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Help choosing a bass - "Light" vs Heavy
- Thread starter PrecisionPedro
- Start date
Pickups sense magnetic flux within their field. Has very little to do with the weight of the vessel. Get a bass that is lightweight enough that you’ll enjoy playing it at length.
Consider some duo straps that use both shoulders for support.
In my case sitting is the best option while playing.
In my case sitting is the best option while playing.
It seems to me like weight sensitivity has become a little trendy in recent years.
OTOH, 11# is getting up there; that's a good half pound beyond my worst "bone crusher".
And you have a serious spinal condition. So you might want to leave that extra heavy one for someone who still feels invincible.
I would avoid longer gigs if at all possible, and don't enable that guy who likes to keep buying PA gear. (That more than anything is what did me in.) I would seek out a wider strap. If I had a herniated disc, I might lower my weight ceiling. (There will be more options if you can tolerate something in the 8# range.)
OTOH, 11# is getting up there; that's a good half pound beyond my worst "bone crusher".
And you have a serious spinal condition. So you might want to leave that extra heavy one for someone who still feels invincible.
I would avoid longer gigs if at all possible, and don't enable that guy who likes to keep buying PA gear. (That more than anything is what did me in.) I would seek out a wider strap. If I had a herniated disc, I might lower my weight ceiling. (There will be more options if you can tolerate something in the 8# range.)
Thank you all for the positive replies.
Call me old fashion but I love the precision style bases. Lakland has it and of course a good Fender P. Thats why I like to have a little bit of good sounding bass, with good aesthetics without compromising a lot of the bad things like having too much weight on my back.
I didn´t considered other options because mainly the sound but also the aesthetics as I mention. Also here in my city i can´t test personally many basses.
Call me old fashion but I love the precision style bases. Lakland has it and of course a good Fender P. Thats why I like to have a little bit of good sounding bass, with good aesthetics without compromising a lot of the bad things like having too much weight on my back.
I didn´t considered other options because mainly the sound but also the aesthetics as I mention. Also here in my city i can´t test personally many basses.
Mann - I don't have a herniated disc or anything, but a few years ago I started getting pain in my back after playing a heavy bass. I had an 11 lb. Squier Jaguar 5 string that screwed me up pretty good. It's not horrible, or anything but I have this pulled muscle (but not horrible) pain right below my right (plucking hand) shoulder blade after I play for a couple hours. - Don't let this become you, especially with your back history.
I have all light basses now and don't think I'm missing out on anything. Schecter makes a fine bass. I had a 35" 5 string that was great and only weighed 8.3 lbs. They're out there if you look...
I have all light basses now and don't think I'm missing out on anything. Schecter makes a fine bass. I had a 35" 5 string that was great and only weighed 8.3 lbs. They're out there if you look...
If you want a traditional P style look at a bass made from paulownia, empress wood. A lot of G&L are made from this. It’s got a bonus of also not being expensive. Many lightweight instruments are made from this wood. It can be significantly less mass than ash.
My avatar bass is almost 11 but my LP guitar is 12.
I have three Precisions and one Jazz. The heaviest of them weighs 8 lbs 3 oz. The Jazz weighs only 8 lbs 1 oz.
They’re made of wood so they’re all going to be different weights. I had a skyline pj that was 9 pounds
I would just try to find the lightest bass that meets your needs.
I would just try to find the lightest bass that meets your needs.
Considering your health..go with the lighter one or find an even lighter one....each bass I own has it's own strap and they very in width depending on the weight of them....happy bass shopping.
A well balanced bass is more important than weight.. But a semi hollow bass with graphite rods in the rods in the neck
Get the disc fixed, buy a 4" padded strap and enjoy the Lakland Skyline. I love Fenders/Squiers, but Lakland craftsmanship and build quality wins out here.
In most cases I'd say balance is more important than weight (light bodies can lead to neck dive). But there's no way I'd buy an 11lb. bass. If the fender hangs well on a strap, it's a no-brainier. If it dives, I'd want to expand my search. Plenty of 9lb. basses out there that are well-balanced.
I voted Lakland before I read about your health issues. Out of these two I would get the Lakland and only play it sitting down. From my experience with both brands I'd bet the Lakland is the better instrument.
However, if weight is an issue I'd definitely look at other options. Maybe go with a shorter scale? Shorter neck means less wood thus less weight. And they often have smaller body's to keep the body/neck ratio looking appropriately. Again less weight.
Good luck with the search, I hope you find something that suits you both musically and physically.
However, if weight is an issue I'd definitely look at other options. Maybe go with a shorter scale? Shorter neck means less wood thus less weight. And they often have smaller body's to keep the body/neck ratio looking appropriately. Again less weight.
Good luck with the search, I hope you find something that suits you both musically and physically.
If weight is an issue, consider a G&L SB-2 in Empress wood. They are very light and have great tone. I get more compliments on the tone of that bass than I do of any of my other basses, including a very expensive and heavy Fodera. If that isn't an option for you, go with the Fender.
11lbs? that weight would be out of the question no matter my back health.
I've had back surgery (herniated disc - the repair worked great in my case). Still......if you're gonna complain about how much "more" the lighter bass costs, add the cost of back surgery on to the cost of the heavier one, and see which one is now cheaper.
What would I actually do? I play 5'ers, I build my own (Warmoth wood, aluminum Hipshot hardware, etc), and all of them are 7.75 pounds or lighter.
