Out of my 3 basses (Fender jazz, Warwick Streamer Jazzman and Lakland Tetsuya Skyline) I find that the lightest(8.77lbs) one ,Lakland; is the most resonant followed by Warwick and then Fender. I prefer the tone that way too!
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Is a 9 pound bass too heavy?
- Thread starter Stone Soup
- Start date
I shouldn't have called it flawed logic. It's not flawed at all. All I really meant to say was there are also heavier basses that sound great. I can't agree with lighter basses, in general, sounding better.
When I was in my 20 and 30's I never even thought about the weight of a bass..9 lbs or 11 lbs it didn't matter. Now that I'm pushing 50 , I am very conscious of the weight..anything over 8 lbs just isn't comfortable for me anymore. Do heavy basses sound better?? Not in my opinion, I have a NYC Sadowsky 5 string that weighs in at 7 lbs. It sounds as good or better than any other bass I have ever played, regardless of weight!
If you have a bad back, maybe.
I don't. So no. My Rickenbacker is 11 pounds or pretty close to it.
I would LOVE a 9 pound bass. My G&L L2500 Tribute is about 12 pounds. I'm thinking about getting one of those new Gibson EB 5-strings based purely on weight alone. They're around 8 pounds.
- Jul 3, 2004
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- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball MusicMan Guitars
CrashClint
I Play Bass therefore I Am
My first Roscoe 6 string was a tad over 11 pounds, mahogany body with a maple top. Sounded absolutely amazing. I didn't really notice the weight playing 45-60 minute sets but once we played 3 1/2 hours straight and when I took the bass off my shoulders it was one of those "Holy Crap" moments. I didn't realize how sore I had gotten. I definitely prefer under 9 pounds. My Roscoe Century is 8.2 pounds which is sweet. My friend has a Roscoe CS5 solid Ash that weighs in at 7.4 pounds.
I have found no correlation between weight and tone. I am old and I have played a shitload of basses. Since they are to most numerous basses out there I have literally played hundreds of Fender basses. Some of the light ones sounded great and some were just blah. Same with the heavy ones.
20 to 30 years ago I didn't even know what my basses or gear weighed. Even 10 years ago I ddn't care. I know everything was a lot heavier than what I'm currently using, but it never ocurred to me to weigh anything back then.
These days it's a different story. I have a Lakland at 9.5 lbs and a Lull at 8.5 lbs, 2 good straps, D class amp and neo cabs.
In a few years I could be looking at 7 lb basses and I know there'll be some great ones to choose from.
These days it's a different story. I have a Lakland at 9.5 lbs and a Lull at 8.5 lbs, 2 good straps, D class amp and neo cabs.
In a few years I could be looking at 7 lb basses and I know there'll be some great ones to choose from.
Typically for a a production bass of $2,000 or less, 9 pounds is a lucky find as most production basses are over 9 lbs! As for the thread question, 9 pounds is probably about or close to the cut off point of still being comfortable.
It's really difficult to find light weight basses (under 8.5 lbs.). As we all know, at a music store the weight of a guitar or bass is not listed. Nobody can make bass guitars that are all the same weight. Some will be lighter or heavier. It's just the way that wood is.
Some of Sweetwater's brand new basses have the stated weight because they pull them out of the box and weight them. That's excellent of them to do that. Man, I looking at some of their '58 Fender P Bass reissues and the weight difference on them was amazing. Saw one at 8.4 lbs and another one at 9.6 lbs. Which one would you buy?
I built a Warmoth P Bass with an Allparts neck and have an under 8 lbs bass. It's the lightest bass that I own. At that weight, it's a little bit neck heavy. It sounds very good but neither better nor worse than my heavier basses.
The nice thing about buying a used bass on Talk Bass is that usually we can get the weight. But, it also seems that only about half of TB sellers actually have a shipping scale. Many use the bathroom scale and it's like + or - 10 oz. in accuracy.
It's a fact that a lightweight bass is more comfortable (as long as it not too neck heavy). It is not a fact that a lightweight bass sounds better nor is it a fact that heavy basses sound better. Each instrument has it's own "finger print" as far as sound goes. IMHO
The lightest bass I ever saw was at our local Guitar Center. They had a Dusty Hill signature P Bass. Man, it must have been in the 7 lbs to 7.5 lbs range! It was also $5,000! The most "bare bones" bass I've ever seen or held. If less is more then the D. Hill model is the most! I wouldn't let Godzilla buy it! He's already got a '51!
It's really difficult to find light weight basses (under 8.5 lbs.). As we all know, at a music store the weight of a guitar or bass is not listed. Nobody can make bass guitars that are all the same weight. Some will be lighter or heavier. It's just the way that wood is.
Some of Sweetwater's brand new basses have the stated weight because they pull them out of the box and weight them. That's excellent of them to do that. Man, I looking at some of their '58 Fender P Bass reissues and the weight difference on them was amazing. Saw one at 8.4 lbs and another one at 9.6 lbs. Which one would you buy?
I built a Warmoth P Bass with an Allparts neck and have an under 8 lbs bass. It's the lightest bass that I own. At that weight, it's a little bit neck heavy. It sounds very good but neither better nor worse than my heavier basses.
The nice thing about buying a used bass on Talk Bass is that usually we can get the weight. But, it also seems that only about half of TB sellers actually have a shipping scale. Many use the bathroom scale and it's like + or - 10 oz. in accuracy.
It's a fact that a lightweight bass is more comfortable (as long as it not too neck heavy). It is not a fact that a lightweight bass sounds better nor is it a fact that heavy basses sound better. Each instrument has it's own "finger print" as far as sound goes. IMHO
The lightest bass I ever saw was at our local Guitar Center. They had a Dusty Hill signature P Bass. Man, it must have been in the 7 lbs to 7.5 lbs range! It was also $5,000! The most "bare bones" bass I've ever seen or held. If less is more then the D. Hill model is the most! I wouldn't let Godzilla buy it! He's already got a '51!
9 is fine, 8 is perfect and 10 is too heavy for me.
My main basses are a 9.6lb Fodera and a 7lb Rob Allen. My Fodera starts bugging my back after 3 sets. Not enough to make me sell it for something lighter, but 10lbs noticeably hurts my back and. Just can't do it for a 4hr gig.
Getting old, I guess, but man, there is a big difference between 9 and 10 for me now....
My main basses are a 9.6lb Fodera and a 7lb Rob Allen. My Fodera starts bugging my back after 3 sets. Not enough to make me sell it for something lighter, but 10lbs noticeably hurts my back and. Just can't do it for a 4hr gig.
Getting old, I guess, but man, there is a big difference between 9 and 10 for me now....
It's true - it's surprising how much a difference a pound makes.
- Oct 18, 2012
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- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
I played 30 years with a 9.5 lb bass and never thought anything about what it weighed. When I turned 50 the third set got uncomfortable then the whole weight thing kicked in. Others have mentioned the balance factor which is very important. As far as tone goes, I've played some light basses with great tone and some light basses with no tone. I'm sure you can find heavy ones with the same scenario. I have a 7.5 lb Lakland that I love the tone on although Dan Lakin himself told me he thought that the ideal weight for a bass was about 9.5 lbs for the best tone. He was quick to point out YMMV so the tone is always going to be subjective.
Yeah, I would have thought its completely subjective. My Warwick thumb with added weights for balance is about 14lbs, but I'm young so its fine for now
I don't understand you guys! Such babies! I never heard guitar players mounin' about their Les Paul's are too heavy, their tube amp is too heavy, or anything like that... I guess where I'm from, people tend to play more, and worry bout this things less, and maybe people are better friends in a band, they help each other with heavier gear such as 100W tube Marshall head and a marshall 412 cab. I once had an 6 hour gig with a Stingray wich is 11 pounds, and it was a bit off putting at the end, but now I have passive 9lbs bass and an active 7,7lbs bass, and in a long run, really don't feel the difference...
