Why do bassists tend to be heftier fellows?

[Feral Feline]

Tall & Lean(ish). Spare tire's starting thanks to aging and less MTBing. Certainly far from "hefty" though.

Dug Pinnick and a host of other bassists come to mind who all refute the generalisation of "heftier".

 

[hudpucker]

Our guy is probably 5'10" and 140 lbs.

 

[Swerve]

I've heard this stereotype but haven't really noticed it in real life. Tuba players on the other hand, those are generally big dudes. How else are you going to hold that sucker up?

 

[barebones]

I know! I know!

It's laziness. Cuz bass is WAY easier!

Am I right?!

C'mon, people. Who's with me here?...

 

[Joe Milo]

5'11" 205lbs......I'm 46 years old and I know I have at least an extra 30lbs on me. I dress accordingly to my weight. Which means no tight clothing!

 

[Itzayana]

I know! I know!

It's laziness. Cuz bass is WAY easier!

Am I right?!

C'mon, people. Who's with me here?...

I am with you.
Everyone knows that bass players are overwhelmingly fat, dumb, and happy. Not to mention lazy and entirely lacking ambition.

 

[musicianary]

Not to mention lazy and entirely lacking ambition.

Agreed. I'm almost 26 with a wife and 2 kids and still have NO idea what to do with my life. I'm holding down a very promising job with the state of California as I wait for my music career to take off.

 

[shadowtippy]

I'm 6' tall and weigh 135 lbs. I can't seem to get rid of those last few ounces that make me look so big.

 

[Bard2dbone]

Well, I guess I'm holding up the stereotype here. I'm about six feet, maybe 5'11" and a half/ And I'm around 310 lbs.

Yes. I have my own zip code.

 

[bluesdogblues]

I'm not hefty nor heftier than any of my buddies

 

[ExTek]

I always thought mosts bassists were tall and skinny. Probably cause I am. I'm like 6 ft and I weigh around 140 or so.

 

[Crash 56]

I am 5'11" and average weight, but my head is unusually large.......

 

[Muziekschuur]

I''m heavey...... Cause my tone is like that..... See?

 

[mozilla314]

I think there are heavy people on every instrument.
(Just look at John Popper on harmonica.) But I must say
that you rarely see a fat guitarist. Perhaps because they
are all hyper, out of control, and can't sit still and be quiet
for even a minute. Burns a lot of calories..............

 

[dwm74]

I guess I fit into this category, as I'm 5'11" and 250 lbs. It ain't ALL fat, as I have a good amount of muscle mass, but I'd still like to drop about 30 lbs.

But our cabs weigh more than the guitarists', so we need the extra bulk to heft them around! And the extra strength to pluck those thicker and heavier strings for hours on end. (And if any of you believe this logic I've got some swamp land in Florida...)

 

[Itzayana]

I just watched the RUSH documentary.
That was great. But I was amazed at how overweight Geddy Lee was.

 

[BobWestbrook]

When I get on the digital scale, it just says E, which I'm pretty sure means. either Extraordinary or Exemplary.

 

[fraublugher]

The stereotype you speak of is not literally physique related .

It was born out of composers using the low instruments to represent large things.

The trombone - god
The Tuba , bari sax- dumbo
etc

 

[Major Softie]

When I get on the digital scale, it just says E, which I'm pretty sure means. either Extraordinary or Exemplary.

I believe that means "Empty," signifying you need a drink.

 

[lifeoffroadbass]

I just watched the RUSH documentary.
That was great. But I was amazed at how overweight Geddy Lee was.

You kno who was way overweight Jaco. So is Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Lee Sklar, Les Claypool, Bootsy Collins, Steve Bailey, Flea, and the list goes on...... wow there's a bunch maybe this guy is on to something