Are heavier basses better?

[shastaband]

Hi all!

I've seen many posts about the weight of basses, with many people ecstatic about finding very light weight basses.

My 30th Anniversary SR4 is noticeably heavier than either my 1996 SR4 or my 2006 SR4. It also has the best tone and sustain (some of which is probably due to the string-thru-body design and the mahogany body). My 2006 SR4 has a natural-finish, one-piece body, and it is heavier and sounds better than my natural-finish 1996 SR4 with a two-piece body. Isn't a heavier body better for sustain and tone? More mass, keeping the string vibrating rather than the instrument? Wasn't that the whole point of Ned Steinberger's use of dense composite materials in his XL-2 basses, to dampen body and neck vibrations? A heavier bass does take its toll on my shoulder muscles, but it sure seems like the heavier basses sound better to me. Feel free to enlighten me or comment as you wish . . .

 

[diptixon]

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...

 

[Kirby]

My heaviest 5 string is also my oldest, but I love the tone of it the best. Many of the guitarists I play with also comment on how much they like the tone of the black SR5 so yes, it makes a difference to me.

 

[silverburst]

The 30ths sound is different though. They seem to have a lot more presence. Mine vary in weight by a little more than a pound, but they all seem to sound the same.

 

[timmy5strings]

I am into week 3 of my SR5 HH and my shoulder is finally getting used to it. 4 hours a night takes its toll, but the sound is incredible. I believe the sustain is longer with a heavier wood, notes seem to last forever. No pain, no gain ! It a bass I must bear!

 

[Musicman Nut]

Hi all!

I've seen many posts about the weight of basses, with many people ecstatic about finding very light weight basses.

My 30th Anniversary SR4 is noticeably heavier than either my 1996 SR4 or my 2006 SR4. It also has the best tone and sustain (some of which is probably due to the string-thru-body design and the mahogany body). My 2006 SR4 has a natural-finish, one-piece body, and it is heavier and sounds better than my natural-finish 1996 SR4 with a two-piece body. Isn't a heavier body better for sustain and tone? More mass, keeping the string vibrating rather than the instrument? Wasn't that the whole point of Ned Steinberger's use of dense composite materials in his XL-2 basses, to dampen body and neck vibrations? A heavier bass does take its toll on my shoulder muscles, but it sure seems like the heavier basses sound better to me. Feel free to enlighten me or comment as you wish . . .

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

 

[muggsy]

Heavy is a relative term. I used to own a 74 Jazz that weighed a ton, probably 12 or 13 lbs, and it sounded good but not good enough for me to get past how heavy it was. Didn't work for me, but other players loved it. My Stingray 30th Anniversary is between 10 and 11 lbs, but the sound makes up for any occasional discomfort. I've also owned and played light basses (8-9 lbs) that kicked butt. I don't think heavier wood necessarily makes a better instrument, but even if it did, my occasional lower back problems make lighter basses a priority.

 

[Psycho Ward]

Painted headstocks have more low mids.

 

[mynan]

not the green ones...

 

[strummer]

Mine differ 200 grams, and the heavier one does sound a bit better, or more focused. But I play jade, the green one all the time anyway, the colour is nicer. See, it's that big a difference

 

[bdgotoh]

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

This is my mode too.

I've had some of every combination of weight and tone, so they are all out there.

 

[Gary Raymond]

A guitar player & X bandmate always insisted that the lighter weight Les Paul re-issues had superior tone over the heavy ones. As I also recall, the original 58-60 Les Paul's were very light & in the opinion of just about every guitar player I've been with, those are the Holy Grail of guitars. Probably depends on the instrument IMHO YMMV.

 

[Dead Seven]

I built a 6 string bass out of a solid block of black walnut a couple of years ago. It's about 2.5 inches thick and the whole thing weighs 13-14 lbs. It rumbles your innards. I've yet to record with it, but I fear that it'd probably get lost and mudded up in a recording, but in a live performance it fills the damn room and then some. When building it, I was going for that type of sound and I based my material selection on the theory of weight, mass, density, etc... so take that for what it's worth.

Of course, I don't use it anymore, since I found my soulmate

 

[kaaikop]

It has nothing to do with tone...
It's the kind of chicks it attracts that count!

 

[KennethB]

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.

 

[PocketGroove82]

I can honestly say that when I hear a 5 string version of any traditional four stringer (Ray, Jazz, P) I hear a distinct difference in the tone.
If changing the dimensions of the neck/body can bring about a noticeable change in the tone of a bass, then I would image that drasticly different densities between pieces of wood would also affect the tone.

Now who is to say which one actually sounds better?

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Heavy by design?

I used to think that heavier equalled better sound, but now I don't think that. A heavier instrument contributes to the overall feel which doesn't necessarily mean better. I think the combination of woods and the design probably have more to do with it and both heavy and lighter instruments can sound good.

In my opinion, I think weight is the biggest drawback to my SR5s and other ones I've played. Mine both weigh 9 and 10lbs. I know that is pretty much down the middle in overall weight spectrum that you find in many bass weights, but my shoulder tells me otherwise.

One thing I would like to know: are the StingRay and StingRay5 designed to have a certain weight range or is it just a matter of what materials are available at the time of manufacture? I'd love to see an SR5 at around 8lbs.

 

[Freddels]

I tend to like the sound of heavier basses (mahogany especially). I don't think you can just think weight b/c the size of the body adds to that. I think it's more to do with the density.

 

[Caca de Kick]

Nope, I don't buy into the heavier is better bit. But depending on what sound I'm looking for, I'll agree that heavier basses have longer sustain and heavier attacks, but I wouldn't call that better, just different.

30th's are just different because the mahongany has a different tone. My 30th does sound awesome, but mine only weighs 9-1/2 lbs. My others that are heavier don't sound 'better'.

 

[TSanders]

IMO, I have found heavier to sound better.

My SR5 weighs 11 pounds and it KILLS.