired them straight with only a volume pot for each pickup - no tone controls. And I'm happy to say I met my goal - it sustains like crazy and sounds killer. It also weighs a shade under 13 pounds. I played with it live for a while and finally had to give up and get something lighter.
-- Dan --
My Peavey T40.... the 'Tree Trunk' as a friend of mine calls it. Part of why I got rid of my first one years ago was because of the weight. I have since gotten some nerve damage in my lower back somewheres (they are still trying to figure it out) and I knew what I was getting back into when I got one back. But my love for the T40 outweighed its poundage. Oddly enough though I am having more problems with my left arm this time then with my first one (but it will bother my lower back after while too). After about 30 minutes standing with it, my left arm and hand starts going numb. All its weight seems to rest on my left shoulder and its pinching something. I am hoping I can work it out in strap options but in the meantime, when it starts bothering me I just sit down. I doubt I'd ever play it out in a gig anyway so, for me, its no big issue.
My G&L L2000e - best sounding bass I own but..............leaden! It's on the block and replaced by a Mike Lull at a shade over 7lbs.
>>> I was diagnosed with Spondyolestheis/Spondylolyis. I had a microdiscectomy-laminectomy at L5/S1 in 1997. It worked out well, but I had a very heavy neurosuregeon do the job.
The cost was about $105,000...6 hrs. in surgery and 5 1/2 months off work..Brutal. The Alembic and SVT went bye-bye..
Slug
Mine is my '86 G&L L-2000. Great sounding and playing bass, but weighs over 10 lbs. It kills my back after 1 set, so I don't play it much anymore. I really wish I could.
- Aug 27, 2003
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I guess with hindsight I could've altered a couple of things; aluminium sustain block instead of brass (still could do), and maybe a myrtle body would've made a difference; also could've got rid of the purpleheart lams (which were actually a happy accident), but then it would've been neck heavy. The best way to get the weight down would've been to use a short scale, and maybe set the neck further back in the body (all things they'll do). But then it wouldn't have been quite right in other ways, and I wasn't really after a short scale....
Alembics are just heavy. I have played a ton of them and they all weighed a ton, which I think is a significant part of the tone.
The one thing you could have done for sitting down and keeping the Triple omega look would have been to get the "Chipple Omega" - he took the template and made the c-cuts smaller so when you sit down the c-cuts don't dig into your leg. That's what I had Chip do on the bass he made me.
I've only had a very brief experience with them, but the ergonomics weren't that impressive, especially when the price is factored in.
Naturally we owe Alembic a lot of credit for their tone and being one of the fist, if not the first custom bass company. Unfortunately, I don't think they've kept up with the ergonomic designs that are gaining popularity. Some models are better than others, but some are heavy, unblananced, and unable to be played in the seated position.
Ouch. That sounds like a nightmare. As for $105,000....
I can't imagine they'd pay for that on the NHS.
