Weight Of The Bass

[B.Flat]

This has probably been covered many times already, maybe indifferent forums, but what is your experience, tonally, of heavy weight basses.

When I stated playing, 57 years ago, weight was never thought about but now my generation, and the one after, are in the aches and pain zone it seems to be an important parameter when evaluating an instrument ,

especially for gigging.

I don't know if I am deluding myself but I feel my heavier basses have a better voice.

Discuss

[ambient]

I remember reading a short while ago about the guy who designed the Steinberger bass. He came up with the minimalist design but wasn't happy about the sound; he felt that it lacked sonic depth and I guess 'bassiness'. He noticed that the sound improved when his design was clamped to the workbench, which he put down to the increase in the mass. Consequently he came up with the idea of using carbon fibre, which is denser than wood, and gave an improved sound. 

 

[chris_b]

There always were great sounding light-weight basses. My 1969 P bass weighs about 8lbs. 

I know there were heavy basses that sounded good but there are many well made lighter basses that sound amazing, so the idea that you need a heavy bass in order to make a better sound really was/is a myth. 

[ambient]

5 hours ago, chris_b said:

There always were great sounding light-weight basses. My 1969 P bass weighs about 8lbs. 

I know there were heavy basses that sounded good but there are many well made lighter basses that sound amazing, so the idea that you need a heavy bass in order to make a better sound really was/is a myth. 

I guess heavy is quite relative term though?

Edited December 8, 2018 by ambient

[bertbass]

Danelectro long horn sounds pretty good.

[funkgod]

6 hours ago, B.Flat said:

 

I don't know if I am deluding myself but I feel my heavier basses have a better voice.

 

Your right, no doubt about it for me heavy basses project better, more depth and a more solid sound imho.

i cant use any of my light basses for live any more, i feel like i have to turn the amp up, its like i have gone back to passive single coils, strange

i have a few basses of the same make so the same pickups different woods the heavy ones for me are far better.

but each to their own.

Edited December 8, 2018 by funkgod

[Dad3353]

Hmm. I must be doing something wrong, then, as my Hofner Verithin sounds very 'bassy' to me.  

[Happy Jack]

I've had good basses that were heavy and good basses that were light.

I've had bad basses that were heavy and bad basses that were light.

Weight has nothing to do with it. Your ears are all that matter.

 

[ped]

I think weight does affect the sound, but it’s merely one of a whole range of things that affect how a bass sounds and feels and by no means the most important. And even then, the weight could be beneficial or detrimental to the sound when mixed with different factors like electronics, neck type, hardware, strings, even the finish. 

As such it’s impossible to say, and the only way to judge an instrument is as a sum of its parts. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

10 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

I've had good basses that were heavy and good basses that were light.

I've had bad basses that were heavy and bad basses that were light.

Weight has nothing to do with it. Your ears are all that matter.

 

My left ear is heavy but my right ear is light.

I just find myself going around in circles looking for the right sound. 

[Woodinblack]

I have a Ibanez 5005 and 1605. They are both exactly the same shape, but the 5005 feels like I have put the 1605 on twice. However, sonically they are as bassy as each other. They don't sound the same because they have very different electronics 

[mingsta]

As with all things tone, I think there are so many parameters that weight is just one part of it, and the contribution of each of these parameters, and the sum of the parts is all highly subjective anyway. 

While there are very good reasons to go light, some of it is also social conditioning as its become such a talking pint in the forums (as we all know from the classifieds section!). 

I never considered weight in previous purchases, but fortunately my main gigging bass is 9'3lbs, not light but not heavy either. As I'm now in my 40s, I'd be aiming for that weight or less in any new bass I bought. 

If weights not an issue to you, then great as the whole world is open to you. If it is, then you just have to be more selective to find an instrument that meets your criteria! 

 

[B.Flat]

10 minutes ago, mingsta said:

some of it is also social conditioning as its become such a talking pint

I didn't realize that this site was licensed premises !  Mine's a shandy ( I'm driving)

[Dan Dare]

I reckon ped has it right. An instrument is the sum of its parts. As an OAP, I'd prefer a lighter instrument, but not at the expense of quality. 

[Sparky Mark]

My slab bodied pre Ernie Ball natural ash Stingray (on the left) was my only bass for 10 years in my 20's. Even then I thought it was heavy but I've never played another that sounds as good. I'm convinced that the high mass is a factor in its immense low end. I'll have to dig it out from under the bed for a gig sometime but use lighter basses for convenience. 

[Kevsy71]

Very happy with my 3.28kg PJ - through a Tech21 VT pre at SVT setting it has a superb low end.

I suppose the only way to tell if weight makes a difference is to isolate weight as the only test variable - not variance in cellular structure between woods, etc.. So best to measure low end response on Earth, and then take the bass to Jupiter for an A/B test (tip: bring headphones rather than speakers to reduce back strain).

[Bob Lord]

I've found no relationship between how good a bass sounds, and how heavy it is, tbh. It doesn't seem to be a factor

I'd rather play a good sounding light one than a good sounding heavy one, cos... who really wants to strap a 12lb weight on their shoulder unless there's no other choice?

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, Kevsy71 said:

I suppose the only way to tell if weight makes a difference is to isolate weight as the only test variable - not variance in cellular structure between woods, etc.. So best to measure low end response on Earth, and then take the bass to Jupiter for an A/B test (tip: bring headphones rather than speakers to reduce back strain).

Much better to take both basses into Earth orbit and A/B them in freefall. Weight disappears but mass remains. If the bass with greater mass still sounds 'better' (for a given definition of 'better') then you have the opportunity to start a whole new argument!

[discreet]

21 hours ago, B.Flat said:

I feel my heavier basses have a better voice.

It's very subjective. People who know little of antiques think they're more valuable if they're heavier, or older, or both. Of course this isn't true. Whether or not a bass sounds good (to you) is down to many factors, of which weight (or lack of it) is just one.

I've had heavy basses which sounded great. My current (and only) bass is a Jazz I put together myself. It weighs 7lbs. It sounds fantastic.

Edited December 9, 2018 by discreet

[chris_b]

Think about it.

There are good sounding basses that are heavy, equally good sounding basses that are light and there are many basses that don't sound good in both categories.

In this case it does seem that weight has an enduring placebo effect.

[mingsta]

2 hours ago, B.Flat said:

I didn't realize that this site was licensed premises !  Mine's a shandy ( I'm driving)

When the pints start talking back, it's time to go home! 

[bubinga5]

 There is no reason for a bass to be a heavy lump that you have to struggle to play. Electric bass makers by now should know this. Sire seem to have missed the ball on this issue. BUT. Everyone is different physically. My Sei Jazz, made of swamp ash is 8.2 pounds, and is perfection. But the Sire 5vers I've played are too heavy.. I really don't like a heavy bass. 

Edited December 9, 2018 by bubinga5

[discreet]

14 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

I really don't like a heavy bass. 

I don't mind that much if it's otherwise a good bass, but now I've gone light I really don't want to go back. This is good for resisting bass GAS, too. Where am I going to find a Jazz that weighs less than 7lbs?

Edited December 9, 2018 by discreet

[bubinga5]

1 minute ago, discreet said:

I don't mind that much if it's otherwise a good bass, but now I've gone light I really don't want to go back. This is good for resisting bass GAS, too. Where am I going to find a Jazz that weighs less than 7lbs?

Custom. Unless your unlucky, stinky poo sorry I meant to say lucky enough to find a Fender Jazz at a decent weight. 

[Muzz]

49 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Think about it.

There are good sounding basses that are heavy, equally good sounding basses that are light.

In this case it does seem that weight has an enduring placebo effect.

This. I had a 70s Jazz which weighed a sniff short of 12lbs and sounded dead and brown, all my basses are very very good, and there isn’t one heavier than 9lb. My Dingwall’s the lightest at 7lb 8oz, and is the most resonant of the lot.

There’s waaayyyy too many factors like materials and build quality (and that’s before the pups and eq) to call weight as a major factor.

i know standing around for a couple of hours with  several pounds more than I want round my neck is a huge factor, tho...