Basswood?

[Ampig]

What's the deal with MM basses and basswood? I only ask because I have recently developed severe lower back pain and my Sterling HH (ash body) even at 9 lbs is killing me. Can I find a lighter MM bass? Let's say 8 lbs or less?

 

[maddog]

the bongo comes in basswood.

not sure on weights. tend to vary.

I've owned 5 Bongos. My lightest has been a singleH blankplank 4-string. And it is light. Not sure of exact weight though.

 

[Bass Control]

The Bongos are made of basswood bodies, but I'm not too sure with the weight. From what I've seen some of them come in at right around 9 pounds, some a little more or less. Have you tried maybe a thicker strap or a different length?

I also suffer from lower back pain (stemming from a car accident from last year) and have found that wider straps help me carry the weight a little better, and I play Sterling 5s with ash bodies.

Hope that helps a little.

P.S.- Toano, VA, eh? My brother lives in West Point with his family and I reside currently in Hampton Roads. Koogs is down here too, I think. Keep in touch and let me know if you're ever down in my neck of the woods.

 

[RobertB]

The BFR Redwood SR's are nice & light, some more so than others, I think. One dealer weighed one for me over the phone & it was actually under 8 lbs. I had a different one, and it too was very light, but I didn't weigh it.

 

[strummer]

What's the deal with MM basses and basswood? I only ask because I have recently developed severe lower back pain and my Sterling HH (ash body) even at 9 lbs is killing me. Can I find a lighter MM bass? Let's say 8 lbs or less?

Musicman Nut owns most of the light basses EBMM ever made I think
Just keep a lookout, as weights vary and unless you are very particular about what finish you want you should be able to find one in the 8 lbs range.

 

[oli@bass]

I have a mint Black Sparkle SR4 (single H) which is 3,9 kg. I might be willing to part with it, for a good cause and a good deal of cash


PS: I just saw that your Sterling with 9lbs is not much heavier... so that won't help you either. Basses below 9lbs? Do they really exist?

 

[Frantic Slayer]

Just did a weigh in of all my Basses/guitars:

SR5: 10.6lbs
SR4: 10.4lbs
Strat: 8.2lbs

as you can see im not on the lighter end of the spectrum

 

[mobis.fr]

...
PS: I just saw that your Sterling with 9lbs is not much heavier... so that won't help you either. Basses below 9lbs? Do they really exist?

basslab basses are about 2,5kg ~ 5.5lb (up to 8lb) but they are not made in a sterling design (nor made of wood )
but there is a (pricey) custom option...

 

[silverburst]

My Bongo 4HP fretless comes in at 9 pounds, 6 ounces.

The only basses I have under 9 pounds are a Spector NS-2JA (8 pounds, 6 ounces) and a couple of P basses.

 

[Ampig]

I've got an 83 P bass which weighs 7.9 lbs and by default is now my main player. I'm hoping I can find something else right at 8lbs.

Hey Bass Control! West Point's about 10 minutes from my house. Small world.

 

[bdgotoh]

Good to see you here Howard. Light MM basses do exist but your desired range pushes the envelope. The lightest I've ever had were a 7.9 lb Stingray and an 8.2 lb Sterling. They are out there but it can be a lot of work to find them. I've been searching for a light HH Stingray for a couple of years and finally found one that I'm happy with - it's 9.2 lbs. I've had several HH Sterlings under 9 lbs, my current one is 8.6 lbs.

 

[adouglas]

My Bongo5 HHp is not what I'd call light, but it's certainly not the heaviest bass I've ever owned. That was a Peavey T40, circa 1980 or thereabouts. My shoulder still hurts.

FWIW, going for more geegaws on the bass drives the weight up dramatically. My full-boat 5 HHp is carrying around an extra tuner, an extra string, a bigger bridge, two big pickups and an extra circuit board for the piezo. All that stuff adds a lot to the weight...especially the second pickup.

So logically the lightest fretted Bongo should be a 4H.

I can tell you that my Bongo 5Hp fretless is a lot lighter than my fretted.

 

[Bloodfist]

Your best bet is to find a bass made of Alder. I have one, not an EBMM and I think it weighs in around 7 pounds. It's extremely light, and a ton of bottom end on it. Right now it's my primary bass until my stingray gets in.

 

[RobertB]

I've got an 83 P bass which weighs 7.9 lbs and by default is now my main player. I'm hoping I can find something else right at 8lbs.

Hey Bass Control! West Point's about 10 minutes from my house. Small world.

Dude I'm telling you ... BFR Redwood SR4. Take the plunge.

 

[Ampig]

Dude I'm telling you ... BFR Redwood SR4. Take the plunge.

What's BFR?

 

[Bass Control]

BFR stands for Ball Family Reserve. It allows the company to release limited runs or production lines of top quality instruments made from various exotic woods and materials. The current BFR Stingray is made of an ash body with a mahogany tone block, mahogany neck, and the top wood is gorgeous redwood. The grain is amazing on these instruments. Just real top notch stuff.

 

[Slapfest]

its a Ball Family .... (something)

Top shelf EB.

But I think an earlier suggestion of trying to shift the strap/weight distribution, is a good one. Your not going not find a bass thats much lighter than what you have... 9lb is not a heavy bass...so I would look to helping your back, rather than trimming your basses weight.
I cant believe I shouldered a 14lb 'ray round for 18 years.....thats youth!

 

[Ampig]

I'm familiar with the whole strap thing. The weight difference on my back between my 7.9 lb P bass and my 9 lb Sterling HH is remarkable.

 

[bovinehost]

My 4H Bongo (the Big Poppa Model) is just barely 8 pounds.

Howard, I can't remember how the Bongo strikes you, but my experience is that there are more "lighter" Bongos than there are, say, Sterlings or Stingrays.

Brad is probably the expert.

 

[Bloodfist]

Ball Family Reserve