Weight?!?!

[Leigh Semmens]

The only time weight is an issue is if I'm not playing but just standing there with the bass around my neck. I tend to rest my right arm on top of the bass which adds downward pressure on my shoulder. Tor relieve that all I do is take my arm off the bass, lift the bass for a couple of secs and reposition the strap slightly and I'm good for another session.

 

[Fat Bottom Kyle]

People like the OP are just lazy and trying to justify their laziness by insisting that what people are asking isn’t relevant to them so why should it be relevant to anyone else (because obviously their perspective is the only one!!).

I weigh every bass I sell on here and share the details with anyone that requests it. Lazy I am not, opinionated I am. Cheers!

 

[Tampabass]

re: "the obsession with the weight of a bass is short sighted and a bit silly."
LOL. Pro tip: It's not all about you.

 

[sokolasty]

From my perspective mass of bass isn't an issue, 3.4kg Fender Mustang or 4.5kg LTD Surveyor (stupid name, don't you think?)
My spine is
1hr standing is my maximum, whatever the bass is

 

[Manticore]

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.

There is a new matter making reselling an instrument simply more trouble than it's worth. If my scale is different than the buyer's I'm subjected to issues that never arose in a less pedantic time. I've plenty of space, an active curiosity and a strong avoidance of drama, so I'll continue to buy as I please and I'll let the kids deal with the gear when I'm gone. And for those wondering? Yes, I've discussed it with them and the kids are fine with my approach.

 

[Gizmot]

I laugh every time I read about the big deal some people make about weight. I’m over 70 years old and in the last three years, I’ve had six surgeries (3 on my left shoulder and 3 for cancer removal) and I can play without worrying about weight. How an instrument sounds and feels are what’s important to me.

 

[nnnnnn]

If basses are too heavy, play keys, guitar, sax, whatever.

Basses as a category are not too heavy, just some individual basses.

Similarly, we're not all the same as you. Don't tell me what instrument I should(n't) be playing.

 

[Fat Bottom Kyle]

re: "the obsession with the weight of a bass is short sighted and a bit silly."
LOL. Pro tip: It's not all about you.

Agreed! Saying that in the post was short sighted and silly of myself. There are enough replies to suggest it is a crucial aspect to the overall experience health wise.

 

[TomB]

In my threads, asking the weight constitutes a legal oral agreement to purchase what Im selling. True story.

If you really think that’s true, I expect you’re in for some disappointment with the TB classifieds.

 

[Fat Bottom Kyle]

There is a new matter making reselling an instrument simply more trouble than it's worth. If my scale is different than the buyer's I'm subjected to issues that never arose in a less pedantic time. I've plenty of space, an active curiosity and a strong avoidance of drama, so I'll continue to buy as I please and I'll let the kids deal with the gear when I'm gone. And for those wondering? Yes, I've discussed it with them and the kids are fine with my approach.

I'm up for adoption if you want to spread that bass wealth around in your will...

 

[gregbackstrom]

In my threads, asking the weight constitutes a legal oral agreement to purchase what Im selling. True story.

True story maybe, but totally unenforceable.

 

[kmon]

Concern about weight will vary with the type of player. Regular 3 or 4 hour gigs vs bedroom player for example. Older vs younger. Health issues and injuries play into it.

Some players for the weight? profile, some don’t. Just put the weight in your listings.

That said, getting hassled/scolded about a classified listing by people who have no interest in the bass is lame.

 

[Pocket Dave]

I laugh every time I read about the big deal some people make about weight. I’m over 70 years old and in the last three years, I’ve had six surgeries (3 on my left shoulder and 3 for cancer removal) and I can play without worrying about weight. How an instrument sounds and feels are what’s important to me.

I'm 66, have had a lifetime of scholeosis, and have a grade-3 separated left shoulder from a wreck 24 years ago..

I CAN stand 3 hours playing heavier basses but would rather not.

I don't try to project my own personal experience on others' personal experience or discomfort, and I sure don't laugh at 'em for what they might be going through.

 

[BlueTalon]

This is a slight derail, but what happens when you are weighing the bass and discover you cannot weigh the bass? I had been using a bathroom scale, just to satisfy my own curiosity, and discovered that the weight reading could vary by as much as 1.5 pounds depending on where on the scale I positioned the bass.

So I got a Harbor Freight postal scale, and now find that I cannot weigh some of my basses -- mostly FSOs -- on it. The platform upon which the bass sets is too small for the bass to balance. Other than putting a large book on the scale to add to the contact area with the bass and weighing the book, and then putting the bass on the book, weighing that and then subtracting the book's weight, I don't know how else to obtain a reading. Hanging fish scale, perhaps?

I go to my local post office. They have an accurate scale with a big platform, and it's right there where I don't have to stand in line to use it.

 

[dave64o]

Honestly, the posts I see on Talkbass related to weight are by far from people for whom weight doesn’t matter complaining, and often denigrating, people for whom it is a factor. People for whom it is a factor often seem to get stuck apologizing or explaining themselves to the “manly men”. That’s nuts.

Weight matters to some people. Get over it - and yourselves.

For the record, my most played basses are a 10.1 pound Big Al, a 10.0 pound Stingray,as well as my lightest weight bass, an 8.3 pound Stingray Special. And I’m selling a 10.5 pound L-2500 to offset the cost of the Big Al. I use them all for four set gigs. But I have never felt insecure enough that I had a need to put down or to question anyone who has a preference or need for lightweight basses, regardless of their reason. That's their right.

 

[perfektspace6]

Most of the players on TB that are willing to spend a decent amount of cash on a high end bass are older hobbyists and that often comes with physical ailments that make a lighter bass much more comfortable if not a necessity. So for them it's make or break. Some great basses don't sell on the classifieds because they weigh more and would require a price reduction for someone to take a chance on it not working.

I don't care within reason but that may change over time. Personally, I find that basses with a little more meat in the right places (i.e., high mass bridges) sound better.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

My favorite are the guys in vintage fender ads where they’re like “IM going to need to see pics of the back of the neck, pots, pickups, neck stamp etc” and then dont respond at all. Lol

 

[DuluthDank]

For me, balance is more important than weight. The unfortunate thing is that with a lot of bass models, as the body gets lighter, they tend to be neck heavy.

I thought I found a perfect unicorn J bass, ash body, 8.1 LBS. Then I got it home and it dove like an Olympic swimmer. Now I have a J style that is about a pound heavier but the balance is perfect.

 

[bassdude51]

Not to be rude........tl;dr

 

[Dominic D]

I laugh every time I read about the big deal some people make about weight. I’m over 70 years old and in the last three years, I’ve had six surgeries (3 on my left shoulder and 3 for cancer removal) and I can play without worrying about weight. How an instrument sounds and feels are what’s important to me.

I'm genuinely happy to hear you’re doing that well at your age. I’m 36 and dealing with the long-term effects of a serious spine injury, including multiple herniated discs and arthritis. The odds of me being able to play 4 hour gigs while standing at 70 are not in my favor. If I want any chance of making it that long, I have to play very lightweight basses. I hope this doesn’t make you laugh.