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"How much does it weigh?"

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#141
bongomania said:
First, most basses do not have weights listed on the mfr website. Second, wood varies a lot, so just because it says "9.5 lbs" on the mfr's site doesn't mean that's how much your bass weighs. The 9.5 is just an average, or a general goal. And maybe the reason you "never heard from those people again" was because they didn't like your attitude. Fortunately for you, you didn't need their money anyway.
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I really don't have a bad attitude. Ask anyone around. Fer some reason the attitudes you guys have here get me going though.

I actually thought about this a bit. If weight is a concern to you, you absolutely have every right to ask how much a bass weighs. Don't buy from people who don't know, or won't tell you. To be completely honest though, I really would rather not sell to someone who's all that concerned as I said in my last post. You're making differences in stock wood weight a deal maker or breaker and that's a bit much for me to want to deal with.
 
#143
I eventually bought some digital scales so people would know exact weight of a bass or guitar. People do want to know. If you don't sell much then not worrying about the question or guestimating is not a big deal, but if you trade a lot then you have to know weight matters a fair bit.
 
#144
This thread is great. I totally disagree, it's not dead! It's like a match of who's got the bigger......

I like a lighter bass (if I'm in love it's not a deal breaker). I go to the website and see if it's provided by the company. A lot of companies simply don't provide that info, but let's face it we probably all know a handful of musicians who've collectively owned close to every mainstream producers' products - so I ask my friends, I like talking to them and it gives me the opportunity to check in with them. If they don't know? I ask the seller. I am not expecting the weight down to the ounce, just a close estimate. Because really, If I ask you how much that Dano weighs, you're likely to know that it's probably around 7-1/2 pounds - if I get it and it's 8, I'm not gonna crucify you.
If I email you and ask you nicely enough what it weighs and you can't provide a ballpark figure? Then what the heck are you doing selling anything?

The customer is always right - providing they aren't wrong, or disrespectful to the seller.

It's funny, on page one, I was surprised how quickly the thread was already catty (Yea, I said catty) - here we are on the fourth page and it's still going. Do we need 4 pages of negativity? We all come to this forum for the same thing... info, exchange of stories, experiences and opinions, camaraderie... but we're all to happy to get the claws out. It's funny because a good majority of us pay to do it. Actually it's a shame.

Rant over. Go ahead, flame on. I expect it. It's what we all do so well. Heck, that rock was in my hand a minute ago.
 
#145
I didn't care about weight until I got a 8.3 lb 5 string and it almost felt like I was cheating the system. Shortly after that, I got a neck-through Warrior and I was shocked at how heavy it was. I never weighed it, but it was probably close to 12lbs. It was by far the heaviest bass that I've ever held; it was a lot heavier than the next heaviest bass that I've owned, which was a Stingray 5. After that, I cared a lot about weight and it also changed my feelings towards Warriors, which were once on my list of dream basses. I'm not saying that they're not great, it's just that the weight was really unexpected. I'm sure they offer lighter basses as well.

Joe Nerve, judging by the basses that you have, weight is probably not a concern for you, which is fine, but stock wood weight does vary a lot, like on Fenders for example, which can vary by 4 pounds on their older 4 strings. I once read that the wood from the trunk of a tree will be considerably lighter than the wood from the top of that same tree, so when Fender Custom Shop says "select alder", I really believe they are selecting the lightest, most resonant alder from the stash, which is why they are lighter than the average Fender.
 
#147
john nam said:
Iso when Fender Custom Shop says "select alder", I really believe they are selecting the lightest, most resonant alder from the stash, which is why they are lighter than the average Fender.
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"Select Alder" is a cabinetry description of the the wood not having large or open knots (as opposed to "knotty alder"), rather than any reference to a selection process for weight or tone.

Here are descriptions of "Select Alder" and "Knotty Alder" from this site:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

"Select Alder is a medium density hardwood that features a color range of light brown with reddish or peach hues. Natural characteristics of Select Alder include small sound knots, modular rays, curly grain, pin holes, and mineral streaks. This fairly straight-grained hardwood has a uniform texture and is often chosen for its color stability."

"Knotty Alder is a medium density hardwood that features a color range of light brown with reddish or peach hues. Small and large split knots and open knots that vary in size, shape, and color, that may be completely through the wood, are acceptable characteristics of Knotty Alder. Noticeable stain patina characteristics ranging in visibility from dark spots absorbing excessive stain to very light spots absorbing minimal stain may exist due to the Alder wood having soft and hard wood characteristics."
 
#149
stflbn said:
I view buying things on talkbass no different than buying something at a mom and pops or mass merchant. If I walk in and am looking at a cabinet and ask them how much it weighs... I expect them to care enough to find out 'if they wish to sell it "to me"'. I see asking the same about basses no differently... 'if they wish to sell it "to me"'

I find it hard to believe that some of the guys here making a case for not providing the weight of a bass would find it 'ok' for someone to dismiss a question of theirs a frivilous or unimportant if 'they' have a question when they're willing to plop down money on something. I bet somehow their question would suddenly become important and have valid reasons why it needs answered.

.
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Do you know JD down at Corner Music? Walk in their sometime and ask him to weigh a bass cabinet for you. I bet you get an interesting look, and even more interesting commentary.


I'm cheating a bit. I actually heard a guy ask him the weight of a bass once. He said he didn't know, and the guy asked again. His final answer was " I don't know. It's a bass. It's heavy."

Really, I've never been in a bricks-and-mortar music store that had a scale for such a purpose.
 
#152
So why does the weight of a bass matter and why does heavier basses contribute to back pain? With perfect posture alignment gravity presses down on your body, the weight goes through the spine, hips, legs and feet to the ground with little damaging load placed on any of these joints, the spine being the most vulnerable. Now add 8-10lbs, 10 -14 " from your spine. The back muscles contract to offset the weight in the front, so now that 10lb bass creates about 70, 80, 100 +- lbs of compressive load on the lumbar spinal discs L5/S1 being the most common site of disc problems. Play for a few hours and those back muscles fatigue generating chemicals that irritate your nerves along with all that compression on the spinal discs drives the fluid from them leaving them compressed and vulnerable to tearing, rupture, herniation. Now do this everyday, several times a day. Add to this working at a computer all day slumped while you sit, slumping while watching TV and driving. This is the basic back injury scenario. Then if we add an over weight, very large bellied person with poor posture and weak back muscles, abs and hips you've got thousands of pounds of compressive load placed on a spine with poor alignment. Then to complicate matters you have a bass guitar where the neck is a long lever arm with heavy tuners (Fender basses) placed 24-32 inches from your spine. The load of the bass plus the weight of cantilevered neck is borne on one shoulder, the left one if you are a right handed player, as well as the opposite side low back - the right side if you are a right handed player. The muscles on the side of the back contract to keep you from falling sideways or you have to contract them to hold up a heavy neck w/neck dive. So now we compression on the lumbar spine in 2 angles/planes as well as pressure on the shoulder. What holds your shoulder up are muscles that originate on your cervical spine - just like the support wires on a suspension bridge. The whole fatigue, compression scenario that happens in the low back will also happen in the neck/cervical spine. The neck problems will overlap with shoulder problems such as rotator cuff issues, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, tendonitis etc. In the arm/shoulder we have not only compressive type injury but repetitive strain injury from long hours holding a heavy bass with poor posture. I could keep going
 
#154
spade2you said:
So, what's everyone's weight limit for playing stand-mounted EUBs? :p
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shrug.gif
 
#155
powerbass said:
So why does the weight of a bass matter and why does heavier basses contribute to back pain? With perfect posture alignment gravity presses down on your body, the weight goes through the spine, hips, legs and feet to the ground with little damaging load placed on any of these joints, the spine being the most vulnerable. Now add 8-10lbs, 10 -14 " from your spine. The back muscles contract to offset the weight in the front, so now that 10lb bass creates about 70, 80, 100 +- lbs of compressive load on the lumbar spinal discs L5/S1 being the most common site of disc problems. Play for a few hours and those back muscles fatigue generating chemicals that irritate your nerves along with all that compression on the spinal discs drives the fluid from them leaving them compressed and vulnerable to tearing, rupture, herniation. Now do this everyday, several times a day. Add to this working at a computer all day slumped while you sit, slumping while watching TV and driving. This is the basic back injury scenario. Then if we add an over weight, very large bellied person with poor posture and weak back muscles, abs and hips you've got thousands of pounds of compressive load placed on a spine with poor alignment. Then to complicate matters you have a bass guitar where the neck is a long lever arm with heavy tuners (Fender basses) placed 24-32 inches from your spine. The load of the bass plus the weight of cantilevered neck is borne on one shoulder, the left one if you are a right handed player, as well as the opposite side low back - the right side if you are a right handed player. The muscles on the side of the back contract to keep you from falling sideways or you have to contract them to hold up a heavy neck w/neck dive. So now we compression on the lumbar spine in 2 angles/planes as well as pressure on the shoulder. What holds your shoulder up are muscles that originate on your cervical spine - just like the support wires on a suspension bridge. The whole fatigue, compression scenario that happens in the low back will also happen in the neck/cervical spine. The neck problems will overlap with shoulder problems such as rotator cuff issues, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, tendonitis etc. In the arm/shoulder we have not only compressive type injury but repetitive strain injury from long hours holding a heavy bass with poor posture. I could keep going
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In short...OUCH!
 
#157
guy n. cognito said:
I'm not touching that failure in logic with a ten foot pole


...and that, is a decision.
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And clearly not an opinion.

:D

Please bear in mind that it doesn't upset me when someone asks about weight. I simply tell them that i have no accurate weigh to measure it. If you scan the sale forum, you'll find most sellers don't quote weight.
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I know. The complaints and judgements about people who simply ask about it is what I find amusing.
 
#160
guy n. cognito said:
Do you know JD down at Corner Music? Walk in their sometime and ask him to weigh a bass cabinet for you. I bet you get an interesting look, and even more interesting commentary.


I'm cheating a bit. I actually heard a guy ask him the weight of a bass once. He said he didn't know, and the guy asked again. His final answer was " I don't know. It's a bass. It's heavy."

Really, I've never been in a bricks-and-mortar music store that had a scale for such a purpose.
Click to expand...

JD (and some on this board) are using a business strategy called "firing the customer". Business have determined that 90% of their problems come from 10% of their customers. If they can get rid of those customers then their business will run better and profits will increase. Many retailers are doing this by only allowing a limited number of returns from a customer before they revoke their return priviledges. If the customer gets mad and stops shopping at their store they are better off because the customer's returns ate up far more profit that their purchases generated. Doing this cuts their expenses and allows the store to lower their prices. The lower prices lead to more sales and more profits. The lower prices also benefit the stores other customers. If this were taken to the extreme, the problem customers would end up with only one store to shop at. That store would cater to them, but would charge much higher prices to pay for the costs.
 
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