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Putting a dollar amount to how much weight matters, if it does.

Do you value less weight enough to pay more?

  • Option A: $719 / 11.5 lbs

    Votes: 19 10.1%

  • Option B: $849 / 10.3 lbs

    Votes: 5 2.6%

  • Option C: $875 / 9.4 lbs

    Votes: 165 87.3%
  • Total voters
    189
#41
Boy Bob, none of those weights would pass muster with me. Only reason I kept my 9.5 lb 5-string is because I've had it for years and don't want to buy another one. And then I rarely use it onstage, just around home for fun. I have two Fender style basses that weigh 7 3/8 and 7 1/4 lbs respectively, and I would like to keep them in that general ballpark or lighter. Because I can :D
 
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#44
GretschWretch said:
We can buy a sub-seven pound Glarry for around $100 any day of the week, upgrade everything and still be out of pocket no more than $300.
Click to expand...

A buddy from doing oldies shows has one of them. Sounded good and came in his favorite shade of blue. But he uses really high action, which disguises the need for a fret job. I could probably clean it up enough myself, but for those who can't, a fret job can get costly. Did that to a couple SX basses I used to have. Good little basses with great sound but needed some fretwork. Wouldn't mistake it for Sadowsky but it was greatly improved.
 
#45
I prefer basses that weigh less than the options listed. My shoulder has pretty much recovered from some nerve damage from a car accident years ago. I learned a few things over the years looking for light gear:

  • You can find light examples of basses such as Fender and EBMM if you are patient.
  • Never sacrifice balance to achieve a lighter weight. A poorly balanced bass can hurt more than a heavy one.
  • Play before you buy.
  • You can achieve awesome tone with a light bass.
  • Straps matter. Get one that works for you.
  • Straps can distribute weight over a wider area but they really don’t alleviate weight issues if you are dealing with pain
  • Stretch and warm up for long rehearsals and gigs.
I don’t see a reason to sacrifice anything if you want a lighter bass. Figure out the budget and work from there. Take your time getting what you need.
 
#46
JimmyM said:
A buddy from doing oldies shows has one of them. Sounded good and came in his favorite shade of blue. But he uses really high action, which disguises the need for a fret job. I could probably clean it up enough myself, but for those who can't, a fret job can get costly. Did that to a couple SX basses I used to have. Good little basses with great sound but needed some fretwork. Wouldn't mistake it for Sadowsky but it was greatly improved.
Click to expand...

My first two Glarrys were susceptible to periodic fret sprout, but none of my similar basses with different badges are. Lately, in a lemming-like frenzy to go vintage only, I have been closely scrutinizing balance almost as much as weight.
 
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#47
I am really impressed by those Fender style basses you guys manage to get under 8 pounds or even 7 pounds for that matter, aren't they neck diving?
I thought my chambered Godin RG4 was light at 8.3 pounds and it is a bit neck heavy and the headstock is not as big a typical Fender...Do you all have hipshot ultralight tuners?
 
#48
vinlander said:
I am really impressed by those Fender style basses you guys manage to get under 8 pounds or even 7 pounds for that matter, aren't they neck diving?
I thought my chambered Godin RG4 was light at 8.3 pounds and it is a bit neck heavy and the headstock is not as big a typical Fender...Do you all have hipshot ultralight tuners?
Click to expand...
These are my sub 8lb Fenders. Both are Sandblasted Limited Editions. Both have HipShot tuners but not Ultralights.

9EED9FEB-9761-4C25-AC40-BCE10D03935B.jpeg
 
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#49
None of the above. Weight is the #1 consideration for me... 8-9 lbs being the sweet spot for me. Anything over 9 lbs is out of the question no matter how great everything else is. If I can't gig with it, I don't want it.
 
#51
From a medical standpoint, the less concentrated weight bearing down on one side of your body, the better off you’ll be over the long run.

Although I’m healthy enough that I still have the luxury of not needing to be overly concerned about an instrument’s weight, I’d still prefer a lighter instrument if it’s an option - and (and this is a pretty big ‘and’) all other factors were equal.

But either way I’d put nine or so pounds as the upper weight limit for any bass I was planning on doing multi-set stand up gigging with. And I’d prefer it below that. Eight would be really good. And anything under 8 lbs. would be ideal.

I’d be less fussy about weight if it were a single one hour set or I’d playing while seated.

As far as your poll choices go, ‘twere me I’d spend the extra to get the lighter choice.
 
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#52
vinlander said:
I am really impressed by those Fender style basses you guys manage to get under 8 pounds or even 7 pounds for that matter, aren't they neck diving?
I thought my chambered Godin RG4 was light at 8.3 pounds and it is a bit neck heavy and the headstock is not as big a typical Fender...Do you all have hipshot ultralight tuners?
Click to expand...
With Bass Xtenders on the E strings, too! Neither are neck heavy. Got 2 lightened up in different ways.

P Fleet 2020.jpg


The Hammersmith (far left) is a slightly smaller and slimmer body with a downsized headstock and used to weigh 7 3/4 lbs till I replaced the Badass style bridge with a Fender bent plate. Now it weighs 7 3/8 lbs.

The seafoam green parts bass used to weigh like 8 1/2" lbs or more, but since it was a cheapo plywood body, I experimented with hollowing it out under the pickguard years ago. It was playable and still sounded good but it became a little neck heavy. So cut to more recent times, and I weighed it officially for the first time, discovered it was 8 lbs exactly, and I ordered Ultralites and aluminum knobs the next day, which they all have. Brought it down to 7/1/4".

The Fenders in the middle weigh more at 8 3/4 lbs but that's not prohibitively heavy, and they look real cool (I did an ebonized paint job myself on the 76 P), and I don't want to replace much more than I already have, so no Hipshots. Cool basses...all of them have EMG Geezers, all of them have uniquely different acoustic tones but they all sound the same plugged in except the P which has flats. But before it had rounds and it sounded the same.

You can also make lighter basses with stuff like basswood, and that's how the Glarry bass bodies are made, but I'm very much skeptical of basses made with basswood. Surprisingly though, I'm good with the plywood body on the parts bass. Just hollow one out under the pg, buy the lightest hardware you can get, and it'll probably work out as long as the bass isn't like 10 lbs to begin with.
 
#54
Unless you have health reasons for needing a super light bass, I wouldn't stress over a pound or so, but I do agree that a couple hundred bucks isn't much for something you'll ideally use for many years. A comfy neoprene strap will also take some pressure off your shoulder.

But if you're asking me, weight is a major concern for cabinets. Less so for a bass. I've never hurt my (bad) back due to bass weight, but I have tweaked it hauling gear before.
 
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#56
I have an 73' P and an 83' SR that both weigh close to 9.5 lbs. They are grandfathered in. Anything now has got to be under 8.5lbs.
I spent money on a G&L J made from empress; about 7.5 lbs. and perfect balance.
 

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