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I need a light bass. My back is killing me.
- Thread starter kidgloves2
- Start date
I'll throw one more in here. I hate the look of the Parker Fly bass, but I think MikeBass was selling one a while back that weighed something like 5.5lbs.
I suggest that "light" is not tne entire solution. My back has been nagging me while practicing, but I notice that when I play a bass that doesn't neck-dive, it nags less. Try finding a bass that's light AND doesn't neck-dive.
Mike Watt moved from a P-Bass to a Gibson EB-3 for weight/hand cramp issues, and now he is doing fine. One of my favorite bass tones comes from those too.
Watt also had to modify his EB-3 with new pickups and new locations. Left a big gaping hole in the front of it. Sounds pretty good, but looks like a mess.
I have a problem with weight, too. 8.5 lbs. is my absolute limit but I'm trying to have my main basses no more than 7 lbs. Bums me out because I love Jazzes but I can't play them anymore. I bought a Jay Turser Beatle bass and I really love it for certain things, and it most certainly qualifies as light, but I have to have a Fender. So I've got a pieces parts P in the shop getting the wood routed out under the pickguard and a hole for a J pickup, and I just bought a Fender Precision Lyte that plays great and has crap pickups, so I'm replacing them.
It's getting bad for me. I used to love a good heavy bass because they felt solid. And I used a little tiny Ernie Ball seatbelt strap. But over the last 3 or 4 years, I've had real difficulties with basses and straps. I've spent about $250 on straps. Tried the Comfort Strapp, a 4" Slapstrap, a 4 1/2" padded Levy's strap, and an Italia 5" leather strap. None of them turn a heavy bass into a light bass. They help, but I still get sore with a heavy bass. The problem is the straps themselves are heavy. I use the Levy's because it works the best for me, but what I really want is for Planet Waves to make one of those Bass Straps in a 5" model. It's a 3" strap with a padding inside a tube of seatbelt material, but if it was 5", it would be perfect.
I have a problem with weight, too. 8.5 lbs. is my absolute limit but I'm trying to have my main basses no more than 7 lbs. Bums me out because I love Jazzes but I can't play them anymore. I bought a Jay Turser Beatle bass and I really love it for certain things, and it most certainly qualifies as light, but I have to have a Fender. So I've got a pieces parts P in the shop getting the wood routed out under the pickguard and a hole for a J pickup, and I just bought a Fender Precision Lyte that plays great and has crap pickups, so I'm replacing them.
It's getting bad for me. I used to love a good heavy bass because they felt solid. And I used a little tiny Ernie Ball seatbelt strap. But over the last 3 or 4 years, I've had real difficulties with basses and straps. I've spent about $250 on straps. Tried the Comfort Strapp, a 4" Slapstrap, a 4 1/2" padded Levy's strap, and an Italia 5" leather strap. None of them turn a heavy bass into a light bass. They help, but I still get sore with a heavy bass. The problem is the straps themselves are heavy. I use the Levy's because it works the best for me, but what I really want is for Planet Waves to make one of those Bass Straps in a 5" model. It's a 3" strap with a padding inside a tube of seatbelt material, but if it was 5", it would be perfect.
I agree. The balance is important too. My solution is the Carvin Bolt. I bought the kit (because I wanted to finish it myself) and ordered "the lightest alder body you can find in the shop". Mine comes in at just under 7 lbs. and the balance is perfect. With the J99 pickups it sounds like a very good J bass. The neck is fantastic, the fretwork perfect and it's a joy to play.
The Ibanez Soundgear is light, and is available pretty much everywhere. The new 500 series offers a lot of bang for the buck, too.
MTD are among the lightest basses I've ever played.
the first I tried, my friend handed me the gigbag and I asked him, wheres the bass? honestly thought it was empty.
very light and confortable
the first I tried, my friend handed me the gigbag and I asked him, wheres the bass? honestly thought it was empty.
very light and confortable
I love my jazz bass, but hate the weight sometimes. My back isn't "bad-bad" but is enough of a problem that oftentimes at gigs I'm feeling the strain by the last set, particularly right after the last break.
What I wound up doing was buying a hollowed Jazz bass body from Warmoth. I just received the body and am in the process of assembling it, but initial instincts say this was a GREAT move. I can pick the body up w/ 2 fingers and barely realize the weight.
What I wound up doing was buying a hollowed Jazz bass body from Warmoth. I just received the body and am in the process of assembling it, but initial instincts say this was a GREAT move. I can pick the body up w/ 2 fingers and barely realize the weight.
Check Rondomusic.com and their SX SJB 3/4 models. They're shortscale jazz basses. I replaced the pickups and put Hipshot Ul tuners on and now I can play with zero cramping and no back pain. There's also the Ibanez Mikro. It's really guitar-sized, but I think it would be good with pickup and hardware changes, too. Cheers.
- Aug 21, 2003
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There is a solution that allows the use of your present bass. I saw a fellow in a country band who would use is P bass hung around his neck for the first set. The rest of the night he had this concoction made out of a cymbal stand and a guitar stand. He played the rest of the night with it upright and the stand is holding all the weight. I thought it was brilliant!
Get a Stealth Status. Monocoque carbon fiber body so it is a true hollowbody, very very light. Get a headless one and its even lighter. Plays like a Ferrari and sounds like the balls of God.
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All the hollowbodies will be pretty light. The Beatle bass is practically weightless. My Bongos weight about 9 pounds, they seem like featherweights compared to my Sterlings.
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The MBrace Guitar Holder is the most unique live performance, stand-up guitar support ever made. If you need to alternate between multiple guitars while onstage, for instance an electric and an acoustic guitar, the MBrace is the bracket that can make your live performance that much more dynamic.
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