But...how much does it weigh?

[rzpooch]

Wondering how old the OP is, half my age?

I may be 46, but I'm in pretty good shape. Still, when I have any of my basses on for more than an hour or so I now start to feel it. Maybe age is finally becoming a factor for me? Who knows? But if there are lighter weight options out there, it's kind of silly not to explore them. I mean, why should I seek out a heavier bass just so I can "man up"?

That being said ... I still play a Precision, a Stingray, and a Warwick, so I don't think I'm quite in the girly man category yet.

no way youngster...LOL...I am a spry 53 years young.

It's not so much about manning up (well yeah it really is LOL), all the years I've been playing I never once thought about how heavy my bass was. It was either light or heavy. Sure we all like something light and my shoulder is happier at 1am after playing a light bass, but it is a bass. I am old school I guess. I have never known how heavy my bass was, 10lbs, 11lbs...more? I never cared...it was heavier than a freaking geetar and way cooler!

As far as amps I am all for small, altho I still like to feel my bell bottoms fluttering against my calves!

I understand everyone gets physical issues (bad shoulder here), it's all part of growing older. I never use it as an excuse...my bandmates, friends, family don't care. As someone else said "Just Do It!"

Flame away and carry on LOL

 

[duff beer]

Uh, how about 4 hours son??

It's a non-issue if you have some strength and muscle mass. I've never been weak, but I know a lot of people who are and they can't hang a bass off their shoulder for too long. They also can't do a lot of other things like move appliances, or carry bundles of shingles up a ladder.

By the way, I'm 48, 165 pounds and have no problem moving appliances, carrying shingles up a ladder, or hanging a bass off my shoulder for 4, 5 or even 8 hours. For the record, I'm not a mover or a roofer...I have a desk job and sit on my ass all day.

I think that most people should quit whining and hit the gym.

 

[sonicnuance]

I'm picky about my bass guitars

If I'm gonna spend my hard earned money I want to know what I'm getting.

Tone, balance, weight, fretwear, electronics are all part of the equation when I'm trying to decide if I want to buy an instrument sight unseen.

I practice a lot and my back can hurt after four hours of carrying a bass that the designer didn't bother making ergonomically correct.

I will always ask for a bass' weight before I buy it. I'm in this for the long haul - I'm gonna play till they pull my bass out of my cold dead fingers. Which is why I do regular back exercises.

Sorry if this is coming across as a cranky reply - not having a great day. I wanna go home and play some loud notes

 

[walterw]

light instruments for me, not just because i'm a scrawny 5'8", but because to me they sound better.

most of the great old basses (and guitars) i've picked up have been surprisingly light, which IMO contributes to their lively,"woody" tone. the ones that feel like cinderblocks on a strap sound like cinderblocks on a strap.

the catch with basses is that if they get too light the balance goes to hell; lightweight keys are a must to keep the neck from diving to the floor.

light bodies + stiff, rigid necks = tone.

 

[kcole4001]

I've only ever played two real light-weights:

one a copy of a Hofner Beatle bass.
It felt awkward to me, but played decently and sounded surprisingly good.

The other was a Squier P bass in a pawn shop, and it was so light it just felt all kinds of wrong. It had to be well under 7 pounds, just too light to be comfortable, felt like it would float away if I wasn't careful!

All of my basses tend toward the moderate to heavy weights.

 

[Skitch it!]

light instruments for me, not just because i'm a scrawny 5'8", but because to me they sound better.

most of the great old basses (and guitars) i've picked up have been surprisingly light, which IMO contributes to their lively,"woody" tone. the ones that feel like cinderblocks on a strap sound like cinderblocks on a strap.

the catch with basses is that if they get too light the balance goes to hell; lightweight keys are a must to keep the neck from diving to the floor.

light bodies + stiff, rigid necks = tone.

+1 After my initial comment on weight, I was going to mention this, nice one ; )

I have found lighter basses more resonant and lively, they seem to 'breath' more and don't sound quite as compressed as opposed to the heavier basses I've owned to my ears. I remember the old vintage Fender hounds, a lightweight body was always considered a bonus, and was always enquired about and mentioned in advertised sales. But if you dig, you dig whatever, personally I like the lighter stuff, for it's inherent sound and comfort. I can sling a heavyweight, I just choose not to for those reasons above. Saying that the Yamaha semi/ac's I use are quite weighty, I love the tone on them, but I'd swap about a bit.

 

[90k]

Here is my take on this.. I spent most of the 70's through the 90's playing 5-7 nights a week.. In 1992 I routed holes in my Alembic to accommodate the tristrap. I looked like a folish old man with a bass. things you do for love.. my last tour was in 98 where I had a stretch of 28 days straight 4 sets..The tour consisted of 6 days a week with one day travel time.. all does years took a toll on my shoulder.. Now after not playing for maybe 6 years I get back on stage for 3 sets with a lakland 5 string *(very light bass)and I blow out my shoulder.. two weeks later I am starting to recover.. Just something for you think about.. I'm 58

 

[Skitch it!]

Here is my take on this.. I spent most of the 70's through the 90's playing 5-7 nights a week.. In 1992 I routed holes in my Alembic to accommodate the tristrap. I looked like a folish old man with a bass. things you do for love.. my last tour was in 98 where I had a stretch of 28 days straight 4 sets..The tour consisted of 6 days a week with one day travel time.. all does years took a toll on my shoulder.. Now after not playing for maybe 6 years I get back on stage for 3 sets with a lakland 5 string *(very light bass)and I blow out my shoulder.. two weeks later I am starting to recover.. Just something for you think about.. I'm 58

+1 It won't show immediately, but over time my left shoulder has taken a bit of a dip, I can tell. The rotator cuff hasn't got a huge blood supply circulating to it, it's a slow process to repair itself, plus a fall from a mtb last year hasn't helped. It's not that bad, but I certainly don't want it to get worse. Take it easy fella, I hope it's not too much pain there.

 

[90k]

What I actually did was drill three holes on the face of my Alembic and installed reset strap locks, for the strap.. Thats how desperate I had become to stop the shoulder pain

 

[90k]

+1 After my initial comment on weight, I was going to mention this, nice one ; )

I have found lighter basses more resonant and lively, they seem to 'breath' more and don't sound quite as compressed as opposed to the heavier basses I've owned to my ears. I remember the old vintage Fender hounds, a lightweight body was always considered a bonus, and was always enquired about and mentioned in advertised sales. But if you dig, you dig whatever, personally I like the lighter stuff, for it's inherent sound and comfort. I can sling a heavyweight, I just choose not to for those reasons above. Saying that the Yamaha semi/ac's I use are quite weighty, I love the tone on them, but I'd swap about a bit.

It was was quite a shock to see the injury re-manifest itself so quickly with not much abuse.. so heads up all you young guys

 

[Skitch it!]

What I actually did was drill three holes on the face of my Alembic and installed reset strap locks, for the strap.. Thats how desperate I had become to stop the shoulder pain

You've done a serious amount of playing by the sounds, I can see exactly where your coming from. I've got a couple of light basses and seem to gravitate to them subconsciously these days, as if the brain is saying 'not today, play that one', luckily they are my favourites for playability and sound too.

I'm with 'lighter is better' these days, it will be that way from now on. I salute you for your related experience, may save someone learning too late, I wish you well, all the best man

 

[fokof]

I'm going to play a gig, if I want a workout, I'll go to the gym.

+1000
Good enough for a sig !

Younger , the weight wasn't even an issue , now after playing too much Hockey , weight is THE
first factor that makes me buy this instead of that.


All the money I spent at the Chiro and the Osteo ......

Like other said , everthing we use have evolved to be lighter and energy efficient , why not bass ?

 

[Stan Laurel]

I'm 62 and I now balk at carrying around heavy amps and cabs. But I never gave much thought about the weight of a bass until I got my Conklin. The Peavy 4 string, Jackson 5 string and Cort Curbow 6 string all weigh around 10 lbs. The Conklin is 13.2 lbs. I was surprised at how much heavier it feels. But with a wide padded strap I manage it.

 

[GrapeApe]

From "Basses", earlier tonight.

I love my Jazz, but those things weigh like boat anchors. Time to hit the gym, dude. Military press is your new best friend.

 

[sound of bass]

Im like most, tone is the key. It weighs whatever it weighs, heavy or light. BUT, at age 45 now, with left shoulder and lower back issues, its always a nice change. The thing with amps, and I really wish I could get ovet it, but big, bad, and heavy is just a stage look that I prefer. Ive considered compact amps hidden behind empty cabs,lol but I also prefer to feel the floor vibrate. So, I lug the **** around (man up) just for that look and atmosphere. A note to the younger dudes.....no matter how well you treat your body now, as you should, but the aches and pains that come with life at a certain age are in your future. Im positive the fact that Ive worked out on and off my entire life, and was never a slouch, is the main reason why Im able to do it now. Dont be dissin' us older dudes! Rock on.