Question about a New Bass (Warwick Corvette Bubinga 6 String)

[Thumpin6string]

The answer for a heavy bass IMHO is a Gruv Gear Duo Strap. I use one for my 10+ pound 6er and it saves my 60+ year old back. Makes it seem like half the weight. Mine is the Erskine signature model and is very well padded, looks great and is extremely high quality.

 

[Luke_94]

there's no way i'd be able to play standing up for a long time with this. I used to own a bass that was around 11lbs but my shoulder would feel wrecked the day after a gig. Now my bass weighs almost 9lbs and even those 2-3lbs made all the difference in the world!
But that bass looks gorgeous. I agree with @Joe Nerve. Get yourself a comfy stool!

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

If I'm remembering correctly, Warwick necks have an embedded metal channel in the neck. At least my Warwick Infinity SE does. Feels like a base ball bat and weighs a ton compared to other necks, like my Spector (they have carbon fiber inserts).

It plays ok for a while, but I only break it out for a few songs. Wears my shoulder out with the weight and hand out with the large "C" shaped base ball bat neck.

 

[burgerdj]

Difficult to find the signature Warwick tone in a lighter instrument - the woods and brass hardware are key ingredients to the recipe. Find the widest strap you can and invest in some comfortable shoes and padded insoles for those long rehearsal sessions!

 

[mmon77]

That's a beautiful bass!

Part of the Warwick sound comes from the wood. The other part comes from the pain of the person who has to hold it. I say that as a Warwick fan. I love my Thumb bass, but man is that thing heavy.

Only you can tell if the weight is something that you can deal with. Don't ignore your body. Get a wide, comfortable padded strap. As others have said, if you have pain from playing that bass, get it figured out before it causes damage. I'm lucky in that even as heavy as mine is, it doesn't seem to bother me physically. That could change as I get older, but for now, the weight is something I deal with to get a sound that can't be gotten any other way.

 

[MMiller28]

Do you play out and need to stand? Either way definitely get a 3" leather strap, I really like my Levy's that was about $35.

 

[maeda]

The bubinga bodies sound pretty different than the ash, def play one before you switch. I am not crazy about bubinga or ash, I prefer maple, which is on the heavier side too. Weight never bothered me tho...

 

[SiliconElle]

I have a 4-string bubinga Corvette and love it. I have scoliosis, but I usually play that bass sitting in the studio. So idk how it would affect me in a live situation. When I used to gig with it, it gave me no problems, but that was before the scoliosis became a problem.

 

[dsky7]

thank you all for the advice! I ordered the Corvette $$ Ash 5 string and I'll compare both at home, and keep the one I like more.

 

[Manticore]

@DiabolusInMusic Will I ever get used to the weight? Or is it something that's gonna bother me more and more as time goes on?

My no. 1 in an Alembic Elan 6. It's just over 14 lbs. and I've taken it to virtually every gig I've done over the last 27 years. Like your Warwick, my bass is very well balanced. I found the 4" padded leather strap makes the bass very comfortable for gigs of any length. In short, your mileage may vary, but the weight has never bothered me. For reference, I 'very been around since Eisenhower was president.

 

[Keger Jupit]

I'll definitely agree with all those who say go with a wide strap. As a young man, I wanted to use the ultra-skinny straps like dUg Pinnick uses. My shoulder told me to take a short walk off a long pier...

Wider is much better, like tracks on a tank or big low-pressure ballon tires on a tundra bus. Distributes the weight over a much larger area.

...is this the first picture of a tundra bus on TB?

 

[Nephilymbass]

So I just got my first 6 string bass... a Warwick German Pro Series Corvette Bubinga Active, 6 string. It plays wonderfully but I am still getting used to the wider neck.

Something that surprised me is it's insanely well balanced... no neck dive whatsoever!

The thing that stood out to me the most is the weight... It said 12 lbs when shipped but seriously feels like 15! It's insanely heavy... is this something that I'll get used to over time, or something that's gonna bother me more and more as time goes on? I'm young (early 20's) but I do have some mild back pain from a herniated disc.

I'm thinking about maybe switching to a Corvette $$ as those have Ash bodies... but I'd only be able to get it in a 5 string. Should I exchange the 6 String Bubinga?

I’ve had a bunch of Warwicks including 3 bubinga ones. I had a 6 string thumb bass that weighed 12 1/2 lbs so that kind of weight is not surprising. The lightest Warwick i had was the old ash body maple top wenge neck corvette FNA 5 string. Which pre dated the double buck and the fna jazzman. Similar to the doublebuck but it had a single MM style pickup. It was super light. I’m always skeptical about ash when it comes to the weight of basses though. That FNA was probably the lightest bass I’ve owned. But the heaviest bass I’ve ever owned was also an ash body(conklin). So the weight of ash is really all over the place from my experience. Bubinga though is always typically on the heavier side even on small body basses like thumb basses. Nice tonewood but you pay the price with the weight.

As far as dealing with the weight. It all just depends. Unless I’m at home by myself I prefer to stand up when I play. For gigs mostly playing 45-90 minute originals gigs, it wasn’t an big issue until I got into my mid 30s. At that point playing high energy rock shows with a heavy bass got to be too much of a pain. My current band is pretty spread out so we have long marathon rehearsals to reduce how much everyone has to drive and that also makes me prefer lighter basses. I tried sitting down but it’s just not my thing particularly with rock and metal music.

If you like the bass and are looking for things to help. Spending some decent money on a really good wide and padded strap does help some. If you really like the bass it might be a thing where you can sit at rehearsals to take the weight off or even use a lighter bass for rehearsals. But if you’re doing long 3-4 set cover gigs that weight will likely eventually be an issue. Maybe not on your 20s but if you plan to keep the bass long term it might get to the point where you don’t want to deal with the weight. Probably the best thing you can do to deal with the weight is to just stay healthy. I live near FT Bragg and I’m an army brat that’s been around soldiers all my life. The reason those guys are able to carry heavy packs on their back for long hikes is because most are in pretty good shape. So staying healthy certainly helps.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I'll definitely agree with all those who say go with a wide strap. As a young man, I wanted to use the ultra-skinny straps like dUg Pinnick uses. My shoulder told me to take a short walk off a long pier...

Wider is much better, like tracks on a tank or big low-pressure ballon tires on a tundra bus. Distributes the weight over a much larger area.

View attachment 3599878

View attachment 3599879

...is this the first picture of a tundra bus on TB?

I don’t know but I want one now lol

 

[steelin4u]

thank you all for the advice! I ordered the Corvette $$ Ash 5 string and I'll compare both at home, and keep the one I like more.

I'm not sure what you use for a strap, but I highly recommend using (buy/borrow/whatever) a 4" strap when you compare the two Wicks. Italia has excellent 4" straps that are buy-one-get-one-free most of the time: 4 Inch Wide Guitar Straps and Bass Straps.

 

[dsky7]

I was about to place an order for a 3" strap, looks like everyones recommending 4". All the 4" straps I've seen on Amazon however are suede or leather... I'm not a fan of grippy straps because they tend to pull on my shirt/collar and I end up looking really funny lol. Any recommendations on a woven/nylon 4" strap?

 

[David Jayne]

I was about to place an order for a 3" strap, looks like everyones recommending 4". All the 4" straps I've seen on Amazon however are suede or leather... I'm not a fan of grippy straps because they tend to pull on my shirt/collar and I end up looking really funny lol. Any recommendations on a woven/nylon 4" strap?

Neotech Mega Bass Strap. It's nylon outside neoprene inside. It slides around just fine. Won't stop a neck-diver from diving but if you don't want that it's the ticket. I have several.

 

[fermata]

If you're playing a heavy six-string, why not follow Anthony Jackson's lead and skip the strap in favor of a chair?

 

[dsky7]

@fermata At home I definitely play in a chair, but I'd like to stand with the rest of my band members when we play together!

 

[Reedt2000]

If you're playing a heavy six-string, why not follow Anthony Jackson's lead and skip the strap in favor of a chair?

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He only sits so there's no chance he'll drop that $12k bass!

 

[David Jayne]

If you're playing a heavy six-string, why not follow Anthony Jackson's lead and skip the strap in favor of a chair?

View attachment 3600077

I don't know this but I suspect Anthony's Presentation II is not terribly heavy. I chatted him up as he put it away after a show and he flipped it around one handed by the neck and it looked easy. The chair was an overall ergonomic choice.