Weight?!?!

[MultiScaleMale]

I listed a bass as 9.2 lbs. I was asked if that meant 9lbs 2 oz or 9.2 meaning 9lbs 3.5 oz. Ridiculous.
I've owned at least 50 FSOs, all weighed within 6oz on 9lbs. Also, in my 400+ transactions on TB I've never sold a bass to anyone who asked about weight

It happens. I saw someone listing their bass at 8.12 lbs and they meant 8 lbs 12 ounces. In your case with and ounce and a half difference, shouldn't matter. But everyone has their ideal weight and usually willing to pay less the more it deviates from that ideal.

 

[stevensivak]

Seems like there are a lot of injured bass players out there...

 

[Bonafide]

When I sell a Peavey T-40...I don't bother posting weight

 

[DrBnz]

So yeah, way back in my military days I was a hardbody warrior too. But incidents, accidents and old age have caught up to me. Now I'm a skinny old man with a lot of sagging tattoes that can barely walk. I hope you're lucky enough to keep your good health thru your later years. If not you'll be looking for lighter guitars (or saxophones) too. But I'd bring up a few points
- Its the old farts who have retirement money to blow - so its in your best interest to tell us the weight up front
- A lot of times, if it isn't listed, I won't ask - I'll just move on. So you leaving out pertinent info lost a potential customer
- If they don't answer, they may just be trying to avoid talking about the elephant in the room (your 12lb Steve Harris)
- If you have a heifer, I understand why you don't mention the weight up front - I'm hoping it isn't and you just forgot, so I ask.
- Sometimes we're just trying to be helpful. I once called a guy early on a Saturday morning to point out that the Reverb picture of his bass included a huge reflection of his "junk". Luckily he had his tighty whities on .... always willing to "help".... snicker

 

[Super Bass]

I never cared about the weight of my basses an dit was never been a deal breaker for me. Couldn't care less about it.

your day will come...

 

[micguy]

In my youth, I had neck diving Kramers that weight 12 pounds, and I was happy - if you'd asked me, I'd think people obsessed with the weight of a bass were a bit odd. 40 plus years later, I'm playing every weekend (more than I did in my youth). I've had back surgery (and hernia repair) - to those who say "lift some weights", that's how I got those injuries.

I play 5's, that I built myself. Having learned the secrets of making light basses, they are all under 7 3/4 pounds. It makes a world of difference. If you think it's odd that people obsess about weight, just wait - if you play long enough, your day will likely come.

 

[Bonafide]

Someone asking weight probably isn’t interested in your bass but is interested in reminding you to post a very relevant spec!

Yep. The classified safety monitors. Sometimes, they need you to post a recording of the low B.

 

[r_bnks]

your day will come...

Never. I'll rather play while sitting with my favorite bass than buying something just because of its weight l

 

[Super Bass]

Never. I'll rather play while sitting with my favorite bass than buying something just because of its weight l

OK....

 

[BrassedOn]

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?

Turn on scale. Lightly hold the bass vertically with finger tips about the neck so you’re balancing the bass on the strap button. That’s close enough.

 

[nostatic]

Turn on scale. Lightly hold the bass vertically with finger tips about the neck so you’re balancing the bass on the strap button. That’s close enough.

With a bathroom scale, you'll get a lot more reproducible results weighing yourself while holding the bass, then just yourself and subtracting.

fwiw I have a kitchen scale and most basses will balance on the platform. For those that don't, the above technique gets you within a few ounces. I typically will just steady one of the tuning keys while standing it vertical on the scale.

 

[bikeplate]

If u want to sell online, sight unseen in essence, you best have all information listed.

 

[Jhass]

I’ll jump in here. I’m a relatively young, very fit and strong guy. I lift weights at the gym. But for reasons I can’t explain, my left shoulder just can’t tolerate a heavy bass, even with a wide, padded strap.

I’m sure the OP meant no offense, but I couldn’t help feeling hurt. Is he saying I should not play bass? Not do the one thing that makes me the happiest in this too-short life? Listen, I’m glad weight doesn’t matter to you, OP, but it MATTERS for many of us.

 

[sylvanbass]

Unfortunately due to medical issues in my older age, I have to sit down on the rare occasions I get to play. That being said, I don't care about weight lol. That comment is because it doesn't take a toll on me cause it's just resting on my leg.

Even in my younger and more svelte days, weight didn't matter to me. Some of my basses were considerably heavier than others, so for those I just used a thicker strap with some padding and went with it. Never got rid of a bass just because it was to heavy. I preferred lighter, but I never weighed a bass unless I was going to sell it or trade it for something else.

 

[Gaolee]

Weight? Almost 200 lbs. I am a fat boy. What were we talking about?

 

[brian579]

For some people, for many reasons (age, injuries, body size, etc.), weight is an issue.

Would you rather get a dozen messages on your thread saying "never mind, it's too heavy, never mind, I just bought another bass, never mind, I just lost my job and can't afford it, never mind, I decided not to buy"?

Simple. If you want to sell a bass on line, you need to give potential buyers enough information - Sufficient photos and description, and spend 30 seconds and weigh the @$^#!!-in' thing. If you don't want to be bothered, take it to GC or a local store that does consignment, so THEY can do the work (and get paid for it).

Word!!

 

[jid]

I didn’t read all pages… just the first and last. But 2 thoughts.

1- to weigh a bass, YOU step on the bathroom scale. Jot down the number. You pick up the bass and hold it and now step on bathroom scale. Jot down -that- number. Now subtract small number from big # and in your ad say ‘8.5 on my bathroom scale’. Or whatever it is. Problem solved.

2- weight is a deal breaker for me like many others. I know that for me, anything over 8.5lbs (or 8 1/2 lbs) is too much. I’ve passed on many amazing 9lb basses. So yeah the weight matters. Especially when we are getting into basses that cost 2k… 3k… 5k…. Even at 500 I want it to be comfortable.

just my .02…. I don’t think ‘weight’ = ‘is this drill available’. But personally if I’m interested I’ll PM and ask the question.

JD

 

[ebo]

I look at shoes on Facebook Marketplace and some people don’t list shoe size! If I am really really interested I’ll ask the size, otherwise it’s a straight pass. Weight is an issue, just list it.

 

[Lava]

Ha ha. SMH.
After close to 40 yrs of playing professionally me and my now bad back enjoy playing very light basses.
Tip: weigh the bass you’re selling before posting ad. It’ll save you the 7-8 mins it takes to weigh it later when everyone asks for the weight.

 

[bigjames]

I am not a small guy (6'2" @ 245lbs) and spend 6 days a week lifting heavy weights....20 years ago, weight didnt matter to me at all. I played a 14 lb fretless 6 string exclusively for 10+ years and then bought a bubinga 5 string Warwick Corvette (also not a light bass) and played either the fretless or the Warwick for about 4 years...

Then I bought an Fbass AC6 and my whole perspective changed. Then a Sadowsky (slightler smaller than a J bass and routed) and was sold on lighter basses. They are effortless. Can I handle a 10+ pound bass? Absolutely and all day long. Do I like it? No. I much prefer basses less than 9lbs...they are just way more comfortable to play for long periods in my opinion.