Six-string, long-scale Alembic Series 2. It weighed about 15 pounds and sounded huge.
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Heaviest Bass You've Ever Owned?
- Thread starter L. L. Elwood
- Start date
The heaviest bass I've ever owned has been my constant companion where ever I go for the last 30 years. It weighs just a shade under 14.5 pounds. It is, however, ergonomically perfect, so with a 4.5" strap the weight is barely noticeable.
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My first bass, which I still own, is an Ibanez Studio ST-924 from 1979. If I remember correctly it clocks in at just about exactly 13 pounds.
Many years after I bought that bass I saw another one for sale locally and bought it. It was made a couple of months before my first one and is almost identical. It also weighs almost exactly 13 pounds.
These are beautifully made basses and they feel great to play but they’ve been relegated to practice sessions because they’re just too heavy for me to play on the bandstand.
I also have a CIJ Fender ‘52 reissue Precision that must be made of plutonium. It’s not quite as heavy as those old Ibanez Studios but it’s pretty close. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s over 12 pounds.
Oddly enough my 1978 P-bass, despite ‘78 being known for Fender producing some of its heaviest instruments, is a perfectly reasonable 9-ish pounds.
Many years after I bought that bass I saw another one for sale locally and bought it. It was made a couple of months before my first one and is almost identical. It also weighs almost exactly 13 pounds.
These are beautifully made basses and they feel great to play but they’ve been relegated to practice sessions because they’re just too heavy for me to play on the bandstand.
I also have a CIJ Fender ‘52 reissue Precision that must be made of plutonium. It’s not quite as heavy as those old Ibanez Studios but it’s pretty close. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s over 12 pounds.
Oddly enough my 1978 P-bass, despite ‘78 being known for Fender producing some of its heaviest instruments, is a perfectly reasonable 9-ish pounds.
Fortunately for my 70 y/o back... no. Your '78 P-Bass beats my '78 P-Bass (at 11.1 lbs.) by almost a pound. Must be because of the skinny little "A" spec neck on mine...
It will probably remain the heaviest bass in my herd, too. The 2 basses I need to complete it, will almost certainly weigh less than 11 pounds. I can't imagine a 34" scale hollowbody bass weighing that much (my 30" scale hollowbody Gretsch Broadkaster weighs 8.9 lbs.), but, depending on who made it, I can imagine that a short scale, thru-body bass might come close...
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An ‘81 G&L L1000. I never actually weighed it. Just played it for a few weeks and said nope out you go. Must have been 11-12 lbs. That was probably the worst bass I ever bought for a few reasons but 10-15 years ago they could be bought and sold for $600.
After playing Thursday-Friday we took a day point to point on the AT from Watauga lake to Hampton, TN. My pack was 16.5 lbs. with water for 2 and jacket that I totally didn’t need because it was pretty warm for January.
All of the tuba/Sousas in the high school marching band in your town weigh between 39-45 pounds. HS bands practice rain or shine in the Texas July heat for 6-7 hours a day.
Your grandma unloads her own groceries including the milk which is 8.6 pounds plus container.
Please take a look at Frank Z below. His LP was modified with things that make it heavier than normal, so you’re looking at about 15 pounds with the Bigsby.
The picture is more to show how positively jacked he is. I looked but I can’t find any complaints in his interview history. I just think he was rough and tough.
Here is Mary Ford slinging a mahogany LP with one arm. She’s basically tossing it like Andre the Giant tossed a salami.
For comparison, here is Magnus Ver Magnusson. The rock he is lifting is inarguably quite heavy.
The difference between a very heavy bass and a very light bass is the difference between a 6 pack of beer and one beer consumed.
What I’m saying is You Can Do This.
Being able to hoist your 9 pound bass should be every player’s new year resolution.
All of the tuba/Sousas in the high school marching band in your town weigh between 39-45 pounds. HS bands practice rain or shine in the Texas July heat for 6-7 hours a day.
Your grandma unloads her own groceries including the milk which is 8.6 pounds plus container.
Please take a look at Frank Z below. His LP was modified with things that make it heavier than normal, so you’re looking at about 15 pounds with the Bigsby.
The picture is more to show how positively jacked he is. I looked but I can’t find any complaints in his interview history. I just think he was rough and tough.
Here is Mary Ford slinging a mahogany LP with one arm. She’s basically tossing it like Andre the Giant tossed a salami.
For comparison, here is Magnus Ver Magnusson. The rock he is lifting is inarguably quite heavy.
The difference between a very heavy bass and a very light bass is the difference between a 6 pack of beer and one beer consumed.
What I’m saying is You Can Do This.
Being able to hoist your 9 pound bass should be every player’s new year resolution.
The heaviest bass I ever owned was an ‘83 JV Squier Precision that had one of those solid brass ‘claw’ bridges on it.
It was at least twice as heavy as other P’s I’ve owned
It was at least twice as heavy as other P’s I’ve owned
I currently own a Godin A5 Ultra 5-String Fretless, and the specs say it weighs 18.5 pounds.
When I first got it I realized it was heavy, but was floored when I looked up the specs on it. I think the Godin page no longer lists the weight. (I think it used to, because that’s where I found it originally.) The body is very thick and the neck and fingerboard are monstrous.
Luckily, the bass plays and sounds wonderful, just what I want a fretless to sound like.
When I first got it I realized it was heavy, but was floored when I looked up the specs on it. I think the Godin page no longer lists the weight. (I think it used to, because that’s where I found it originally.) The body is very thick and the neck and fingerboard are monstrous.
Luckily, the bass plays and sounds wonderful, just what I want a fretless to sound like.
My Alembic, without a doubt! (5-string, Superb Walnut, Balance-K, 13 lbs. or so, feels every bit like 19!!)
I have a 78 P that I bought brand new and it’s right in that range. Great sounding bass, though I don’t take it out much anymore if I have to stand up with it.
I can tie it. I had a 1978 Jazz that I. Eli eve was at least 12 lbs, maybe heavier.
My '78 P is now only 10lb 8oz. (lost the brass nut, Badass, and battery - it's now 100% stock)
It's still a running joke with my buddy who sold it to me - 40 years later.
It was my 1st Bass, and at the time, he said, "oh, it's a bit heavy, but it'll lighten up over time"
Neither of us knew any better....
2nd place is my Fender Roscoe Beck V: 10lb 4oz.
Quite a contrast to the BFR Fretless Stingray I got this spring; 6lb 15oz
I never weighed a bass either - until 5 years ago, when I got my Flea Jazz.
It sounded fantastic, but there was just something more about it that took me a while to pinpoint - a Jazz that weighed less than 8 1/2 lbs!
***. You sure that's not the shipping weight?
Back in the 70's when I started out and there were NO inexpensive good basses as there are now, my first bass was a Gibson Ripper which was fine. THEN I got the bug up my +++ that I needed something fancier, and bought a brand new one of these . . . .
. . . . which is where I found out two things: A BIG, all-maple bass (save for the ebony fingerboard) is one ungainly, heavy SOB, and second, this is when I realized the immutable truth that Gibson Bass is an oxymoron. I'm 6'1" and wear a 44 long jacket and this thing wore me out, and I was still in my 20's back when I was really a bull. I sold it off and bought a MUCH lighter bass . . . . a Peavey T40 !
Years later, a Series-shaped Alembic Spoiler in long scale was way easier to handle than that beast.
. . . . which is where I found out two things: A BIG, all-maple bass (save for the ebony fingerboard) is one ungainly, heavy SOB, and second, this is when I realized the immutable truth that Gibson Bass is an oxymoron. I'm 6'1" and wear a 44 long jacket and this thing wore me out, and I was still in my 20's back when I was really a bull. I sold it off and bought a MUCH lighter bass . . . . a Peavey T40 !
Years later, a Series-shaped Alembic Spoiler in long scale was way easier to handle than that beast.
It wasn’t a bass, but I used to have a Carvin double-neck in the Nineties. It was 17 pounds of natural maple and ebony. Oof. Sounded great, but it was too heavy.
Had a USA B.C. Rich Warlock that was in the 12lb range, not sure why, mahogany body, have had others under 10lbs
Had a Moonstone that was probably around 12lbs and I have the quintessential boat anchor, the Peavy T40 , although I believe mine is under 11lbs , I should have an exact number, I've owned it for almost 30 years
Had a Moonstone that was probably around 12lbs and I have the quintessential boat anchor, the Peavy T40 , although I believe mine is under 11lbs , I should have an exact number, I've owned it for almost 30 years
Moonstone was one of these guys, super high quality and great tone, but a weird super heavy body and a pencil thin neck
It was easily 12lbs
It was easily 12lbs
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In 1988 I briefly owned a Fender Precision Special. In my estimation it weighed 12 or 13lbs.
I was fit, ran 1/2 marathons, did Karate and played Squash, but no way was I wearing that thing around my neck for an evening!!
I was fit, ran 1/2 marathons, did Karate and played Squash, but no way was I wearing that thing around my neck for an evening!!
