The hunt for a light weight bass

[BassHole1]

I have a Squier P bass that I stripped from standard red to natural wood, then stained and then added gold paint, then amber lacquer, then relic-ed. Rosewood neck. All new chrome parts were aged and I put in a USA harness and Aguilar P bass pickups. Not only does it sound killer but it looks killer and it super light.....

 

[rmayer]

Anything made from Paulonia (empress wood) is gonna likely be below 7lbs. Unfortunately tone wise, the instruments suffer vs a more dense (and heavier) wood.

But if you’re willing to look past the tone issue, then there are several to consider. Spector RST, Cort GB modern, the newer growler, the Sandberg, amongst others.

Sadowsky’s chambered bodies are many times below 8lbs as well and provide a far superior tone vs any Paulonia instrument.

I've owned a few Empress wood G&Ls, both LB100s and JBs, and never found them really lacking in tone compared to more dense, heavier woods.
Never been a fan of heavy bass equals great sound.

I currently own an Empress body LB100 and a chambered Alder Sadowsky NYC. Yes, the Sadowsky sounds nicer, but I think that has to do with the chambered body and the Sadowsky quality of construction.

Actually, if there is a slight difference in sound with the Empress body, it's worth it to my neck and lower back vertebrae for the weight reduction.

 

[dlmarquez]

Depending on your finances you might find the Grez Mendocino bass very interesting!

The Mendocino Bass | grezguitars

Light weight vintage inspired semi-hollow bass.

www.grezguitars.com

 

[Dincrest]

As others said, keep practicing/playing seated while your injuries recover. Once they're fully recovered, then think about what bass works for you. If you can keep your shoulder bones, that's one thing. If you get a full shoulder replacement, that's another since you can't really lift or bear weight with those. They're more for movement.

Remember in 1992 when Metallica frontman James Hetfield suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns after being blasted by a misfired pyrotechnic. He had their guitar tech play for them while he sang before he could even touch a guitar again.

And lightweight is not everything. Those new Tobias Growler seem great. Most on Sweetwater are 6-7 pounds and they appear to have long upper horns to the 12th fret for balance... but they neck dive pretty bad because the light pawlonia bodies don't properly counterbalance the heavier necks.

 

[klyph]

Squire Mini P bass or Danelectro. Both are cheap and sound pretty good, and will meet your weight requirements. You will only run into trouble if you get picky about strings for the Mini (oddball scale). Other than that, they punch far above their weight (literally) and can be easily flipped…

 

[zubrycky]

Danelectro is the way to go, OP.

That said, I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

 

[mikewalker]

If you happen to see a secondhand Status Streamline out there (and can afford it) - DO NOT HESITATE.
I had one of the last ones made in 32 inch scale ( "bendwell" equipped ) and if it hadn't suffered from a fatal trussrod flaw (maker refunded it including return shipping to England)... I'd still be playing it today

 

[Rayjay]

Anything made from Paulonia (empress wood) is gonna likely be below 7lbs. Unfortunately tone wise, the instruments suffer vs a more dense (and heavier) wood.

But if you’re willing to look past the tone issue, then there are several to consider. Spector RST, Cort GB modern, the newer growler, the Sandberg, amongst others.

Sadowsky’s chambered bodies are many times below 8lbs as well and provide a far superior tone vs any Paulonia instrument.

Not my experience. I have some great ash and alder basses that are extremely resonant. I recently completed a P build with a paulownia body. It's right about 7 pounds and acoustically it's the loudest and most resonant bass I own. My densest bass has a maple body and it sounds choked comparatively. Same for other dense basses I've owned including a bubinga Warwick. Having said that, every piece of wood behaves differently.

 

[retslock]

As stated previously - if it's just until you recover, I'd suggest sitting to play. It's way cheaper. Otherwise, look for something with a Paulownia (Empress wood) body.

 

[dlmarquez]

I will add this, I recommended the Grez Mendocino earlier. light weight, what appears to be high quality materials and construction, and possibly excellent ergos.
I tore my left rotator cuff last year, for the 5th time or so and its no longer really repairable. Just have to live with it. My fretless Rickenbacker is a real challenge to play comfortably for any length of time, but my Hofner Green Line violin bass is really pretty comfortable to play for extended periods of time. I understand your quest to find the right bass. in my opinion shape is as important as weight. how it hangs or sits on your body. I’d suggest you try a Dan Electro and a Hofner violin bass, and any other sub 6 lb bass you can find to see what actually works for YOUR body.

 

[K. Powell]

Danelectro, light with some neck dive. Look and sound great with rounds or flats. Affordable.

 

[mpdd]

due to the development of lingering dog walker's elbow recently, i'm gonna need to make some changes
my moody 4" xl strap will be coming as a birthday gift, that's when I'm going to have to decide if I can physically play my superheavy weight okume L2000 and alder JB or if their going to get rotated out for an empress L series or a lightweight Bongo

i was holding out hope that i'd just be able to pick up basswood or empress G&L bodies from them. but as you know that's not really an option now

 

[BadJazz]

Good friend of mine got a new Samberg that is 6 pounds and feels like your holding a prop. Plays and sounds fantastic.

 

[Old Fart]

For a time I had a Danelectro DC-59. It is hollow. Not sure about string spacing. I liked the sound it made.