Bass Weight - what do you think is Heavy?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Thanks for that! At least it's not faeces-brown like the other 375 I found online.

However, my intention would be to buy new, not second hand. And I'm sorry but I don't like that sort of red burst, or that plate with the knobs... 

This would be a want, not a need, so I can wait until I find the perfect one.

Apologies for derailing the thread!

[LeftyP]

4 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

 

 

 I would settle for black, or white, or natural if they existed in lefty.

Heh.

That is the reason I'm glad I learned to play right handed even though I'm very left handed.  I can try out any make of bass in a shop.  I still can't play them very well but at least I can try!

Getting back to weight;  Why are bass guitars so heavy in the first place?  I've seen the arguments that a certain type of wood gives an instrument a characteristic sound, but with electric bass guitars there is so much going on between the strings and speakers I do wonder if the wood has a significant affect.  Let's face it, the type and gauge of strings, the quality of pick-ups, the instrument's tone controls, the amplification and EQ, plus the size and quality of speakers will all colour the sound somewhat.  Not to mention that some players feed their bass signals through more pedals than you'll find in a Tour de France peloton!  I suspect that we all pluck or pick the strings differently too so will anyone really notice much change from an ash bodied bass to a mahogany one?

I can understand that purely acoustic guitars will be affected by the type of wood and how individual timbers resonate but solid bodied, electric instruments, have so many other things thrown into the mix that the type and weight of wood must only have a minimal affect on the sound reaching the punters' ears on a crowded dance floor.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

However, my intention would be to buy new, not second hand. And I'm sorry but I don't like that sort of red burst, or that plate with the knobs... 

That's not a plate. The budget SRs for some reason when you buy them have a plastic sheet underneath the knobs telling you what they do. You remove it once you have bought it, that one is obviously new it still has that sheet and the plastic on the pickups

i assume they don't put it on the others as you are supposed to know what the knobs do when you spend a bit more!

[Woodinblack]

10 minutes ago, LeftyP said:

Getting back to weight;  Why are bass guitars so heavy in the first place? 

Because wood is heavy, and enough wood so that things don't bend is heavier still. Techniques to make things lighter are more expensive

[JottoSW1]

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Because wood is heavy, and enough wood so that things don't bend is heavier still. Techniques to make things lighter are more expensive

But even moderately priced Sire 5er's have CFR Necks.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, JottoSW1 said:

But even moderately priced Sire 5er's have CFR Necks.

And moderately priced Sire 5ers are prety heavy

[JottoSW1]

28 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

And moderately priced Sire 5ers are prety heavy

My M2 about 8lbs😉. Just plopped it on my bathroom scales

[LeftyP]

17 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Because wood is heavy, and enough wood so that things don't bend is heavier still. Techniques to make things lighter are more expensive

Hofner manage to avoid weight with their violin basses and other makers of hollow body basses don't appear to have bending issues.  Both of my basses are hollow body and so far they have not folded in half.  My point was really that the weight of a bass may only have a marginal affect on the sound once the amplification, pick-ups and strings have had their say.  That being the case (if it is) then there should be no need to make basses heavy.

[Silvia Bluejay]

18 hours ago, LeftyP said:

That is the reason I'm glad I learned to play right handed even though I'm very left handed.  I can try out any make of bass in a shop.  I still can't play them very well but at least I can try!

 

While I see your point, and did think about that when I started playing bass (recently enough for a decent choice of lefty models to be on the market), I absolutely didn't want a repeat of the 'being taught to write with the wrong hand' debacle that happened to me over 50 years ago.

Whenever I have to write something, I have to mentally prepare and make an effort, because my right hand always feels a bit like it's fighting against me. (Yes I know, it's the 'wiring' in my brain, not my hand, that's the problem.) My handwriting is also crap, and I am infinitely grateful for the existence of computer keyboards (even if they themselves are right-hand-optimised!). I resent having to go through all that, while I could have been happily writing using the hand that feels correct to me.

I don't think I'd have been able to learn to play bass at all, if I had been forced to play right-handed by myself, by others or by the circumstances.

 

43 minutes ago, LeftyP said:

Hofner manage to avoid weight with their violin basses and other makers of hollow body basses don't appear to have bending issues.  Both of my basses are hollow body and so far they have not folded in half.  My point was really that the weight of a bass may only have a marginal affect on the sound once the amplification, pick-ups and strings have had their say.  That being the case (if it is) then there should be no need to make basses heavy.

Is it true that many hollowbodies have neck dive? My Hofner violin has some, despite having those tiny machine heads that are half made of plastic. Both my acoustic bass guitars have neck dive as well. Is it not the case that more weight in the non-hollow bit of the body is necessary to avoid the body being too light compared to the neck/headstock? (Genuine question, I hope my reasoning is flawed!)

[LeftyP]

6 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

While I see your point, and did think about that when I started playing bass (recently enough for a decent choice of lefty models to be on the market), I absolutely didn't want a repeat of the 'being taught to write with the wrong hand' debacle that happened to me over 50 years ago.

Whenever I have to write something, I have to mentally prepare and make an effort, because my right hand always feels a bit like it's fighting against me. (Yes I know, it's the 'wiring' in my brain, not my hand, that's the problem.) My handwriting is also crap, and I am infinitely grateful for the existence of computer keyboards (even if they themselves are right-hand-optimised!). I resent having to go through all that, while I could have been happily writing using the hand that feels correct to me.

I don't think I'd have been able to learn to play bass at all, if I had been forced to play right-handed by myself, by others or by the circumstances.

 

Is it true that many hollowbodies have neck dive? My Hofner violin has some, despite having those tiny machine heads that are half made of plastic. Both my acoustic bass guitars have neck dive as well. Is it not the case that more weight in the non-hollow bit of the body is necessary to avoid the body being too light compared to the neck/headstock? (Genuine question, I hope my reasoning is flawed!)

Hollow body neck dive is noticeable on both my basses.  I installed Hipshot Ultralight tuners on my Italia which has helped a little but you are right it is still a bit neck heavy.  As to playing as a right hander when being left handed; It goes back to when I tried, unsuccessfully, to learn classical guitar.  Having never played a guitar before my teacher suggested trying the right hand method.  I have posted about this elsewhere on the forum.  The result is, I can't even hold a guitar in the left hand position very well.  I am a very basic (bass -ic) player in our church band and don't need to be flashy at all so playing "back to front", as it were, hasn't been a problem.

[Guest MoJo]

Just weighed my three current basses. Lightest is the Bass Collection Profile Bass at 3.4kg (7.5lbs). Next is the Camel Journey Bass (70’s MIJ Precision copy) at 3.7kg (8.14lbs) and topping the scales at a whopping 4.5kg (9.9lbs) is my Yamaha BB425

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm not convinced the left hand/right hand argument makes much sense; as a right-handed person the movements required of the left hand are just as complex, precise and time-critical as those of the right, just different.

[Silvia Bluejay]

That's not so simple and has been discussed almost to death elsewhere on this forum.

I'll edit this post if/when I find the relevant thread(s), in case anyone's interested.

@Stub Mandrel The only relevant thread/group of posts I've been able to find is the most recent one. THIS. However, there have been loads of others that can be found with a slightly less hurried search.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Silvia Bluejay

[Stub Mandrel]

6 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

That's not so simple and has been discussed almost to death elsewhere on this forum.

I'll edit this post if/when I find the relevant thread(s), in case anyone's interested.

I'll be interested. It's almost painful to me to try and get either hand to do the other's job!

[jmcn]

Hi, had a copy of a Jazz bass, no idea what make.. over12 lbs.. body made of Ply!!    It rang forever... 1/2 hr max with strap before left arm started going numb... even sitting. made your leg go the same way..Now have a heavily modified late 80s Aria pro 2 4string , Made fretless, fitted Alan Entwistle PJpickups.. 8lbs.. sounds well!

[jmcn]

7 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I'm not convinced the left hand/right hand argument makes much sense; as a right-handed person the movements required of the left hand are just as complex, precise and time-critical as those of the right, just different.

It is quite odd, have, by way of an experiment , handed an acoustic guitar to people of both hands.. non guitar players... quite surprising ... righties , neck to the left, Lefties, neck to the right!

[JottoSW1]

On 08/03/2020 at 02:43, JottoSW1 said:

My M2 about 8lbs😉. Just plopped it on my bathroom scales

However my new KSD Proto J 5str rescue project is the heaviest thing I have ever tried. Will confirm accuracy of this impression via B/room Scale soonish, whilst avoiding any temptation to check My own!

[Stub Mandrel]

18 minutes ago, jmcn said:

It is quite odd, have, by way of an experiment , handed an acoustic guitar to people of both hands.. non guitar players... quite surprising ... righties , neck to the left, Lefties, neck to the right!

My brother is a lefty but can play most fretted instruments either way up. 🤬

[Aquilador]

I had a Sterling Ray35 Classic, which I loved, but was too big for me.

It weighed in just over 12lbs and It had to go...

 

[Ander87]

personally I find 9lbs to be perfect - less than this, considering any bass' original length and dimensions, it feels 'too light' for me personally.

nonetheless, I can definitely tell the difference between 9 and 9.5lbs! 10lbs is my threshold where it starts to feel very heavy so I guess that's my range.

Now having said this, which straps do you prefer? it is likely I will have a 10lbs bass coming and I want the most comfortable strap - assuming 11cm/4"?

I had a gruvgear neostrap solo at 4 inches but still end up with a shoulder/neck a bit battered as we approach 2hrs - is there any better option? Thank you!