Making heavy basses lighter

[TKenrick]

A while ago I traded my stingray with a fellow BCer for a [url="http://www.gakki.com/catalog30/bacchus_ext36.jpg"]Bacchus Strong 5-ext36[/url], which is great except for the fact that it weighs a ton, especially compared to my jazz bass. I don't want to get rid of the bass but on long gigs it's killing my shoulder, so I was thinking about ways to make it lighter. The body of the bass is pretty thick, so I was wondering if it would be possible to remove some of the weight by sanding down the back of the bass to make the body a few mm thinner? Obviously this will affect the tone of the bass as there'll be less wood, but would it make a massive difference to the sound?

This is potentially a really stupid idea, so I thought I'd try and get some opinions before I ring up luthiers and get laughed at.

[yorick]

Don't touch it, please. Try some Hipshot Ultralight tuners. Apart from that you can't and shouldn't do much to it. Have you tried a wider, more padded strap? What's the weight of it?

[Mr. Foxen]

Balance and position is probably more important that you think, as is strap comfort. Not just the height you wear your bass, but the position of your body and how much you shift your balance. I've switched between a Mockingbird and a P copy, and whilst they are comparable weight, the feel of them hanging on me is totally different.

[TKenrick]

I'm using a comfort strapp, which is the best I've found so far. The Bacchus weighs 5kg (11lbs), am I just being pathetic or is this fairly weighty? Both of my basses hang in a similar way, I just seem to notice the weight of the Bacchus far more than my Fender, which weighs about 4kg and I can play for hours without noticing and discomfort.

[wrinkleygit]

merry christmas,there is only one way to reduce weight significantly & that is to reduce mass,ie cut down the size of the body & cut out holes or shapes in the same manner as John Mayall did to his trusty fender strat back in the 60's,if anyone else out there is old enough to remember. However the downside to this is that you will destroy any resale value your instrument currently has (unless of course you keep it for the next forty years & become famous).As I see it you have two realistic choices before you,first would be to swop it for something lighter or second throw away your strap ,balance your bass on the top of your bass/guitar stand & play it as an upright, an old jazzer friend played this way for years,happy new year,mike b.

[ARGH]

Change your tuners (Schaller ultralites),change the bridge(Schaller again),change your knobs to plastic rather than metal....failing that,buy a status neck that'll shave a lb off..

Not alot else to do besides sell it,you made the mistake by buying a Stinger fullstop (only a 70s ash Jazz is heavier at 11.5lbs) Ive only found one light one,and that was freaky,and I though it was a fake.....it was not,but it was that freaky!!!

Edited December 26, 2008 by ARGH

[Mr. Foxen]

[WarPig]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='363850' date='Dec 26 2008, 07:17 PM'][/quote]


Seal the control cavity and fill it with helium....

[EBS_freak]

Something like this should help -

[url="http://www.slider-straps.com/dualadvantage.html"]http://www.slider-straps.com/dualadvantage.html[/url]

[ezbass]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='363464' date='Dec 25 2008, 11:56 PM']Balance and position is probably more important that you think, as is strap comfort.[/quote]

+1 Yep my P bass is way lighter than my RBIV, but the RB balances better due to the lightweight tuners and so actually feels lighter on the strap.

[Prosebass]

I've never understood why basses need to be so heavy. To someone of my statue its never been a problem but it would be easy for manufacturers to offer a "lightweight" range.
I recently built this bass and it was on basschat for weeks with no takers before going to ebay and was sold for £140.00 just to recoup my outlay.
It was a through neck , mahogany bodied, twin pup passive bass that weighed in at just over 7lbs so it can be done.

[attachment=17782:Front01.jpg][attachment=17781:Oblique01.jpg]

[bass_ferret]

Thats quite heavey. Like others have said you could try ultra light tuners (Schaller or Hipshot) and some light weight knobs but weigh a tuner and knob on your kitchen scales first (oh er missus). You are f***ed with the two piece bridge and planing the body is not really an option.

Edited December 28, 2008 by bass_ferret

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='364817' date='Dec 28 2008, 01:56 PM']I've never understood why basses need to be so heavy. To someone of my statue its never been a problem but it would be easy for manufacturers to offer a "lightweight" range.
I recently built this bass and it was on basschat for weeks with no takers before going to ebay and was sold for £140.00 just to recoup my outlay.
It was a through neck , mahogany bodied, twin pup passive bass that weighed in at just over 7lbs so it can be done.

[attachment=17782:Front01.jpg][attachment=17781:Oblique01.jpg][/quote]

There was the Fender 'Lyte' versions, dunno how popular they were. Plenty of people are of the opinion heavy basses sound better, Tim Commerford for one, plenty of people worship his tone. Personally I think some weight in the neck and headstock is helpful (Fat Finger), and the body being correspondingly heavier to balance it.

[bass_ferret]

I tried a Fender Precision Lyte and was distinctly unimpressed but that was my opinion. I dont agree that heavy basses sound better, my back is particularly opinionated in this matter. My lightweight GB's sound fantastic. But then I do like a bright sound.