Something here has always baffled me.Why are so many concerned about the weight of a Bass? I mean, I can see it if you have a serious back injury or something but other than that,I don't get it. I'm 56,( an old fart to most here) and the last thing that would keep me from buying a certain Bass would be the weight.And after 30 years of being a mechanic my back isn't the greatest. So help me out because if I really love a certain axe,weight is a non-factor.
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Why all the concerns about weight?
- Thread starter lawsonman
- Start date
because most bassist are in bad shape, and it does hurt when you play long gigs exclusively with a heavy bass. And it CAN produce back injuries and stuff.
For me it's all about comfort. I know from experience my limit is 9 pounds. I don't know why that's the magic number, but it is. I play in a bar band and a normal gig is 3 or 4 sets a night.
4 sets with a 10 pound bass = an aching back when it's over and a lot of time spent thinking about how uncomfortable I am as opposed to what I SHOULD be thinking about, which is the music. It's just a distraction I don't need.
It's important enough to me that I will not buy a bass over 9 pounds, and if the dealer is unable or unwilling to weigh it for me I will take my business elsewhere.
I know lots of guys who seem to think it's not "manly" to be concerned with how much an instrument weighs. Some of these same guys also have permanent hearing loss because it's not manly to wear hearing protection.
Each to his own!
4 sets with a 10 pound bass = an aching back when it's over and a lot of time spent thinking about how uncomfortable I am as opposed to what I SHOULD be thinking about, which is the music. It's just a distraction I don't need.
It's important enough to me that I will not buy a bass over 9 pounds, and if the dealer is unable or unwilling to weigh it for me I will take my business elsewhere.
I know lots of guys who seem to think it's not "manly" to be concerned with how much an instrument weighs. Some of these same guys also have permanent hearing loss because it's not manly to wear hearing protection.
Each to his own!
For me, weight is a concern because I have scoliosis, plus I have bone spurs in my neck from lugging a heavy bass around for years at gigs. So I try to find a bass 9 lbs. or under.
If weight isn't a factor for you, then buy that bass. For some of us the weight of an instrument is important. Personally, I have learned that lightweight basses can possess heavyweight tone. There are myths to the contrary, but I rely on my own experience. My basses range in weight from 7.2 lbs to 8.8 lbs. Does this make me a girlie-man? I schlep an Aguilar GS 212 and DB 115 (with casters). My Epi UL-410 has no casters. I carry it for long distances with no assistance. I'm 57. Having said all that...I'm baffled as to why someone would tolerate a 12 lb bass when they could get awesome tone from a lighter instrument. 
Edit: To give you an idea of the condition of my back, I drove logging truck in the California Sierras for 6 years and drove gasoline tankers on the freeways of SoCal for 13 years. My back has taken a beating, for sure.
M. M.
Edit: To give you an idea of the condition of my back, I drove logging truck in the California Sierras for 6 years and drove gasoline tankers on the freeways of SoCal for 13 years. My back has taken a beating, for sure.
M. M.
I've never thought it was a manly thing. I just really can't tell a hell of a lot of difference between 8 lbs and 10 lbs when I only have it on me 45 minutes or an hour at a time tops.And at 5'8" and 180 lbs I'm not a big guy by any stretch.
I just really can't tell a hell of a lot of difference between 8 lbs and 10 lbs when I only have it on me 45 minutes or an hour at a time tops.And at 5'8" and 180 lbs I'm not a big guy by any stretch.
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I'm fifty and don't like to think about the 14 lb boat anchor '73 Fender P that hung on my shoulder back in the day.
I have played rehearsals for 13 hours, and even sitting down, a heavy bass starts to hurt. That is why during that show I bought a Cort Curbow which is featherlight and also extremely fast to play.
Can't Groove @14
Can't Groove @14
For short term use, weight is fairly unimportant. The weight becomes an issue over longer term use, such as gigs.
If a bass is balanced, 10 lbs is doable. 9 lbs is better, 8 lbs is best for me.
If a bass is balanced, 10 lbs is doable. 9 lbs is better, 8 lbs is best for me.
I've played my first gig(1hour) with an 11 pound bass and at the end i was happy to not have that bass anymore on my shoulders.
So, next gig i'll bring my 5 pound bass....
So, next gig i'll bring my 5 pound bass....
Uh...for me that product should be called DIScomfort strapp.
Just lets a heavy bass dig a groove in your shoulder.
+1 on the light bass/heavy tone equation. I have a Lakland DJ4 that weighs just over 8 pounds...SUPER comfortable to play...and it sounds like a wrecking ball hitting a brick building!
For many of us, it isn't back pain that's the issue with a heavy bass. Rather, it's shoulder pain. Even with a 4" wide strap, a heavy bass will wreak havoc on my shoulder in a very short time. Not so much my back. The shoulder issue is the exact reason I had to part with my beloved Ken Lawrence Brase 5. At 9.8 lbs, it was just over the threshold of causing shoulder pain. 
It could be worse. I could be dead...and feel no pain. 
M. M.
It could be worse. I could be dead...and feel no pain. M. M.
If the gig is going to go 3-4 hours (or more), its my 8.5 lb mim jazz or lakland 44-02. If we are only playing for 2 hours or so I like using my almost 11ld 82 g&l l2k
I guess because some guys are out there playing 4 hour sets, and are in no physical condition to do so with a heavy bass.
I play in originals bands, and we only play one set-- off and done in 45 minutes. For me, weight is not an issue. I'm no young Turk (just shy of 51), but I can suck it up for that long.
I play in originals bands, and we only play one set-- off and done in 45 minutes. For me, weight is not an issue. I'm no young Turk (just shy of 51), but I can suck it up for that long.
I've got serious shoulder problems myself. I've got bursitis and bone spurs in my left shoulder with the added chips of bone free floating around in there. I've had heavy basses and even after an hour my shoulder hurts. I've been banging myself around since I could walk, and having a heavy bass sit on me for awhile isn't fun at all.
My main bass, a Precision, is just under 8 pounds.
My main bass, a Precision, is just under 8 pounds.
