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Heaviest Basses?
- Thread starter JonTishBASS
- Start date
My main bass for over 15 years has been a walnut maple Carvin six string, which is about 14 lbs.
It might just be me, but I like heavy basses. Not for tone or anything, but just because I like the feel of the weight.
It might just be me, but I like heavy basses. Not for tone or anything, but just because I like the feel of the weight.
Holy crap that's heavy for a jazz. My 1979 T-40 is probably somewhere between 12 and 13 pounds. It was too heavy to weigh on my 11 pound kitchen scale. I love the tone though. I use it for recording and for the very-occasional less-than-one-hour gig.
Now that I'm older, gigs are longer and my shoulder periodically "reminds" me of my years of rock climbing, I look for my basses to weigh less than 9 pounds. Got a Dual-Darkstarred mudbucker-style Telebass style build in the works from Lowdown Bass and we're shooting for 8 pounds.
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Looks like a old aluminum neck Kramer I used to own.View attachment 3209711 Lado "Super Falcon".. All Brass hardware including electronic cover on the back side..Just over 14lbs.. Beautiful bass but sent it on it's way..View attachment 3209710
Always ends up being the ones I lust after, and of course I'm a small-ish guy so there's no winning..
Recent: Westbury track 4, Aria SB's, Travis bean, etc.
In the past: Gibson RD's/ripper, peavey T-40, plenty of jazz basses
I could probably have a 4-way shoot out between my stingray and three formerly owned basses to see which is the biggest anchor. The ray, Squier VM jazz, G&L tribute L-2500, Epi t-bird.. Never tried to actually have any of them weighed, but wouldn't be surprised if any of them reached the 11lb mark.
Recent: Westbury track 4, Aria SB's, Travis bean, etc.
In the past: Gibson RD's/ripper, peavey T-40, plenty of jazz basses
I could probably have a 4-way shoot out between my stingray and three formerly owned basses to see which is the biggest anchor. The ray, Squier VM jazz, G&L tribute L-2500, Epi t-bird.. Never tried to actually have any of them weighed, but wouldn't be surprised if any of them reached the 11lb mark.
- Jun 6, 2012
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- I don't wait 30 minutes after eating, to go swimming.
Pics or GTFOI built an 8-string bass in the '90s and went a little overboard with the exotic hardwoods; bubinga and wenge neck-through with purpleheart stringers and zircote body sections.
It weighed 25 lbs.
It's a wall decoration in my music room now.
EBMM Stingray 5H ebony board: A hair over 10 lbs (about 5Kgs).
EBMM Stingray (2014) 4HH Rosewood board: A hair under 10 lbs.
EBMM 2018 Special 4HH ebony board: A hair UNDER 9 lbs, but if it's called 9.0 even, that's okay too.
Ibanez SR800 (Japan) 4 string Rosewood board: Almost a perfect 8.75 lbs.
All basses Active, 9V (1 battery) pre-amp except EBMM 2018 with an 18V (2 batteries).
13lbs? Need an engine lift? Wow.
EBMM Stingray (2014) 4HH Rosewood board: A hair under 10 lbs.
EBMM 2018 Special 4HH ebony board: A hair UNDER 9 lbs, but if it's called 9.0 even, that's okay too.
Ibanez SR800 (Japan) 4 string Rosewood board: Almost a perfect 8.75 lbs.
All basses Active, 9V (1 battery) pre-amp except EBMM 2018 with an 18V (2 batteries).
13lbs? Need an engine lift? Wow.
I once had a Sterling Ray 35 that weighed 11 pounds. That was enough, and more than I ever want to deal with again. If they had made the body a little thinner, it might have been perfect.
'Hog is pretty heavy, too, but, yeh, solid maple carries a whack. And that cocobolo stuff....
It's a shame that so many aesthetically satisfying woods are so dense and heavy that they are impractical for more than limited use on solid-body basses. The best thing about them is just as often the worst thing about them.
To each his zone, man. Life is too short to not do something you like that doesn't affect anyone but you. Jam on.
Ric copy 12lbs. Sold it.
Ibanez Musician Fretless 11+lbs. Sold it.
Tobias Classic 5 10lbs, walnut & purplehreart. Still have it but rarely gig it. Replaced it with a....
Tobias Classic 4 8lb 6oz. MUCH easier to wear for 3-4 sets.
Ibanez Musician Fretless 11+lbs. Sold it.
Tobias Classic 5 10lbs, walnut & purplehreart. Still have it but rarely gig it. Replaced it with a....
Tobias Classic 4 8lb 6oz. MUCH easier to wear for 3-4 sets.
Same here. Exactly the same with a mate of mine too.
I developed a permanent twist pattern thru my upper back/ribs/neck that no amount of exercise or PT will straighten. Best remedy is very light basses with shorter reach. Even sitting down to play stirs it up after a few hours because of the repetitive position.
My fender modern player jazz was 10 lbs! It was an awesome bass, just too heavy for me! I sold it to buy my vintage cij mustang!
years ago, i had a long-term loaner bass that was the first bass i played. it was a custom bass that had been gutted, an extra long scale 5-string with a neck wide enough to be a 6 string or maybe a 7, and it weighed a little over 15 pounds. it was an awesome bass, but never again!
12.4 lbs. Gigged regularly for many years. Not anymore though! My shoulder would always ache the entire following day. Now I just pull it out for occassional recording projects. BIG BOTTOM on this beast!
