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Who plays the Heaviest Bass in the business? Why?


Grangur
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This is inspired by a comment I read in another thread.

Lots of folk on here, when GASing over a bass will ask, nut-width and weight. There's a bass I've been playing that I might have to give up due to its weight, yet the last owner gigged it so regularly that the frets were worn down and there are channels worn into the wood of the fingerboard.

So what's your heaviest bass that gets played?
Do you gig with it?
What about it still makes you want it?

I'll kick it off with 5.37Kg (11.83 lb)
In my case, it only gets played when sitting.
The tone is deep, solid and rounded. It's got a solid Bubinga wood body.

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My heaviest was probably a Fender Marcus Miller jazz. A four string at that! Not ridiculously heavy at around 11lbs, but that, combined with the stupidly complex (for me) East pre-amp encouraged me to move it on rather quickly. I could have happily gigged with it if it played and sounded awesome - but it was a bit one-dimensional.

Edited by Conan
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My Overwater 6 string fretless and my Warwick Thunb both a bit too heavy to gig with but could never get rid of them.
Overwater i had built for my 50th and my warwick i've had since new in 89.

Dave

[attachment=254830:DSC01642.JPG]

Edited by dmccombe7
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My Aria SB-1000 is ridiculously heavy, but never left the house. I did gig my Ibanez MC924 a couple of times, that comes pretty close to the SB (the early model 924 with the mahogany wings with ash top and back). Have never weighed any of my instruments though.

Edited by LeftyJ
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I've got an Adamovic Jupiter 4 fretless, it's a singlecut and looks like quite a large piece of wood when viewed in a photo, but it's mystifying how light and small it is in person, I suppose limba and redwood isn't that heavy.

On the other hand, I've got a Warwick Thumb 5, all ovangkol, typically tiny Thumb body and just a regular neck, not a broadneck, and it weighs an absolute ton. However, I wear it on a short strap and don't struggle to play it standing, I like the way it sits on a strap and don't think it would be an issue to gig with. I've played some Jazz basses that have weighed ridiculous amount, and I find the weight to be made worse by the flat back on the body and the way they sit on a strap, the design of a bass can go a long way to disguising the weight depending on how the weight is distributed and how it hangs on a strap.

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I have just sold my Overwater 6 which was 12lbs 4. I would not want to stand for long with it on. But WHAT a sound. If only my cognitive RAM could process 6 strings I would probably have flogged everything else. I doubt that I will play it's like again.

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I’ve been playing a late 70s J copy for years and, although I’d suspected it for years, I only recently found it is actually - objectively - pretty heavy, at about 11 lbs.

Only (sort of) a problem during really long sets, though. And the action is really nice, so it’s easy on the left hand. The reason I keep playing it is it sounds amazing. :)

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