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What's the bid deal with WEIGHT ?

#161
I think if you can keep it under 10 lbs you'll have few problems even at fourth hour, fourth gig-type moments. Over 10 lbs seems to be the cutoff that begins to fatigue most of us more rapidly. I have one bass over that mark and as soon as I pick it up, I notice the change.

I played a 7 or 8 lb Lull P4 once. It was light as a feather on my strap but still felt like it was very durable. The tone was The Best Precision Tone Ever. So if you need lightweight but rugged, it's out there.
 
#164
I'd say that the aging of the U.S. population could play a role in the equation of supply of vs. demand for heavier basses. Therefore, while objectively it probably shouldn't make any difference in an instrument's value, weight could affect how long it takes to sell it and ultimately how much you're willing to take for it to get it sold. People may gravitate toward basses advertised as lightweight. Just a thought. I prefer lighter basses personally, but I have a very fine '74 Jazz that's mighty hefty.
 
#165
For me it is all about comfort. I am not the greatest player in the best of circumstances... with an ever increasing knot in my shoulder my playing and my demeanor begin to suffer. That is one reason why I don't like any of the Warwicks I have tried. They sound good.. and they play good but they are just too heavy for my tastes. I like to find that sweet spot between good tone, good feel, play ability and ergonomics.
 
#166
Weight is less important than balance, to me (focusing on non-sound aspects of bass playing). Even a lighter bass that you have to fight all night gets uncomfortable as the night wears on. The heaviest I gigged was an RD Artist, but all that wood balanced well. My bass now is about 9 lbs and very comfortable. But a Vicodin before the fourth set always helps!
 
#167
Gonzo64 said:
I found a strap made by Levys that is stretchy like a wide flat bungee cord. It definitely makes the bass feel lighter; much more so than a 4" wide padded leather strap. A broken collarbone from my Ice Hockey days really had me hurting after about 15 minutes. My Schecter Stiletto Extreme 5 is by far the lightest bass I own, and it's got great tone as well. With a light bass and my stretchy strap, I can play as long as I wish in comfort. I'm 6'0", in good shape, but 48 years takes it's toll.
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Gonzo, I need a new strap! Is yours the M29? If not, which is it?
Thanks!
 
#168
Roy Vogt said:
It becomes very important the 4th hour of a 4 hour gig, IME.
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+11

It seems like the people that say it doesnt matter have basses that ONLY weigh like 10 lbs.(give or take)

I had a 13. lb Bubinga Corvette..loved the tone..but HATED the weight., sadly, I hadta let her go.

Then I had an ATK 305, at 13+ lbs (in fairness bought sight unseen, and had reports of them weighing from 10-14 lbs...I got a heavy one...hadta let that go too.



ive had 3 back surgeries..maybe thats why... but it seems to hurt more in shoulder than back, after a 4 hr gig.

YMMV
 
#171
In my case, I will be playing for 50 years as of next August, and I have a very pronounced "guitar shoulder" knot underneath my left shoulder blade (I am right handed). No amount of massage or physical therapy will get rid of it and I try to think of it as a badge of honor. After extended hours of playing time, the pain in my shoulder usually radiates outward directly from that point.

There is also the matter of repetitive stress syndrome when you play for extended hours. You put both of your arms into relatively unnatural positions when you play - and keep them in those positions sometimes for an extended period of time. The weight of the bass on the shoulder in my case can worsen the repetitive stress part to the point of causing tendonitis in my left elbow. This only happens after ridiculous marathon rehearsals - like 10-12 hours playing several days in a row, mostly for cram rehearsals, but it happens.

Of my current 14 basses, none of them weigh more than 8.8 lbs, but I have two being built which I suspect will be slightly heavier but still certainly under 10 lbs.

Correct me if I am wrong, but as we grow older all of these issues seem to loom larger and larger, and become much more important. Maybe this means that the young whippersnappers have something to look forward to!

:D

Happily, I have a rolfer who can "cure" my tendonitis when it flares up generally in one and always in two sessions. I wish the knot on my shoulder was that simple to cure.

BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
 
#174
EagleMoon said:
I just don't understand why someone would want to lug around a heavy bass if they don't have to. There are lots of lightweight basses out there, and the old notion that heavy=tone is so obviously not the case. Is it a macho-manly thing? ;)
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Like a Village People thing? Yeah, maybe. Hopefully, the gym rats won't start posting pics of themselves in their "flex" positions. lol
 
#175
I have had played 5 basses lately - peavey grind 6 string, yamaha RBX375, ibanez 200 dean jeff berlin player, ibanez 300
That's in order of their weight, heaviest to lightest.
I prefer light.

the peavey is nice - but OMG is that thing a beast. the 300 seems almost like an acoustic it's so light. Lighter is less tiring to play, so you play more!
 
#178
I was fortunate enough last year to tour the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. My guitar player was picking up a '59 Les Paul reissue and invited the rest of the band to go along. For the CS instruments they sort the wood at a specific weight/density for the reissue. I believe their target was 9.5 lbs for a completed instrument (I can't be sure). In their view, this is a key element in giving the 59 Les Paul it's tone. While we were there they had a Randy Roads and Jimmy Page #2 Les Paul in for measurement. Pretty cool to see them. They continue to bring in as many of the originals as they can, to get as much data as they can for future batches.
Anyway, not sure heavier is better, but there may be a density of wood that is right for a particular guitar or bass.
(They did show us a Les Paul made for Zakk Wylde - they said he likes his heavy - part of his sound - and it was over 12 lbs!).
 
#180
Templar said:
You'd think they'd have it figured out by now. It's only been 50+ years.
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As I understand it only 1800 or so were built, and only 340 or so accounted for. As I understand it, there was a lot of variation unit to unit, especially in the amount, degree of the carved maple top. Many of the survivors are in collectors hands and not so easily obtained by Gibson for review/analysis. The work continues - and it was very cool to see first hand Jimmy Page's #2.
 

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