Are heavier basses better?

[timmy5strings]

I have an HH Sterling that weighs 11.2# and it is a monster. I haven't heard of one heavier yet. I'm not sure if the wood quality plays into it, but it sounds fuller than other HH Sterlings I have played dialed into the same settings on the same style amp. This Sterling is heavier than my SR5, but when I pick it up it just feels like its built to destroy

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I have an HH Sterling that weighs 11.2# and it is a monster. I haven't heard of one heavier yet. I'm not sure if the wood quality plays into it, but it sounds fuller than other HH Sterlings I have played dialed into the same settings on the same style amp. This Sterling is heavier than my SR5, but when I pick it up it just feels like its built to destroy

It must be the gold center!

 

[Moondog]

I have to admit that I find my heavier basses sound slightly better.
I have an exception that's under 9lbs but for the most part
heavier has sounded better to me (tone, definition, attack, sustain .. ).
Sure, a lot of variables and might just be coincidence but that's been
my experience for a long time now. Not that big a difference though! I'd
still prefer a 8-9 pounder!! especially if gigging over 3 sets!!!

 

[hankSRay]

My Current StingRay is the lightest and best sounding Ray I've owned to date.

 

[bass addict]

Im not sure, it really depends. Between two basses with the same makeups between electronics, I thnk the heavier would have a deeper tone. Otherwise I dunno.




I really dont understand the facsination here of people weighing their basses......

 

[Moondog]

I really dont understand the facsination here of people weighing their basses......

not fascination really, more like reduced stamina, arthritis, subluxations, pinched nerves, reduced muscle tone (ie. OLD AGE)

 

[music man mike]

I've noticed

In my experience (everything else being equal) heavy basses have slightly thicker tone than the lighter ones. My '96 SR is heavier than my '98, and it has a thicker tone. See, I said the same thing twice.
To me they are different, not better/worse. And I'm glad for it.

I've noticed that the tone of a bass is directly related to the type of wood used on the bass. The softer the wood is the throatier the sound can be. Pickups designed for this purpose can effect the sound in the same way.

Jazz pickups sound fatter and bring out the fat tone better.

My 5-string MM sounds a lot less sharp on the tone side as my 4 banger MM

 

[music man mike]

Know what you mean

not fascination really, more like reduced stamina, arthritis, subluxations, pinched nerves, reduced muscle tone (ie. OLD AGE)

I like the heavier basses and the more strings the better. My Ric feels to be the heaviest only becuase it is not a well ballanced bass. The peg head always wants to drop when played. As long as your bass is balanced well it shouldn't matter.

 

[the unrepentant]

some people like light basses, fair do's, some people have crap shoulders.

Me, i like my heavy basses, i haven't tried enough of both to judge on sustain or whatever, but i do know as a general rule heavier basses have better balance, last one i owned had a light body and a heavy neck and was way too neck heavy. The ernie is just about right. Also heavier basses always feel a lot more solid, that's probably because the wood is more dense and is less prone to denting.... found that out the hard way too. I like my exotic woods, bubinga being one of them, and it's not light.

My shoulder is used to it now though so it's not a problem. It may seem like an obvious thing, but if your shoulder continues hurting, get a doublewide padded leather strap (not suede, it sticks to your clothes), spreads the weight out more and pads it.

 

[Brim]

My SR5 single h weighs 10.5lbs. My Dingwall AB-II 5'er is just under 9 lbs. I can definitely feel the difference after 5 or 6 songs at church. But the Stingray5 just has a different voicing that I appreciate vs the Dingwall. Can't beat that Stingray tone (growl baby...)!

 

[syciprider]

Only if you are planning on using it as a club.

 

[Caca de Kick]

Tell you what...that 8.3 lb SR4 LE I received a few months ago is pure bliss.

 

[thunder]

I personally think that yes heavier basses do have better resonance... but electronics along with neck type (set vs. bolt-on vs. glue-in) also figure into it quite a bit...

i agree, thats why i like my basses kinda like, the way i like women....thick and heavy.

 

[rhythmCity944]

I believe it is all personal preference...All my 4 string stingrays have differences in tone between them but I like each one in it's own way...All are about the same 9 pounds in weight...I do kind of think that balance is much more important than weight of the bass as to do with resonance

now i'm big into physics and I bet I can work/find an equation(s) showing the resonance frequency depending on the weight of the head stock compared to the body and possibly predict how long a string will vibrate (in theory) and maybe factor in the load of the saddles by the strings and find the difference between top loaded bridges and strung through body bridges whether it makes a difference or not...whether possible or not!!!

i still believe that whether a bass sounds good or not is personal preference...everybody sees and hears things differently

hey, if i set up my racecar's new suspension within a 1mm tolerance ever before taking it to the track using physics to corner balance the car to that perfect set up for the car based on weight and possible g-loads the car is capible of...i think it can, in theory, be done on bass and calculate when the wave length will end ignoring room size, probably way too complicated...but i'm a dork and i'll probably attempt trying someday, haha

 

[RobertB]

Ok chilix, I feel better about some of my posts now.

Anyway, I'll weigh-in on this one (pun intended):

No.

 

[Figjam]

I think weight may affect resonation considerably. Seeing as the bodies of say, 5 different rays will all be the same size, the heavier ones are therefore more dense. Density , ime, affects resonation a lot. My hhsr5 is heavy and sounds like it; a lot of resonation. My sterling seems to be the perfect balance between weight and tone, its not uncomfortably heavy but its solid enough to vibrate wonderfully. The HH i still have to warm up to as far as getting used to playing that beast with a strap.

 

[oli@bass]

My Studies have always been Heavy Basses do sound better, but as many as I own I have learned you can hunt light basses down that simply sound incredible, Yes it's hard to find the right combination but when you find it it's awesome, takes many basses to find the right combo though. DJ

Couldn't agree more to this. In general, my heavier basses sound "stronger" with more sustain and body to the tone. But there will be the odd light one that has just as much body, strength and sustain.

Basses are made out of wood. Each is an individual made of unique pieces of a highly complex naturally grown material, that is influenced by climate and changes its characeristics with age and exposure to sound (sic!).

That's the reason why old instruments were so sought after in the first place... now it's just a fashion thing and relicing of new instruments is the most idiotic, unmusical thing I've ever come across, because it neglects the most important thing of all: The age and history of the piece of wood that instrument was made of.

I'm really happy that Ernie Ball leaves the relicing to us, the players, and let the instruments tell their true history.

 

[RobertB]

All good points, Oli & Figjam. While it's often the case that you can convince/prove to yourself that a given heavier bass sounds better than a given lighter bass, there are, as Oli pointed out, those exceptions & counter-examples in the form of lighter basses that have the same characteristics due to other factors. And that was my point by just briefly saying "No" to the original question. There are just too many factors & variables to be able to state axiomatically that "heavier basses are better".

 

[rhythmCity944]

All good points, Oli & Figjam. While it's often the case that you can convince/prove to yourself that a given heavier bass sounds better than a given lighter bass, there are, as Oli pointed out, those exceptions & counter-examples in the form of lighter basses that have the same characteristics due to other factors. And that was my point by just briefly saying "No" to the original question. There are just too many factors & variables to be able to state axiomatically that "heavier basses are better".

exactly what i was thinking the whole time...i believe it is also all personal preference too...

whether the heavier bass is "better" in what ever way is only relative to the individual...this debate can go on foreveruntil there is a full scientific proof and then still most will stick to their guns, haha...it is like FORD vs CHEVY kind of thing in NASCAR...i'm neutral...at least until the Porsche Panamera comes into play

 

[BobKos]

I think that better tone woods happen to be heavier than woods that do not display good musical characteristics. However - I don't necessarily think that an 11 lb Basswood bass will sound better than a 9 lb Alder bass. I think it's a combination of variables as stated previously. I used to follow the belief that heavier is better. My friend has kind of proven that to me with his Coco bola wood guitar that sounds incredible. BUT - I bought two Reverend Rumblefish basses that turn all weight / tone arguments on their ears. Those basses are constructed of a Mahogany block about 2" X 6" X 14". It's so light that they had to add a chunk of steel to it to stop the neck dive. So I say for the purposes of the OP, weight is not a single reliable factor in tone.