What a rude awakening this is!

[GretschWretch]

While going through some weighing and measuring earlier tonight I on a whim decided to weigh my 1971 P bass, which I have not played in a while. Postal scale said 9.6.1 pounds. I knew the bass felt heavy, but not *that* heavy. This was my main gigging and in fact only bass from the mid-1980s to the mid-nineteen nineties. Used it with four bands, including multi-hour rehearsals and shows, all done standing. Never noticed the weight. I don't even want to see if I can do that now.

Looks like I may have to put a "For seated playing only" sticker on this bass.

 

[BGroovy]

Under 10 isn’t THAT heavy for some vintage basses. I also have moved to lightweight basses but some of my heaviest basses sound the best. F bass seems to think so the way they build em (and have no problem selling basses in the 10-11lb range.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Ya gotta go with what works for you! (re: doesn't kill you to play it ) Everything else is, to some degree, malleable and mouldable, ja?

 

[Minimalist]

While going through some weighing and measuring earlier tonight I on a whim decided to weigh my 1971 P bass, which I have not played in a while. Postal scale said 9.6.1 pounds. I knew the bass felt heavy, but not *that* heavy. This was my main gigging and in fact only bass from the mid-1980s to the mid-nineteen nineties. Used it with four bands, including multi-hour rehearsals and shows, all done standing. Never noticed the weight. I don't even want to see if I can do that now.

Looks like I may have to put a "For seated playing only" sticker on this bass.

9.6 lbs is not heavy at all. Hate to say it but you are out of shape. I noticed the same thing. The last 12 month I lost a ton of fitness due to injuries keeping my in the recliner. Suddenly a regular bass feels heavy. I need to get my butt up and exercise more.

 

[ajkula66]

Looks like I may have to put a "For seated playing only" sticker on this bass.

All of my basses have such a sticker, albeit invisible...

 

[Malak the Mad]

9.6 lbs is not heavy at all. Hate to say it but you are out of shape. I noticed the same thing. The last 12 month I lost a ton of fitness due to injuries keeping my in the recliner. Suddenly a regular bass feels heavy. I need to get my butt up and exercise more.

Among the many lessons I've learned as a massage/neuromuscular therapist, one of the most important gems came from a Phys.Ed. teacher I was working on; "The human body is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. If you don't maintain a bare-minimum baseline of real exercise, your body will, eventually, fail you. So, don't hesitate to talk to a professional...a personal trainer, physical therapist or something similar."

(I have other tips I can share, but since I'm not a P/T, there is only so much I can legally/ethically pass on.)

Unfortunately, even staying active is no guarantee. It's all about finding the right exercise(s) for the individual. This hit me hard last summer when I stopped going to the gym in favor of exclusively riding my bicycle. My legs and cardiovascular system were doing fine, but my core muscles and upper body were falling behind. I simply didn't see what was happening, until I realized how much I was slouching forward and struggling to keep upright while in the saddle.

Looks like I'll be hitting the gym while I'm out on my bike this spring-to-fall!

 

[GretschWretch]

Yeah, I know about fitness and exercise, and admit I have been slouching in that regard and need to do better. But also, in six months I will turn seventy-six and I know that as a person ages his biochemistry changes. A lot of the bodily fluids etc. I need to maintain a rigorous conditioning program just are not there any more. Still, bicycle, flexibility exercises, isometrics and light weight-lifting -- these I can and should do.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Yeah, I know about fitness and exercise, and admit I have been slouching in that regard and need to do better. But also, in six months I will turn seventy-six and I know that as a person ages his biochemistry changes. A lot of the bodily fluids etc. I need to maintain a rigorous conditioning program just are not there any more. Still, bicycle, flexibility exercises, isometrics and light weight-lifting -- these I can and should do.

 

[Low Main]

I recently installed a stairlift on my Peavey T-40.

 

[LiptonJigglers]

That's the individual weight of each one of my native kidneys before I had them removed.
What a nightmare existence that was.
Feel free to sit down and play...

 

[DrBnz]

Yeah..... Kinda.... 9.6 isn't bad. Its at my upper limit. So long as it isn't heavy AND have neck dive. I'd keep that one if its served you this long and you weren't complaining before. See... its only important as long as we're talking about it. Once we get to playing it doesn't really matter all that much.

 

[luckydawgg169]

While going through some weighing and measuring earlier tonight I on a whim decided to weigh my 1971 P bass, which I have not played in a while. Postal scale said 9.6.1 pounds. I knew the bass felt heavy, but not *that* heavy. This was my main gigging and in fact only bass from the mid-1980s to the mid-nineteen nineties. Used it with four bands, including multi-hour rehearsals and shows, all done standing. Never noticed the weight. I don't even want to see if I can do that now.

Looks like I may have to put a "For seated playing only" sticker on this bass.

sounds psychological to me. You were fine with the instrument physically until you found the weight and now you deemed it too heavy LOL

 

[sawzalot]

That’s nothing. I have a ‘94 Stingray that weighs 11. I don’t care what it weighs, it’s a beast and it plays great and sounds amazing.

 

[Peteyboy]

That’s nothing. I have a ‘94 Stingray that weighs 11. I don’t care what it weighs, it’s a beast and it plays great and sounds amazing.

Are you 76?

 

[Ghastly]

My '73 rings in at 9.9 lbs.
It's not my heaviest bass though.

 

[TrevorR]

Weighed mine the other week as the Sandberg was a new acquisition…

• Wal Pro IIE - 4.9kg / 10.8lbs
• Wal Mk 1 Custom - 4.8kg / 10.6lbs
• Aria SB700 - 4.8kg / 10.6lbs
• Frankenjazz - 4.7kg / 10.4lbs
• Sandberg - 3.8kg / 8.4lbs
• Faith Acoustic - 2.3kg / 5.1lbs

My Aria was my first ever bass in ‘82, the Mk 1 Wal came in ‘92, the Pro in 2001, the Frankenjazz arrived in 2004… I guess that back in the pre-internet forum days I just kinda thought that was what basses weighed!!”

It’s also why I only have 4” wide soft leather straps for them!

 

[el murdoque]

I have two basses that weigh nearly the same, just a few grams between them when you put them on the scale.
However, when you put them on a strap and play them, the slightly heavier of the two feels MUCH lighter.

 

[el murdoque]

Weighed mine the other week as the Sandberg was a new acquisition…

• Wal Pro IIE - 4.9kg / 10.8lbs
• Wal Mk 1 Custom - 4.8kg / 10.6lbs
• Aria SB700 - 4.8kg / 10.6lbs
• Frankenjazz - 4.7kg / 10.4lbs

 

[TrevorR]

View attachment 7160079

And none of them bought for more than 500 bucks (except the Sandberg)! I guess a benefit of being old and, back in those days, having obscure likings for basses that were considered incredibly old fashioned and undesirable (I know, I know… but that’s what folks thought back then). Both Wals have done umpteen gigs with me over the years in dive bars, church halls, outdoor marquees, jam nights and other dodgy venues - even primary school kiddies concerts. They aren’t “boutique investment basses” that reside in a bank vault, they’re just “my basses” and the ones I’ve played out for the last 30 plus years - and still do…

Seedy club gig…

Set out for anyone to have a go on at our local Bass Bash…

Parents and pupils “Scratch Orchestra” performance at my little boy’s primary school summer fete…

 

[96tbird]

Yeah, I know about fitness and exercise, and admit I have been slouching in that regard and need to do better. But also, in six months I will turn seventy-six and I know that as a person ages his biochemistry changes. A lot of the bodily fluids etc. I need to maintain a rigorous conditioning program just are not there any more. Still, bicycle, flexibility exercises, isometrics and light weight-lifting -- these I can and should do.