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Who plays the Heaviest Bass in the business? Why?


Grangur
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Missed the "Why" part :)

I don't really think about "why". Only had the plexi 5'er cause I thought it looked cool but with the T-40's ? They weigh what they weigh.
At work a 14lb hammer weighs 14lb,quickest easiet way to drive panels or knock a wall down. Same goes for basses,if the one I want to use weighs 12lb then I'll use it.

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The heaviest I've ever had was a Thumb
5 string Broad Neck. That was a heavy old beast that could tire the shoulder. By comparison, I've owned a Thumb BO 4 and played plenty of BO 5's and depsite being heavy, the ergonomics work well to hide the weight when standing.

I used to hear a lot of talk about neck diving Thumbs but when held properly (on a strap, with the bass held above the belt line) they balance really well.

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[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1506951942' post='3382218']
My 8-string is surprisingly weighty - comes in at around 11lbs. I know this is being comfortably beaten by quite a few other basses on this thread, but then this one's only a 30" scale length!
[/quote]

Oh yeah: why?

Well, it's the only 8-string bass I've ever chanced across in a shop. It would have been remiss of me not to at least go in and try it out.

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[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1506943026' post='3382108']
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.


[/quote]

Well my heaviest bass obviously used to be this one :).
Nice to see it restored to its former glory!

I'd guess I probably played somewhere in the region of 8-900 gigs with that bass and honestly the weight never bothered me. To the extent in fact that I once sold a Spector Legend because it was too light. I just prefer the feel of a substantial bass for some reason.
The fact that this old corvette had such a fantastic tone always made it worthwhile for me too. In the end it was the shape of the neck that put it to pasture rather than the weight.

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[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1507043723' post='3382981']
Well my heaviest bass obviously used to be this one :).
Nice to see it restored to its former glory!

I'd guess I probably played somewhere in the region of 8-900 gigs with that bass and honestly the weight never bothered me. To the extent in fact that I once sold a Spector Legend because it was too light. I just prefer the feel of a substantial bass for some reason.
The fact that this old corvette had such a fantastic tone always made it worthwhile for me too. In the end it was the shape of the neck that put it to pasture rather than the weight.
[/quote]
Hi Rich,
Yes, the tone is really something.
Have another pic for old times...

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For me, a bass needs some weight. I am still yet to find a lightweight bass that has the depth and richness of a heavier bass.

Heaviest I had was a Warwick Streamer Stage 1 5, 13lb, too heavy to gig with (rather active on stage) but oh my the sound.

Edited by Kev
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[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]So what's your heaviest bass that gets played? This is the heaviest Bass I own. Weight: 5.35 kg or 11lb 12 oz. It is hardly ever played.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Do you gig with it? No - it's never been gigged, ever.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]What about it still makes you want it? I've tried selling it on Basschat a couple of times, but no takers - plenty of admirers though.[/font][/color]

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[quote name='Urban Bassman' timestamp='1507118629' post='3383412']
Beat me to it! Behold The Wal triple neck. Lock the thread...
[/quote]

Well... Not mine, but I once got to play this beast. Take a notoriously heavy instrument, and make it double... It's ridiculous!

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My old Fender J'78 is/was a really heavy beast. With the Badass bridge and three massive brass knobs and three(!) pickups it was somewhere around 8(!) kg...
The tone was fantastic, but I got a slipped disc from that bass. Now it and I have undergone surgery. The bass has a new body from Guitarbuild, a nice very light swamp ash body, not complete, paint job is still to be done. It will look like the original, but without a lot of weight. It will certainly affect the tone, but a bass that won't get played has no tone after all. Still, the neck is a massive chunk of maple, even if it is rather slim. You could club an ox with that. I had another body made for the bass some years ago, but I forgot telling the guy I wanted the 70's position of the bridge pickup. It was a very good looking body, but I never felt at home with the "misplaced" pickup, so that body went to an old defretted 70's Jazz neck. Also a project that is still lying waiting to be completed. Unfortunately my pic's went down the Photobucket drain. I get new pic's in a while...

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Well my double bass weights 10.1kg (equal to the Wal and the Warwick added together), but I guess that is cheating.

The Wal is very comfy to play, the neck is wide and it lacks many ergonomic curves but somehow just hangs nicely and the joy of the tone over-rides the ache in my shoulder (Wide padded leather strap helps).

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I´ve had also an Steve Harris, and a couple Stingrays that weights over 5 kg. But the heavier was an unfinished project: I bought a plexiglass Precision body this summer, and to my surprise it was over 4 kg., just the body! I´m sure if I had finished it problably weighed more than 6 kg.

Edited by rebo213
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I have an early NT Thumb Sixer and it weighs in at 11 1/2 lbs. When people see it hey say, oohh heavy - I couldn't cope with that. If I take out my Fodera which weighs not much more that a pound less - they say oohh Fodera want my kidney? I say its heavy they usually say that they wouldn't care. (perhaps more graphic expletives).

My point is that unless you have a bad back, are very modest in stature or build or happen to be 83 then whole weight thing is utter nonsense. Ooh I'm a healthy man in my mid 40's oooh 12 pounds!, couldn't possibly carry that across my manly shoulders on a comfortable strap for a whole hour! Skinny little girls carry 18lb toddlers around all day on one arm. Jeez.....man up guys............

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