Weight.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1370429582' post='2100619']
It does matter since I turned 40. I used to gig alot when I was younger with a 10.5lb Stingray and the weight if it never even crossed my mind.
Now I've put together my own custom P-bass using a lightweight body and parts. It weighs in at 8.3lbs and now once again I can just go out and play without it being an issue. Another plus to it all I found is that my lightweight P is the most resonant and growly bass I've ever owned which is the sound I was always chasing really.
[/quote]

I must be lucky.
I've just turned 40, and my 14lb (!) Warwick Streamer LX6 still isn't an issue.
Good (ish) playing posture and a w-i-d-e strap help, though!

[lee4]

I had to sell a Warwick $$ because of the weight.It caused pains in my left shoulder.My Status is OK,but my P copy is starting to make my shoulder ache.
I have had to move the rear strap button to the back of the body to make it hang better(the neck lifts up this way).
The lightest bass I owned was a Hohner stick bass which had a great tone,an active bypass switch,and was about the same weight as the strap it hung on!
If my back and shoulders get worse I may consider selling both basses to get one of these again.

[JTUK]

Don't do more than 2x1hrs max and I practice and rehearse sitting down...
Why invite problems..??

Haven't weighed my basses...

[BassTractor]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1370457089' post='2101294']
I must be lucky.
I've just turned 40, and my 14lb (!) Warwick Streamer LX6 still isn't an issue.
[/quote]

.
Sorry, mate, but they should have been more clear. It doesn't happen right after turning 40 but it's a gradual process.
It starts when one turns 40 and five months, and is finished one week later. Sorry for being the bringer of bad tidings.


Seriously though, and I think this may be a good thread to ask:
- Do people have experience with double straps / other stap types that rest on both shoulders?
I can imagine such solutions coming with their own drawbacks, but then again, if one has a serious problem, it might just help.

- Do people have experience with routing away some of the "unused" wood from the back of the body?
Certainly several possible drawbacks there. I'd expect more neck dive, but then again one can move the position of the strap buttons. Also, some woods might start to split after routing, as the wood will react to changing humidity. That could be handled though.


best,
bert

[miles'tone]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1370457089' post='2101294']


I must be lucky.
I've just turned 40, and my 14lb (!) Warwick Streamer LX6 still isn't an issue.
Good (ish) playing posture and a w-i-d-e strap help, though!
[/quote]

14lbs! Holy Moly!
I've always played with a good posture and a decent strap height too.
The thing that's done me I feel is that I'm 6'1" and worked as a plumber for my day job over the last 10 years (got married and needed a 'proper job')which means crawling around in all sorts of shapes and nooks and crannies. Overstretching trying to reach the problems etc. Me and the missus got rear-ended in the car about 5 years ago too and my lower back has never been the same so it's light basses for evermore now for me I reckon.

[leroydiamond]

Any body come across this [url="http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-neo"]http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-neo[/url]

[White Cloud]

Weight is everything for me after a serious back injury several years ago. Anything over 9lbs is totally out of the question as I usually play 2 x 90 minute sets at gigs. I owned a Lakland that sounded great, but weighed over 12 lbs - it had to go as my health is more important than my tone!!

[molan]

I've been cutting down on the weight of basses for a while and my Ritters are both around the 7.5lbs mark.

I thought I'd really given up on anything over 9.5lbs but then a pair of Celinders somehow appeared in my house and both are over 10lbs.

I've gigged the heavier of the two twice now and, to my huge surprise, had no issues at all with weight.

Somewhat bizarrely a Sadowsky I had was about 8.5lbs and gave me all sorts of problems. Really made my left shoulder sore and started getting wrist problems as well

[Dingus]

It's worth mentioning that there is , according to many people , a direct correlation between weight and sound . A lot of builders and players claim that harder , denser woods sound better and give more punch . The Celinders that Molan mentions are a case in point - they tend to use very dense Danish ash that weighs a lot but probably contributes to the remarkable sound of those basses . I personally think slightly lighter basses can sound just as good in most cases , but I've never done particulaly extensive comparisons , I must admit . What I do know is that if a bass is too heavy for you , the only remedy is to get rid of it , because is a fault that can't be fixed , if you see what I mean .

[GuitarTart]

I guess I'm lucky. These days I play almost exclusively sitting down in an orchestra pit so the weight of my Variax bass isn't a problem. However, if the pit isn't lowered out of the audience's eye-line you have to sit still so as not to be a distraction, leading to the well-known "Numb-Bum Syndrome". Still, most shows are two halves of about an hour with twenty minutes in between to restore the circulation. If I know the theatre has crappy seats for the band, I take my own comfy chair with me.

Myk

[JTUK]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1370434542' post='2100724']
Mmm. Maybe I should add Dingwall to my list.
[/quote]

BassGear have a 4 st you might want to check out.

[RockfordStone]

[quote name='DogHammer' timestamp='1370440831' post='2100885']
Thanks alot for all your advice, think I will sit down for some periods and take more breaks at band practice. Unstrap and walk around a bit, will try tonight.

I am only 28 so don't want to ruin my back this early on!

Looks like my Warwick weighs in at 10.1413 LB at a conversion. So its a bit heavy.....

Oh and as far as practice hours go, we tend to do a 4 to 4 1/2 hour practice on a week day, and sometimes go up to 6 hours on a weekend. we are always writing new material and alot of our best stuff seems to come out after the 3 hour mark!

Still think its a good enough reason to get that status.
[/quote]

that does seem like an obscene amount of time to practice without a break

my practices average between 3/4 hours, usually with a 10 minute break every hour, but we will often take the weight off by sitting down or perching somewhere.

regardless of bass weight, you will feel it if you are standing with it on for 4 or so hours solid

[casapete]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370474937' post='2101705']
It's worth mentioning that there is , according to many people , a direct correlation between weight and sound . A lot of builders and players claim that harder , denser woods sound better and give more punch . The Celinders that Molan mentions are a case in point - they tend to use very dense Danish ash that weighs a lot but probably contributes to the remarkable sound of those basses . I personally think slightly lighter basses can sound just as good in most cases , but I've never done particulaly extensive comparisons , I must admit . What I do know is that if a bass is too heavy for you , the only remedy is to get rid of it , because is a fault that can't be fixed , if you see what I mean .
[/quote]
+1 to this. Also worth mentioning that usually the most desirable guitars in the vintage market are the lightest!
Fenders tend to increase in price as they decrease in weight! Friend of mine has an early 50's Esquire that is really light, and probably the best guitar I've ever played. Ironic too as growing up in the 70's people used to boast about how heavy their Les Pauls and Strats were as if some sign of 'quality', yet these would be derided in later years as poor instruments. Remember playing some Fender guitars and basses from this period which were pretty lousy, and they were often the heaviest ones too! (Even more amusing for these now to be seen as desirable in the current vintage market !!)

[molan]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370474937' post='2101705']
It's worth mentioning that there is , according to many people , a direct correlation between weight and sound . A lot of builders and players claim that harder , denser woods sound better and give more punch . The Celinders that Molan mentions are a case in point - they tend to use very dense Danish ash that weighs a lot but probably contributes to the remarkable sound of those basses . I personally think slightly lighter basses can sound just as good in most cases , but I've never done particulaly extensive comparisons , I must admit . What I do know is that if a bass is too heavy for you , the only remedy is to get rid of it , because is a fault that can't be fixed , if you see what I mean .
[/quote]

There some things that can be done to reduce weight but you might be playing around the margins.

I had an Alembic for a while that had been professionally restored, by Alembic, with a specific design to reduce the weight significantly. Of course it was a weighty beast to start with so they had a good base from which to work. I can't remember the final weight reduction but it was a lot of work and transformed the bass (according to the guy that commissions the work).

I've done stuff like fitting Hipshot ultra-light tuners and lighter weight bridges and was surprised at the difference (especially on neck heavy basses).

However, there's not a lot you can do with a heavy old bass body to reduce weight unless you want to get into major woodworking and that's often not really worth doing.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1370430228' post='2100628']
Have you considered sitting down at practise sessions?
[/quote]
I love sitting down.

[iconic]

This thread prompted me to finally weigh my yamaha a2....came out at 7lbs dead.....and doesnt play any 'thinner' than any other bass ive owned including my old hernia inducing vmj!