I think suggestions of asking for a discount are disingenuous. If the seller shipped you a left-handed bass, you'd say, "Sorry, I can't play a left-handed bass. Please refund and update your listing so the next buyer doesn't make the same mistake." If the bass is heavy enough where you can't comfortably play it, then it's the same deal. "Sorry, I can't play a bass this heavy, please refund and update your listing so the next buyer doesn't make the same mistake." It's not, "Sorry, I can't play a bass this heavy ... unless you give me some money back."
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Receiving a Bass heavier than advertised
- Thread starter jazzenfunk
- Start date
No in many cases the bass will weigh less this us because part of the weight is now on the person holding it, even how narrow the angle is. Also the scale will not be steady and wil be hunting for the correct weight and invariably you will have to have at least 5 degrees to stabilize it. I Just Tested 8 11 oz flat at best read 8.8 oz when vertical. This is the likely reason the seller read 9.4 or they used bathroom scale method or if they used a luggage scale which has springs, usually below 12 lbs. is not accurate because of the initial spring resistenace. I always show a picture of the weight flat to the buyer.
My G&L Tribute L-2000 is 10.8 lbs. I don't feel so bad now. It is the heaviest bass I own.
I'm gonna say it's my bad that I didn't drill down on the weight with the seller. I just took the posted weight at face value. Of all the basses I've bought on line, the weights have all been accurate. I did contact the seller but he got defensive so I just took a star off of the review. It's a 5 string Ash Fender so being under 10 lbs is good. I can sit.
I don't think it's your blame to shoulder (ha!) but it is indeed a valuable lesson.
I was recently in negotiations to buy a bass and the weight the seller listed was on the high side. So I asked about that. He said it was on his old bathroom scale and maybe it wasn't quite accurate. This was a GOOD first step!
In my case, the seller was a reasonable human being. Since he was about to go on an international trip and weighing luggage was important he was willing to buy a new postage scale. They aren't expensive and in this case he was going to get multiple uses out of it right away.
Error in my favor, the bass was nearly 1 pound less! As you know, that is indeed a big difference.
For sellers, an accurate and easy to use scale is a minimal investment. For buyers, if accurate weight is critical information - get it!
Plenty of people here post about weight by stepping on a scale with and without the bass, subtract the difference and use that as the value. So no pic on a scale I don't take it as an accurate representation. Many people don't have anything better to use to weigh it so they honestly think this method is accurate, then post what number they actually have. So unless I see a pic on someone else's listing, or it's from a store which should have a scale, ask for confirmation - if that really matters to you, then do you due diligence and don't whinge about it later if you don't.
I have the G&L P version, too.... Tribute LB-100, but it only weighs 10 lbs, 4.5 oz. Here's both G&L Tributes.... "Saturn and Jupiter," massive, heavy basses.
so what, the seller is responsible for the weight stated, no matter how they arrived at it. if a color blind dude told you a bass was blue and it arrived red, is that also excusable?
Do your own due diligence, or whinge. I guess I know which you prefer. Or do you just believe all advertising? I ask the questions first, but that leaves little space for the drama as if I'd not been given an answer that satisfied me, I'd have passed, or taken the punt and accepted the consequences.
Actually, I appreciate the clarification you made.
Being used to metric, that was not clear to me. I was just confused by 2 dots in 1 number.
If I understand, it's about 200g off. That amount of error is in line with the method you describe.
Sellers who are not aware of how important weight can be have a blindspot in this regard.
The advice of pictures from an appropriate scale method is definitely the best way to go if weight is important.
What due diligence. Was the Op supposed to go to the seller and weigh the bass himself?
I worry about this because I live in the desert and I'm always concerned it will weigh more after I ship it to a humid area:
"An electric guitar's weight would increase by roughly 3 to 7 ounces when moving from a dry climate to a humid climate.
The math: For a standard solid-body electric guitar weighing 8 pounds, the unfinished wood mass (body and neck) is roughly 5.5 pounds.
An 8% shift in water weight inside that timber accounts for about (7 ounces) of added water."
Basses have more wood, so could go up by more than 7 ounces.
"An electric guitar's weight would increase by roughly 3 to 7 ounces when moving from a dry climate to a humid climate.
The math: For a standard solid-body electric guitar weighing 8 pounds, the unfinished wood mass (body and neck) is roughly 5.5 pounds.
An 8% shift in water weight inside that timber accounts for about (7 ounces) of added water."
Basses have more wood, so could go up by more than 7 ounces.
PS- FWIW every guitar I've purchased from Sweetwater has weighed significantly less than what they advertised.
Living in the desert is part of the reason.
Living in the desert is part of the reason.
You’ve apparently made your decision, but if it was me, I’d send it back. If this seller does sell other basses he’ll continue to do this to future customers. However, if this costs him a bit in shipping and a sale, he’ll think twice about doing it again.
You have an opportunity to possibly put an end to it and spare any future customers the grief you’re going through. You could be doing a great service for one of your fellow Talk Bass members.
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I'm an old scrawny guy with a blown left rotator cuff. I can't / don't do heavy and I can't play anything with neck dive for more than 10 min. But then again, I'll ask you specifically about the weight and balance before I buy. If you deceive me and it comes to me heavier then it goes back the same day as it was not "as you described".
I wouldn’t be whining about anything. I’d be sending it back.
I wonder how many of us own a scale that's accurate to the 1/10th of a lb, much less to ounces? A bathroom scale isn't going to cut it. You would need a scale that's certified, calibrated. We don't have many Post Offices anymore, and with the state they operate in, not even sure how accurate their scales are.
I've only seen weights with SW and now I am not certain they are even accurate, after reading these posts.
I think if I sold a bass, I'd leave the weight out of the listing, or state a known range for the model, like many manufacturers do.
I've only seen weights with SW and now I am not certain they are even accurate, after reading these posts.
I think if I sold a bass, I'd leave the weight out of the listing, or state a known range for the model, like many manufacturers do.
