And there are many where playing seated is an acceptable option, only they mostly are lower volume, more intimate settings. Singer-songwriter acts especially play seated. I think context determines which is the more appropriate approach.
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Weight?!?!
- Thread starter Fat Bottom Kyle
- Start date
And there are many where playing seated is an acceptable option, only they mostly are lower volume, more intimate settings. Singer-songwriter acts especially play seated. I think context determines which is the more appropriate approach.
Yeah. well... remember this snarky post when you're an old man. Yes, there are lots of people who don't worry about the weight of the bass hanging off their shoulder - yet. And there are a lot of us - me included - for whom that sad day has come. And, for some of us - me included - that sad day came several years ago.
When I learned to play bass - in 1968, at the age of 17 - I didn't give a thought about how much my friend's Rick 4001 weighed. Judging from how much my '73 4001 weighs, though, I'd guestimate about 9.25lbs...
When I joined the Air Force a year later, I wound up in a Combat Engineering squadron. When you get that suffix attached to your specialty code? They like to keep you; more or less until you die - or retire. And, because I had a knack for keeping the temperamental things working - and shot them very well - I spent the majority of my 24-year career as one of the M-60 gunners. Know how much an M-60E4 "light" machine gun weighs? 23.1lbs. - empty. With a 100-round assault pack of 7.62x51mm ammo attached? A little over 31 lbs. Try jumping out of the back of a truck - or a C-130 - with that slung over your shoulder, with another 200 rounds carried bandolier style - and an Alice pack - and running through the jungle. For days on end, sometimes. With lots of back-breaking physical labor (USAF Combat Engineers are all about airfield construction and repair) to round out the fun. And, on top of that? I was beating the snot out of my back riding motorcycles - often without even owning a car...
So, yeah; when I was a lot younger than I am now? I never gave a thought to how much my bass/basses weighed. Very, very few basses weigh even half as much as that damned M-60 did. In fact, I seldom noticed the bass's weight at all... But, as I drifted into my 60's? I have some basses that I started to become... reluctant... to play for very long. My back - and the shoulder that I hang the bass on (which, due to an accident about 15 years ago, is sorta artificial) let me know very quickly when I needed to put that bass down. Now that I'm in my '70's? I exercise fairly regularly - including the special PT exercises for my shoulder - so I'm in pretty good shape. For someone that was rode hard and put away wet for a lotta years, anyhow. But, there's no getting around the fact that age plus wear & tear just won't let me do what I could do, 45 years ago. Most of my herd of 27 basses weigh around 9 lbs. or so, and I don't have any problem playing them until I get bored - or it's time to eat. But, at this age? I can play my 4.9lb. Hofner 500/2 Club Bass for a hell of a lot longer than I can my 11.1lb. '78 P-Bass...
So, you do you... for as long as you can...
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Of course. But there are damned few performance contexts where an electric bass guitar is played seated. Some, certainly. But few enough where it seems seriously career limiting to refuse to do anything else.
Yeah. well... remember this snarky post when you're an old man. Yes, there are lots of people who don't worry about the weight of the bass hanging off their shoulder - yet. And there are a lot of us - me included - for whom that sad day has come. And, for some of us - me included - that sad day came several years ago.
When I learned to play bass - in 1968, at the age of 17 - I didn't give a thought about how much my friend's Rick 4001 weighed. Judging from how much my '73 4001 weighs, though, I'd guestimate about 9.25lbs...
When I joined the Air Force a year later, I wound up in a Combat Engineering squadron. When you get that suffix attached to your specialty code? They like to keep you; more or less until you die - or retire. And, because I had a knack for keeping the temperamental things working - and shot them very well - I spent the majority of my 24-year career as one of the M-60 gunners. Know how much an M-60E4 "light" machine gun weighs? 23.1lbs. - empty. With a 100-round assault pack of 7.62x51mm ammo attached? A little over 31 lbs. Try jumping out of the back of a truck - or a C-130 - with that slung over your shoulder, with another 200 rounds carried bandolier style - and an Alice pack - and running through the jungle. For days on end, sometimes. With lots of back-breaking physical labor (USAF Combat Engineers are all about airfield construction and repair) to round out the fun. And, on top of that? I was beating the snot out of my back riding motorcycles - often without even owning a car...
So, yeah; when I was a lot younger than I am now? I never gave a thought to how much my bass/basses weighed. Very, very few basses weigh even half as much as that damned M-60 did. In fact, I seldom noticed the bass's weight at all... But, as I drifted into my 60's? I have some basses that I started to become... reluctant... to play for very long. My back - and the shoulder that I hang the bass on (which, due to an accident about 15 years ago, is sorta artificial) let me know very quickly when I needed to put that bass down. Now that I'm in my '70's? I exercise fairly regularly - including the special PT exercises for my shoulder - so I'm in pretty good shape. For someone that was rode hard and put away wet for a lotta years, anyhow. But, there's no getting around the fact that age plus wear & tear just won't let me do what I could do, 45 years ago. Most of my herd of 27 basses weigh around 9 lbs. or so, and I don't have any problem playing them until I get bored - or it's time to eat. But, at this age? I can play my 4.9lb. Hofner 500/2 Club Bass for a hell of a lot longer than I can my 11.1lb. '78 P-Bass...
So, you do you... for as long as you can...
Sounds like you solved your problem and have quite a stable to choose from. Thank you for your service.
Yeah. well... remember this snarky post when you're an old man. Yes, there are lots of people who don't worry about the weight of the bass hanging off their shoulder - yet. And there are a lot of us - me included - for whom that sad day has come. And, for some of us - me included - that sad day came several years ago.
When I learned to play bass - in 1968, at the age of 17 - I didn't give a thought about how much my friend's Rick 4001 weighed. Judging from how much my '73 4001 weighs, though, I'd guestimate about 9.25lbs...
When I joined the Air Force a year later, I wound up in a Combat Engineering squadron. When you get that suffix attached to your specialty code? They like to keep you; more or less until you die - or retire. And, because I had a knack for keeping the temperamental things working - and shot them very well - I spent the majority of my 24-year career as one of the M-60 gunners. Know how much an M-60E4 "light" machine gun weighs? 23.1lbs. - empty. With a 100-round assault pack of 7.62x51mm ammo attached? A little over 31 lbs. Try jumping out of the back of a truck - or a C-130 - with that slung over your shoulder, with another 200 rounds carried bandolier style - and an Alice pack - and running through the jungle. For days on end, sometimes. With lots of back-breaking physical labor (USAF Combat Engineers are all about airfield construction and repair) to round out the fun. And, on top of that? I was beating the snot out of my back riding motorcycles - often without even owning a car...
So, yeah; when I was a lot younger than I am now? I never gave a thought to how much my bass/basses weighed. Very, very few basses weigh even half as much as that damned M-60 did. In fact, I seldom noticed the bass's weight at all... But, as I drifted into my 60's? I have some basses that I started to become... reluctant... to play for very long. My back - and the shoulder that I hang the bass on (which, due to an accident about 15 years ago, is sorta artificial) let me know very quickly when I needed to put that bass down. Now that I'm in my '70's? I exercise fairly regularly - including the special PT exercises for my shoulder - so I'm in pretty good shape. For someone that was rode hard and put away wet for a lotta years, anyhow. But, there's no getting around the fact that age plus wear & tear just won't let me do what I could do, 45 years ago. Most of my herd of 27 basses weigh around 9 lbs. or so, and I don't have any problem playing them until I get bored - or it's time to eat. But, at this age? I can play my 4.9lb. Hofner 500/2 Club Bass for a hell of a lot longer than I can my 11.1lb. '78 P-Bass...
So, you do you... for as long as you can...
Thank you for your service and the great story. Cheers.
Great story from @GIBrat51!
I'm here to tell you that oftimes, it's not that dramatic. Life just happens.
I decided to play bass at 42 years old ... relatively young and still relatively spry. (Thats when I joined Talkbass!) I looked up and suddenly its 2024 -- 20 years later. Now I'm 62 -- how did I get here???
And in the meantime, people like Mike Lull, @Chef, and @Bruce Lindfield have passed away!)
Along the way, I've gotten two replacement hips, progressive lenses, and a thyroid removal. Nothing overly unusual or life-threatening, just life happening! And part of making "life happening" easier, is making better choices, including deciding not to play basses that I think are too heavy.
Keep living -- you'll understand.
I'm here to tell you that oftimes, it's not that dramatic. Life just happens.
I decided to play bass at 42 years old ... relatively young and still relatively spry. (Thats when I joined Talkbass!) I looked up and suddenly its 2024 -- 20 years later. Now I'm 62 -- how did I get here???
And in the meantime, people like Mike Lull, @Chef, and @Bruce Lindfield have passed away!)
Along the way, I've gotten two replacement hips, progressive lenses, and a thyroid removal. Nothing overly unusual or life-threatening, just life happening! And part of making "life happening" easier, is making better choices, including deciding not to play basses that I think are too heavy.
Keep living -- you'll understand.
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Injuries or not, why would anyone strap on an 11 lb bass if they didn't need to? I know some folks will play a 12 lb 70's Jazz or Peavey T40 because they think the tone is better and everyone in the audience is going to hear the excellence - more power to them!
I bought a bass that I've made into something great, but it was 9.6 lbs when I bought it. 9.6 isn't heavy, unless you're in your 50's, have shoulder/neck issues, and already have lighter basses you could play. I swapped out the hardware for Hipshot and shaved a whole pound off. Now it's my main player.
I bought a bass that I've made into something great, but it was 9.6 lbs when I bought it. 9.6 isn't heavy, unless you're in your 50's, have shoulder/neck issues, and already have lighter basses you could play. I swapped out the hardware for Hipshot and shaved a whole pound off. Now it's my main player.
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I lift 16 tons and what do I get, another day older and deeper in dept (because T40's are expensive nowadays)
I have a '78 Ibanez Silver Series P-bass that weighs in right at about 12lbs. It's primarily relegated to studio duty, but I do bring it out for a set or two from time to time.
It comes with the territory of being a working musician imo, and as I've gotten into my early 40s, I've found a little preventative care goes a long way. I lift fairly regularly, swim laps, stretch, and use a percussive massage gun.
That being said, I haven't reached the point to where weight is something I pay too much attention to, and I'm stubborn enough to where I don't see myself ever really caring about it. I like what I like, and if it's a boat anchor, so be it.
It comes with the territory of being a working musician imo, and as I've gotten into my early 40s, I've found a little preventative care goes a long way. I lift fairly regularly, swim laps, stretch, and use a percussive massage gun.
That being said, I haven't reached the point to where weight is something I pay too much attention to, and I'm stubborn enough to where I don't see myself ever really caring about it. I like what I like, and if it's a boat anchor, so be it.
I work in a role that has a lot of HR/Admin component to it where I wind up dealing with employment limitations due to medical issues that people have. I wouldn't have thought it when I was younger but there are a lot of people out there who do have what I would say are mild to moderate chronic muscular-skeletal injuries where the weight of something you have to wear/hold for extended periods would likely cause discomfort. There are probably also people who just prefer lighter instruments for a variety of ergonomic or comfort reasons. There are probably some people who want a heavy instrument "because of the tone." People want what they want.
Personally, I have no issue with someone asking that any more than any other question about an instrument that they are considering paying me for. I also, all things being equal, would prefer a lighter rather than a heavier instrument. The SR5006 I have is totally at the limit of weight for me and I'd love to have something a kilogram or so lighter. I had a Rob Allen many years ago that was an absolute pleasure to play standing basically forever.
Personally, I have no issue with someone asking that any more than any other question about an instrument that they are considering paying me for. I also, all things being equal, would prefer a lighter rather than a heavier instrument. The SR5006 I have is totally at the limit of weight for me and I'd love to have something a kilogram or so lighter. I had a Rob Allen many years ago that was an absolute pleasure to play standing basically forever.
I was on a cruise ship watching the band, the bass player had a stand that his bass would sit on while he played. It just sat or balanced on it, no hooks. He could easily walk around and play, then walk back to this stand and sit the bass back on it. you almost could not tell it was on a stand.
At my longer gigs, I have a stool I will sit on some. that helps a lot. If I stay 'involved' in the gig, move around some, I dont look like some old bass player sitting in a chair.
At my longer gigs, I have a stool I will sit on some. that helps a lot. If I stay 'involved' in the gig, move around some, I dont look like some old bass player sitting in a chair.
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Joe Dart and the rest of the Fearless Flyers all use those stands. Super cool approach
Cool. Genuinely getting older was something I was in complete denial about - Until I wasn't.
Never.I'll rather play while sitting with my favorite bass than buying something just because of its weight l
The day may come when I have to sit to play. Actually after back surgery, and a surgery to repair a ruptured quad tendon, I did some gigs sitting (kinda had to, and not playing at all was not an option). But aside from those times, when I can stand up and play, I'm gonna do it as long as I can.
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