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Just weighed all my basses

#21
Cool post. People's obsessions with weight drives me nuts because I have come to the same conclusion you have long ago: weight is just a number.

Balance is very important as it determines how the bass rests on your shoulder and how many little muscles you may be using to compensate for bad balance.

I have a horrible back and have gigged basses that are 11lbs and up with no problem.
 
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#22
I measured mine recently, after noticing that most of them were seeming a bit heavy. I used a digital bathroom scale, accurate to 0.2lb, using the weigh-myself-then-weigh-myself-holding-the-bass method. In other words, it was all very scientific. ;)

Tobias American 5 - this is my only factory-made bass, and while I don't know the body wood, I suspect maple. Nevertheless, it is (as you probably know) very ergonomic. Weight 10.8 lb.

ThumpyHollow - my earliest extant build, with a hollowed-out sapele body with a quilt maple cap, and a Carvin maple fretless neck. Pretty comfy, even at 10.2 lb.

Serendipity is a 5-string walnut/maple Warmoth Dinky P body with a homemade walnut fretless neck. Fairly comfy but a bit heavy at 11.0 lb.

The RayBird has a homemade body of ash/alder/korina and a maple StingRay copy neck. Even though it's a 'bird it balances fairly well due to lightweight tuners and an original BadAss bridge. Feels light at 10.0 lb.

The PentaBird is a completely homemade walnut and maple 5-string 'bird. Balance is fair, but it feels like a boat anchor at 11.8 lb.

The OctoBird is a completely homemade sapele/cherry/maple 8-string 'bird. Balance is fair, but it is tied with the PentaBird for heaviest at 11.8 lb.

The Tele is all-walnut (excepting the quilt-maple pickguard), but is the lightest of the bunch at 9.8 lb; I intentionally hollowed out everything I could under the pickguard, and used lightweight tuners and a 32" scale.

The PentaBird and OctoBird both use Schaller M4 tuners, which are not the lightest available, so I may switch them out at some point. Should help both the weight and the balance some.

After discovering how heavy the 'birds turned out, my next few builds (actually starting with the Tele) have light weight as a primary design factor. I have one body blank in my stash that was advertised as mahogany but is super-light, so I have my doubts; it will become the basis for a "build it as light as possible" fiver, using a Lace Aluma X-Bar pickup, Gotoh Res-O-Lites, and as much chambering as possible, including the neck (!!). Experimental, yes, but it might work!

I just turned 48, and am reasonably fit (despite being pathologically lazy), so the heavier basses don't bother me as much as they would others. But I'm not getting any younger either!
 
#23
I love a bass in the 8.something lb range. A bass like that if it sounds great, plays great and looks great is valuable! I have a couple at 10 lbs. Porkers. Love them all the same for the same reasons as above.
 
#27
This has got me thinking about going to the post office and asking them to weigh my jazz. It won't change how I feel about it but I am curious ( always have been ). If I Had to guess I would say my jazz is 9 or under. I think 9 pounds is light as far as I'm concerned. Unless you have a rob Allen-ish bass chances are a bit of weight is a good thing :) My thumb bass started to effect a nerve I've been suffering with with for some years. Glad I don't gig anymore. Sometimes you have to suffer for your art/tone ;) I'm too busy wishing they didn't stop making 2" tape :)
 
#32
Blankandson said:
FWIW: my lightest bass weighed 6 lbs. My 1994 WW Fortress weighs about 10.5 lbs. I MUCH prefer playing and holding the WW.
Click to expand...

Sicko! ;)

bill+murray+Little+Shop+of+Horrors.png
 
#34
I weighed mine a while back using the bathroom scale method.
Need to re-weigh the VM P5 as I put ultralights on it. probably shaved off .3-.5 lbs

Fretless 4 (warmoth neck, japanese P body) 9.4lb
SX PJ 4: 9.2lb
VM P5: 9.0lb
Carvin LB75: 8.2lb

The VM P5 and the Carvin LB75 are my main players. The Carvin is the most comfortable to play, but the Squier fits the bands music better, so it is seeing the most playing time.
 
#35
My Lull PJ5 weighs 8.5 lbs and the Lakland 55-94D weighs 9.5lbs.

You strapping young lads make me jealous. I'm fine with the Lull but at the end of a long night the Lakland is feeling heavier by the tune.

The appeal of chambered basses is growing day by day.
 
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#36
Bass instrument weight is indeed a pretty important parameter, due to ergonomics and tonal preferences for each player.

Balance is also part of it. But different body types will perceive that differently as well. I too played an Alembic long scale (34") bass as my only bass for about 12 years. Susan W's design for that instrument was originally derived from the medium scale (32") Starfire basses. So, when Alembic went to long scale, they just made the neck longer. Unfortunately that places the lower positions on that instrument way out in left field; which works for players with really long arms, not so much for others.

Back to weight. I find the heavier instruments have more solid fundamentals, but are not so acoustically resonant. They work really well for slapping and aggressive metal-ish pizz and plectrum work. As one example, Marcus Miller has a preference for heavier instruments for his thing. Lighter instruments (with good woods) get a more vibey resonance going, which works well for more Blues, R&B, and Jazz situations. But, when they get too light, IME, they lose some of the fundamental related capabilities of the heavier instruments.

IME, basses in the 9 to 9.5 pound range have the best balance of characteristics; though no doubt they give up a little in either direction to the instruments on the more extreme ends of the spectrum.

I use one of those digital fish balances to weigh my instruments. Put the hook on one of the tuning posts and slightly lift the bass off the stand. Carefully. Since those devices are built for fishermen, I expect they indicate a little high. Or maybe they indicate a little low on account of everyone knows how big liars fishermen are and so they figure the fisherman will add a little to the display. Who knows. I get lost in the psychology.
 
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#39
Mine are currently in the 8-9.5lbs range. What really surprised me is how much my strat bass weighs(25.5" scale, mostly empty space under the pickguard). Damn thing is like 9.2lbs.

I really want to build a stripped down bass, probably headless, and see how light I could get it. Could be fun!

-Jake
 
#40
My new custom 5er just came in at just under 9lbs and I am ecstatic. Amazing as the Duncan DC PU weigh way over 1lb.

My basses all now weigh between 7lbs and 9.5lbs. My 7lb Rob Allen seems almost a bit light for me and I definitely can't do over 10lbs as it kills my back after an hour or so (regardless of strap).

I guess I really prefer 8-9lb basses. Not too light, but too heavy!
 

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