"Lightweight" Basses

[Bernardo]

I'm looking to invest in a potentially keep forever £1k plus 4 bass. Probably  4 string.

Given back issues I want it to be relatively, whatever that means, lightweight. I want something slightly unusual, steering away from Fenders.  I had been leaning towards the Stingray Special but then I saw the Sandberg SLs which look pretty cool. There's also the odd second hand bottom of the range Dingwall. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[ped]

Something graphite might be a good way to go

[wateroftyne]

See what you can come up with on here - there are non F-style options:

https://public-peace.de/configurator/

Most of the designs have options for chambering, lightweight hardware, etc.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Paging @Happy Jack. Hint hint - Mike Lull Basses.

[Marc S]

I never used to understand why, on a sales thread, people always seemed to ask about the weight of a bass...
However, as the years advance... I fully understand! I've got several basses (too many) and when I'm expecting to play longer gigs or sessions - these days I always favour my lighter basses....
Just being half a kilo or so can make a difference to my shoulder at the end of a long evening's playing

My own preference is to lean toward a Fender, or Fender shaped bass  - so I'm tempted lately by lighter basses of that brand.

But I've heard good reports about  Maruszczyk basses, and often pondered one of their chambered bodied range.

I'll be interested to see what you opt for @Bernardo - good luck with your search

 

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, Bernardo said:

Given back issues I want it to be relatively, whatever that means, lightweight. I want something slightly unusual, steering away from Fenders. 

Steering away from Fenders is of course a matter of taste - I did the same for years but I still can't offer any advice since your taste is unlikely to be identical to mine.

As to what 'lightweight' means, a typical Fender Precision comes in around 9.5 lbs. It's a bell curve, and you can find P-basses that weigh 11 lbs and P-basses that weigh less than 8 lbs, but IME that 9.5 figure is where the great majority of them sit.

In my 20s I would have thought of that as a lightweight bass. Now in my 60s, that's pretty much the top end of my range.

A typical Fender Jazz is substantially heavier than a Precision - that offset contoured body is way bigger.

My feeling is that anything under 8 lbs can fairly be described as 'lightweight', but don't forget that balance is crucial to the equation, and that your choice of strap is also very important.

You can often save weight by going hollow-bodied or semi-acoustic ... a genuine German-made Hofner will usually weigh around 6 lbs, a Fender Thinline or similar (e.g. the Grosmann Classic Semi-Acoustic currently in the For Sale section) will be around 7.5 lbs.

You can also save by going futuristic and minimalist ... check out Steinberger and similar.

Above all, never lose sight of the fact that bad posture does WAY more damage than the weight of your bass ever could do.

 

[ClassicVibes]

2 hours ago, Bernardo said:

I'm looking to invest in a potentially keep forever £1k plus 4 bass. Probably  4 string.

Given back issues I want it to be relatively, whatever that means, lightweight. I want something slightly unusual, steering away from Fenders.  I had been leaning towards the Stingray Special but then I saw the Sandberg SLs which look pretty cool. There's also the odd second hand bottom of the range Dingwall. Any thoughts or advice?

 

Love my Sandberg SL. 6lbs 7ozs. No neck dive at all thanks to Sandberg now producing the lightest tuners on the market. Black Label pups sound awesome with tons of EQ options from the 2 band active EQ. It can do the passive thing too if the battery dies. Add that to Sandberg's excellent build quality and you have a beast of a bass!

[pineweasel]

1 hour ago, ClassicVibes said:

Love my Sandberg SL. 6lbs 7ozs. No neck dive at all thanks to Sandberg now producing the lightest tuners on the market. Black Label pups sound awesome with tons of EQ options from the 2 band active EQ. It can do the passive thing too if the battery dies. Add that to Sandberg's excellent build quality and you have a beast of a bass!

I have a a TM5 Superlight and agree with all this. It's the lightest solid guitar of any kind that I have owned. It's also the best playing one, I think due to it having a Plek setup at the factory. My only concern is that the Paulownia body may be susceptible to dents. 

I've also been considering a Stingray Special, but I wouldn't think of them as especially lightweight. Lighter than previous Stingrays to be sure, but most of them are still in the 8-9lbs range.

[jrixn1]

I'll pile in with the Sandberg SL love - it plays lovely, sounds great, and is perfectly balanced.  Mine is cedar and it is a soft wood; I wouldn't say I baby my basses, but I'm pretty careful; however I have quite a few dings, although they are nearly all the most minor type, that you only see if you go looking for them.  Mine is a 5-string and 3.3kg; I don't ever want to go back to a 4.5kg bass!

[Bernardo]

It's the Sandberg SL I'm leaning towards. I was clinging onto thoughts of the Stingray Special because I've long coveted a Ray and the Special seemed like it was getting there weight wise. But arrived is better than getting there!

[Hellzero]

Try the Ibanez EHB1500. A friend of mine has the 5 strings version and it only weights 3.1 kilos, so the 4 strings version will be less. It sounds very good, with Nordstrand pickups and Ibanez preamp, it's very easy to play and you don't feel it on your shoulder. It's also very ergonomic like most of headless basses.

The price tag new is quite cheap for such a high quality bass : https://m.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_ehb1500_def.htm

Here's the link to Ibanez website : https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1500_1p_01.html

There's also a thread here on these new headless series by Ibanez :

Worth checking out. 😉

Edited June 11, 2020 by Hellzero
Links fixed.

[ClassicVibes]

8 minutes ago, Bernardo said:

It's the Sandberg SL I'm leaning towards. I was clinging onto thoughts of the Stingray Special because I've long coveted a Ray and the Special seemed like it was getting there weight wise. But arrived is better than getting there!

This is a big if but if you ordered a Sandberg SL directly from them, they might be able to move the MM pup into the sweet spot? I have no idea if they could do this but worth an ask.

[Bernardo]

2 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said:

This is a big if but if you ordered a Sandberg SL directly from them, they might be able to move the MM pup into the sweet spot? I have no idea if they could do this but worth an ask.

According to Bass Direct there's a 9 month wait for custom orders. 

[ClassicVibes]

Just now, Bernardo said:

According to Bass Direct there's a 9 month wait for custom orders. 

In demand then.

[Bernardo]

5 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Try the Ibanez EHB1500. A friend of mine has the 5 strings version and it only weights 3.1 kilos, so the 4 strings version will be less. It sounds very good, with Nordstrand pickups and Ibanez preamp, it's very easy to play and you don't feel it on your shoulder. It's also very ergonomic like most of headless basses.

The price tag new is quite cheap for such a high quality bass : https://m.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_ehb1500_def.htm

Here's the link to Ibanez website : https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1500_1p_01.html

There's also a thread here on these new headless series by Ibanez :

Worth checking out. 😉

Cheers I can't go headless - just doesn't look right. 😲

 

[Hellzero]

According to Bdonkey Direct there's a 9 month wait for custom orders. 

Indeed, the time to reprogram the CNC machine. 😁

Edited June 11, 2020 by Hellzero

[Hellzero]

6 minutes ago, Bernardo said:

Cheers I can't go headless - just doesn't look right. 😲

Then there's the AFR series, light and ergonomic too. This is the new series : https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/modern-bass-guitars/ibanez-afr4fmp-ntf-4-string-bass-guitar-in-natural-flat

Or, if you like the more standard look, the Sivcak basses are pretty light (my fiver weights exactly 4 kilos) with very high specs and really fantastic sounding. Quite hard to find on the second hand market though...

An example : http://www.sollerguitars.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=item&cid=29:seria-osc&id=596:osc-ii-4-067118&Itemid=101&lang=en

[pineweasel]

21 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said:

This is a big if but if you ordered a Sandberg SL directly from them, they might be able to move the MM pup into the sweet spot? I have no idea if they could do this but worth an ask.

Would this actually work though? Surely a big part of the Stingray tone is the MM preamp?

[Bernardo]

25 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said:

In demand then.

There are very few 4 strings kicking about. I'd be happy with a VM or a TM, I'm thinking a 4 and I'm not a fan of the natural style - although I haven't seen one in the flesh.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Bernardo

[Bernardo]

2 minutes ago, pineweasel said:

Would this actually work though? Surely a big part of the Stingray tone is the MM preamp?

 

I'll be honest it's the aura as well as the fact that I want to be Bernard Edwards and Cliff Williams

[Cuzzie]

32 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said:

This is a big if but if you ordered a Sandberg SL directly from them, they might be able to move the MM pup into the sweet spot? I have no idea if they could do this but worth an ask.

 

6 minutes ago, Bernardo said:

 

I'll be honest it's the aura as well as the fact that I want to be Bernard Edwards and Cliff Williams

Hölger often points out it’s the placement and the preamp - the MM pick up in his TM, VM basses etc are not trying to recreate the Ray sound.

Cedar and Paulownia are a little softer but wood like Cedar has been used to build ships and garden furniture, cabinets etc for years - I don’t reckon it will disintegrate!

So far as lightweight basses....
 

I will always Champion Sandberg - amazing basses and company. The SL

Hohner headless - very light as it’s like a lollipop on me and I have upgraded to the EMG pick ups - does a great job.

My bitsa P sourcing a light wood body (this was actually a Fender USA Alder one) and popping a status graphite neck and pick up of choice is another option and within budget.

Status Stealth bass - it’s light as a feather and a monster tone.
 

Loads of options for your cash!

 

[dougieb]

I also suffer from back and shoulder issues and found my Fender Jazz Basses getting increasingly difficult to use. I took a punt on a guitar for sale on this forum and it worked out great, a Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass. Much lighter than a conventional Jazz Bass, very fast neck as well. I am more than happy with it. Cheers.

[fretmeister]

Another vote for a Sandberg Super Light.

I have a TT4 and it's fantastic.

[Bernardo]

32 minutes ago, dougieb said:

I also suffer from back and shoulder issues and found my Fender Jazz Basses getting increasingly difficult to use. I took a punt on a guitar for sale on this forum and it worked out great, a Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass. Much lighter than a conventional Jazz Bass, very fast neck as well. I am more than happy with it. Cheers.

My old Jazz felt like it was crippling me!

[Bernardo]

22 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Another vote for a Sandberg Super Light.

I have a TT4 and it's fantastic.

I can only see 2 4 strings for sale that are in stock anywhere. On is a TT and I already have a jazz style Sire so was going for something different. The other is in natural finish with no fret markings on the front of the neck. Looks a bit austere. Bass Direct quote a 9 month wait for a custom model and I think I'd probably burst!