Does balance matter more than weight sometimes?

[Watchootognbout]

I'd rather have 11.21 lb bass that balances than a 8 lb one with neck dive.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Wow! You got a Jazz Bass Plus down to that weight? I haven't weighted mine but it is certainly heavier than my Ibanez SR1350B or my Sire P5, which are both just under 8 lbs, by a large margin. What did you do? The tuners were a mod of Schaller light weight tuners but done in stainless so heavier. The bridge isn't high mass. How did you carve about a lb out of the bass? Tuners alone?

Mine is slightly neck heavy but it doesn't bother me. I use a 3" leather strap and it balances decently, as long as I maintain proper posture.

Here is mine.

 

[BeyondFiredUp]

The answer is "yes" to your original question. The weight issue can be solved by a properly padded strap. Neck dive is a nuisance.

I have a Jazz Bass Plus that I was able to get down to around 7.75 lbs. Even with lightweight tuners swapped in, it has a lil neck dive. The other day I went to GC to try out some amps. I played a Pro II Precision bass that was 9.2 lbs. It felt heavier for sure but not THAT much heavier. I played an American Special that was 8.12 lbs. It had considerable neck dive and almost felt heavier than the Pro II.

Does balance override weight sometimes for y'all?

 

[J Wilson]

Provided the weight is just not extraordinarily onerous (like the 13# RD Artist I traded in on a lighter Peavey T40 at 11# . . . . ), balance is everything.

If it doesn't hang on the strap right, or worst-case it's a consistent neck-diver and you're having to hold it up to play it, that's just stupid, and I've learned to avoid axes like that automatically. If nothing else, it's really aggravating that a business could so poorly engineer something with a wrong center-of-gravity, obvious neck-heaviness. Nope.

 

[Docduval]

Weight only matters if you got for hours on end with it. You won’t notice a couple pounds if it’s just bedroom playing.

 

[Yahboy]

All my current basses has 2:3 neck/body weight ratio, and their weight on range 3.6kg - 4kg. So, no neck dive issue.

The Vintera 50s P has slightly neck dive problem before Gotoh GB640 install.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I'm going to say absolutely, yes. My Japanese Fender P bass PB57 is nice and light, but man does that sucker neck dive.

 

[nigel davenport]

Wow! You got a Jazz Bass Plus down to that weight? I haven't weighted mine but it is certainly heavier than my Ibanez SR1350B or my Sire P5, which are both just under 8 lbs, by a large margin. What did you do? The tuners were a mod of Schaller light weight tuners but done in stainless so heavier. The bridge isn't high mass. How did you carve about a lb out of the bass? Tuners alone?

Mine is slightly neck heavy but it doesn't bother me. I use a 3" leather strap and it balances decently, as long as I maintain proper posture.

Here is mine.

Nice looks cool!

Well against better wisdom, I took out the preamp which weighed a lot. New knobs, the originals weighed a lot. New tuners. Stock, it was 8.7 lbs. so I was able to shave almost a full pound off! Now I can’t find the preamp or the tuners, I had them in a bag that I don’t know the location of. Whoops.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Yeah, balance can be important. if a bass is really well balanced, I can tolerate more weight somewhat better, up to a point. No 15 pound slab of maple (hear that, Gibson RD?) is going to be comfy for long even if perfectly balanced.

Same here. Ideally you get both: balance and light weight, but one without the other can be hit or miss.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Sometimes...

BBB

 

[JimmyM]

Weight matters more to me, but it’s not like you can’t find lighter basses that balance, so that’s what I did.

 

[MegaSwing]

They both matter. Period. A heavy instrument that balances perfectly represents a hollow victory. It still has to hang around your neck and shoulders for hours.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

I have a Jazz Bass Plus that I was able to get down to around 7.75 lbs. Even with lightweight tuners swapped in, it has a lil neck dive. The other day I went to GC to try out some amps. I played a Pro II Precision bass that was 9.2 lbs. It felt heavier for sure but not THAT much heavier. I played an American Special that was 8.12 lbs. It had considerable neck dive and almost felt heavier than the Pro II.

Does balance override weight sometimes for y'all?

A bass that neck-dives is a deal-breaker, and that even goes for a couple of "dream basses" that I always thought I wanted... until I put them on with a strap. Also true for guitars. Even with a slightly grippier strap that can offset a slight neck dive, still BALANCE matters to me. More than weight.

 

[JimmyM]

They both matter. Period. A heavy instrument that balances perfectly represents a hollow victory. It still has to hang around your neck and shoulders for hours.

That’s a much better way to put it than I did, Edward, but as always, great minds think alike

 

[BassicJazzy]

Nice looks cool!

Well against better wisdom, I took out the preamp which weighed a lot. New knobs, the originals weighed a lot. New tuners. Stock, it was 8.7 lbs. so I was able to shave almost a full pound off! Now I can’t find the preamp or the tuners, I had them in a bag that I don’t know the location of. Whoops.

It looks very nice, the finish looks mint, and nice color. How are you control pots wired, since the OG bottom knob was a selector for "off, active 1, active 2 (boost), and passive?" Right now I'm only using the passive setting, don't even have a battery installed (cap broke).

If you lost the weight of the pre-amp, didn't it make you more neck-heavy? I do like your tuners.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It depends on how heavy and how much neck dive, but there is a region of overlap where one will out factor the other. But with the number of basses out there, why choose one?

 

[crucislancer]

I guess it depends on the bass. My Lull M5 is about 10 lbs, balances perfectly and I can play it all night. My '72 Precision is a little bit heavier and I have to switch it out for a lighter bass every other set. Balances pretty well though.

 

[darwin-bass]

I'd rather have 11.21 lb bass that balances than a 8 lb one with neck dive.

Not me. If the choice is between 11 lbs that balances and 8 lbs with neck dive, I'll pass on both.

For me a bass must balance well and be under 8.5 lbs. Life is to short to play uncomfortable instruments.

 

[nigel davenport]

It looks very nice, the finish looks mint, and nice color. How are you control pots wired, since the OG bottom knob was a selector for "off, active 1, active 2 (boost), and passive?" Right now I'm only using the passive setting, don't even have a battery installed (cap broke).

If you lost the weight of the pre-amp, didn't it make you more neck-heavy? I do like your tuners.

Thanks man!

I had all the changes made at the same time. It was WAY more neck heavy with the original tuners. The tuners now are Gotoh GB528 Resolites. I did have to get the mounting holes drilled but the neck dive was pretty crazy when I got it.

I have it wired like a regular jazz bass now. 250k pots all around, two volume one tone. Honestly I don’t love the pickups so I’m debating on getting a P bass instead of doing a pickup swap. I wasn’t a fan of the preamp sound either!

 

[darwin-bass]

To answer the OP directly - yes, balance is more important than weight. But that is like asking which is more important your R or L hand. You don't have to choose just one, you can have both.

Improving neck heaviness - Three easy steps.

1. Ensure the bass upper horn extends to the 12th fret. Without it you're fighting a serious uphill battle.
2. Install light weight tuners - the lighter the better. Res-O-Lite or Hipshot.
3. Install a heavy bridge - Hipshot brass or similar.

These parts swaps are reversable if you choose parts correctly. The tuner change makes the biggest difference.