All Simonon cared about was how hard a bass could be swung. The other two guys are dead.
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Weight?!?!
- Thread starter Fat Bottom Kyle
- Start date
All Simonon cared about was how hard a bass could be swung. The other two guys are dead.
I just don't understand why sellers list "on my bathroom scale" as the weight for their basses. Well, actually I do. Usually it's because it's far heavier than they are listing and can just fall back on "well, that's what it weighed on my scale". Amazon sells fish or luggage scales for under 10 dollars that will be accurate to an ounce.
Sweetwater lists the weight of their in-stock basses.
Warmoth lists the weight of their in-stock bass bodies.
Kiesel lists the weight of their in-stock basses.
Apparently not just a TB thing.
I don't know if I'm lucky, but I was born during the Eisenhower administration and never really noticed the 14+ pounds of my no. 1 bass over the last 30+ years; I've done thousands of gig on that bass and never really noticed it's weight. Weight just isn't a factor. Still, when I had a surplus bass listed here on TB, with a large number of photos, including one on a scale clearly showing the weight, I still received the questions about weight. There is nowhere on earth more obsessed about weight than TB. Doesn't bother me in the least. But it is REALLY weird.
It's really quite simple, when someone is selling a bass there's absolutely no need to keep anything from a prospective buyer...tell the truth about the neck and frets, tell the truth about the pickups and electronics, the truss rod, bridge, nut, tuning pegs and the condition of the finish.
Takes me less than a minute to weigh a bass, it's not like I have to jump in my car and drive to the nearest UPS store.
Takes me less than a minute to weigh a bass, it's not like I have to jump in my car and drive to the nearest UPS store.
That's the bad way to use the bathroom scale. Don't put the bass on the scale. Hold the bass and then step on the scale. Then step off, set the bass down and step back on the scale. Subtract the two numbers.
Me plus bass = 173
Just me = 165
Bass weight 173-165 = 8 lbs.
Not as accurate as a postage scale, but much better than just trying to weight the bass alone on the bathroom scale.
I didn't care or even think about the weight of basses at all until I started selling basses on TB. I still don't care about weight, but I try to keep all new bass purchases under 9-10lbs in case I want to sell them on TB later. I bought a cheap fish scale solely to provide that information to potential buyers.
On a weight-related side note, my MIK Lakland 55-01 had the heaviest Bartolini MK1s known to man in it, and it dropped from over 11lbs to 10.5lbs on the dot when I swapped them.
On a weight-related side note, my MIK Lakland 55-01 had the heaviest Bartolini MK1s known to man in it, and it dropped from over 11lbs to 10.5lbs on the dot when I swapped them.
I'm a pharmacist for a living, took analytical chemistry, biostats, etc. An Amazon product might advertise the percent accuracy, but all products will have a calibration curve.
My gut tells me a guy who isn't satisfied with a bathroom scale weight is going to be much more satisfied with a luggage scale. That 7 pound 3 ounce bass is actually 7 pounds 5 ounces. He'll want to return it or ask for a 40% refund or face his wrath.
This is why I usually donate stuff to a local shop who will give them to youth who aren't going to complain.......
Careful, you'll start a new TB trend...
FS ad: set of EMG 40DC pickups
First response: weight?
Maybe now in good health. I hope for you that day doesn't come that it is a concern.
Stay healthy my friend
"What are the lightest pickups for metal?" or "Does pickup weight influence tone? My 3.4oz Nordstruilars have a much heavier tone than my 3.7oz Emjulinis."
When you are young, weight typically isn't an issue. The older you get, it will be. Wide strap or not, heavy is heavy no matter how you slice it.
I don't look down on people who care about weight. I just don't. If my health will be a concern, I'll play sitting.Maybe now in good health. I hope for you that day doesn't come that it is a concern.
Stay healthy my friend
You have (perhaps, unintentionally) raised two entirely separate issues. So, the thread discussion is going in different directions.
One question is whether or not instrument weight affects anything about the individual instrument.
A second question is whether potential buyers on the used market should or should not be concerned about the weight of an instrument.
If the answer to the first question was an absolute negative, then the second question would be moot. But, the fact is that wooden instruments do have variation, including weight; and those variations definitely affect the manner in which individual instruments respond to the player.
Sellers should be cognizant that instrument weight is a legit question.
Further, there is no good or bad about instrument weight. Heavier instruments have certain advantages in playing qualities; and lighter instruments have different advantages. Prefs depend on what the informed potential buyer is seeking.
Sales between players should be transparent and informed. Weight should be informed.
I never cared about weight until I got my first five string. An Ibanez SRX that weighed nearly 11lbs.
I didn't notice when sitting down.
After I got it home, put a nice 3" leather strap on it and stood up, my neck was really hurting after about 15 minutes.
I do have a football related neck injury from the late 1970's that still bothers me today.
As long as the bass is under 10lbs, it's more about balance than the overall weight to me.
I recently acquired a 9.2lb Sire V7 that was no problem stock, still a lightweight tuner upgrade made it feel simply luxurious to wear on a strap. Feels like a part of me now.
I didn't notice when sitting down.
After I got it home, put a nice 3" leather strap on it and stood up, my neck was really hurting after about 15 minutes.
I do have a football related neck injury from the late 1970's that still bothers me today.
As long as the bass is under 10lbs, it's more about balance than the overall weight to me.
I recently acquired a 9.2lb Sire V7 that was no problem stock, still a lightweight tuner upgrade made it feel simply luxurious to wear on a strap. Feels like a part of me now.
I don’t really care about bass lbs one weigh or the other, as long as it’s under 11lbs and balances well.
But I just thought of something that may help curb the onslaught of deplorable people asking, “weight?” in the classifieds and then not following up… what if the seller posted the weight in the original description?
Seems to me it should be a required bit of info along with price and name/title of item posting.
But I just thought of something that may help curb the onslaught of deplorable people asking, “weight?” in the classifieds and then not following up… what if the seller posted the weight in the original description?
Seems to me it should be a required bit of info along with price and name/title of item posting.
I remember the days of thinking the same thing for at least 30 years, and then one day that thought completely vanished….
Hang on to that thought as long as you can. It will eventually become too heavy to hold…
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I really don’t care about weight to a certain point but others do. I agree if you’re selling a bass you need to accommodate for everyone and should provide as much information as possible including the weight. Well I guess I do care because I don’t want a bass that is too light. I said this before that in my experience a denser wood sounds better to my ears and consequently denser means heavier.
Not trolling. But you may be onto something as E commerce and chat forums exist along similar time lines.
As a cute and exceptionally well behaved l’il baby bass player I bought and sold many instruments in local want ads. Mostly in Atlanta’s Creative Loafing.
Reason I mention that is none of those ads ever mentioned weight, ever. I believe that’s because weight as a determining factor of the value of an instrument correlates to chat forums. It was no more or less difficult or spiteful or whatever back when private sellers used print. It simply wasn’t a thing.
Anyone and everyone is entitled to their preference. But let’s don’t revise where this came from.
If one is willing to forgo playing a bass prior to purchase as long as the weight is listed in advance you surely cannot say it’s an overall factor of balance and playability. It’s a separate factor. Can’t judge balance or playability online. Right? That extra ounce might be what the builder needed to combat the other forum-based issue, neck dive.
"I hope I die before I get old"
Pete Townshend
Trouble is, a lot of use didn't but our physical health did die off so to speak. So weight is a concern for some of us.
Sorry Paul.
