Whats to heavy

[magic8161]

Is it me or am I a wimp? I like a bass 7 to 9 pounds max. Anything else to me is just too heavy. At my age I'm starting to get that heavy bass shoulder pain.....lol

 

[Stumbo]

Whats to heavy as This to loud.

 

[west al]

Am I a wimp? I like a bass 7 to 9 pounds max. anything eles to me is just to heavy. Sholder pain at my age is starting with the heavy ones.

If a bass is feeling too heavy for you, limit your playing of it, use the wider straps, or go with lighter basses. Sometimes it's no fun growing older.

 

[JIO]

10 lbs is my limit - around 8 is my preference. 10+ is a deal breaker no matter how cool it looks or how good it sounds. Life's too short to 'make do' with something "because". YOMV
(and it's "What's too heavy?")

 

[Flaked Beans]

To heavy or not to heavy, this is my 12lbs '78 jazz bass And I'm not a wimp :

 

[2saddleslab]

After 3 decades 9lbs is my limit.

 

[ThunderFox]

I play a thunderbird, which on average is about 9lbs. I have a bad back, which came from an injury I had when I was 9 (not my fault), and involved 9 months of physio. The bones healed, but the muscles around it never felt the same.

I struggle to adjust any pedals I have on the floor, or taping cables down, or anything involving the floor, and I do this for everyone and everything, even their amps, because I'm the only one that knows how to set everything up, but I'm not complaining, I quite enjoy it, plus my bandmates will help if I ask them to. But I don't have any problems with the weight of my bass, or holding heavy things, just bending for them, weird. Unfortunately, I'm only young (23), so I know it will only get worse over time. Annoying, but my musical passion gets me through.

Anyway, enough of the 'woe is me' speech. Back to the topic. I have lighter basses, but the Thunderbird is my favourite. I also use a P-Bass and an Epiphone Viola Bass, both are about 7lb. There is a noticeable difference in weight, but I do prefer the weightier feel of the Thunderbird. Just feels right, like it's meant to be there. Hard to describe, but it's a nice feeling. If it was heavier, it would probably be too much for me, I would think about it more onstage. But the weight of this just feels perfect to me.

 

[tjh]

.. no interest in anything over 8.5 lbs ...

 

[Flaked Beans]

After 3 decades 9lbs is my limit.

I still play my 12+ lbs basses (after 4 decades) but 8-9 lbs ones are perfect for me! That's why I bought my EBMM Stingray and my american standard jazz bass (both are 9lbs). However the '08 blizzard pearl am. std. jb sounds different than my 12lbs '78 ash jazz bass (pic above ^) but I like them both.
Here they are:

But unfortunately my 5 and 6 string basses are heavy! For example my Pedulla MVP6 weighs 13 pounds!

 

[Adhesive_X]

anything over 10 makes me think twice. It would have to be something really special to get me up to the 12 lbs mark

 

[kodiakblair]

Here in Scotland 12 cans of beer weighs 13.2lb. Nobody complains about that

 

[Gizmot]

The weight of an instrument isn't a big deal to me - I use wide thick leather straps and it works out okay. I'm always comfortable when I'm playing.

One of my Warwicks is pretty heavy as is my main Rickenbacker.

 

[flam]

Mine weigh's 12, and I've grown used to it. If I had to play for several hours (I play original metal, so sets are usually like, 45 minutes max), I would definitely move to something that weighs less.

 

[Element Zero]

My ATK305 is right at 11 lbs and the Pentabuzz is just over 10. Wouldn't want to go much heavier than these but, depends on the bass I guess. Not in the market for one... until next year when Dingwall releases the NG2 6 string...

 

[Killed_by_Death]

If you meant "What is too heavy?", then I'd got with this:

 

[JIO]

.. no interest in anything over 8.5 lbs ...

that is an ideal weight

 

[Thumpin6string]

I found that the weight isn't the problem, but how it is supported. I'm old with a bad back and some shoulder and hip problems. My 10+ pound 6 string is no problem when I use my Gruv Gear Duostrap. It supports the weigh between both shoulders, so it feels like my bass is half it's weight. One of the best designs I've found.

 

[Inara]

I can no longer play a full set with anything over about 9 pounds without a special strap of some sort. I've gravitated to lighter basses due to this. I had an early 70s Precision that was easily the equal of any pre CBS I have ever played, but it weighed around 11 pounds. I had to let it go. It has been replaced by a Music Man Caprice that weighs just over 8 pounds and sounds and plays at least as well. My main fretless is an Ibanez Portamento 5 string that weighs just under 8 pounds. I still have a 9.5 pound Sterling Ray34 CA fretless that I love, but I have to use a Slinger harness system to play it standing for more than a few songs. There are plenty of great playing and great sounding lightweight basses available these days, so heavy (9+ pounds for my body) is a deal breaker for me any more. My personal weight goal in acquiring new instruments will be 7.5 pounds or less.

 

[scourgeofgod]

I say the lighter the better, but sometimes that heavy one just does it for you, sonically of course. Not that weight contributes to sound, mind you. Sure you'll be feeling it for the next couple days, but it was super fun at the time and heavy basses need love too.

 

[Ant Illington]

Just food for thought for those who don't have nagging structural damage/arthritis/pinched nerves and the like. Historically, I am usually in very good shape and, as such, I would wear my 11+ lb Stingray 5 HH for 8-12 hrs per day, day after day without getting tired at all, sitting on a drum throne with no back support and periodically standing. Over a recent period of 6 months I didn't really work out and, damn, could i tell the difference when I started upping the hours on bass again, even using only a single H, 1 lb lighter. I'm 49 years old, by the way.

I don't care what weight bass you play, of course, but if you aren't suffering from some bone/disk/nerve malady and the weight of a heavier bass bothers you then you might benefit your whole life from doing some weight lifting. Be well.