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Why are people obsessed with weight??

For some reason, when I pick up a bass that is unusually light, the first thing that comes to my mind is **Cheap**, even though I should and do know better.

I think it comes from putting together too many of those particle board tv stand/computer stand/entertainment centers I tend to always buy from Wal Mart and Target

Yep, that is a mistake. In many things, going lighter is actually more expensive (bikes, race cars, UFO's, phones, significant others). I've only come across a handful of lightweight basses that I've cared for and that was because they had a unique vibe I could deal with. It certainly wasn't because they gave me my ideal tone... they didn't.
 
I tend to believe...


And what YOU believe is what YOU believe.

What OTHERS believe might not be the same as you.


Let me ask you this - when you go shopping for clothes, would you be happy if the sales clerk constantly asked "why do you want red", or "why do you want the boot cut jeans" ?

The fact is that "what I want is what I want", and if I have to "justify" asking details about the product, then screw it..I won't buy it.

Customer asks, seller answers. Period. Or the seller doesn't sell it.



CUSTOMER: Hi, I'm interested in this sweater...do you have it in red ?

SALESMAN: Why does the color matter ? Color shouldn't matter. It never mattered to me.

CUSTOMER: OK, Bye.


;)
 
i like to practice every night,thought a`good heavy bass' was `the ticket',,but now i'm wanting to drill holes under the pickguard,grabbed a total low-end odd branded bass at a hock shop and;i've never been right since then,yes maybe it was pine or balsa but i don't care,the thing had`neck-dive' and it was a `p' bass copy:eek:

the `squier by flanders' that i had weighed 12lbs,i think the `squier by fletchers' i'm slinging now weighs the same=why?

it's not every night i want to `KILL-EM!' some nights i want to sit and do some slow blues and STUDY theory,chords etc.,,old school shtuff it's not nec. about tone @ as loud as you can stand it or fitting in with a group(it's about ME),i'd rather a light(er) body and more electricals to compensate(sort of like an old tube head versus lightweight SS technology)=great! you pick it up!,,,,,,,,seems like no two bass's weigh the same(wish i'd own a light one tho');)
 
The best sounding basses Ive owned have been light weight. As result of the body wood used. I have owned a couple heavy basses and they just didnt work out sound wise. When I played doublenecks, all but one weighed 12 and half or less pounds, never was a problem to handle themk weight wise. But never could get one that sounded excellent on both sides. That may have been due to the extra body mass, dunno, cause all but one where made of my fave body wood, mahogany, which is allways lightweight for qaulity peices in my experience.
 
Not everyone wanting a lighter bass is fat. ...and if you can find a health club for $45, enlighten us.

I pay $32 a month for my gym membership, but I don't workout to hold my bass, I do it to stay healthy. I can tell you that it's far less weight than what I work out with.

At 6'5", 230lbs, I have no idea what my bass weighs. I've never cared. I don't notice it being heavy, but then again, as big as I am I probably have bowel movements heavier than my bass. LOL! :)
 
About five minutes of research on the internet will tell you everything you want to know about a certain model bass (string spacing, scale, weight), except for details specific to that bass, i.e., condition, action, truss rod, etc.

And those weight figures are notoriously inaccurate. I've found "9.5" pound Fenders that actually weigh between 8.5 and 12.5 lbs. That's why it's important to ask about the weight if it's a factor.
 
I've seen posts which read "I've just got the perfect bass as far as tone and playability go, unfortunately it's 9.5lbs and my absolute limit is 9.0lbs, so it's going back"
So someone finds a bass with perfect tone and playability, and doesn't keep it because of 1/2lb? I couldn't tell 1lb +or- by picking up a bass, let alone notice 1/2lb.
I must admit it seems like a crazy obsession to me, and yes I have had plenty of back surgery and I have generalised arthritis, so standing up with nothing strapped on still hurts, but if I ever had to worry about the weight of a bass, I really think I'd give up playing.
Just my opinion obviously, but it is often the first question people ask about a new bass, and I have to join in with the original poster and ask "why?" Now if they weighed 25lb or so....
 
Heavy basses ( Northern Ash ) not for me. I use old Fender's. I like P bass at 8.5 lbs and a Jazz no more than 9 lbs even with 8.12 being ideal Alder or Swamp Ash. i had a 68 FenderTelecaster bass near 11 lbs, horrific on the back. I now have a 69 only weighs 8.5 :) I dunno about you guys but Alder basses sound better than heavy Ash. More tone and ring. Just my opinion!
 
OK - take 5 minutes and research how much a 1977 Precision Bass weighs.

I'll wait for your answer.



I've had '77 P's that weighed 8.2 lbs and some as heavy as 12 lbs. Same with Jazz's. It's just more common that they ( mid-late 70's Fender basses ) heavy ass, clumsy and not very well built. Every once in a while you can stumble on a 'good' one. But a 'good' mid-seventies Fender bass is still not to be compared with a Fender bass from 1966 back......night and day.
 
4.4 kg or 9.7 lbs for an ash bodied. From Yahoo, I typed "1977 p-bass weight" and this came up as the first result. It has to be correct, as everything you read on the internet is accurate. The natural T-40s weigh 12-13 lbs. The painted ones weigh 10

Well, I've owned SIX 1977 Precision Basses, the lightest over which was a shade over 7 lbs, the heaviest of which was just under 13 lbs.

So your "research" is not only inaccurate, it is also not helpful in the least if I were buying another 1977 P Bass.