i can get lower, tighter action on my Rickenbacker than on my EBMM Sterling that I bought new in 1995. And the tone varieties are excellent. And personally, i think it looks both sinister and classy (mine is jetglo). I therefore recommend Rick.
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Light weight basses with good tone
- Thread starter Patten
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- light light weight tone weight
I'll plug my pal Marko at www.hammersmithmusic.com . I got a PJ from him that weighs 7 3/4 lbs, and it sounds great. Most of his basses weigh around that weight, too.
wintremute
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If you have the cash, I agree...Hammersmith are quite nice.
If you're going budget, get an Ibanez.
Hi everyone! Thanks for all your responses - I'm doing my research into all your suggestions now, will let you know what I go with!
...and pre-owned is still the way to go. You can find some stellar deals in the TB classifieds. Why pay show room prices when you can pick-up the same thing (...or better) at a substantial discount? For the past part, TB sellers are pretty good at listing actual weights. I just skimmed the 1st page of FS Basses and found more than a handful that would meet your needs.
Riis
No such thing. I may be the only talkbasser who always aim high on the scale, Warwick tends to hit the mark with the types of woods they use.
I won't say outright that tone and weight are related, but a lot of tone woods that sound incredible are very dense. Maybe 20 years from now I'll be too old to hit up a 3 hour gig with a 12 pound bass, but until then I'll eat meat and get 8 hours of sleep to prop up some wenge and bubinga!
That being said, check out the warwick pro series with ash bodies, very light and super high quality. I play a bubinga model as my number one right now.
I won't say outright that tone and weight are related, but a lot of tone woods that sound incredible are very dense. Maybe 20 years from now I'll be too old to hit up a 3 hour gig with a 12 pound bass, but until then I'll eat meat and get 8 hours of sleep to prop up some wenge and bubinga!
That being said, check out the warwick pro series with ash bodies, very light and super high quality. I play a bubinga model as my number one right now.
Have you changed your strings? You might like a bright set of strings.
Any bass with a basswood body tends to be under 9 pounds. Basswood 4-string Bass Guitars | Sweetwater.com
Ibanez basses tend to be light because of the smaller body even when not made of basswood, especially the SR series. Often under 8 pounds.
Ibanez SR500 - Brown Mahogany
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Fender Standard P basses are quite light weight in my opinion. GC often has a nice looking 3 or 2 color sunburst Fender Standard P bass hanging on the wall. I keep passing them up because I prefer 5 strings and big necks. Plus, I'm not crazy about the P bass sound. I like a fat sound. You can get a fat sound on a P bass but it requires circumstances which don't happen when comparing a bunch of different basses. In my experience, P basses start off a bit on the bright side.
Here is one at Sweetwater: Fender Standard Series Precision Bass - Brown Sunburst
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They have white too if you want. Very good for pinstripes and decals in my opinion.
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Also, Fender Aerodyne is marketed as light and ergonomic. Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass - Black
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Not sure what your budget is. I have a Warmoth Jazz Bass with a chambered ash / maple capped body. It's not a hollowbody or semi-hollowbody per se. They route channels in the body wood in strategic areas to lighten it up and enhance the tone. It's a REALLY great bass. Under 9 lbs with Nordstrand Big Splits pickups. Sounds fantastic. I saw a video where Roger Sadowsky said he is using chambered bodies on some of his basses, so it's not all hocus-pocus.
It will be tough to audition one so you would have to build one and see if you like it. I own many basses and my Warmoth Jazz is my favorite. If you like the Fender feel, you would do well to look at putting together a Warmoth chambered bass. Or look to eBay & TB classifieds for a used one. They don't hold resale value well so you can get one cheap sometimes. There was one that sold recently for $1000 that was an absolute steal. It had the best of everything. I screwed around and it got away from me...
Check Warmoth's website for MUCH information on body woods, custom features, etc. Even if you don't buy or build their parts, you will come away knowing more about what you want. It is VERY enlightening.
It will be tough to audition one so you would have to build one and see if you like it. I own many basses and my Warmoth Jazz is my favorite. If you like the Fender feel, you would do well to look at putting together a Warmoth chambered bass. Or look to eBay & TB classifieds for a used one. They don't hold resale value well so you can get one cheap sometimes. There was one that sold recently for $1000 that was an absolute steal. It had the best of everything. I screwed around and it got away from me...
Check Warmoth's website for MUCH information on body woods, custom features, etc. Even if you don't buy or build their parts, you will come away knowing more about what you want. It is VERY enlightening.
Luckily there are already a lot of good choices here. The easiest is Ibanez soundgear line.
Here's a darkhorse pick you might want to look for on the used market around you.........Yamaha RBX A4. So much good sound and so light it's shocking.
used should be sub 3....maybe a little over...strong emphasis on a little. They don't make it anymore so new is of course not an option. Hard to find though. I keep one In the arsenal just in case I ever hurt my back or shoulder again as I can still play.
Here's a darkhorse pick you might want to look for on the used market around you.........Yamaha RBX A4. So much good sound and so light it's shocking.
used should be sub 3....maybe a little over...strong emphasis on a little. They don't make it anymore so new is of course not an option. Hard to find though. I keep one In the arsenal just in case I ever hurt my back or shoulder again as I can still play.
I'd say one of these if you can get one. Although I notice the pounds, they can be harder to find here in the UK. Get scouting eBay for good deals!
Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass Guitar
FENDER AERODYNE BASS - WITH MAPLE NECK & BOARD! - THE BEST FENDER J P BASS! (this one's over budget, but he's overcharging so you might knock him down a bit)
(Not affiliated to either, just doing some digging)
Even if you don't go Aerodyne, you're going to get a lot better value secondhand. Provided you can have a go on the bass before you buy it's not a big worry, and you can get some great finds. eBay and Gumtree are your friends. Going for an investment on a £500 bass isn't really worth it, better to get the best you can now and go for an investment when you got bare dolla to spend (eg. over £1500/£2000).
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MTD Kingstons.
They always have a clear non muddy tone.
You won't find a bass with better intonation .
I've owned several and never encountered one that weighed more than 8-9 lbs.
They are some of the best bargains on the new and especially used market.
The necks are my favorite in feel .
They always have a clear non muddy tone.
You won't find a bass with better intonation .
I've owned several and never encountered one that weighed more than 8-9 lbs.
They are some of the best bargains on the new and especially used market.
The necks are my favorite in feel .
Get what you want after researching all of the suggestions.
I don't own one but I can see how a Fender Aerodyne would be a very versatile and fantastic bass.
I don't own one but I can see how a Fender Aerodyne would be a very versatile and fantastic bass.
I have a Hofner 5000/1. Lighter than my Fender Aerodyne which is considered light. 30 inch scale.
Last year I built a parts bass with a Chambered Warmoth body, it's the lightest bass I own and sounds great.
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