Looking for a lighter bass

[the_home]

When I was dealing with shoulder/back issues I picked up an older Zon Sonus. Right around 7 very well distributed pounds. I'll also emphasize the strap comments.

 

[nixdad]

My back is killing me after hanging 9+ lbs of bass on my shoulders for 2 sets. Looking to trade one of my basses for a semi-hollow body which might be lighter and different than the Fender Jazz I now use.
I was looking at the Fender Starcaster bass. Seemed nice looking enough but in checking I found out it weights 9.7 lbs. Plus my guitar player said they were a piece of crap in the 70's and now that they are around again, they are still a piece of crap. I have yet to find a store that has one in stock to try out.. I like the look of a Hofner but not the tone. Anyone have any input?

Starcasters are not as light as you may think. I played a couple that felt like they'd be pretty brutal on my shoulder.

I may be mistaken but I think that @nixdad has a Starcaster....You should try asking him about them....

Hey dbase -
I like that you're considering the Starcaster, but most that I have come across have been heavy. I was lucky to find a much lighter one than the first 3 that I had first come across (all 3 were logs - my guess is they were somewhere around 11 pounds each.) Mine is probably in the 8-9 pound range, and I love it.

Although the Starcaster may not be as light a bass as you need at this time, I heartily disagree with your guitar player that it's a piece of crap - the bass is VERY well made and VERY versatile. The humbucking pickups sound great, and I love the 3 way selector switch (like our Rics.) All 3 settings sound very different, and its killer played with fingers or a pick. Mine is strung with Thomastik flats (just like my Ric.) Fender reissued the Coronado Bass at the same time they reissued the Starcaster, and I have to admit I did NOT care for the Coronado at all feel or tone wise.

If you're considering a violin type bass, I'd definitely recommend checking out the Rogue VB100. These basses are excellent for the money. Two of my friends have these, and they are amazingly good basses (just fit with a good set of strings and proper setup.) A matter of fact, this bass is currently on sale at Musicians Friend for only $179, + there is a 15% off coupon for purchases over $149 (I don't know if you can combine both or not, but it may be worth a try.)

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/rogue-vb100-violin-bass-guitar?rNtt=rogue bass&index=2

BTW, they are not as yellowy/orangey as the picture shows on the MF website. Here is a picture of my bandmate Dale with his Rogue (photo from a few years ago when we were still splitting bass duties):

There are several things that differentiate these from a Hofner - among other things, they have a nice slim neck, and they are not fully hollow like a German Hofner (note: some of the lower cost Hofners are not fully hollow either.) I purchased a limited edition German Hofner a few months ago, and ended up returning it immediately, as it did not suit me at all. Although it was INCREDIBLY lightweight, I hated the clubby neck and overall feel.

Good luck on your quest!

Thanks for including me in the conversation, Freddy!

 

[Pedullist]

Aren't these Dingwall Super-P's light weight?

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Just make sure you carefully evaluate your choices. Some bases designed to be "light" are also light on tone. Mass / density is not bad for all things and super light is not good for all things.....

 

[groooooove]

you can order carvins and request lightweight wood. it's a $100 upcharge.

 

[oren]

A lot of the G&L Empress wood basses are less than 8 lbs! Whatever the hell Empress wood is. It's even available in the JB models...

Rocket Music post the weights in their "in stock at the factory" postings.

G&L will make an order with the wood you want. Rocket is showing an Empress JB that is 7.6 lb. Rocket Music - GLJBEmpressVintageWhite

 

[bass71]

My new Squier VM P....7 1/2 pounds. Sounds great, plays grt, weighs nothing.

 

[Eilif]

You'll find alot of good information here:
The ultimate lightweight bass thread!

My wendler is a 35" 4 string solid-body bass that balances well and -I kid you not- weighs 5.8 pounds!
I discuss it a bit later in the same thread here:
The ultimate lightweight bass thread!
It's a fretless but he will make fretted instruments too.

 

[bdplaid]

But this is one of the things I love about Sweetwater: if it's in stock, they show you the weight and pics of the actual bass, not stock photos. And if they have more than one, they have a "choose your favorite" button that pops up a window showing you a frontal pic of each and its weight. This is true for $299 Squiers all the way up through their top of the line instruments.

This. And SW will allow you to return the bass if it's not to your liking.

These days i too am all about lightweight basses. if you want something higher end, G&L will make a bass just for you, but you have to order form a good dealer. They can use lightweight Swamp Ash or "Empress" (aka Paulownia), for sub-8 lb basses. I recommend Rocket Music for that.

About Paulownia: I got curious about it and ordered a paulownia body from USACG. The resulting bass is about 6.7 lbs. I love the tone of that wood. It's kind of like swamp ash on steroids, very resonant. Yes, it's soft, but I've had alder bodies that were just as soft. I'd use Paulownia or Empress again in a minute.

Again, look at the G&L basses in stock at Rocket Music. They list the weights.

Good luck!

 

[bdplaid]

Easiest thing to do is find a very comfortable strap that distributes the weight. (padded and wide preferred).

I wish guys would stop posting this as a solution to people who want a lightweight bass. It's not the same, far from it.

 

[brother21]

My 76' P Bass was getting too heavy. I loved the neck so I bolted on a Squire bass body and installed a new Fender Original pickup. It now weighs 8lb 5 oz. I can't tell any sound difference and those new Fender pickups are nice and my back is feeling better. You could try this on a Jazz Bass...

 

[Watchootognbout]

Instead of looking for another bass,try one on these.
A Comfort Strapp.

I have a 13.6 lb bass.
This helps me play comfortably.
It's three inches wide and 3/8 thick.

It may not be the same as a new bass,but it sure is cheaper!!

 

[Sam Dingle]

I highly suggest getting a super large and heavy strap. I'm not sure how much you're willing to spend, but I know that Sadowsky basses are really light. I think their new york 5 strings are around 8 pounds so their 4 strings have to be lighter. Maybe @Sadowsky can say something about that?

 

[SteveCS]

My back is killing me after hanging 9+ lbs of bass on my shoulders for 2 sets. Looking to trade one of my basses for a semi-hollow body which might be lighter and different than the Fender Jazz I now use.
I was looking at the Fender Starcaster bass. Seemed nice looking enough but in checking I found out it weights 9.7 lbs. Plus my guitar player said they were a piece of crap in the 70's and now that they are around again, they are still a piece of crap. I have yet to find a store that has one in stock to try out.. I like the look of a Hofner but not the tone. Anyone have any input?

Don't have time to read the full thread, so if mentioned already then apologies for duplication, but my German Warwick Corvette Standard with Ash body and Ovankol neck is just shy of 7.5lbs...

 

[mongo2]

A lot of the G&L Empress wood basses are less than 8 lbs! Whatever the hell Empress wood is.

My SWAG is "Empress" wood is Paulownia. It's named after Anna Paulowna, daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia and Queen Consort of King William II of The Netherlands. Paulownia trees are also known as Empress trees.

I've used Paulownia for bodies in a few builds and it can be very light in weight.

 

[JTE]

Instead of looking for another bass,try one on these.
A Comfort Strapp.View attachment 2743783

I have a 13.6 lb bass.
This helps me play comfortably.
It's three inches wide and 3/8 thick.

It may not be the same as a new bass,but it sure is cheaper!!

I've used Comfort Strapps since at least '97, maybe earlier. And they don't make my really heavy custom fretless something I can hang on my shoulder for four hours at all. I use the Comfort Strapps because they do make any bass I play more comfortable to play for a real gig, but they don't defy gravity.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I've used Comfort Strapps since at least '97, maybe earlier. And they don't make my really heavy custom fretless something I can hang on my shoulder for four hours at all. I use the Comfort Strapps because they do make any bass I play more comfortable to play for a real gig, but they don't defy gravity.

No.
They don't defy gravity.
They just spread out the weight.

 

[tpa]

Not that common but seen: play sitting and let the bass rest on your leg?

 

[DD Gunz]

My roadworn P is 6.98lbs, so you have options that aren't hollow body.

Early roadworns were generally very very light. I have a first year run P that weighs 7lbs and I have played jazz basses that were right around 7.5. If you change the tuners to ultralights you could be looking at a 7lb bass that is familiar to you and has the tone you desire.

Weight aside, I have found the early versions of these roadworns to be of very high quality. Don't let the MIM steer you away. They are exceptional instruments and worth the money IMO.

 

[2cooltoolz]

I went back to the Rocket Music thread here. At risk of supporting a TB sponsor :

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