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Tricks to lower the weight on a bass?

aparker82

aparker82

Sep 19, 2012
292
32
Georgia
#1
Howdy y'all,

I love my Ray35 but at 10.4 pounds it doesn't take long till it starts to bother me, because of this I've been playing my P5 that comes in at 8.2 pounds instead.

Are there some tricks for me to shave a couple of pounds off this bass?

Thanks for your time.
 
#3
aparker82 said:
Howdy y'all,

I love my Ray35 but at 10.4 pounds it doesn't take long till it starts to bother me, because of this I've been playing my P5 that comes in at 8.2 pounds instead.

Are there some tricks for me to shave a couple of pounds off this bass?

Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...

This is what I consider an irreparable defect. It's a real estate term used to describe an undesirable characteristic / condition which is difficult or impossible to remedy. Sell it and buy something lighter...I doubt if you'll be able to shave 2 lbs.

Riis
 
#10
Losing a bunch of wood will likely alter the tone, and possibly introduce neck dive depending on the current state of balance.

If you love the bass now, really the only options are:
install lighter tuners and live with it,
or:
sell it and find a lighter one (could be difficult since Rays tend to be heavy)
 
#11
If you are worried about value it sounds like you want to sell it eventually or you are worried it still won't be light enough for you. If either is the case tout are better off selling it. Check out the sterling by mm if you want something similar to the ray but want lighter weight.

Edit: the sterling series, not the lower priced sterling by mm bases.
 
#12
aparker82 said:
Hmm, well bummer, maybe that is the proper route.

Kinda like chasing a rabbit down the hole eh?
Click to expand...

It happens. I really wanna like EBMM basses but, on average, they're just too dang heavy.

As others mentioned, you could chamber the body beneath the pickguard. I doubt if you'll reach the targeted reduction and the bass will end up amazingly unbalanced.

Riis
 
#13
kcole4001 said:
Losing a bunch of wood will likely alter the tone, and possibly introduce neck dive depending on the current state of balance.

If you love the bass now, really the only options are:
install lighter tuners and live with it,
or:
sell it and find a lighter one (could be difficult since Rays tend to be heavy)
Click to expand...

What does removing wood do to the tone?

How much weight is dropped from light tuners?

What are some good drop in tuners for a Sterling Ray35?
 
#16
ChloroPhil315 said:
If you are worried about value it sounds like you want to sell it eventually or you are worried it still won't be light enough for you. If either is the case tout are better off selling it. Check out the sterling by mm if you want something similar to the ray but want lighter weight.

Edit: the sterling series, not the lower priced sterling by mm bases.
Click to expand...

Biggest isssue I would have with this is the neck on the sterling is way to skinny....well..at least on the 4 string, is the 5 string a skinny neck too?
 
#19
ChloroPhil315 said:
If you are worried about value it sounds like you want to sell it eventually or you are worried it still won't be light enough for you. If either is the case tout are better off selling it. Check out the sterling by mm if you want something similar to the ray but want lighter weight.

Edit: the sterling series, not the lower priced sterling by mm bases.
Click to expand...
Yeah, EBMM Sterling's can be lighter. My 5 HH is about 9.5 lbs though (I think 9.3 on the digital scale), so still heavier than the OPs other bass.
But worth trying out - there may be lighter ones out there, though a lot of stores don't have them to test drive.
 
#20
I changed the tuners on one of my EBMM SR5's and they (Hipshots) are about 25% lighter than the stock Schallers. It was more to improve neck dive than to fix overall weight, which helped.

I don't think there is a whole lot you could do to reduce the weight of a bass short of chambering the body and that would cost more than it's worth and reduce the value of the bass.

The easiest solution would be to sell it and search for a lighter bass. I personally find anything over 9.5 lbs too heavy, but anything in the 8's is ideal, provided it balances well.
 

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