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Which is the heavier?

#2
Sweetwater Music has many of their basses listed in their "Guitar Gallery", which also posts the exact weight of each one they have in stock. For example, listed on their current inventory:

(2) Squier '70 Vintage Modified Jazz Bass, Olympic White - (1) 9 pounds, (1) 9 pounds, 2 oz.

(2) Fender Standard Jazz Bass, Arctic White - (1) 9 pounds, 3 oz., (1) 9 pounds, 6 oz.

If exact weight is critical, your best bet might be ordering one from Sweetwater. Not too many retailers can give you these individual stats. The only drawback of course is that you cannot play before you buy. Their return policy is very good, however. There can often be as much as a 1-1/2 pound difference between each of the same exact models, so I have found this feature to be very useful, especially when ordering known heavyweights. I once found a Squier VM Telecaster listed at 8.7 pounds, versus another at 10.5! Being able to select the exact bass and weight you want is a very consumer-friendly sales feature, IMHO.

Hope this helps.
 
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#3
eldoryder said:
There can often be as much as a 1-1/2 pound difference between each of the same exact models, so I have found this feature to be very useful, especially when ordering known heavyweights. I once found a Squier VM Telecaster listed at 8.7 pounds, versus another at 10.5! Being able to select the exact bass and weight you want is a very consumer-friendly sales feature, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Good point: The variability from bass to bass within a given model is often greater than the average differences between models, so you can't reliably go by factory specs if the models of interest are pretty similar on average.
 
#4
The Squier 'Standard' Jazz bass is no longer made if you were referring to the model, but I take it that you meant 'in general' ... Squier Jazz basses are going to vary greatly on a case by case basis between both models, and individual basses ... I have a black/maple/blocks Squier Jazz that is right at 7 lbs, but I went through several to find it ... close to 9# was not uncommon ... I have also had Squier Standards, VM, CV's that were up close to 10 lbs ... the lightest VM I have had was about 6.7#'s, the lightest CV 60's Jazz I have seen is mid to high 8# range, most are low to mid 9# range ... MIM Standards vary greatly as well, depending on era .. it was not uncommon to find one over 10# back several years, the current '08+ offerings tend to be more consistent in the high 8-low 9's ... I have a 7.9# MIM Standard Jazz, but again, I went through several before it came along, and it actually is a combination of two basses lighter components ...

... case by case is the best rule ... but in general, you can find a Squier Jazz that will be substantially lower in weight than a MIM Standard, but then you will be using generally a lighter, softer body wood, smaller pots, etc ... weight can be a component trade off as well ...

Edit to add: .. if buying a used bass, consider taking the weight given by seller with a grain of salt ... weighing methods and scales vary greatly, and only one used for commercial trade and calibrated can be trusted as accurate ... I have purchased basses that were reported in the 7# range show up in mid-high 8#'s ... one bass was 2 lbs heavier than quoted by seller, and the low weight was the entire reason for purchase ... ;)
 
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#5
What I WAS referring to was the Jazz models that Sweetwater has in stock right now, as they indeed listed the weights for those examples I posted. I don't know how many grains of salt you need with this particular retailer, as I did mention that Sweetwater is almost unique in their procedure of actually taking the "Gallery" guitars and basses they sell out of the box, and accurately weighing them, so their customers can use this criteria for making an informed buying decision.
 
#6
I have only purchased used basses from sellers that had purchased Sweetwater basses (new) and were selling them .. in every case, the weight that they told me that Sweetwater had displayed for their bass, was exactly what my calibrated, digital scale read when I received it ... I would trust the Sweetwater weight descriptions to be very accurate based on that ...

.. my comment referring to 'take weights given with a grain of salt', would be more directed to the OP's inquiry, since no specifics were given as to his intention to purchase new/used, and I have often found sellers of used basses to be more 'ballpark' than to be relied upon as actual ... JMHO
 
#8
Sort of interesting that most guitar stores don't have a way to weight basses or measure the exact string diameters. Short of their being helpful, bring an accurate luggage scale and a micrometer with you to the store and check them out.
 
#9
That's a good idea within reason, but the salesperson may not be too keen on going back into the storeroom and bringing out a number of the same model basses until you find the lightest one! Each time one is removed from its box, that might very well be considered an "open box" model, and have to be sold for less. I'm sure different stores have different policies.

Again, the one place you can be sure that the published weight is correct would be Sweetwater. Unlike most "Big Box" retailers, they do remove the guitars from the box to get the accurate weight, because they also perform a 55-point checkup on your instrument before they ship it out to you. They're not afraid of "open boxes", because they perform these services anyway.
 
#10
Obviously there's a lot of variation between individual examples of this-or-that model. For example, I've had three different Squier Standard Jazzes. One was 10lbs 2oz, another (my current one) is 8lbs 12oz and the third was somewhere in between (re: I never weighed it, but it certainly isn't as heavy as the 10+pounder).

Meanwhile, the Fender Jazzes I have are 9lbs 2oz and 9lbs exactly. Mind you, while they are Mexican-made, one is a Blacktop Jazz and the other is a Classic '70s Jazz. I don't know if that detail factors much into it, but they both came from the Mexican factory, so perhaps a small grain o' salt is needed.
 
#11
Specific bases don't weigh specific amounts:
in other words Precisions don't weigh 5 pounds, while Jazz basses weigh 8.

If weight is a concern for you, you'll have to ask about each individual one you're interested in.
 
#12
What's the heaviest bass for metal? ;)




As others have said, you just have to try things out and find one with a weight that you are comfortable with. One of the problems with instruments being made out of wood is that the weight and density of different woods will vary from tree to tree, so you will never be able to predict the weight of a randomly selected instrument.
 
#13
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A Peavey T40 is ALWAYS the heaviest bass.....for METAL, for ROCK, for COUNTRY, for JAZZ etc. etc. etc.!!!!!
 

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