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Ever sell a bass because it's too heavy?
- Thread starter VWbug
- Start date
No.
The main problem here is that when basses really seem to be too heavy is about the same time in life when weight training becomes too dangerous for most men's soft tissue. You no longer build strength, you merely hurt your joints and tendons...maybe forever.
Anyway, heavy instruments are just uncomfortable compared to lighter ones in most cases. I've never liked heavy instruments, even before they became painful.
NEVER! The heavier bass the better IMO. The weight has never seemed to bother my shoulder or anything like that. My newer ESP/LTD J-1004 (hard to find bass) is very heavy yet o.k. with me. Nice Jazz by the way, I'd keep her!
Yeah, I had an ash-bodied '74 Jazz that was a boat anchor. I liked the bass but hated the weight (probably close to 12 lbs) and don't miss it at all. It's not that I couldn't handle it physically, but as others have said, why deal with a heavy bass when you don't have to?
I've sold three basses due to boat-anchor weight and poor balance, among other things: a mid-'60s Fender Jazz, a G&L L-1000 and a fretless MM Stingray V. All three were somewhere between twelve and fourteen pounds, which is just flat out unnecessary. Nowadays, I won't buy a bass that weighs in much over nine pounds, and it has to be well-balanced.
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
I will not play a bass that I feel is to heavy for me period. It's just not worth it to me or my health.
Therefore I will not purchase a bass that I feel is to heavy for me personally.
Therefore I will not purchase a bass that I feel is to heavy for me personally.
i had a thunderbird which i sold for that reason, im on the vurge of selling my vintage p bass for this reason
I sold an EBMM Bongo HH 5-string because of the weight. It was around 11 lbs. It sounded amazing, played really well, balanced really well, felt and looked great.
Just once. It was an early Lakland Skyline JO. That sucker weighed upwards of 13+ pounds. My buddy would just chuckle everytime he picked it up, because he couldn't believe how heavy that sucker was. A great bass in every other way. I have 2 US Laklands that weigh below 9lbs, as well as my son's Skyline 44-02 which comes in at 8.6lbs.
- Jun 24, 2006
- 2,560
- 90
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD basses and strings; Bergantino Amps & Cabs
My old Kinal custom 6 that I co-desinged...BRUTALLY heavy, just NASTY. The heaviest bass I have ever picked up, I believe.
Cheers,
Cameron
Cheers,
Cameron
I bought a Lakland Skyline JO5 with Fralins and a J Retro preamp , Ash/Rosewood . I thought it would be my holy grail of basses but it must have weighed 12 pounds so as much as I loved how it played and the way it sounds I knew I wouldn't want to play it on a four hour gig .
My next Lakland was an Ash/Rosewood 5502 that only weighed about 8.5 pounds . Big difference with the same woods .
My next Lakland was an Ash/Rosewood 5502 that only weighed about 8.5 pounds . Big difference with the same woods .
I don't know if I'd use the word 'dangerous', but throwing around heavy weights in bad form can hurt anybody of any age. Strict (or at least semi-strict), controlled lifting of manageable moderate weights will almost always do a body good, regardless of age.
That being said, I'm almost 49 and have been lifting since I was 21. (I could list my poundages here, but since it's the internet I would be required to inflate those numbers to impress everybody.
) But the point is my strength level would likely fall in the top 15% of men my age, yet I couldn't play my Ray34 for more than 30 minutes at a time. It weighed at least 10 lbs, and even with a wide strap, it was still bothersome to my shoulder. Brute strength or explosive power really doesn't translate into the endurance type strength of holding an object for an extended period of time.The weight issue wasn't the reason I sold it, but let's just say that's one aspect of that bass that I don't miss.
Yes, a mid 70's Lefty Fender Precision. You had to order lefty's from the factory back then, and mine was a heavy mother. I didn't mind the weight at first. After a long stretch of playing 6 nights a week, 4.5 sets a night, I started getting shoulder problems. Even with a custom made wide strap, and later, a harness that was suppossed to distribute the weight better, my shoulder was hurting by the last set.
In 1981 I switched to a much lighter Fender Mustang that I found used at a music store. This made all the difference. I used that Mustang, along with a fretless Fleishman IV stick bass for the next 2 + decades without any further problems.
In 1981 I switched to a much lighter Fender Mustang that I found used at a music store. This made all the difference. I used that Mustang, along with a fretless Fleishman IV stick bass for the next 2 + decades without any further problems.
Warwick Corvette 4 string was the heaviest bass I've ever owned, then a '72 Gibson Les Paul Bass. Both were anchors and I never missed either of them.
