How much would your ideal bass weigh?

[pricechris10]

Hi Folks,

Just thought I would ask if you guys had a view on the ideal weight of a bass and if this would influence you in the purchase of a new bass.


Many thanks in advance!

Chris

Edited September 14, 2009 by pricechris10

[Adrenochrome]

I absolutely wouldn't have a heavy/unergonomic bass as my main gigging bass. No use to me on 3 hour gigs.

[51m0n]

If I could fill it with helium to make it lighter i would - any more than 8 1/2 pounds and I'm looking elsewhere...

[Toasted]

Both my basses weigh under 8lbs.

[JPJ]

[quote name='Toasted' post='598134' date='Sep 14 2009, 01:15 PM']Both my basses weigh under 8lbs.[/quote]

Havent weighed my Overwater (yet!) but as its a five string, its quite heavy. That said, I prefer heavy than light (I used to own a Precision Lyte that just wouldnt sit right on the strap if you know what I mean).

[ezbass]

I prefer light 6-8lbs, but balance is probably more important to me as I hate a neck dragging on my shoulder.

[harvey1-8]

I think around 8bls is the magic munber for me too.

[BigRedX]

Weight isn't the important thing, it's balance. A well balanced bass can be a lot heavier and still feel comfortable.

[4000]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='598217' date='Sep 14 2009, 02:25 PM']Weight isn't the important thing, it's balance. A well balanced bass can be a lot heavier and still feel comfortable.[/quote]

Speaking as someone with by now well-chronicled chronic back problems, it's definitely both!

[Kev]

Weight doesn't bother me in the slightest. If its balanced, then its all good.

Mine weighs around 8lb.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Kev

[Happy Jack]

I've mentioned in another thread that - to me, anyway - a 10lb bass doesn't feel as if it weighs "a bit more" than an 8lb bass. Rather than weighing 25% more, which is what the arithmetic tells me, it feels as if it weighs closer to 50% more.

The converse also feels true - IMO. A 6lb bass should weigh 25% less than an 8lb bass whereas in practice it feels so light that you barely notice you're wearing it.

In my rack next to me are five basses which weigh 11, 10, 9.5, 8.5 and 6.5 pounds. Earlier today I was messing around on one of my old Hofners (rather less than 6lbs). Switching between all of these frequently, as I do, you really notice this difference between actual weight and perceived weight.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Happy Jack

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='pricechris10' post='598124' date='Sep 14 2009, 01:06 PM']Hi Folks,

Just thought I would ask if you guys had a view on the ideal weight of a bass and if this would influence you in the purchase of a new bass.


Many thanks in advance!

Chris[/quote]

No and No .... If I liked a bass that much, I couldn't care less how much it weighed (within reason)

[tischbein]

My fav at the moment weighs 5,4 kg, that´s about 250 brit pounds , but I don´t care. I can gig 3 hours no problem.. it´s well balanced and my shoulders are trained enough.

Edited September 14, 2009 by tischbein

[AndyTravis]

I don't weigh my basses.

It's the last thing on my mind when buying a bass.

[OutToPlayJazz]

The number is purely academic, really. For me, the answer would have to be heavy enough to feel substantial and of sufficient quality, but also something that I can play for two hours without getting backache. Status S2's fill that brief for me usually.

The only bass I couldn't bear the weight of was my Marcus Miller Jazz. I couldn't play it for more than an hour without it causing serious back pains.

tischbein's comment about balance is a very very valid one. Last thing you want is weight on your left wrist.

[velvetkevorkian]

Ideally, as little as possible. In practice, I play a Conklin that probably weighs over 12lbs.

[henry norton]

I never used to care 'til I got into short scales and hollow bodies. Now my relatively light alder bodied Precision feels like a tonne weight. Strangely enough it still feels more comfortable than my SG bodied EB becaust it doesn't drag on my left shoulder due to neck dive.

[EssentialTension]

My alder fretted Precision is 8lbs 5oz.
My alder fretless Precision is about the same.
My mahogany Lakland Decade is 9lbs 2oz.
I had a Jazz that was closer to 10lbs.

None of those are/were at all problematic.

[pricechris10]

Thanks for those who have already voted on this.
Could I be cheeky and ask the rest of my fellow basschatters to get their tuppence worth in.
I am finding this really interesting due to some of the comments about weight and balance.

Many thanks,
Chris

[Golchen]

I don't weigh basses, but I don't like any bass that I think of as 'heavy'. I definitely prefer lighter overall. My current bass seems ideal, I'll weigh it when I get home if I remember, before answering the poll.

I don't like too light either! I think that a bass has to exert a bit of pull on the strap.

[BigRedX]

I wouldn't consider any of my basses heavy, but most of them are over 4kg.

[alexclaber]

My Warwick Streamer and RIM Custom 5 are both almost dead-on 9lb. That's fine for me, though the RIM feels lighter because it's bigger and better balanced. I can't see much point going much heavier - heavy bodies tend to resonate less well, so if the neck wood is much denser I'd want to compensate with lighter tuners, longer upper horn, etc. Going lighter isn't a problem until the bass gets so light that it moves significantly when you're playing aggressively - I suspect if I had this kind of string tension on a Hofner and popped a note (ok, it's not possible to get that tension with a shortscale and no-one slaps on a Hofner...) the bass would end up being pulled away from me.

I wouldn't say 8lbs+ is medium to heavy. I'd consider 9lb about average, 8lb light, sub 8lb very light, 10lb on the heavy side and 11-12lb+ truly heavy. Then again I've been playing wenge thru-necks for years and it's not the lightest wood...

Alex

[EdwardMarlowe]

I don't feel informed enough to vote..... I've never weighed a bass - or a guitar, for that matter. Part of the process of checking out a new instrument for me is whether it [i]feels[/i] too heavy, and whether it balances well or not when played sitting and standing. It's purely a feel thing, though - I don't think it could ever be reduced to a spec'ed weight in figures.

[Zombywoof]

My Warwick six stringer weighs in at 9.9lbs. Doesn't bother me as I only notice that my shoulder is numb after the gig!

[flip]

[quote name='ezbass' post='598194' date='Sep 14 2009, 01:59 PM']I prefer light 6-8lbs, but balance is probably more important to me as I hate a neck dragging on my shoulder.[/quote]

I echo those sentiments, I've started to realise how important a well balanced bass is.