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How to deal with the Ray34CA weight
- Thread starter turtlegrubs
- Start date
if weight has no tonal value, why bother mentioning that two of you best precisions were 8 pounds?
To show that after playing tons of basses two of my favorites were not heavy. Nowhere did I suggest they sounded great because they were light. I am just saying that I don't think tone is in heavy woods.
Ive allways found basses and guitars feel less cumbersome when worn lower. Bridge near crotch level but not below that. The instrument then points upward rather then more toward horizontal. I'm 5 ft 6 inches tall and 125 pounds for msot of my adult life. Played doublenecks mainly for several yrs. Those weighing an average of 12 to 12 and half pounds. Never had a problem playing standing for an hour or two at a time. Wide strap as the other helpaid. As far as I'm concerned, wearing a bass or guitar high is the number one cause of discomfort in many cases. Also move about some. Dont stand rigid. Dance a little. Shift shoulders around a bit. Go watch videos of John Mcluaglin of Mahavishnu Orchestra playing his doiublenecks. Notice that he often shifts it position as he plays. This not only facilitates playing but also decreases wearing discomfort. Raise and lowerr your shoulders naturally as you move and dance about some. Have good posture thats limber. Standing rigid and still makes weight bearing more difficult. Keeping shoulders rigid makes it worse.
Of course with doublenecks when playing the upper neck its going to go a bit more horozontal, but dont keep it there. Move the necks from this lowered position to raised more skyward on regular basis.
Of course with doublenecks when playing the upper neck its going to go a bit more horozontal, but dont keep it there. Move the necks from this lowered position to raised more skyward on regular basis.
They are great sounding Precisions! I am not sure what else to tell you. You want me to defend some position that I don't really have. I never said they sound great because they are light. I was more interested in why the other poster preferred heavy basses. It might have nothing to do with tone. Maybe he just likes more weight.
Actually...maybe my Precisions sound great because they are Laklands.
They are great sounding Precisions! I am not sure what else to tell you. You want me to defend some position that I don't really have. I never said they sound great because they are light. I was more interested in why the other poster preferred heavy basses. It might have nothing to do with tone. Maybe he just likes more weight.
Actually...maybe my Precisions sound great because they are Laklands.
theres kind of an implied position. if you say that of all the p basses youve owned, the two best were 8 pounds, its logical to follow that you feel that the weight is playing some role in your idea of good tone. or maybe its because theyre laklands
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
sounds to me like his point was that the basses he owns are pretty light, and they sound great. just as some people believe a bass's weight will add greatness to it's sound. I was almost going to argue that the weight of a bass DOES affect the tone, as my heavier basses truly do seem to go deeper... then I thought about my Dano. It weighs about 6 lbs, and can rattle a brick wall. bottom line to all this is I dunno what makes a bass sound deep. what makes a bass sound great however is the person person perceiving it. one person's great ain't the same as anothers. Does this post make any sense? It's time for my nap.
what makes a bass sound great however is the person person perceiving it. one person's great ain't the same as anothers. Does this post make any sense? It's time for my nap.
Same here. A couple of years of solid maple Fortress will build up your back just fine.
thats the key. the weight definitely affects the attack and response of an instrument. whether its for better or worse is up to the player.
My old 9lb. precision was just soooo heavy that I had to tie it to the ceiling. It doesn't affect playability much, but it freaks out my little brother when it's just hanging from the ceiling like that. I'd say use some thick rope if it's heavier than 9 lbs. 
Why does it seem to me like all the better sounding basses I've played were very heavy? Maybe the resonance of it does have something to do with it. My weightless Jag Special sounds very thin. All the basses I've played with standout tones are heavy. Stingrays, Ibanez ATKs, Alembic, ect. Probably just a coincidence... or not?
