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Does bass weight matter if you always sit down while playing?

#41
It wouldn't bother me at all. I have some heavy basses that I love to play at home while sitting but I don't gig them.

This sounds like a topic TGP would bring up. "Does a heavier bass sound better while sitting vs. standing?!?!" Lol...
 
#43
basses over 9lbs is never a problem standing..get a good strap and well balanced no neck dive bass. Sitting for a while with this chunk a wood resting on my thigh-bone, connected to the hip bone tend to ache after a while with arm resting on it making it worse..Use a strap if it isn't too awkward, make it short so its just barely resting on your leg..it helps.
 
#47
Mike Vee said:
I'll admit, I've become a bit of a weight snob. I'll also admit that TB made me that way, and before posting here a lot I never thought about weight at all.

Right now I have an 8 lbs Precision and an 8.5 lbs Jazz bass (with a lot of neck dive on the Jazz). I ONLY play in the studio, sitting down, and will never, EVER in my life gig. That being said, even lifting a bass of the stand, I enjoy them being light. It just feels nice - but that part doesn't matter much.

There is a bass I REALLY want: rare, beautiful, good price, but it's 9.5+ lbs. Everything about it is perfect, except the weight scares me.

Do you think weight of a bass matters at all when sitting down, or is weight only a concern with a strap standing up?
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If it hurts it matters. If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t matter.

Weight snob? I think most people concerned about bass weight would be described as a “pain avoider”.

Your concern about weight should be based on what you feel, not what you read. I would broadly assume most people have problems with weight on a strap and not on their thigh, but that might not be universal.

If you’ve had deep shoulder pain from playing a 9.5lb bass for a three or four hour gig, you should be concerned about a 9.5lb bass if you are planning to play it on a strap. If you have played a the same or heavier bass while seated and didn’t have pain, weight should be of no concern if you plan to play the bass seated.

Just remember that those who are concerned about weight are actually concerned about pain & fatigue caused by weight.
 
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#49
DrBnz said:
You should be ok there. For me 9.6 is the limit (cause my 5 strings weigh that much). But I also know that once you get down to 8.5 or less the neck dive issue comes up. So 8.5 - 9.6 is the range I try to stay in. I do have a CIJ Geddy J-bass that's 9.9. It doesn't really bother me though. You'll be fine...
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In my limited experience there’s not a clear correlation between weight and neck dive. The three basses I mainly play:

8.6 pounds - no neck dive
8.6 pounds - yes, neck dive
7.6 pounds - no neck dive

(The one with neck dive was the cheapest and has the cheapest tuning machines. I’m planning to change them to see if that helps.)

Sorry, a little off topic from the original post, but I think this is an important consideration along with weight.
 
#50
Mike Vee said:
I'll admit, I've become a bit of a weight snob. I'll also admit that TB made me that way, and before posting here a lot I never thought about weight at all.

Right now I have an 8 lbs Precision and an 8.5 lbs Jazz bass (with a lot of neck dive on the Jazz). I ONLY play in the studio, sitting down, and will never, EVER in my life gig. That being said, even lifting a bass of the stand, I enjoy them being light. It just feels nice - but that part doesn't matter much.

There is a bass I REALLY want: rare, beautiful, good price, but it's 9.5+ lbs. Everything about it is perfect, except the weight scares me.

Do you think weight of a bass matters at all when sitting down, or is weight only a concern with a strap standing up?
Click to expand...
If it matters to you, then YES it matters while sitting down. It matters while picking it up. It matters while setting it down.

I see what you're doing... trying to convince yourself that you'll like it. I bet the cat's out of the bag and the weight will bother you.

IMO weight *balance* matters more than weight by itself, but 9.5 lbs is too heavy for me. Not interested. There's lots of instruments that I can play that are 8.5 and below.
 
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#52
Mike Vee said:
I'll admit, I've become a bit of a weight snob. I'll also admit that TB made me that way, and before posting here a lot I never thought about weight at all.

Right now I have an 8 lbs Precision and an 8.5 lbs Jazz bass (with a lot of neck dive on the Jazz). I ONLY play in the studio, sitting down, and will never, EVER in my life gig. That being said, even lifting a bass of the stand, I enjoy them being light. It just feels nice - but that part doesn't matter much.

There is a bass I REALLY want: rare, beautiful, good price, but it's 9.5+ lbs. Everything about it is perfect, except the weight scares me.

Do you think weight of a bass matters at all when sitting down, or is weight only a concern with a strap standing up?
Click to expand...

To be perfectly honest? I don't really concern myself with what a bass weighs. Unless it's as heavy - or heavier - than the 30+ lbs. of loaded-with-a-100-round-assault-pack M-60 machine gun. The one that I carried - on an assault sling - for more years than I care to think about. However...
I very seldom play anything while sitting down; when I do, it's almost always my '63 long scale, Type 3 ODE banjo. It just seems... easier... to play it that way. And, for some reason, I've never thought to try and find a strap for the thing. I have no idea how much it weighs - but, really; who cares? It's a frickin' banjo...:rolleyes: I do occasionally play my Gibson-clone Eastwood "Flying Vee" bass while sitting down. If you position it just right, it works well that way. But, the weight (7.11 lbs.) isn't really a factor; nor is the fact that it's a little neck-heavy. So...
I don't really know what to tell you, except that;
1. IMO, for someone who's really concerned about the bass's weight? Yeah, it would most likely be more comfortable to play a "heavy" bass while sitting down. And doing it with a strap would probably make it even easier, too.
2. Out of the 22 basses I own, about 1/3 of them weigh about 9 lbs., plus or minus. The herd average is 7.2 lbs., but I have several very light basses (small hollow body basses tend to be... rather light) that skew the average down a bit. The basses I usually reach for, though, tend to be in the 9-10 lb. range. So, bottom line?
I'd say - if you really want that "heavy" bass? Then buy the thing, and if sitting down to play it is what works best for you? Then play it sitting down. Don't worry about it; just enjoy the thing...:cool:
 
#53
I have a bad back, so I need a light bass (7-8lbs) when standing, but sitting down isn't an issue for me.

I could easily play an 11lb bass sitting down but I'd be in danger of putting my back out trying to carry it (in the case or gig bag) to and from the gig.
 
#54
Mike Vee said:
I'll admit, I've become a bit of a weight snob. I'll also admit that TB made me that way, and before posting here a lot I never thought about weight at all.

Right now I have an 8 lbs Precision and an 8.5 lbs Jazz bass (with a lot of neck dive on the Jazz). I ONLY play in the studio, sitting down, and will never, EVER in my life gig. That being said, even lifting a bass of the stand, I enjoy them being light. It just feels nice - but that part doesn't matter much.

There is a bass I REALLY want: rare, beautiful, good price, but it's 9.5+ lbs. Everything about it is perfect, except the weight scares me.

Do you think weight of a bass matters at all when sitting down, or is weight only a concern with a strap standing up?
Click to expand...

You tell us, you’re the one who has to play it! Do you feel taxed by the weight of your existing basses? If so, don’t go heavier.
 
#56
To fix neck dive..I use Gotoh Resolite tuners

11965567_800.jpg


https://g-gotoh.com/product/gb640/?lang=en
 
#57
Weight and pbass with flats are the hot topics lol. I have been playing for my entire adult life. I am 68 and all my basses have been between 9-10 lbs. I've owned lighter ones but neck dive and the feel didn't work for me. I like a substantial feel and punch that come from a little heft. I have a bad back, had surgery a few years ago. My longest gigs tend to be 3 hrs, I switch between standing and sitting. Never felt like my basses were causing me any discomfort. Guess I'm lucky that way.
 
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#58
As long as it's not crazy heavy it doesn't matter to me. And I'll take a a little more heft over significant neck dive any day (sitting or standing). Supporting the neck while you're trying to play can really tweak your body in nasty ways.
 
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#60
I've had a 11lbs bass that was very comfortable to play. It was extremely well balanced and really distributed the weight when it 'hugged' you.
I've played basses that were under 9lbs, but super uncomfortable nonetheless, because they did not hug, they fought.

My current players are 8.25 and 9.5. The former is incredibly light for a 6 string and the most comfortable thing ever, while the latter does not feel that heavy at all - it also balances very nicely, both on the strap and on the leg.

In any case, when the bass balances nicely on the leg, I can play a 13lbs boat anchor for hours with no complaints.
 
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