Wozzit Weigh? In pursuit of a definitive thread (Fender jazz edition)

[LawrenceH]

I've been investigating lightening the load of my main player. I measured weights of various components and since I've put in the work thought I may as well share, it might be a useful resource for anyone else thinking about weight reduction on a jazz bass or looking to put together a bitsa. Haven't fully dismantled it so don't have separate weights for control plate components or pickups, but I'll try and revisit at a later date next time I restring. Cheap-o Ikea digital scales so expect a small %age inaccuracy, though it did test ok on some kitchen weights . Also taken a few measurements from an Aerodyne jazz for comparison, less than 300g lighter but strangely feels like a bigger difference.

 

If anyone else has some components to add please chip in! Different tuner designs, original BBOT/high mass bridges, pickups, covers etc. Also neck and bodies as it's useful to see where the weight comes from and what the variance is. Will try and add some pics at some point too

 

Japanese Fender 75RI:

Neck (maple board) 773g

String tree 7g

Tuners (Fender 70s style) 445g (111g each)

3-bolt neck plate plus bolts 66g

Pickguard 94g

Pickguard screws 6g

Control plate 148g

Fender Deluxe Bass Bridge 106g

Body (ash) plus DiMarzio Model J pickups 2682g

Strings 75g

Total: 4402g (9.70lb)

 

Fender Aerodyne Jazz:

Neck (defretted, epoxied rosewood board) 703g

Tuners 370g (92.5g each)

String tree 7g

4 bolt neck plate plus bolts 64g

Body (basswood) fully loaded (pots, bridge, P/J pickups) 2899g

Strings 75g

Total: 4118g (9.08lb)

 

CTS 250k pots solid shaft from my spares drawer 14g

 

Hope this is useful info to someone!

[three]

It's this kind of dedication that makes Basschat what it is

[itu]

Reminds of Starbike list of bike parts... here: 

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/ 

[LawrenceH]

3 hours ago, itu said:

Reminds of Starbike list of bike parts... here: 

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/ 

I can definitely see an obsession building. Scratch plate? Pah! That's 100g of dead weight with the screws!

If I bought a lathe I could mill up a titanium string tree and save 3 grams.

 

 

Edited 22 hours ago by LawrenceH

[Lozz196]

I’d say the reason why the Aerodyne feels a fair bit lighter than the 75RI is the difference in weight of the neck & tuners, might not seem much difference but it all pulls on the shoulder. 

[LawrenceH]

 

18 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I’d say the reason why the Aerodyne feels a fair bit lighter than the 75RI is the difference in weight of the neck & tuners, might not seem much difference but it all pulls on the shoulder. 

Yup absolutely right Lozz, though the bass doesn't exhibit obvious neck dive when worn. But those tuners are unnecessarily chunky. Annoyingly there doesn't seem to be an ultralight version of the 70s style tuners so changing them involves drilling new holes.

 

I do have some Gotoh Resolite GRL510C12 - hard to get in the UK - and they're only 180g for the complete set. So I can lose an impressive 265g off the headstock. Worth noting though that the Gotoh clover isn't quite the same as the Fender one, and the shaft is a little shorter

Edited 23 hours ago by LawrenceH

[itu]

41 minutes ago, LawrenceH said:

I could mill up a titanium string tree and save 3 grams.

 

12 minutes ago, LawrenceH said:

But those tuners are unnecessarily chunky. 

Beware: you are walking on dangerous path. 

 

My latest road bike was 6.6 kg, and 6.8 kg with a power meter hub. 

 

I loved pages like this: 

https://lightweight.info/en 

...although I never had the money to buy a set. I still have this: 

https://www.schmolke-carbon.com/product/oversize-evo-sl/ 

...and some other nice parts in some boxes in the basement. Carbon, Ti, Mg, fiber reinforced composites... there are many materials that could be used in lightweight basses. 

[HeadlessBassist]

So which one of you is the Gordon Murray of the Bass World?

 

It is utterly fascinating, but I generally don't take things apart. I have been genuinely surprised at how light my GB Spitfire & 95 Stingray are, though.

 

Also, has anyone found that lighter basses seem to resonate better?

[ebenezer]

Luck of the draw really,  I managed to find a 95 stingray that weighs 8.6lbs...they do exist if you look hard enough lol.

[Happy Jack]

14 hours ago, itu said:

Reminds of Starbike list of bike parts... here: 

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/ 

 

11 hours ago, LawrenceH said:

I can definitely see an obsession building. Scratch plate? Pah! That's 100g of dead weight with the screws!

If I bought a lathe I could mill up a titanium string tree and save 3 grams.

 

 

 

Back in my biking days the Online Groups I belonged to were filled with people boasting that they'd saved 6oz (on a 350lb motorbike) by replacing the front disk caliper with titanium or whatever.

 

I always used to post that you could achieve the same by going to the bog before riding ...

[chris_b]

You can replace the parts of any bass but you'll end up with "Triggers broom". Then will it be your bass anymore?

 

There are plenty of great sounding lightweight basses around.

[casapete]

2 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

So which one of you is the Gordon Murray of the Bass World?

 

It is utterly fascinating, but I generally don't take things apart. I have been genuinely surprised at how light my GB Spitfire & 95 Stingray are, though.

 

Also, has anyone found that lighter basses seem to resonate better?

There has always been a great deal of disagreement over heavy vs light instruments. I think it’s generally been acknowledged over many years that guitars that are lighter are praised by experts who speak of better resonance / sustain etc.

Whilst that may not always hold true, it has been from my experience with both guitars and basses. Having had a fair few Precisions and Stingrays over the years, the ones I thought were better were indeed the lighter ones. Whilst this may have been partly because they were easier on my aching shoulders, I do think that weight does play some part in what makes an instrument sound great. The best guitar I’ve ever played was a friend’s Fender Esquire from the 50’s, and it was also the

lightest. Likewise Gibsons, best Les Pauls and 335s I’ve owned /played have been the lighter ones. My 63 P bass is fairly light at under 8lbs, and my regular gigging bass is a P-Lyte at 7lbs ( as you would expect!). Both are very resonant basses.

[Lozz196]

27 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

 

 

Back in my biking days the Online Groups I belonged to were filled with people boasting that they'd saved 6oz (on a 350lb motorbike) by replacing the front disk caliper with titanium or whatever.

 

I always used to post that you could achieve the same by going to the bog before riding ...

When me & my mates used to go to the greyhound races I always used to bet on whichever dog you could see taking a dump at the side of the track, figuring it would be lighter so should have a better chance of winning. 

[tauzero]

6 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

When me & my mates used to go to the greyhound races I always used to bet on whichever dog you could see taking a dump at the side of the track, figuring it would be lighter so should have a better chance of winning. 

 

My brother worked as a kennel boy while he was a student. He told me that one of the tricks of the trade was to stick a matchstick up the dog's bum just before taking them out to the parade so as to stimulate their desire to reduce their weight.

[Owen]

On 08/12/2025 at 18:55, LawrenceH said:

I've been investigating lightening the load of my main player. I measured weights of various components and since I've put in the work thought I may as well share, it might be a useful resource for anyone else thinking about weight reduction on a jazz bass or looking to put together a bitsa. Haven't fully dismantled it so don't have separate weights for control plate components or pickups, but I'll try and revisit at a later date next time I restring. Cheap-o Ikea digital scales so expect a small %age inaccuracy, though it did test ok on some kitchen weights . Also taken a few measurements from an Aerodyne jazz for comparison, less than 300g lighter but strangely feels like a bigger difference.

 

If anyone else has some components to add please chip in! Different tuner designs, original BBOT/high mass bridges, pickups, covers etc. Also neck and bodies as it's useful to see where the weight comes from and what the variance is. Will try and add some pics at some point too

 

Japanese Fender 75RI:

Neck (maple board) 773g

String tree 7g

Tuners (Fender 70s style) 445g (111g each)

3-bolt neck plate plus bolts 66g

Pickguard 94g

Pickguard screws 6g

Control plate 148g

Fender Deluxe Bass Bridge 106g

Body (ash) plus DiMarzio Model J pickups 2682g

Strings 75g

Total: 4402g (9.70lb)

 

Fender Aerodyne Jazz:

Neck (defretted, epoxied rosewood board) 703g

Tuners 370g (92.5g each)

String tree 7g

4 bolt neck plate plus bolts 64g

Body (basswood) fully loaded (pots, bridge, P/J pickups) 2899g

Strings 75g

Total: 4118g (9.08lb)

 

CTS 250k pots solid shaft from my spares drawer 14g

 

Hope this is useful info to someone!

Tragic.

 

I love it!!!!!!