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Post subject: Re: Suggest a lighter Precision Bass
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:06 pm
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leekirkham wrote:
Here is your average sq. ft. of dried wood by weight in lbs. :

Ash - 41
Alder - 28
Basswood - 26


People will tend to overlook the word "average."

People also overlook that a Fender instrument's body blank today is never one solid piece of wood but is instead multiple blocks glued together. To compound matters, in modern production when a translucent finish is going to be used like sunburst or natural then an additional thin solid veneer layer is frequently glued over the top and bottom of the blank for a seamless appearance when finished. All these things are why two otherwise identical instruments will almost never weigh exactly the same or sound identical either. Additionally finishing can add more weight than you might expect especially on multi-coat finishes like Candy Apple Red.

Weight is not the only difference either. Out of any given group of bodies of the same wood type you will find some with better resonance than others along with tonal duds. This is partly why the Custom Shop gets first pick from all blanks at Corona including neck blanks.

If you take all this into consideration it is shortsighted to say that any one tone wood is always going to sound better or is always superior. What you can for sure say is that the harder and denser the wood the more durable and resistant to bumps it will be and also depending on type the more or less grain it will have.

Basswood is a good tone wood for an electric bass body. It is plentiful which makes it cheap. A basswood body can have more resonance than ash or alder, but there still can be a dud in the lot. You can feel a good basswood body vibrating on your belly as you play it due to their high resonance. While technically a hardwood basswood is the softest of the commonly used tone woods for bass guitar and the one with the least visual grain contrast. Basswood's softness coupled with the high resonance means that you must keep a closer watch on tightness of all screws and may need to snug them up more frequently than every string change. Screws can actually vibrate loose on a basswood body faster than alder or ash due to how much a basswood body vibrates. The softness of basswood also means it is easier to strip out a screw hole so you should never over-tighten screws on a basswood body and just keep them snugged up, especially the strap button screws.

So if you are rough on an instrument or if you are not much on routine maintenance like tightening screws then you might want alder or ash. It is nice to see grain through a translucent finish and basswood's lack of apparent grain gives a blah appearance unless veneered. Basswood isn't perfect but it sure is light and has a good vibe quotient. I like basswood tone a lot for an electric bass but I realize the tradeoffs.

As for the P-Bass Lyte, they are lighter as their name suggests primarily due to a downsized body, but they also do not sound much like a Precision Bass with active ONLY electronics and pickups that are more like EMG's. Not that they sound bad, just different with a more modern active tone. They also use a lot of proprietary hardware and have been out of production so long that original parts are sometimes only obtainable in the secondary market on eBay. I recently saw a set of 3 of the rubber shafted "F" capped knobs they use on eBay priced at over $120..and they sold. Body woods used included alder on painted ones and some "light" mahogany. Most owners are very loyal to them.

The thing to keep in mind with any long scale lighter bodied bass is neck dive. Neck dive is when the headstock wants to seek the center of the Earth because the neck is heavier than the body. This imbalance is frequently an issue with Asian made basswood bodied Precision and Jazz Bass instruments, including Squiers. It can be mitigated with a 3 or 4 inch wide suede lined strap.


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Post subject: Re: Suggest a lighter Precision Bass
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 3:30 am
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Thanks everybody for the great advice!

So, I'd guess we'll track down a nice Alder or Basswood P-Bass with a head that is not too earth seeking.
Maybe a STANDARD PRECISION BASS?

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Post subject: Re: Suggest a lighter Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 5:32 pm
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jensljungkvist wrote:
Thanks everybody for the great advice!

So, I'd guess we'll track down a nice Alder or Basswood P-Bass with a head that is not too earth seeking.
Maybe a STANDARD PRECISION BASS?


Not necessarily - my '76 P has an ash body, but weights in right around 8.5lbs - which is one of the reasons why it's a keeper... I'm pretty sure that Sweetwater lists weights for each specific instrument - and is a good company to do business with, IME...


- georgestrings


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Post subject: Re: Suggest a lighter Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 5:34 pm
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Here's my '76:

Image


- georgestrings


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Post subject: Re: Suggest a lighter Precision Bass
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 9:35 am
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linnin wrote:
Ah-Ha! Here's an American Standard Precision that is the lightest out of four that Sweetwater has in stock: 8 pounds and 6 ounces!
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PBassAMROlyW/snUS13105880

So it looks like your friend can just take their pick and get a Precision less than 9 pounds.


Yes there are lots of choices, depending on the money you want to spend. I have tried Squier, MIM, MIJ, and American Standard. They all sound pretty darn good, but IMO if your friend can afford the new American Standard, it will sound more like an older bass than the others. They come stock with Custom Shop '62 pickups and sound fantastic.
Here's a pic of the one I bought last year.

Image

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