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Heaviest Bass You've Ever Owned?
- Thread starter L. L. Elwood
- Start date
charcoal stained ash mij bacchus - iirc it was 12.75 pounds, this made me toughen up in preparation for my 2009 stingray which is somewhere over ten
SX 70’ style Jazz bass in Ash.
It's a nice-looking and sounding bass.
I think the weight is just south of 100# though.
It's a nice-looking and sounding bass.
I think the weight is just south of 100# though.
I had a Koa topped Ibanez ATK that came in at 13.2#. A real pig that one, but it was beautiful.
Feels like cheating to say my Conklin Buddha signature, that thing was too heavy when I was in my 20's haha. My ATK305 (I think it was a maple one?) was sickeningly heavy. I never should have sold it, I should have just lifted more weights and bought a bigger strap. It was like a Stingray made out of volcanic rock, it sounded like one too.
Ooh yeah Conklin. I remember getting a Custom 7 that was ordered but never picked up, directly from Bill at his shop in Missouri. That thing was definitely a beast. I also had a few Alembics that were really heavy. But the one that sticks out for me was a blacked out Fodera Edward 6 in Ash/Maple that was easily 15 pounds. It sounded amazing but the weight made it distracting and uncomfortable on longer gigs, even with zero-gravity type straps. I eventually let all of them go.
My heaviest bass currently is a 1988 Fodera Emperor 4 in Ash/Bubinga/Maple that is 10.8 pounds (with the original solid brass control cavity cover). I fitted an aluminum cover instead and it is now sitting at around 9.7 pounds which is still plenty heavy. My workhorse bass for many years has been a Sadowsky NYC 5-24 PJ with chambered Ash and Maple and it tips the scales at 7.5 pounds. What a difference!
My heaviest bass currently is a 1988 Fodera Emperor 4 in Ash/Bubinga/Maple that is 10.8 pounds (with the original solid brass control cavity cover). I fitted an aluminum cover instead and it is now sitting at around 9.7 pounds which is still plenty heavy. My workhorse bass for many years has been a Sadowsky NYC 5-24 PJ with chambered Ash and Maple and it tips the scales at 7.5 pounds. What a difference!
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Mine was an Alembic Rogue custom with Buckeye Burl top LED’s Nickel hardware, one of the most beautiful basses I’ve ever seen, and the sound was incredible! But it weighed 12lbs. When I was younger I could handle it, but as I got older my shoulder just couldn’t handle it. I held on to it for a while, because it was a work of art! But I eventually came to terms and sold it. What a beauty! If my shoulder could have handled it, I would have never parted with it!
I never got a chance to weigh the 1985 Fender Elite Precision II, or the 1978 Ibanez ST-980 that I owned, but I suspect those were both well over 10lbs and possibly >11lbs.
Of the basses I have weighed, the 1996 Modulus Graphite Quantum-6 TBX was the heaviest at 10.51lbs.
Of the basses I have weighed, the 1996 Modulus Graphite Quantum-6 TBX was the heaviest at 10.51lbs.
My heaviest bass ever was an early Les Paul bass, the one with low Z pickups that preceded the Les Paul Triumph and Les Paul Recording basses. Don't remember the exact weight but is was well over 12 lbs.
Second heaviest was a '68 Telecaster bass that was almost 12 lbs. Had a neck like a telephone pole too.
Those were 50+ years ago. These days I don't want anything over 8 lbs.
Second heaviest was a '68 Telecaster bass that was almost 12 lbs. Had a neck like a telephone pole too.
Those were 50+ years ago. These days I don't want anything over 8 lbs.
