Ever pick one up? Surprisingly heavy as well as having awkward balance. Fighting the balance could be harder on the ol vertebrae than a heavy trad bass.
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Suggestions for lighter 5 strings
- Thread starter DaleAU
- Start date
Ever pick one up? Surprisingly heavy as well as having awkward balance. Fighting the balance could be harder on the ol vertebrae than a heavy trad bass.
You might research a G&L Empress Wood 5..they are in the 7 1/2 and up range. And they make a nice instrument as well.
I own an accurate postal scale. My Stingray 5 HH weighs 10 1/2 lbs, my Sire V7 10.8 lbs. I like these basses but think they are a little heavy. I looked at Sadowsky's site and they have a lovely PJ 5 which weighs 8.87 lbs and costs $5650. Realistically, the weight difference is a whopping 1.63 lbs from my StingRay to Sadowsky. I though of chambering a body. I do woodworking as a hobby and a block of maple or ash that is the size of the hollow chambered body weighs in at just ounces so chamberin does not do that much-but it sounds cool. I know a lighter bass is nicer but it is really a pound or 2 more than a boat anchor bass. I use the widest Levy's bass strap which helps. Perhaps I could go join a gym and save that $5650 and learn to tolerate my 1.63 lb heavier bass.
Ibanez SR 505. I bought it because in the specs, it said it weighed 5 pounds. I bought it for that reason only. I didn't care what it sounded like. I could add fx, eq, whatever to make it sound the way I wanted it to. I was gonna play no matter what. Turns out it sounded great and weighed in at 5 lbs. just like it said. Even still it hurts my back sometimes. Small price to pay to get to play.
I would check local listings for anything that looks like and ask for a weight, but if you want to go new, Ibanez would be the best bet. 1000 Australian should be able to get you a pretty nice Ibanez, there are some that I've played that I would have bought in a heartbeat back when I first searched out a light 5 string to replace my stingray5. They have tighter string spacing though, so keep that in mind.
There is also a Yamaha that's discontinued that had basically a foam core body. If I remember correctly, it actually sounded pretty awesome. I think it was super like. Something in the RBX model line I believe.
Nice straps can help a tiny bit with shoulder pain mostly, but weight will help much more and so will playing position. If your strap is too high, I think that can put more stress on your back. A little lower and the weight is directed down more vs. in front and down, if that makes any sense.
There is also a Yamaha that's discontinued that had basically a foam core body. If I remember correctly, it actually sounded pretty awesome. I think it was super like. Something in the RBX model line I believe.
Nice straps can help a tiny bit with shoulder pain mostly, but weight will help much more and so will playing position. If your strap is too high, I think that can put more stress on your back. A little lower and the weight is directed down more vs. in front and down, if that makes any sense.
I have a Peavey Foundation 5 string at 8 pounds 3 ounces with a poplar body, and a Tobias Renegade 5 with an alder body under 8 pounds. You have to weigh the one you want. I've seen examples of all the suggestions here that are heavy.
I also find a long horn, one that goes to at least the 12th fret or even the 11th like my Peavey make a bass feel lighter.
I also find a long horn, one that goes to at least the 12th fret or even the 11th like my Peavey make a bass feel lighter.
If the horn goes to the 12th fret, you will not have neck dive either (from what I read).
