What do I consider a heavy bass?
Anything made by F Bass. (I still want one though)
Anything made by F Bass. (I still want one though)
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What do you consider a heavy bass?
- Thread starter bigdaddybass12
- Start date
Heavy is heavy. I don't care what strap you use. At the end of the night a 10 lb bass is still 10 lbs. It may feel even heavier from fatigue. I like to stay under 9.5 if I can? But, I play 6s so i play 2 sets with them. Then i switch to my lighter 5s.
I prefer 7.5 to 8 lbs max. At 75, my neck and back just can't handle a lot of weight, especially for a 3 or 4 hr gig. My current bass weighs in at about 8lbs and with a 3 1/2" glove leather strap, it is quite manageable. 
- Jul 11, 2005
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- Gecko Leatherworks
Yea 9 lbs seems to be tipping point but I sit down to play!
So now I have acclimated to heavier basses again.... but actually my left shoulder is such an issue at 66 I have to be careful just picking up a heavy bass lol!
Too heavy is just too heavy, but for something that's close to that, for me it's down to the balance. If it sits well on the strap or in my lap (not a neck heavy nose diver,), I'm good.
A bass that won't balance and just feels awkward is just pointless and a hard pass for me.
A bass that won't balance and just feels awkward is just pointless and a hard pass for me.
Years ago, I switched from a ship anchor amp and cab to a Genz Combo when the old stuff got too burdensome to haul up stairs and parking lots.
A few years ago I switched to a Genzler bass array and another I can carry in one trip. Now I'm eyeing the new, even lighter cabs with a jealous eye.
And I'm in decent shape for 68.
Heavy is heavy.
I don't gig the heavy basses as much as I did and I bring a lighter one to switch to, if the shoulders get to hurting
A few years ago I switched to a Genzler bass array and another I can carry in one trip. Now I'm eyeing the new, even lighter cabs with a jealous eye.
And I'm in decent shape for 68.
Heavy is heavy.
I don't gig the heavy basses as much as I did and I bring a lighter one to switch to, if the shoulders get to hurting
100% this. I'm 56, and my main bass is 10.5lb and supremely well-balanced (F bass BN6D), I never think about the weight.
As others said, weight is not the end-all-be-all. After all, the new Tobias Growlers seem great that they're mostly 7 pounds or less and have long upper horns... but they neck dive something fierce because the lightweight pawlonia bodies don't counterbalance the weight of the neck.
On the other hand, I once had a 12.5ish pound 6-string that balanced beautifully. Every single note was within easy reach. Bass played and sounded amazing too. However, I could not shoulder that bass for more than 40 minutes. And I'm in good shape for a guy in my age bracket. It was too heavy for me.
These days, I like my basses between 8 and 9 pounds. Light enough for me to shoulder for an hour or two but heavy enough to "hug" securely against me.
There is also such a thing as "too light" for me. Sometimes if a bass is too light, it literally gets away from me when I'm dancing/thrashing around on stage (since I like to bring the energy). One time I almost threw my back out rocking out with a 7ish pound bass because it kinda DID get away from me.
On the other hand, I once had a 12.5ish pound 6-string that balanced beautifully. Every single note was within easy reach. Bass played and sounded amazing too. However, I could not shoulder that bass for more than 40 minutes. And I'm in good shape for a guy in my age bracket. It was too heavy for me.
These days, I like my basses between 8 and 9 pounds. Light enough for me to shoulder for an hour or two but heavy enough to "hug" securely against me.
There is also such a thing as "too light" for me. Sometimes if a bass is too light, it literally gets away from me when I'm dancing/thrashing around on stage (since I like to bring the energy). One time I almost threw my back out rocking out with a 7ish pound bass because it kinda DID get away from me.
I would definitely not sell a bass I liked just to get one that was 1lb lighter if there was any chance that the replacement would also not be made as well as your current instrument.
Now, if it was 3 or 4lbs lighter, maybe then, yeah...
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fwiw I consider 11lbs or more a "heavy" bass.
...but several of my basses are >10lbs, and they're definitely "heavy-ish". (Or at least, "heavier" than anything else I own.)
I would love it if all my basses were <8lbs. But I'm not willing to sacrifice quality of construction, or sound, or feel, etc. just to hit a target weight.
I have never weighed a bass in my life for any reason other than shipping a sold one. Not sure if the day will ever come that I will care but so far weight just doesn't matter to me. I have 7 basses right now and couldn't tell you the weight of any of them. When I was young I had a custom Fender that was heavy but I bolted on a thick leather strap already made to the right length and never had any problems gigging it through some long nights.
Yeah I hear this - had to get rid of my fav bass (Roscoe JJ5) two years ago due to being almost 60 and having developed arthritis. Switched to an Ibanez SR2605 last year and it is much lighter. I still pickup my Sadowsky on occasion as well, but she's a bit heavy in comparison.
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I mean, you could probably upgrade as well as reduce weight. Grab a stingray special.
Yes, I am not kin to Bill Gates so I bass on a budget. My EBMM SUB is the nicest bass i have owned. I have owned various price range basses, but it’s my fav.
