Who prefers heavier basses?

[Dr Zee]

Not long ago I actually weighed all my Basses and was rather surprised that most of them weighed in at between 9 and 10 lbs. The most interesting thing was how they all sounded when not plugged in. The Lakeland 55-01 is barely audible and the Peavey Grind 5 can clearly be heard across the room. The Lakeland is ash and is a bolt on,
the Grind is Walnut and a neck thru. What do I think this means ? Materials and construction may make a bigger difference than weight.

 

[Virgil]

I play lonnnng wedding gigs. I contacted Michael Tobias and told him that I needed a light weight bass that had punch, bottom and clarity. The bass he made for me comes in at 7 pounds, and kicks like a mule. My sound engineer told me after I played my first gig with it, that I should leave my other basses at home, that the new bass sat in the mix perfectly. Everywhere I play I get compliments from other musicians and the audience. Here is. The Reunion Blues case weighs more than the bass. I think it’s the woods and the design which comes together that determines tone.

What kind of wood did he use? I’m guessing swamp ash?

Okume body, maple neck and Chechen board with Chechen knobs for volume, blend knobs etc.

 

[7615]

If I'm going to be standing for hours, I'll naturally pick something lighter. That said, I have a few boat anchors too. (My Ric 3000 is surprisingly heavy for a small bodied short scale.) Sitting in the studio or at home, whatever sounds right gets used.

In my experience, balance often overrides weight. An instrument can often feel lighter than it actually is depending on how well it is balanced. The headless steinbergers (XL2 etc) are about 8 1/2lbs, which is substantial when you consider how small they are. But they never felt that way because they balance well.


GT[/QUOTE]

very true - my heaviest bass at 12 lbs balances perfectly. Can adjust the angle of neck and it stays there - no holding up the neck. And does not seem to bad if its 1 or 2 sets - 3 to 4 I notice it. My lightest - a violin bass does not balance and it become uncomfortable holding up the neck - mind you I now string any bass that has neck dive around the headstock just behind the nut and it works great.

 

[darwin-bass]

And tones. Yes, I'm familiar with it. Makes me sad that bass players have such little respect for what they do. There's no way I could continue if I had that little regard for it.

Jaco is proof that tone does not matter.





JK!!!

 

[Fun Size Nick]

In the most cases, bass tone has a functional quality, not an aesthetic one. It needs to support, not to catch attention on its own. It can be filling or percussive and certainly needs to be mixed appropriately but that doesn't justify the quests some invest in it. All the nonsense about weight, woods or even amplifiers is just misguided priority.

I don’t really understand the need to set up a dichotomy between aesthetic and functionality. We are engaging in a performing art (aesthetic) and tone is part of the means (functional) to perform it. The two aspects are inseparable from each other. Nonsense certainly exists ($1500 power cables, for instance), but the choice of one amplifier over another (eg one that is designed to be super clean vs one that overdrives pleasantly) or one pickup over another (eg mid-forward vs mid-shy) makes a significant functional & aesthetic difference.

Anyhow, this is well off topic.

 

[Mr_O'B]

Aye sir! my 12 lbs '78 jazz bass:View attachment 3786087 not to mention my 6 string basses

It’s boat anchor weight, but really PURDY!
I bet it sounds incredible, and has a lot of thump!

 

[Alex J]

For the music. It's that thing made of note relations and rhythms.

Music is also about the sounds that go into your ears. Some are nicer than others. You like sounds, right?

I mean really, I'm glad any producer worth their salt takes the view tone matters, or a lot of my favourite albums might just be a lot more beige.

 

[Flaked Beans]

It’s boat anchor weight, but really PURDY!
I bet it sounds incredible, and has a lot of thump!

Played it last night ( at home) and man it is a heavy bit*h but sounds freaking amazing. yep.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I love both my 8.5 pound Lull P4 and my 11.5 pound 76 Jazz. Not to mention no one complains about lightweight chambered bodies on Sadowskys and others.

I don't complain about lightweight chambered basses, it's just rare that I find one that I like.

I don't prefer heavier basses, I've come across many that I don't care for. My favorite basses tend to be on the heavier side and I don't think the resulting tones are a coincidence. My heavier basses tend to sound jawdropping.

 

[caasi91]

I just wrapped up a practice session on my beloved Ken Smith that’s prob at least 11lbs

I would’ve sold it just like a lovely USA Geddy that I miss but was an unjustifiable anchor.

My Moollon weighs in at a little over 9lbs and that’s the max I’ll go.

 

[Bassist30]

It seems the lighter basses I had where brighter while the heavier were warmer but taken the fact that all trees are not the same and wood combinations etc it may had been coincidence

 

[johndb]

Most of the basses I've owned that sounded really nice were in the 9 to 10 lb. range. About five years ago I suffered a neck disc extrusion, and playing became difficult and painful with heavy basses on a strap. My 7 lb. Callowhill bass, is much more tolerable, and still sounds fantastic. Still love my 9 lb. Fenders

 

[Real Soon]

I'm a lean & kinda pint sized cat so lighter is better in general, though exceptionally well-balanced instruments can weigh more without problems.

Of the two P basses I own, one is lighter but vintage and the other heavier but very recent. The recent one is easier to play due to superior weight balance, frankly, though a wide-enough strap helps the vintage P sit comfortably enough.

My heftiest 4-string is heavier than my 5 as well as both Ps, and it (an MGBass Extreman) is so well balanced that it can sit slung up for significantly longer than any of the others before gravity starts to win out over comfort.

So on average, nope! But in a special (pricey but worthwhile) case, weight works, and I think that instrument's exceptional tone is owed partly to its dense woods, too. Best of all worlds.

 

[Joe Low]

Are you seriously trying to compare cradling a baby in your arms for a few minutes to playing bass for 3-4 hours on a gig? Ever wonder why strollers are such big sellers with people who have babies?

Argument refuted.

It's an older thread and I've read it mainly just for fun but I just cant let that stand there uncommented. It's just unfair to all the hard working mothers and fathers in this world
It's an odd argument/comparison to begin with, I give you that but...of course you hold babies for hours straight. If they can't sleep for example. You just carry them around a lot generally. That's just how it is. It's much harder and tougher to hold a baby than holding a bass on a strap. Many parents get severe back and shoulder pain from it. Well, maybe that refuted the original argument though because the human body doesn't seem to be made to just carry such a weight for longer periods without getting any issues.
That said. I don't mind lighter basses but I prefer them to be somewhere between 9 and 10 lbs (which is something I wouldn't call light, nor heavy). I like some heft (it's a bass) but I don't like them to be too heavy.

 

[lug]

It's an older thread and I've read it mainly just for fun but I just cant let that stand there uncommented. It's just unfair to all the hard working mothers and fathers in this world
It's an odd argument/comparison to begin with, I give you that but...of course you hold babies for hours straight. If they can't sleep for example. You just carry them around a lot generally. That's just how it is. It's much harder and tougher to hold a baby than holding a bass on a strap. Many parents get severe back and shoulder pain from it. Well, maybe that refuted the original argument though because the human body doesn't seem to be made to just carry such a weight for longer periods without getting any issues.
That said. I don't mind lighter basses but I prefer them to be somewhere between 9 and 10 lbs (which is something I wouldn't call light, nor heavy). I like some heft (it's a bass) but I don't like them to be too heavy.

Mounting the strap lock buttons on my kids was hard, but well worth it.

 

[India_Sierra]

I prefer lightweight basses but I'll tolerate heavier basses if they sound good and play well.