+1000. I've always wanted an SR5 but the durn things weigh 10.25 lbs. on average.
First question I ask with any new bass purchase is "how much does it weigh and what's the balance?".
I'm 51 and a firm believer in my personal comfort.
Riis
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why are people obsessed with weight??
- Thread starter mmbongo
- Start date
+1000. I've always wanted an SR5 but the durn things weigh 10.25 lbs. on average.
First question I ask with any new bass purchase is "how much does it weigh and what's the balance?".
I'm 51 and a firm believer in my personal comfort.
Riis
Light bass, heavy amp...that's my thing. I only have to move the amp a couple minutes at a time, but that bass is on my neck the whole gig. Plus I have chronic shoulder soreness if I use a heavier bass than about 8.5 lbs. My main bass now weighs closer to 7. I still kick ass, so don't worry about it.
and you can always get a roadie to move your amp and cabs. There's usually someone around looking to get into the show for free. Lugging the equipment is enough to "guest list" someone into a show (required IMO).
I've done that back in the day, but most of the shows I play when I have to move my amp are free anyway, and our fans are all too old to want to move our stuff 
I'm obsessed with weight because I'm the one who has to hold it. I once believed weight equals tone, experience has proven that's not the case. I look at AND weigh the entire system, all puns intended. The same for guitars, too.
I'd bet there are ones that come in over 10 pounds, and that would be a deal breaker for me personaly. Given how much Ash can vary, I'd certainly be asking if I were in the market for one. Not an unreasonable question at all IMO. I'd be a LOT more inclined to buy one that was closer to 8 pounds than 10. (either being quite possible in an Ash bodied bass)
I've done that back in the day, but most of the shows I play when I have to move my amp are free anyway, and our fans are all too old to want to move our stuff
Ohhhhh that doesn't sound like a good "groupie" scenario there either Jimmy. My condolances.
The few Sterlings I have picked up definitely weighed more than either of my ATK's(which are about 9.5 lbs), not sure how much more exactly...but enough to make me go "Day..yum! That's heavy!"
No idea if that's standard or not. I imagine some weigh more than others.Ohhhhh that doesn't sound like a good "groupie" scenario there either Jimmy. My condolances.
DO...NOT..... POKE.....THE..... BEAR! That's boarding on fightin' words Savit, LOL
Nah, just chiming in at 2 of the coolest guys on this forum!
- Jun 19, 2004
- 4,782
- 83
- 42
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist, Schroeder Cabinets
It's been bothering me and I gotta ask....why are people so obsessed with the weight of a bass? Almost every FS thread I see has somebody inevitably asking "what does it weigh?? what does it weigh??"
Why does it matter? Why the obsession? I never cared about weight as I figured most any bass in in between 8 and 11 pounds, and there are other factors that matter more. I'll take a heavy bass that's properly balanced over a light neck diver any day. Maybe these people are weak and can't hold up a bass?
While it's not the #1 priority for me, it's still something I want to know before buying a bass that I'm going to play live. Why would I want a bass that's so heavy I don't want to play it? There are plenty of basses out there that are light AND balance well. Most of the common questions re: color, fingerboard material, # of strings, pickup configuration etc are apparent enough from the photos, but sellers often forget to mention weight, so people ask.
Also, a lot of people have bad backs, so it might be a higher priority for them. It's especially common for bassists, as we tend to be the ones with the heaviest cabs, etc.
When you are over 50 and do 3-1/2 hour shows with no break, you'll understand.
My "normal" basses are Greco LP clones that aren't light. I also carry either a Brice T-Bird or Greco violin bass as "light" backups.
A Greco GOB 1200(weighs a ton) goes to a minimal number of shows mainly due to the weight. It compares to our guitarist's rosewood-bodied Strat in feeling like a boat anchor after a while.
My "normal" basses are Greco LP clones that aren't light. I also carry either a Brice T-Bird or Greco violin bass as "light" backups.
A Greco GOB 1200(weighs a ton) goes to a minimal number of shows mainly due to the weight. It compares to our guitarist's rosewood-bodied Strat in feeling like a boat anchor after a while.
What shows go 3.5 hours with no break? Just asking; not trying to be difficult.
We all have different needs, and different desires as well. I guess that includes opinions too.
When I was young I had the idea the only good bass (74 Jazz) was one that weighed as much as my VW Bug. My rig also included a Peavy amp and twin folded horn and two 15s. It was my "heavy groove" sound. Heavy gauge strings (.50-.105).
Time changes everything. I now use a 54 reissue P, which is very light ash. My two main amps are a Genz-Benz Shuttle 8.0 and an original Nemesis NC-210. Very light. .40-.100 gauge strings are "in" now.
So these days (and a month away from turning 50) Lite is cool, especially with arthritis in many of my finger joints. Did I mention a bad shoulder and rotator cuff?
I dont' care whether you use a combo or a stack, fretted or fretless, what kind of strings you prefer, brand, what scale it is, if you play with a pick or your fingers, or if it's an inexpensive bass or a multi-thousand dollar bass. That includes weight.
The only thing that matters is that it meets your needs, it's the best you could get for the money involved, and that you...like it.
Obsessing over what others obsess over is rather... obsessive.
So is adding all these smiles.
FG
When I was young I had the idea the only good bass (74 Jazz) was one that weighed as much as my VW Bug. My rig also included a Peavy amp and twin folded horn and two 15s. It was my "heavy groove" sound. Heavy gauge strings (.50-.105).
Time changes everything. I now use a 54 reissue P, which is very light ash. My two main amps are a Genz-Benz Shuttle 8.0 and an original Nemesis NC-210. Very light. .40-.100 gauge strings are "in" now.
So these days (and a month away from turning 50) Lite is cool, especially with arthritis in many of my finger joints. Did I mention a bad shoulder and rotator cuff?
I dont' care whether you use a combo or a stack, fretted or fretless, what kind of strings you prefer, brand, what scale it is, if you play with a pick or your fingers, or if it's an inexpensive bass or a multi-thousand dollar bass. That includes weight.
The only thing that matters is that it meets your needs, it's the best you could get for the money involved, and that you...like it.
Obsessing over what others obsess over is rather... obsessive.
So is adding all these smiles.
FG
We all have different needs, and different desires as well. I guess that includes opinions too.
When I was young I had the idea the only good bass (74 Jazz) was one that weighed as much as my VW Bug. My rig also included a Peavy amp and twin folded horn and two 15s. It was my "heavy groove" sound. Heavy gauge strings.
....
So these days (and a month away from turning 50) Lite is cool, especially with arthritis in many of my finger joints. Did I mention a bad shoulder and rotator cuff?
....
The only thing that matters is that it meets your needs, it's the best you could get for the money involved, and that you...like it.
Sounds similar to my beginnings in the late seventies
I had a Gartner 2X15 and a 1x18 and some awfully heavy Peavey Bass that I loved and a BC Rich which was also heavy. Now I am in my mid-forties, have arthritis in my rotator-cuff on my right shoulder after having fractured it about 15 years ago and a fractured disk from a sports injury that is over 20 years old. I like light but decent sounding basses and use EQ to add umph as necessary. Interestingly, my son, who is 16, seems to think that light basses are the thing and he got to that by playing my basses and realizing that he could get good tone without killing his shoulder or back. So yeah, it is personal preference and some life experience that contributes to weight being a factor. Good straps also help. Why should your favourite activity be painful (unless that's the point)?
