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Damn she’s heavy!
- Thread starter evlwevl
- Start date
I have a very heavy bass, too - 5 string fretless Italian D'alessandro custom. Weight -11,376 pounds (5kg).
I bought myself a really nice 2 inch fender strap not knowing how heavy this would be having seen the other models at Sweetwater come in between nine and 10 pounds. When I got mine they were out so I had to wait a few weeks and bought mine sight unseen from the website. I have no intention of returning it because it’s my baby now and I’m a big boy and I can handle a big girl, plus I also have a big 3 inch padded strap That’s going to keep her in line
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I make my own basses. Heaviest is 7.8 pounds, and that one I only play sitting down. The others are between 6.6 and 7.5 pounds.
Making consistently light basses involves making sure EVERY piece is light. Wood, hardware, neck plate, knobs, pickguard (none of my basses have pickguards - all are rear routed, which runs a bit lighter. OK, the access cover is sorta like a pickguard, but it's smaller). I also use roasted maple necks, which are lighter. And some of my basses are chambered. The rest have smaller bodies.
It's not one thing that makes a bass light. It's every thing that makes it light.
Making consistently light basses involves making sure EVERY piece is light. Wood, hardware, neck plate, knobs, pickguard (none of my basses have pickguards - all are rear routed, which runs a bit lighter. OK, the access cover is sorta like a pickguard, but it's smaller). I also use roasted maple necks, which are lighter. And some of my basses are chambered. The rest have smaller bodies.
It's not one thing that makes a bass light. It's every thing that makes it light.
10 lbs is my absolute max for weight, and really I don't buy them anymore unless they are under 9.5 lbs. Where did you purchase the bass? The bigger online retailers all provide no hassle returns.
Bottom Line: If it feels too heavy, you will likely not play it much a few months down the road when the newness has worn off. I would seriously consider a return. Weight is a huge issue when playing a 4 set gig.
Bottom Line: If it feels too heavy, you will likely not play it much a few months down the road when the newness has worn off. I would seriously consider a return. Weight is a huge issue when playing a 4 set gig.
Fenders can vary crazily in weight. It's the wood mostly. Part of the fun! The weight changes the sound, so every Fender is unique.
10.8 is pretty heavy for a 4 string Fender.
I recently weighed my Fenders, prior to buying a solid rosewood neck Jazz, as I was concerned about the weight of all that rosewood. A little heavier, nothing that stopped me from buying, but substantially lighter than 10.8lbs.
2004 US S1 Jazz - 8.76lbs
2007 AmSt P HiMass, US Jazz neck, with covers - 9.02lbs
2016 Lmt. Ed. AmSt PJ HiMass - 8.28lbs
2018 AmPro Jazz HiMass, Rosewood Neck - 9.22lbs
I'd swap it for a lighter Elite P before your return period expires, although I'm a passive electronics devotee, a US P is "the" P.
Can't get on board with the replace it with an Ibby/Skyline/etc. suggestions.
I recently weighed my Fenders, prior to buying a solid rosewood neck Jazz, as I was concerned about the weight of all that rosewood. A little heavier, nothing that stopped me from buying, but substantially lighter than 10.8lbs.
2004 US S1 Jazz - 8.76lbs
2007 AmSt P HiMass, US Jazz neck, with covers - 9.02lbs
2016 Lmt. Ed. AmSt PJ HiMass - 8.28lbs
2018 AmPro Jazz HiMass, Rosewood Neck - 9.22lbs
I'd swap it for a lighter Elite P before your return period expires, although I'm a passive electronics devotee, a US P is "the" P.
Can't get on board with the replace it with an Ibby/Skyline/etc. suggestions.
I gotta say, it amazes me how much difference a pound, pound-and-a-half difference in weight on my shoulder makes over the course of a four-hour gig.
But it does...
But it does...
Those are at practically opposite ends of the scale. It is hard to find a production bass that weighs less than 7.4lbs, and 10.8 is about as heavy as a new Fender 4 string is going to get.
For me, it is a huge difference. These days I generally won't buy a bass that weighs over 8.3 lbs. It really helps keep the GAS in check.
Man, I thought I was clicking into a thread about this song and was SOOOO excited. But nope.
Purely from one instance of personal experience, I've weighed the T-60 more than once, all on good scales. It weighs 11.70 lbs, so I'm thinking a 13lb+ bass version is not all that crazy sounding. I might have a freaky heavy T-60, but figured it was 2 cents worth adding.
Although I never bonded with the neck fully and I don't particularly like the preamp, mine is in the range of 9 lbs as well ...
I weighed a few of my basses today and my American Pro P was around 8 pounds. Its just a bathroom scale so it may not be totally accurate but the bass does feel light. On the same scale my Squier Jazz was 9 pounds and that's about my upper limit.
