TB Suggestions for Reducing Bass Weight...Thank You!

[spvmhc]

I recently asked about the wisdom of reducing the weight of my bass by drilling out holes in the back of the bass. I was pleased with the ideas I got from TBers and wanted to update you with my conclusions.


FretNo More suggested selling the bass and buying a lighter one. This struck me as kind, reasonable advice.


Several respondents suggested buying a wider/neoprene strap. I like this fix because it is easy, inexpensive, and reversible.


Josiah Goldfish suggested lightening the bass by drilling out some wood from behind the pickguard. Ingenious.


Several people suggested using ultra-light tuners. I like this idea and am holding it in reserve in case the modest drilling and new strap don't have enough effect.


It was suggested that I search eBay for an alder body. Another respondent cautioned that such a neck might not fit and showed ways of adapting a neck. BassHappy's craftsmanship and Pat Wilkins' finish work are wonderful. I think I need to play within my personal limits. I could easily get in over my head here.


I especially liked LowEZ's idea of drilling out the bass and filling the holes with carrots. Creativity comes in a lot of forms. Well done.


And I need to thank Jim Carr for pointing out the danger of moral decadence in mutilating an intact instrument. He's right; humility and gratitude are in order here-not hubris. I'm grateful to live at a time when I can afford several basses that are amplified by goofy levels of power.


So…..here, in order, are the steps I plan to take:


1. Buy a more comfortable strap


2. Do modest drilling behind the pickguard


3. If steps 1 and 2 are insufficient, add ultra-light tuners


4. If steps 1 through 3 are insufficient, I'll sell the bass and look for a lighter one. I just wish there were more mediums scale options available.


5. Whatever happens with 1-4, I will be mindful of my good fortune and not confuse it with a reward for any personal quality. Just lucky.


It was great to ask a question of TB and get thoughtful answers. You've really been helpful. Thank you.

 

[peterbright]

And no one suggested helium balloons? I'm surprised. Actually a wide thick strap will cure most weight problems.

 

[BruceWane]

Before drilling the body, try taking one tuner off - this will give you a very close idea of how lightweight tuners will affect the feel of the bass. Even though it's only a few ounces, removing a little weight from the head of the bass will change the overall balance and make a big difference in how heavy the bass feels. A bass can be pretty heavy but still be quite comfortable if it's well balanced.

 

[mongo2]

I've done the lightening/comfort mods you mentioned and more. You may find that when the body is lightened by drilling it out, the weight of the tuners can become more of an issue with neck-dive.

A few other things I've done...Sit while playing, I've adapted basses to be mounted on a Steinberger EUB stand, bought lighter basses, built my own lightweight basses, converted lighter guitars into shortscale basses (see my avatar for one) and use Ashbory, Kala UBass and Goldtone mBass instruments.

 

[SGT. BAKER]

Take off some milimetres of your bass body thickness.

I edit to say you can go to 42 milimetres or even 40 mm instead of 45 milimetres of thickness body.

 

[Blake Bass]

You may also consider a lighter bridge bridge like the Babicz..

 

[tjh]

.. is this the bass that you inquired about ??

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/coping-with-a-heavy-bass-is-this-too-bizarre.1089609/

... I would suggest that you take the bass apart, and weigh components separetely ... start the the neck and body, both loaded ... then post those weight and they can be evaluated ... before you start hacking the bass up, it would be advantageous to try and identify 'where' the bass is carrying more weight than it should be ... to do this effectively, it is important for weight accuracy, so if you have access to a calibrated digital scale that would help a lot ... 'about 5 lbs' or 'between 5 and 6 lbs', etc type comments will not do you much good, as it is quite likely that 1+ lb is about ALL that you are going to get off if you do everything ... but it helps to identify WHERE the effort should be directed prior to starting ...

... also, realize that there is a great disparity to bass weights in this Squier series ... I have had several Squier VM Jazzes, most all identical, and have seen all the way from 7.6 lbs (currently on hand) to just over 10 lbs (which is parted out and long gone) ... it may pay just to look for the same model you have, getting weights prior to purchasing, and then just move the one you have along ... IF you can find an intact bass even ONE pound less than the one you have, and then proceed as planned, you may very well end up with a low-mid 8 lb bass ... big difference between that and a mid 9# bass that your efforts will currently yeild you ... JMHO

 

[troy mcclure]

I had a buddy make swiss cheese out of his OLP five string.. ( the 1st series) he took about a pound of it. I built a new build a while back with a Paulina body from guitar fetish and a babcicz bridge came in at under 7 lbs.

 

[SneakyT]

Not to sound sarcastic at all but back and shoulder exercises will stop just about any pain caused by a heavier instrument. I actually prefer heavier instruments (due to the way they balance while I'm moving around) and have no pain on any gig less than 4 hours. Before I was working out regularly I did have pain.

 

[smeet]

Since I started using 4" leather straps with suede backing I have no problems with either weight or balance. I like Italia straps, but I think anything wide and leather/suede is the bomb.

 

[mongo2]

Not to sound sarcastic at all but back and shoulder exercises will stop just about any pain caused by a heavier instrument. I actually prefer heavier instruments (due to the way they balance while I'm moving around) and have no pain on any gig less than 4 hours. Before I was working out regularly I did have pain.

Not necessarily, it depends of the reason for the pain. Besides, I'd rather spend that time practicing on my lighter basses than working out. I'll never get paid a dime for working out.

 

[SneakyT]

Of course I should have said barring injury.

I would say that better health is never wasted time and worth the investment.

 

[capnjim]

I had a MIJ Medium scale Fender jazz bass that was as light as could be. They are rare, but to me, sound as good as a full scale and weigh very little.

 

[JimmyM]

Of course I should have said barring injury.

I would say that better health is never wasted time and worth the investment.

I have to agree, even though I don't quite follow that advice But I try to most of the time, and when I work out, I have much less pain than when I don't for sure. Still can't handle a heavy bass, though, and the pain never goes away completely.

Been my experience, though, that while a wider strap can lessen problems with heavy basses, it's still a heavy bass and it's still hanging from your shoulder, so for me, the only practical solution was to lighten up. Sold my 10 lb Jazz and my top weight that I can handle is about 8.5 lbs. so none of my basses weigh much more than that anymore.

 

[Vanceman]

I agree with Jimmy. I already have a 4" strap, and while it has helped in the comfort department, the bass still weighs alot.
So, I'm putting my bass on a diet too. How about the knobs? My Carvin has 6 metal knobs, I will be replacing with plastic knobs. Lightweight tuners coming too. I will weigh the components when they arrive, and post the differences.

 

[Jaco D]

What's the reasoning behind wanting to lighten the bass? Is it because of some pain or discomfort located in the neck/shoulders/upper back? I don't know if it applies to your case but I noticed that it's not the weight of the bass that gives me neck or shoulder problems, but the fact that the weight of the bass is not balanced between the headstock and the butt ends of the bass (weight is skewed toward the headstock). Making the butt end lighter would only make things worse as the headstock end would now feel heavier. Installing lightweight tuners would seem to be a more logical solution. Likewise, adding weight to the butt end to balance things out might work though it would sound counter-intuitive.

 

[mongo2]

Of course I should have said barring injury.

I would say that better health is never wasted time and worth the investment.

You also forgot about various musculoskeletal illnesses which might even be exacerbated by working out.

Even without any of those, I'd still go with a lighter bass. Why carry more weight than necessary even if you are in perfect condition? Besides, over the decades I've found that naturally lighter solid body instruments (made of lighter woods rather than drilling out, etc.) generally have a more full, more organic sound that I prefer. Paulownia is one of my favorite body woods for that reason.

Balance is another factor that can be very important to how a bass feels. Relocating the the strap button locations or otherwise changing the strap connection points can be beneficial at times.

 

[BassHappy]

I recently asked about the wisdom of reducing the weight of my bass by drilling out holes in the back of the bass. I was pleased with the ideas I got from TBers and wanted to update you with my conclusions.


FretNo More suggested selling the bass and buying a lighter one. This struck me as kind, reasonable advice.


Several respondents suggested buying a wider/neoprene strap. I like this fix because it is easy, inexpensive, and reversible.


Josiah Goldfish suggested lightening the bass by drilling out some wood from behind the pickguard. Ingenious.


Several people suggested using ultra-light tuners. I like this idea and am holding it in reserve in case the modest drilling and new strap don't have enough effect.


It was suggested that I search eBay for an alder body. Another respondent cautioned that such a neck might not fit and showed ways of adapting a neck. BassHappy's craftsmanship and Pat Wilkins' finish work are wonderful. I think I need to play within my personal limits. I could easily get in over my head here.


I especially liked LowEZ's idea of drilling out the bass and filling the holes with carrots. Creativity comes in a lot of forms. Well done.


And I need to thank Jim Carr for pointing out the danger of moral decadence in mutilating an intact instrument. He's right; humility and gratitude are in order here-not hubris. I'm grateful to live at a time when I can afford several basses that are amplified by goofy levels of power.


So…..here, in order, are the steps I plan to take:


1. Buy a more comfortable strap


2. Do modest drilling behind the pickguard


3. If steps 1 and 2 are insufficient, add ultra-light tuners


4. If steps 1 through 3 are insufficient, I'll sell the bass and look for a lighter one. I just wish there were more mediums scale options available.


5. Whatever happens with 1-4, I will be mindful of my good fortune and not confuse it with a reward for any personal quality. Just lucky.


It was great to ask a question of TB and get thoughtful answers. You've really been helpful. Thank you.

Sounds to me like you are taking a very reasonable approach to the problem, and I wish you nothing but the greatest of success in getting that baby down a little in the weight category.
You couldn't be more right, medium scale options - especially with the Fender or Squier name on them - are few and far between! Gotta grab what you can grab when you can grab it.

Let us know how you make out.

BassHappy
www.innertainment.net

 

[JimmyM]

What's the reasoning behind wanting to lighten the bass? Is it because of some pain or discomfort located in the neck/shoulders/upper back? I don't know if it applies to your case but I noticed that it's not the weight of the bass that gives me neck or shoulder problems, but the fact that the weight of the bass is not balanced between the headstock and the butt ends of the bass (weight is skewed toward the headstock). Making the butt end lighter would only make things worse as the headstock end would now feel heavier. Installing lightweight tuners would seem to be a more logical solution. Likewise, adding weight to the butt end to balance things out might work though it would sound counter-intuitive.

Yeah, I've had people tell me that, too. It's the overall weight of the bass for me. Might be different for others, but not for me.

 

[metron]

Stop resting your arm on it when you play. Seriously though I don't know if you do but lots of players rest their right arm on the bass while playing which increases the force applied to the shoulder.