Heaviest Bass You've Ever Owned?

[Wicked G]

In all of my decades of playing I've also never placed a bass on a scale and the weight has never bothered me. Until last year when I bought my first and probably only Squier.

That thing is the utter definition of a boat anchor. I have no idea how much it weighs, but my shoulder and back say "DAYUM" after each gig. The only reason it is still around is because it does sound great and is a beauty. BTW it is a Squier Contemporary Active Jazz in Satin White.

 

[twinjet]

Heaviest bass i ever owned was a 1978 Fender P - 12lbs. Can anyone top that?

My '89 G&L L-2000 is 10 lbs, 14oz. Felt every bit of that during the gig last night...

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Silvertone from the ‘60s. I bought it used in ‘69 for $15 paper route money. I used to say ‘it weighs the same as a coffee table’. The coffee table was considered modern and stylish in those days and we had a teak Danish one lol. The Silvertone may of weighed more.

Hated that bass. Amazing I kept playing.

 

[City]

A G&L Tribute at about 11.5 pounds......sheesh....gone

 

[Lesfunk]

Most definitely my 1978 jazz bass. Also, an Alembic 20th anniversary. Not only was that one ridiculously heavy, it was an ergonomic nightmare

 

[davkane]

Has an XL-8 Kramer. Jeez it was heavy, but the best sounding 8 string I ever had

 

[John Stephen]

A Warwick Corvette fretless. It weighed about the same as a mid-size Toyota.

 

[Steve Dallman]

My Line 6 Variax 5, with the 6xAA battery pack was almost 13 lbs. After the body was very damaged in a truck accident following a gig, I seriously chambered the body, getting rid of about 3lbs. I also soon switched to a Slinger Hip Strap, so weight was less of a factor.

 

[Staccato]

My back is in great shape after 50 plus years of an active lifestyle. Suggestion from people that know- never, ever bend over when you pick stuff up- big mistake! More importantly, teach this to kids (drill it until they adopt the method) as my parents did to me. Bend your knees to pick stuff off the ground/ floor. Pick up stuff that weighs 40-50 lbs., and you will kill yourself or destroy your back.

Current lineup: lightest is in the 8 lb. range, and my heaviest is over 11 lbs.

Never owned a 12 pounder, it might be fun, though.

 

[ajkula66]

To begin with, I never weigh my basses - or guitars - so I can only go by recollection of how they felt in that particular respect.

If I had to pick just one, it would likely be a late '70s Hagstrom Scan fretless which sounded absolutely amazing but would cut the blood supply in my leg when playing seated. No, I'm not kidding. I guess that's what happens when one builds a JB out of top-tier Mahagony...

Runner-ups...the Gibson RD Standard which balanced well and an alu-necked Kramer which didn't. Both sounded fabulous in different ways. Sure, some late '70s Fenders as well.

In my current stable - after selling the "heavyweight champ" '81 Aria Pro II SB-900 last week - that spot is occupied by a '70 Gibson Les Paul Bass. Breathtakingly beautiful Honduran Mahagony all the way, but not for weight-conscious players. Great balance, though.

 

[devnulljp]

Heaviest bass i ever owned was a 1978 Fender P - 12lbs. Can anyone top that?

I had a 79 Strat that weighed the same. Traded it for an upright.
Heaviest bass wasn't actually mine but a friend lent me a T40
Saw a 70s Ibanez Musician bass in a store and could hardly get it off the wall. I didn't buy it.

 

[son_of_mogh]

My AtelierZ M265 5 string j-bass weighs exactly 6kg, or 13.2lbs.

 

[Max Allstadt]

Heaviest bass i ever owned was a 1978 Fender P - 12lbs. Can anyone top that?

Warmoth Jazz-Ray (j bass with mm pickup). Wenge body, wenge neck, ebony fingerboard, 2×2 headstock with detuners on E and G. Badass III bridge.

4 strings. 13.25 pounds.

 

[Ostie]

T-40 back around 1980. I was much younger and stronger back then. I sold it and bought a Gibson Victory Artist, which was pretty darn heavy.

 

[shade_1313]

My 10.8 pound Carvin XB76WP now seems positively svelte, after looking through this thread.

 

[Shannon]

'77 Travis Bean TB-2000. Weighs about, oh, 40 lbs. Never giving it up.
View attachment 4524909

Never letting it go, never running around to desert it....

 

[Shannon]

My high school had an older Jazz bass (might have been from the '70s), pretty sure it was wood veneer over concrete and weighed a couple tons. At least, it sure felt that way with the artsy thin strap the music teacher liked. Never put it on a scale though.

 

[mikewalker]

I've owned hundreds, and until the last decade or so I never bothered to weigh them, so can't be exactly sure.

My Travis Bean TB-2000 was probably the heavy-weight champ.
But my Rickenbacker Model 3000 was a close second! (Solid maple body about 1.75" thick...)

 

[Tubehed]

Peavey T-40 in my avatar is 11.6 lbs. Not too bad for a T-40, I guess. Second place is my 2017 MM Stingray HH at 11 lbs. Two of my best playing and sounding basses, actually.

 

[Hounddog409]

Heaviest bass i ever owned was a 1978 Fender P - 12lbs. Can anyone top that?

No clue. Never weighed a bass.