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Looking for a light Jazz bass
- Thread starter rudy2010
- Start date
I doubt it. 7 pounds is really light for a jazz, a production jazz at that. John K does builds, and he's really good at finding light bodies might want to talk to him.
It would be a miracle.
The lightest bass I've personally built was 7.5 pounds, but it was a P bass (less wood than a J body) and a toothpick neck with Hipshot Ultralites.
The lightest bass I've personally built was 7.5 pounds, but it was a P bass (less wood than a J body) and a toothpick neck with Hipshot Ultralites.
I consider my MIA 97 ash bodied jazz to be very light, and it weighs around 8lbs-8.2lbs. I have yet to see a Fender lighter than 8lbs
I've not weighed my Fender '62 Jazz but when I bought from TPB in 2008 they listed it as 8.8 lbs and that feels about right. It's one of the lightest Jazz basses I've played. Most seem to be over 9lbs. Rare to fine one under 9lbs, much less 7.5lbs.
Not unless you build it yourself. I just built a 7 lb P bass using a paulownia body. Very light and resonant but also soft so it may ding easily.
Maybe with a swamp ash/basswood body, with hipshot tuners, passive electronics and plastic knobs you could get to around 7.5 lbs. Check eBay frequently, some sellers list weight of the bodies, or warmoth. They have sometimes very light bodies in the showcase.
Here's one 8lbs 3 oz.
http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargallery/bass/all/sMX10204069/
And one 8lbs 10 oz.
http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargallery/bass/all/sUS10129229/
http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargallery/bass/all/sMX10204069/
And one 8lbs 10 oz.
http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargallery/bass/all/sUS10129229/
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,633
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
i've built a 7 1/4 lb swamp ash tele bass before., so a 7.5lb jazz is possible.
in order to build a 7 1/2lb jazz bass, the body will have to weigh about 3 1/4- 3 1/2 pounds (painted) and the neck 1 1/2 lbs or less. it's not difficult to do if you find a very lightweight piece of swamp ash, and ultralight tuning heads are not necessary, but i would recommend gotoh's res-o-lites to make it a little easier to reach a 7.5lbs weight target, while still retaining a j bass's vintage appearance.
i saw one guy that actually built one for himself that weighed under 7lbs.
to build a body like that, you'd need a piece of swamp ash that has a weight of around 1.7lbs bd/ft.
in order to build a 7 1/2lb jazz bass, the body will have to weigh about 3 1/4- 3 1/2 pounds (painted) and the neck 1 1/2 lbs or less. it's not difficult to do if you find a very lightweight piece of swamp ash, and ultralight tuning heads are not necessary, but i would recommend gotoh's res-o-lites to make it a little easier to reach a 7.5lbs weight target, while still retaining a j bass's vintage appearance.
i saw one guy that actually built one for himself that weighed under 7lbs.
to build a body like that, you'd need a piece of swamp ash that has a weight of around 1.7lbs bd/ft.
Thinking out of the box gets me to 5.5 pounds...
http://www.basslabusa.com/products/basslab/#SOUL
Not MIA though, will MIG do?
http://www.basslabusa.com/products/basslab/#SOUL
Not MIA though, will MIG do?
Rudy My 98 mia swamp ash/maple is 8.6
I got this MIM FSR Jazz and it is 8.2 I put Dimarzio Model Js' in it.
I have no first hand experience but this guys youtube video of a G&L usa Jazz is VERY light! check it out.
Hope this helps
A friend has a '61 jazz - blond with swamp ash body - and it's right around 7.75 and that's with the stock tuners (everything stock on it).
I love my Jazz, but those things weigh like boat anchors. Time to hit the gym, dude. Military press is your new best friend.
Warmoth Dinky J with a chambered swamp ash body? Not sure if it would neck dive, but I have been very curious about this myself. Subscribed.
