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Hey! So Heavy or Light Bass.
- Thread starter Cammy511
- Start date
Weigh yourself, then get on the scale with the bass. Deduct your weight and there you have it.
Sightly disturbed people are out there weighing their basses...
By some standards I guess 6'2" is gigantic
. Then again, I played in a trio where I was the shortest guy so it's all about perspective.This doesn't pertain to you but I know many people who are more concerned with how cool they think they look wearing a bass than whether they're contributing to a future problem. Then they get neck, wrist and/or shoulder problems and blame the bass. I have no doubt that I could've ended up with the same problems had I done similar things.
This doesn't pertain to you but I know many people who are more concerned with how cool they think they look wearing a bass than whether they're contributing to a future problem. Then they get neck, wrist and/or shoulder problems and blame the bass. I have no doubt that I could've ended up with the same problems had I done similar things.
LOL, clearly doesn't apply to me and I hope I am the antithesis of that. Comfort is probably my #1 priority.
I actually add weights to my bass. That way I know I'm getting good tone...increases the sustain and punch. It's science, look it up.
Sometimes, to screw with my head, I like to play my beastly upright and my 6-7-pound, short scale Jerry Jones Longhorn at the same gig.
By some standards I guess 6'2" is gigantic
This doesn't pertain to you but I know many people who are more concerned with how cool they think they look wearing a bass than whether they're contributing to a future problem. Then they get neck, wrist and/or shoulder problems and blame the bass. I have no doubt that I could've ended up with the same problems had I done similar things.
Quite right. My bass might be heavy, but I wear it in such a way that it's comfortable for me (body of the bass right about at my waist) and I never get pain anywhere. If I did get pain from playing, I'd change how I was playing and how I was positioning the bass.
If you're starting out, or still young - you really don't have to go with heavy basses because they don't feel like toys. 20 years from now you'll be kicking yourself, why didn't I take care of my health and play a lighter bass. Technique, stance, weight dispersion via a wide strap all contribute to comfort - it doesn't help any with regards to arthritis, vertebrae, collar bone, rotator cuff, tendinitis issues. The weight of the bass may not be the direct cause, but it can certainly help alleviate future issues by taking care of yourself. I know, doesn't really matter when you're younger (or bigger, or stronger) - but I wish I'd taken care when I was in school. My lower vertebrae suffer after each 4-5 hour gig. My shoulder, is fine. If you keep the bass hung low, that wreaks havoc on your wrist and forearms as well. Play it up near your chest for improved longevity and balance.
One should always take care of oneself... but if one doesn't like the feel of a bass being light, then really there's nothing to be done besides play a heavier one. I just don't like how really light basses feel. They're weird and not very enjoyable for me to play. And if I'm not enjoying playing, I may as well not.
Guess I am still a young strong man because weights never been an issue for me.
Had a long stretch of playing 8+ gigs a month and my bands do 3 straight hours no stop.
my main bass is 10.5 lbs
Had a long stretch of playing 8+ gigs a month and my bands do 3 straight hours no stop.
my main bass is 10.5 lbs
I'd think "you might be kicking yourself..." would be more accurate. Particularly since they might not have anything relative to this to kick themselves about 20 years down the road. I don't.
Really? So weight alone causes those problems?
I've been playing for more than thirty years without any of the foregone issues you seem to be stating. I'm only responding because this post has a couple of pretty hard and although no doubt well-intentioned but hardly unavoidable conclusions IMO IME. And I know way too many guys far smaller than me who've had similar experiences to mine. For example, my buddy Preach is maybe 140 lb., a few years younger than me and loves heavy 70's Jazzes. No physical side effects and he gigs alot too. Just saying.
Didn't you just say it didn't help?
Im not familiar with his concept. How do you add weight to your bass? How does that guarantee good tone? Does that mean basses that weigh less dont sound as good as they could?
I know there is a correlation between density, stiffness, and resonance and subsequently tone but im not so sure that weight directly translates to better sound. I would go so far as to say that its impossible to reliably state how weight alone affects tone.
I modified an already lightweight bass to be even lighter do to back problems and arthritis. I can wear that bass for hours. My P bass kills my back after about an hour.
Pretty sure it was sarcasm.
Personally, I prefer slightly heavier basses.
9-10lbs is fine, really light basses (7lbs and under) just feel awkward to me.
I wear them so the top edge of the body is around belt height.
Comfort, like tone, is a very personal thing.
No two people are exactly alike.
