Bad shoulder - > light bass option

[51m0n]

Roscoe Century Standard.

I've had a crook back since I knackered it moving an HH 215 in '92

My 5 string Roscoe weighs about 8lbs! A 4 string would be a little lighter. Unbelievable bass, so easy to play, tone for days, weighs nothing on my shoulder for a 2.5 hour gig.

[Ajoten]

Well given my budget is whatever I can sell my P for, sadly I don't think I can act on that recommendation!

[pbasspecial]

What a bought getting a comfort strap?  My old P Bass Special weighed a ton.  Bought one of these and made it feel so much lighter. 

[discreet]

10 minutes ago, pbasspecial said:

What about getting a comfort strap? 

Any strap 4" (11cm) wide or wider will help. I've got a suede-lined Minotaur strap which spreads the weight and keeps the strap in place, no sliding.

[casapete]

Agreed a decent strap will help distribute the weight somewhat , but it's still gonna be 13lbs on your shoulder whatever.

Just imagine how amazing a bass would feel that weighs around half of it? Time for GAS / NBD.....

[Ajoten]

Flimsy, that's how it will feel

[Ajoten]

Further investigation suggests Traben can be light (if paulownia wood). Any experience of those?

[casapete]

6 hours ago, Ajoten said:

Flimsy, that's how it will feel

Mine feels quite solid thanks, even on a cold day like this....

[DChid]

Sire Marcus Miller M7 very light

[exmando]

I used a double strap for a while while rehabbing a shoulder injury ( goes over both shoulders) and it didn't look too ridiculous , did the job nicely

[Ajoten]

Thanks everyone for the excellent suggestions. The non-light bass now for sale, replacement choice depends on proceeds of course... 

[TheGreek]

Did nobody recommend a semi acoustic? There are lots available including Chownys and Jack Cassidys and they do have a certain style about them...IMO a better option than some of those mentioned earlier.

[pete.young]

If it's your right shoulder and the bass hangs on the left, it shouldn't be due to the bass.

An alternative suggestion might be to go and get some physio and sort out the rotator cuff issue and then go from there, if you haven't already done so. 

[Ajoten]

Physio ongoing and awaiting MRI scan. Irrespective of whether bass is the cause or not, it's not helping and I've started to dread just carting the thing about. And who knows exactly how body parts interact with each other and how one part adjusts given strain in another, with neck turned to look at fretting hand at same time etc. 2-shoulder strap is a good thought in that respect. 

[Ajoten]

16 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Did nobody recommend a semi acoustic? There are lots available including Chownys and Jack Cassidys and they do have a certain style about them...IMO a better option than some of those mentioned earlier.

I reckon your Nanyo 5er is a lot lighter than you estimate. Still for sale? 

[leschirons]

On 11/16/2017 at 00:25, Bluewine said:

Who's Nigel Farrage?

Blue

He's a politician Blue. Only joking.

[GreeneKing]

Keep an eye on Sandbergs. They vary but my VS5 is 7.5lbs.

Edited November 22, 2017 by GreeneKing

[solo4652]

Here you go. Really easy waist strap/gut support to take the weight off your neck and shoulder.

 

 

[Dan Dare]

A pal has a guitar harness that sits on both shoulders (like rucksack straps). He's had shoulder issues and says it helps a lot. He had his made, but this is the sort of thing - https://www.slingerstraps.com/harness-strap-guitar-strap.html. They're not cheap, but if you like your bass and want to keep it, may be a good option. 13 lb is pretty heavy, incidentally.

[Ajoten]

Thanks for you comments, everyone. Heavy bass is sold and search for new lightster has begun.

@Dan Dare, I did like my bass, but it wasn't just playing it but carting it about that had started to do my head in.

[Ajoten]

In case anyone stumbles over this thread in the search for featherweight basses:

As a little follow-up, over the w/e I tried a few new and used basses vaguely around the same price and found: a thru-neck Peavey Cirrus 4 that was really good and really light (v tempted), a pointy Jackson that was light (and v tempted for 80s nostaglia reasons), Ibanez SR600 (obviously v v light and I was surprised how acceptable I found the narrow skinny neck), a Yamaha RBX that wasn't quite in the same league in terms of weight and playability, a Cort thingy that felt good but a bit lacking in character/appeal, and a Gibson EB4 which was loads lighter than I was expecting and said "Gibson" on it hurrah, but the design and build quality wasn't up to ANY of the others. I don't know if it's because I'm so used to playing 13lbs of bass, but all would have done the job tbh, and it is great how you can get such a choice of fab basses for that kind of money. But even though I was prepared to spend a tad more, I walked out with an SR505. The ONLY drawback with it is the dodgy colour, but I went with it anyway. The 5 because wanted the extra neck substance and was still 1lb lighter (in more ways than 1) than the 1-string-fewer-and-identical-hardware SR600. FWIW the 2nd choice would have been the Peavey.

So thanks to everyone who chipped in here, it meant I took seriously some options I'd never have thought of otherwise. And the bonkers weight and quality of the Ibanezes is exactly as everyone says, so I didn't feel there was any compromise.