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Well, I did it… Now what?

#41
JRA said:
no, GW, i just lucked out: i bought a glarry fretless P for the lightweight body and that's what i got --- $90 (incl. shipping) at the time!
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Ha! I should have known! I did the same thing, without knowing you also used a Glarry body. I ordered a purple pickguard, trying to copy your bass! Only it didn't fit my Glarry at all. But I did change out the pickups and tuning machines to Fender parts, and tape-wrapped strings. It plays great. Under $200, and is now my main gigging rig, and Verrrrry lightweight. Yours is definitely a thing of beauty. Mine... not so much. but it's a player, and a money-maker!!! I paid more than you for the bass though. Mine was $99.
 
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#42
Bonecat said:
Following up on my previous post, I finally decided to sell my 50th Anniversary Jazz Bass. Had a long discussion with my wife about it as she bought for me back in 1999 and it was my first "nice" instrument. Turns out I was the only one sentimental about it. Listed it and it sold in 3 days to the first person that looked at it. So. Now what?

I'm a broken old guy with serious neck and shoulder injuries so weight is a very real thing, particularly as my band is gigging again and I have to be able to wear the bass for 4 hours without being crippled. That means something in the 7 to low 8lb range. I only play 4 strings and want 34-35" scale. I love the sound of a good J and especially like the J neck size/shape. I also need an instrument that can deliver modern 'hifi" sounds, so that means preamp, etc. My budget will stretch to $1.5k - $2k, but not beyond. So I can afford a nice instrument, but probably not anything truly vintage or high-end boutique. I'll gig with it on small stages in small to medium sized venues. It's probably gonna get beat up a bit, so relic'd finishes are fine with me.

With all that noted, what would you be looking at ?
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Not my bass but, something like this may work very well for you. I have heard really good things about these basses. For Sale/Trade - Sandberg California TT4 SL Fretless Tobacco Sunburst
 
#48
I sympathize. I play mostly upright, so I feel the weight when I play electric for more than an hour or so. But I'm thinking, an upright has that lovely peg that reduces the weight to zero. And there are 34 inch scale electric uprights, perhaps some with frets. The ergonomics might be worth looking into, even if the aesthetics would be slightly unorthodox.
 
#50
ricknote said:
You should absolutely look at getting a strap that goes over both shoulders. I had some really bad upper back/neck problems from years of playing many nights per week. I looked for light weight basess And bought a couple. it helped but wasn't the best solution. I bought a double shoulder strap from the D'Addario just to try. That was 15 years ago and I've never looked. never had to worry about bass weight again. 100% comfortable in balanced.
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I absolutely agree with this. I have a GruvGear Duostrap and it is fantastic. I would also be checking out light short scales before committing to a scale length too, as others have said.
 
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#54
Bonecat said:
Following up on my previous post, I finally decided to sell my 50th Anniversary Jazz Bass. Had a long discussion with my wife about it as she bought for me back in 1999 and it was my first "nice" instrument. Turns out I was the only one sentimental about it. Listed it and it sold in 3 days to the first person that looked at it. So. Now what?

I'm a broken old guy with serious neck and shoulder injuries so weight is a very real thing, particularly as my band is gigging again and I have to be able to wear the bass for 4 hours without being crippled. That means something in the 7 to low 8lb range. I only play 4 strings and want 34-35" scale. I love the sound of a good J and especially like the J neck size/shape. I also need an instrument that can deliver modern 'hifi" sounds, so that means preamp, etc. My budget will stretch to $1.5k - $2k, but not beyond. So I can afford a nice instrument, but probably not anything truly vintage or high-end boutique. I'll gig with it on small stages in small to medium sized venues. It's probably gonna get beat up a bit, so relic'd finishes are fine with me.

With all that noted, what would you be looking at ?
Click to expand...
SR 2600
 
#57
I cant believe nobody mentioned an Aerodyne Jazz, I think they run around 8lbs, noticeably lighter than a standard Jazz anyway, and oh-so-sleek. Very fast neck. If you are already a Jazz player, it would be like putting on an old glove, only lighter. Second choice would be an Ibanez SR series, the praise here is fully justified, and they have what appears to be hundreds of models in every price range. If you really want feather-light, get a Hofner or one of its clones, not the most versatile basses, but they do Macca thump like no other, and you could play one for hours without noticing the weight. Good luck, im having a lot of troubke with hand arthritis, sucks, but I want to keep playing.
 
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#59
If you stick to empress (paulownia) or pine for solid bodies, it should get that light.

Otherwise, going with a hollowbody can also sometimes get you to the range you want.

I am the same way. I retired and now that I'm back to playing I have nothing that weighs over 6.7lbs. It's possible, you just have to stay vigilant looking and stick to your guns about how high you won't go.

G&L empress models, Sandberg super light, and Hofners are a great brands to start looking at.
 

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