"On my bathroom scale"

[ArteK]

I've been selling and buying basses and guitars for over 30 years now, and only in the past one or two years has the "weight" spec become an issue. If I sometimes forget to put it in my eBay listing, it's always the first question that comes in.

I don't think it's being dishonest, as is implied in this thread. I guess I am being cheap in not investing in a scale. But sheesh, having a scale lying around in the off chance that I might sell basses at the rate of one or two a year seems a bit much.

That said, my basses have tended to weigh between 8-9 pounds. I tend to round up when reporting this weight. For whatever reason, my saying it weighs such and such on my bathroom scale seems to be sufficient for the people asking the question (on eBay and even on TalkBass on some occasions).

If I'm selling something that's heavy, I'm very much up front about that (for example, when I sold a Warmoth 5-string, and some 80's and 90's era Fender Jazz basses).

 

[lfmn16]

I actually appreciate it when someone is honest about how they are measuring the weight of the bass.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

What kind of bait do you use for digital fish?

A baitcoin...

 

[DirtDog]

I guess that's a "no"?

Correct!

 

[31HZ]

Because it clearly conveys the level of precision of the weighing, and invites the potential buyer with a specific weight limit to request a more accurate measurement.

Personally I've never taken it to be a passive-aggressive slight against any potential buyer, but maybe I need to be more easily offended.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Correct!

Cool. I see you're not a Supporting Member, so I won't have to worry about seeing you on the Classifieds.

 

[SgtHulka]

I agree with the OP. I bought a body recently (ebay) listed as 4.5 lbs in the original ad. Came in at 5.5 lbs! UGH! What's worse is the seller acted like I was nitpicking 'over 8 ounces give or take'. Double ugh! I still have the opportunity to rate neutral or neg feedback and may do just that. Accurate scales are cheap or even free to use at many USPS locations. Accurate weight is important to many buyers including me regardless of whether it is important to the seller.

Give him negative feedback and don't feel bad about it. No change will ever happen if you don't. Plus his horrible attitude.

 

[marchone]

Every time I see a classified ad for a bass that states, “On my bathroom scale”, I just smile. After all, how much else is the seller wild ass estimating?

I have an Escali Primo P115c digital kitchen scale that weighs in gram increments up to 11 pounds. It was $25 on Amazon. I’m a chef so I need the accuracy.

 

[DeepHz]

I feel your pain!

 

[Syd Rayne]

So... going back to the weight thing... do people have a set or ballpark tolerance in pounds that make it a "no"...? Does a doctor or chiropractor say don't strap on an instrument weighing more than 8 pounds...? Or is it more of a personal comfort thing...? Say you play a bass that weighs about 8.8 pounds - and it's borderline uncomfortable - so you won't buy one any heavier than that...? You find a bass you'd love to own, and the seller says 9.2 pounds, so it's end of discussion...? Now, I can see if an 8.5 pound bass is rather heavy, and the prospective bass is 11 pounds, then yes it's a "no".

I was selling a closet queen '77 Les Paul on Reverb (my first time selling an instrument online), and no lie, just about every single message was "How much does it weigh?" or else a lowball offer.

No other concerns. Just weight. At that time, I was astonished. Traditional Les Pauls aren't light to begin with, and the mid-late 70's models were probably the heaviest ever. I weighed it (close to 11 pounds) and that was a deal breaker for everyone. I suppose the generation that could afford an investment/collector guitar like that were not young pups free of back or shoulder pain. (In any event, it sold to a collector who flipped it, and never played it).

I have a '70s Rick 4001, with a handfull of recent mods (two extra switches, larger heavier pickups, and better tailpiece/bridge). I won't even weigh the thing. It isn't going to be for sale, unless I die, and it weighs a ton. I would guess at or over 12 pounds. (I know it's heavier than that Les Paul was). But then, I am not gigging with it for a lengthy set or anything. So I don't know how my shoulder will feel. I have a Carvin LB75, and that's close to the 4001 in weight. The wood seems less dense. (The Ricks are solid maple, if I recall). I love both instruments - even if they are way heavy. But then, I bought them decades ago, in my late 20's and early 30's. So we'll see.

 

[DirtDog]

Cool. I see you're not a Supporting Member, so I won't have to worry about seeing you on the Classifieds.

I never sell instruments online anyways. Not worth the hassle. And I’ve never bought an instrument where weight was a deciding factor!

 

[DirtDog]

I like the “gallon of water” unit of measurement.
Ex. “My peavey T-40 weighs 2.5 gallons of water”

And for scale length? Cubits or barleycorns?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Every time I see a classified ad for a bass that states, “On my bathroom scale”, I just smile. After all, how much else is the seller wild ass estimating?

I have an Escali Primo P115c digital kitchen scale that weighs in gram increments up to 11 pounds. It was $25 on Amazon. I’m a chef so I need the accuracy.

Exactly.

 

[Nerve]

I don’t even trust my bathroom scale to weigh me accurately, let alone my basses.

Doesn't it always add 10 pounds? Or was that tv?

 

[SgtHulka]

So... going back to the weight thing... do people have a set or ballpark tolerance in pounds that make it a "no"...? Does a doctor or chiropractor say don't strap on an instrument weighing more than 8 pounds...? Or is it more of a personal comfort thing...? Say you play a bass that weighs about 8.8 pounds - and it's borderline uncomfortable - so you won't buy one any heavier than that...? You find a bass you'd love to own, and the seller says 9.2 pounds, so it's end of discussion...?

Yes. End of discussion. There are a crap ton of quality instruments out there these days that can meet my standards of weight and other details.

My weight limits are not just arbitrary, I have been playing long enough to know what feels right and comfortable.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

So... going back to the weight thing... do people have a set or ballpark tolerance in pounds that make it a "no"...? Does a doctor or chiropractor say don't strap on an instrument weighing more than 8 pounds...? Or is it more of a personal comfort thing...? Say you play a bass that weighs about 8.8 pounds - and it's borderline uncomfortable - so you won't buy one any heavier than that...? You find a bass you'd love to own, and the seller says 9.2 pounds, so it's end of discussion...? Now, I can see if an 8.5 pound bass is rather heavy, and the prospective bass is 11 pounds, then yes it's a "no".

I was selling a '77 Les Paul on Reverb (my first time selling an instrument online), and no lie, just about every message was "How much does it weigh?"

No other concerns. Just weight. At that time, I was astonished. Traditional Les Pauls aren't light to begin with, and the mid-late 70's models were probably the heaviest ever. I weighed it (close to 11 pounds) and that was a deal breaker for everyone. I suppose the generation that could afford an investment/collector guitar like that were not young pups free of back or shoulder pain. (In any event, it sold to a collector who flipped it, and never played it).

I have a '70s Rick 4001, with a handfull of recent mods (two extra switches, heavier pickups, and better tailpiece/bridge). I won't even weigh the thing. It isn't going to be for sale, unless I die, and it weighs a ton. I would venture over 12 pounds. (I know it's heavier than that Les Paul was). But then, I am not gigging with it for a lengthy set or anything. So I don't know how my shoulder will feel. I have a Carvin LB75, and that's close to the 4001 in weight. The wood seems less dense. (The Ricks are solid maple, if I recall). I love both instruments - even if they are way heavy. But then, I bought them decades ago, in my late 20's and early 30's. So we'll see.

Weight is usually a personal preference. I had a ten pound bass that would kill my back after standing with it for three hours. My personal goal is 8.5 lbs or under. I can do heavier, but I that weight is comfortable all night long and that makes the gig a lot more fun. And I have to think this is intentionally done to deflate the listed weight. You never see people mentioning that it was listed at 8.8 lbs but came in at 7.8 lbs. If it's lighter, there is always a way found to weigh that instrument.

 

[yodedude2]

Then just list the weight as unknown. ...

in their own way, they are.

 

[Killing Floor]

I think the OP question really merits 2 answers.

First, many people take their basses into the bathroom. It's a thing. If you don't that is your business. Your loss. But most people like they way it sounds in there. That is why producers say the track is "in the can" when they finish mixing it.

Second reason is most (not all but most) bassists like to weigh their basses about once a week and the toilet is where most people first really begin to comprehend gravity. That's why people keep scales near the toilet.





*****Bonus*****
Third answer as a reward for reading. Anyone who boils used strings, sells a free carry bag from an amp, or measures nut width is probably also going to pose in front of the mirror with their bass. The restroom is convenient because it has both a mirror and a scale. So efficiency goals! Play and weigh at the same time.

 

[Sid the Kid]

My bathroom scale is depressingly accurate.

 

[SgtHulka]

That is why producers say the track is "in the can" when they finish mixing it.

Ummm, no. In the can means you can hear it in your headphones.