Weight vs. Tone

[lfmn16]

This is another TB false dichotomy. You CAN have both light weight and solid tone.

EDIT: Oops, I see I'm late to the party with this observation.

 

[jeff62]

Because you can find earthshaking tone in a light bass the poll is not relevant to me. I choose (reasonably) light basses that sound great — the two factors are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Turnaround]

Tone and weight... there may be a co-relation.

First off, it depends on whether you believe that the wood of the body affects the tone (the old tonewood debate). If you think the idea of tonewood is bunk, then weight can hardly be a factor. Either the body is contributing to the tone or it's not.

If you think the body wood, or neck wood, or fingerboard wood can make a difference in the tone, then perhaps the weight is a contributing factor as well. If the bass is heavier, it is more dense. That means it is likely to have a lower resonant frequency. Perhaps that is contributing to a heftier sound. But the additional mass will cause the instrument to be less responsive to the stimulus of the strings - the added mass will act as a dampener. So that will negate the effect of the lower resonant frequency on the overall sound.

But if it is simply the weight that is responsible for the heftier sound, try hanging a 5 pound weight on a lightweight bass and see if it sounds meatier.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I don't think there's a strong correlation between the two. Many players swear by that the heavier basses sound better. I've been playing the bass for over 25 years and have played very heavy ones and light ones. Some sounded good some bad, but you can't really measure the affect of weight on tone. There's a video of a strat made out of cartoon at the Fender factory. Sounded like a strat et the end.

Generally speaking, denser woods are heavier, and since less high frequencies are absorbed, they'll sound brighter. I'm not a luthier but there's a lot of other things to consider when you talk about tone.

I keep saying this here when the subject pops out. I prefer lighter. I had a surgery from my neck back in 2003 and they removed a disk from my neck. This was because of playing a heavy bass 6-7 days a week 5-6 hours a day. I was a full time bass player inbetween 97-2003

So tone for me. The I like alder and swamp ash, and the other lighter woods such as agathis, basswood, poplar sound very similar to eachother imo.

 

[yodedude2]

if you think that weight makes for better tone, get yourself a barker. i guarantee you it weighs more than whatever bass you are playing/raving about the tone right now.

FS: Barker Vertical Fretless 4 Bass

 

[FirewalZ]

I’ve always viewed this as a “How the weight and density of the surrounding materials effects the vibrating string” question ....rather than this specific wood type over that. The body, fingerboard and likely even fret surface materials will absorb or reflect different frequencies?
My 77 jazz sounds great, but it’s just too heavy for a typical 3-4 set gig. I used to think heavier bass’s had a “better” sound, but up to a point the weight becomes to much of an issue. I try to look more practically at tone and playability and don’t think too much about weight, unless it reaches to a point, which for me these days would be much over 9 lbs.

 

[68Goldfish]

I’ve got a couple of heavy basses. My Warwick SS2 fiver is probably the heaviest. If it wasn’t so totally cool and awesome sounding I might give the excess weight more consideration. As it is I just try to deal with it by using a big puffy strap. I guess if the bass sounds and looks killer I’ll likely deal with the weight.

 

[Basstigator]

I rarely play my Longhorn Jazz primarily because of the weight to tone ratio. It's like holding a pallet of bricks after while. Now, I do play my Jaguar bass LOTS. Less weight (not by much) and wonderful tone. Of course, my EB0 is as light as a feather and has great tone too (I think I just don't like the Jazz bass that much for some reason).

 

[JRA]

Many players swear by that the heavier basses sound better.

only on a per-instrument basis are tone and weight even related: on some = they are, on others = they aren't. most of the long-time players will attest that some boat anchors sound great, some not-so-much. same with lightweight instruments. all i got.

And if you have the tone you love in a light bass, let us know what you're playing.

i'm not a tone chaser --- i'm usually chasing notes instead --- but i don't get complaints about tone from anyone. my lightweight axes are made from basswood (one for sure, the rest i assume): two chinese branded axes, one P-lyte.

 

[BassJuju]

Tone... always tone. And, from my experience the 2 are not directly or inversely proportional.

 

[cataract]

My old 6.5ish lb JMJ Mustang bass sounded INCREDIBLY loud when played unamplified but that resonance was lost in translation when plugged in.
My 14 lb solid aluminum neck-thru is the complete opposite— doesn’t have the inherent qualities of an unplugged “normal” instrument constructed of wood but when it’s plugged in, the attack & sustain are next level incredible. YMMV
I might put a Fat Finger on the headstock and report back with the results.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I have two basses that weigh the same.
With two different tones.
I did not "tone search"when I bought them.
Both have soapbar pickups.

One is made of Merbau Is neck through.
The other is Walnut and Mahogany.Is bolt on.

The merbau bass sounds scooped.
The walnut is round and punchy.

 

[iiipopes]

Just remember that a pair of soapbars, like an EMG 40 or Bart MK or similar, in and of themselves add about a pound of weight to an instrument. With that said, how about something completely different: replace the chunks of copper with a set of Lace Alumatones: 1/3 the weight, with expanded tonality, and have both tone and lighter weight.

 

[foolforthecity]

One word on weight vs Tone: SADOWSKY. I have two, love the tone and they're both 7.5 pounds. One's an NYC 24 Fret with Sadowsky Soapbars and the other is a NYC Satin Deluxe with Sadowsky Hum canceling P/Js. Like them in passive mode, love them in active. And why wouldn't you use that preamp?

I can't count the number of basses I've gone through to this point, vintage boat anchors, active exotics, hollow bodies, etc. I've finally found the sound I need and it has nothing to do with weight.

Man, I was in Nashville last week so I made the obligatory runs to Gruhn’s and Carter’s. Gruhns had a couple of Sadowskys and they were noticeably light and both sounded incredible. Perfect match of light weight and fantastic tone, resonance, and playability. $5k each? Guess I’ll have to wait awhile

 

[Jeff Scott]

I didn't vote because I do not feel (from my vast experience) that weight and tone are locked together and necessarily interrelated.

 

[Drop1]

There is a common perception that denser woods yield a bassier tone. And conversely that lighter woods yield a thinner treblier tone. Whether or not this is true has been the subject of much debate amongst heavy industry hitters. Whether it’s true or not, think of this: I think it’s easier to darken a trebly sound, than brighten up a bassy sound.

I dont believe weight is the factor. I think stiffness is. Really hard, ridged woods seem to be brighter while softer woods are a but darker and more round. I've never found any correlation to weight but hardness factors seem to yield pretty consistent results.

 

[cnltb]

There is no 'or'.
A bass needs to be of a comfortable weight and it needs to sound good.

 

[LBS-bass]

I think this may be one of those false dichotomy thingees

Not my intention. I didn't say that you could only have one; I asked about your current priorities.

I happen to have a stable of heavy basses because, right now, tone is most important to me and weight is a secondary consideration that I don't really think about. Maybe one day I'll need some lighter ones. But there's nothing in my post that says it's not possible to have both. In fact, I'm encouraging others to share their ideas so that people like me will have some thoughts about what to do if the time comes that weight is an issue.

 

[Dincrest]

I voted weight because I lump it together with playability and ergonomics. The best tone in the world is meaningless if it's coupled to an instrument that makes me groan every time I have to pick it up. Besides, my tone comes from my fingers. Whether I'm playing a Squier or a Fodera, I'm always going to sound like myself. I can enhance my tone through various means (technique, amp, EQ, onboard electronics), but I can't magically make a bass any lighter or more playable.

 

[LBS-bass]

There is no 'or'.
A bass needs to be of a comfortable weight and it needs to sound good.

So what do you own that achieves this?