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What is the lightest bass?


woolleydick
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I think, well, I know that you are going to find that a headless bass, such as a Steinberger or Status will make a massive difference. It's not just the weight of the headstock, as in wood + metal tuners. It's easy to forget the fact that the added weight is out on the end of an arm and the 'fulcrum' is nearer your body.


I noticed that when I changed my 7 tuning keys for lighter ones on my Shuker, the difference in my hands in weight was minimal between the 2 different types. I noticed a great deal when I strapped my bass back on! If you eliminate the headstock altogther, your shoulder and ultimately your poorly back will thank you.

My money (for an ultralight bass) would go on the Status Kingbass. A quirky little fellow, but really rather good!

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are these any good?

[url="http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe/uk/10_musical_instruments/30_guitars_basses_amps/70_bass_guitars/10_bass_guitars/20_rbx_basses/10_RBX_A2/index.html"]http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe...X_A2/index.html[/url]

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[quote name='paul h' post='43248' date='Aug 9 2007, 01:30 PM']are these any good?

[url="http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe/uk/10_musical_instruments/30_guitars_basses_amps/70_bass_guitars/10_bass_guitars/20_rbx_basses/10_RBX_A2/index.html"]http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe...X_A2/index.html[/url][/quote]

The black version of that looks very cool.

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An L-2 Cricket bat is a hell of a lot lighter than the fullbodied Steinberger,and I feel,sounds fuller than a Status,But thats just me,But they are easier to get spares and upgrades for.

Price really is the limiter here. The Hohner copies aint to bad, I once had one thrown at me in a Denmark st shop,the bloke was begging...£150 cash there and then (5 string)

Edited by ARGH
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Just to add a thought from left field...

The amount of force taken in a particular place in your back is dependent not only on the weight of your bass but also on your posture and technique. Nothing to say you shouldn't get a lighter bass but also consider a consultation or two with a physio ... or maybe an Alexander Technique teacher

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[quote name='2wheeler' post='43872' date='Aug 10 2007, 06:26 PM']Just to add a thought from left field...

The amount of force taken in a particular place in your back is dependent not only on the weight of your bass but also on your posture and technique. Nothing to say you shouldn't get a lighter bass but also consider a consultation or two with a physio ... or maybe an Alexander Technique teacher[/quote]

Had physio, haven't tried Alexander though. Looking like I will need an operation soon though.

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I have a Danelectro Longhorn (re-issue) knocking about and it's really good fun and incredibly light (around 4.5 pounds at a guess). It's also short-scale and kind of encourages me to treat it as a guitar, i.e., not play bass-lines and play far too fast. The tone is err...idiosyncratic...but not too bad through a good amp. I don't think anybody would suffer back pain given the combination of lightness and scale length. For a high-end version, there's the Jerry Jones Longhorn (and you still see the Neptune model around). These are more expensive, around £400-500 s/h - including import taxes and carriage - but I'm told they really are pretty good instruments (I've not had chance to try one personally).

Edited by lozbass
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[quote name='whynot' post='42012' date='Aug 6 2007, 03:53 PM']Worth checking out a Vigier Passion. Pretty good prices used and you won't take a dive in tonal quality.
The lightest bass I've ever played at around 6lbs with very low action and almost zero neck movement due to the part composite neck.[/quote]

Really?? My Passion III 6'er weighs a ton!! :) My P-Lyte is very, er, Lyte though...

Edited by El_Capitain
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[quote name='paul, the' post='42004' date='Aug 6 2007, 03:41 PM']Try a Hohner headless (still active). The Walnut stained ones are actually quite attractive.
Or a hollowbodied or chambered bass.[/quote]


[quote name='woolleydick' post='42346' date='Aug 7 2007, 10:04 AM']I take it you mean a steinberger?
Arent they a bit pricey?
If not, where can I find one?

Cheers[/quote]


Please don't rule out the Hohners. I hear non-too good things about Steinburgers.




- Solid American Maple body
- Smooth 24-fret rosewood fingerboard over maple neck
- Steinberger licensed hardware
- Perfectly balanced neck and body for optimum playing comfort.

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[quote name='Soulfinger' post='41930' date='Aug 6 2007, 03:04 PM']Aria Sinsonido.



These are for real, BTW. I played a fretless and it sounded lovely.[/quote]
Great to see someone else already suggested this one, as this was what I was coming to post. It's UNBELIEVABLY light, and the great thing is that it also works with headphones plugged straight in its jack. I have one that I don't use much (as I'm a 5-string guy), so it's for sale. If they made a 5er, I'd definitely buy it. Mine is for sale locally (Greece) for 300 euro, but if you're interested I guess we could arrange it. Actually, a friend is coming to London soon, so he [i]might[/i] be able to bring it along. PM me if you want it.

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If you were looking for a different option that might allow you to carry on with you current gear you might try a slightly different strap.

Before I had my left shoulder replaced a couple of years ago I had been suffering quite badly when gigging to the extent that even with a Comfort strap I could only last 3 or 4 numbers before pain spread down my left arm.

I bought a strap that goes over both shoulders & crosses in the middle of your back the theory being that the weight of the bass was spread evenly across your body. With the addition of a couple of seatbelt pads, because it is basically a 2 inch wide webbing strap that could have a tendency to ruck up & dig in if you hurled yourself around on a gig it worked well.

My playing posture is probably not great. With a normal strap I tend to have the body of the bass on my right hip with the neck going away at an angle rather than flat across my body.

The strap that goes over both shoulders had a tendency to pull the bass around from the normal position I would have adopted so took some adjusting to [b]BUT [/b]it did leave me able to get through a couple of hour+ sets OK.

Since my shoulder was fixed I have been able to go back to a normal strap.
I certainly have one of the other straps in my case if you wanted to give it a go, and may even have an unused one as I seem to recall ordering two from the States to have a spare - I shall have to have a ferret around.

In essence it[list]
[*]spreads the weight of the bass across you back rather than dumping it all on one shoulder, but
[*]will take a little getting used to and possibly a slight adjustment of stance, and
[*]will require the patience of a saint for all the "where's your 'chute" and "you've left the baby somewhere mate" taunts that your oh so witty band mates will never cease to be amused by :) but
[*]worked for me & kept me gigging until the shoulder was fixed
[/list]I cannot remember the name of the company right now, but PM me if you want to try one out before you consider buying one and don't want to change basses if you can get away with it.

[EDIT] Of course it came back to me as soon as I hit post. The company is [url="http://www.slider-straps.com/STR/bass.html"]Slider Straps[/url] and with the present exchange rate only about £20 delivered if you wanted to order from them

Edited by WalMan
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[quote name='WalMan' post='48113' date='Aug 21 2007, 12:59 AM']Since my shoulder was fixed I have been able to go back to a normal strap.[/quote]

That X-ray looks like you've had a piece of very large fretwire embedded in your arm.

Edited by therealting
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