fretmeister Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 As it seems I now have shoulder issues to go with hernia related issues I am on a mission to put together the lightest bitsa I can. I hadn’t even considered pickup weights as I thought they would all be so close it wouldn’t matter. Turns out I was wrong and some weigh double even for the same type. Then actives are heavier still. A pair of EMG MM style pickups are 400g (just short of a pound)! So if you have pickups lying about and a decent kitchen scale, could you weight them and post the brand, model, and weight please? I realise this is a bit nuts, but as I’ve also discovered swapping 4 heavy knurled knobs for plastic ones can sometimes save 100g ( quarter of a pound) it all makes a difference. I’m taking the Colin Chapman / Lotus approach to this. Nothing is too nuts to get the weight down. Paint will be stripped if it has to be! ta. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 Learn from bicycles: - paint is unnecessary - screws (Ti and Al) - nearly every part can have holes - carbon fibre - file every corner - make the frame/body thinner - replace known solutions with lighter ideas (like glass fibre tape in rims) Check Steinberger and Paul Lairat. Is a Lace Sensor or a piezo lighter? Do you need two pickups? Do you need pots? Modulus and Vigier didn't use truss rods. How is ES-335 constructed? The list is nearly endless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 https://weightweenies.starbike.com/ These guys and gals are master competitors, but their targets are not measured in seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passinwind Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 18 hours ago, fretmeister said: I realise this is a bit nuts, but as I’ve also discovered swapping 4 heavy knurled knobs for plastic ones can sometimes save 100g ( quarter of a pound) it all makes a difference. Wood knobs, no brass inserts. Even lighter than many plastic ones, and IMO often much nicer looking if done right. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 On 05/06/2022 at 06:12, Passinwind said: Wood knobs, no brass inserts. Even lighter than many plastic ones, and IMO often much nicer looking if done right. Good tip - thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Why have knobs at all? Wire the pup directly to the output. No tone controls or volume controls needed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 32 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: Why have knobs at all? Wire the pup directly to the output. No tone controls or volume controls needed. I need them, alas. Sometimes for long quiet sections, and I change the tone depending on the tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 Going passive saves between 45-55g for the battery and clip too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 I don’t know the weight but a SD single coil P pickup cant be heavy? Someone on BC had recommended them so may know. Added to a swamp ash or basswood Warmouth dinky P with rear cavity and 2 light weight knobs and it must be pretty light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 Ceder or Paulownia is much lighter than swamp ash or basswood 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 31 minutes ago, fretmeister said: I need them, alas. Sometimes for long quiet sections, and I change the tone depending on the tune. Use a multi fx with a volume pedal. More to carry overall, but it won't be around your neck when you're playing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 10 minutes ago, fretmeister said: Ceder or Paulownia is much lighter than swamp ash or basswood Im not sure Warmouth offer either of those but a luthier certainly would… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passinwind Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 1 minute ago, tegs07 said: Im not sure Warmouth offer either of those but a luthier certainly would… Yep, I have two Marco Bass builds with cedar cores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 I've just weight a usual domed metal knob. 26g and then a plastic with a grub screw knob. 4g So that would be a 44g saving on a 2 knob bass. I've got a 5 string Mezzo with heavy metal knobs on it. That bass is really light already, but as swapping 4 knobs would get rid of about 80g (2 of the knobs are a little smaller) I might as well do that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 I'll also suggest a pickup directly wired to the jack plug socket. You can have an outboard preamp clipped to your belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 A comfort strapp will make a light bass practically weightless. Gotoh res-o-lite 350 tuners are a little lighter than hipshot ultralites. Also they are better made and work smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 I have a similar interest in component weights. Here are some weights that I've collected over the years including a few pickups. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 5 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: A comfort strapp will make a light bass practically weightless. Gotoh res-o-lite 350 tuners are a little lighter than hipshot ultralites. Also they are better made and work smoother. A nice strap makes things more comfy but no strap in the universe can make the bass actually lose weight. If the body is in pain in the back or core the strap cannot make a difference. The damaged body parts are still having to support the same weight. Also, some wide and comfy straps can weigh a couple of pounds, adding to the pressure on injuries thus making the problem worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 7, 2022 Author Share Posted June 7, 2022 16 hours ago, ikay said: I have a similar interest in component weights. Here are some weights that I've collected over the years including a few pickups. That's a great list. As I discover more I'll post them in the thread so you can update it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 👍 that would be great, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 8, 2022 Author Share Posted June 8, 2022 @ikay This is what I've got so far I'll do more as I go through the box of things. I've taken the scratchplate off my Ibanez and the screws and replaced the knobs and just those small changes have knocked off 127g. If I make it passive and lose the battery, clip, preamp, and 2 pots and 2 knobs I reckong losing another 99g would be quite simple. That would be half a pound off for very minor changes. I did notice that the Aguilar P pickup is very light for it's type too. Instead of a bitsa I'm now wondering about modifying my Mezzo instead. I wonder how much paint weighs...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 The paint of a road bike frame weighs around 3 ounces / 100 g. You want colour, use tinted lacquer and save few coats of paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 1 hour ago, fretmeister said: I've taken the scratchplate off my Ibanez and the screws and replaced the knobs and just those small changes have knocked off 127g. If I make it passive and lose the battery, clip, preamp, and 2 pots and 2 knobs I reckong losing another 99g would be quite simple. That would be half a pound off for very minor changes. I'm surprised how much you can save by taking a scratchplate off, never really thought much about that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevel Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 I'm surprised no-one has yet mentioned the biggest part of the mass of a bass... the body. If you're really committed to the idea of making it as light as possible, seems an obvious place to start. I recently bought a 2nd hand Hofner Shorty Bass for £75 - cheap as chips and weighs 2.3kg. If you can cope with the neck dive, there isn't much that'll be lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 On 07/06/2022 at 00:31, fretmeister said: I need them, alas. Sometimes for long quiet sections, and I change the tone depending on the tune. They make pedals for that. If the goal is absolute least weight bass on your shoulders that's what you should do. Piezo pickup for the win. Ubass for the absolute win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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