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Hi, all, not really a luthier but have a "luthing" question. I have a bass with a walnut body I bought off Ebay. The bass sounds awesome but is it heavy. I also think it's a bit thicker than a typical Jazz Bass body.

My question: If I were to reduce the thickness of this body by, say, 1/4", maybe by running it through a planer, would that lighten it appreciably? Also, would doing that alter the tone of the instrument significantly? Thanks for your help!

It will not alter the tone but unless the body is extra extra thick, you might not lose as much weight as you think. Walnut is somewhat heavy. I just live with it. If it's a jazz bass body, thickness might not help you and chambering might be the only way. What kind of hardware/pickups do you have? Metal weighs a lot more than wood. How's the balance? Do you have neck dive? Pictures? Your pickups might be a good half a pound, or even more.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Weigh the body and measure the thickness. The amount you reduce the thickness, divided by the total thickness, times the total weight is a pretty good approximation of the weight reduction.

For example, 1/4" reduction, 2" thickness, 10 pounds --> (.25/2)x10 = 1.25 pounds less

edit: Chambering is the better option for weight reduction, but is a bit problematic on a completed body. You could resaw a 1/4" plate off the back, chamber the body with fostner bits or a router, and then glue the plate back on. I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you're pretty good with a bandsaw.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I agree with roger. I think it might be more work than youd really wanna do to make a heavy bass lighter. I'd either live with it, buy a new bass, or build one.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Just do the math. Express the 1/4" as a percentage of the total thickness and then remove that percentage from the total weight.

But I wouldn't do that unless I KNEW how deep the wiring channels and pickup cavities ran.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

1/4 inch isn't really much.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Walnut works great for a smaller body bass. Unfortunately the most popular bass shapes (jazz and p) are big enough to serve as a small coffee table. You could sell it, some guys drool over heavy basses.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Thanks, all. I just love the tone of this bass. I guess I'll keep it as is, pick up another body some place, and try it out. Worst case scenario, I go back to the walnut body.

Good bass tone comes heavy. Period.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

See, that's what I mean. Now I'm reinspired. I've got a fretless five in my head that I intend for my own collection. I have a chunk of cocobolo that's thick and long enough for a one piece bass neck. I was thinking however, of using cocobolo for the neck with a katalox fretboard, which I also have cut and ready, and fill the fret slots with cocobolo veneer. I have a giant chunk of cherry I could use for the body, with some cutting and planing, and a sweet maple burl top.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

I recently finished an all walnut guitar and I chambered it with good success. Total weight is only 6.5lbs

My 4 string Warwick electric is 8lbs 4 oz. Solution: a wider strap with padding. But the tone and sustain is oh so good!

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

There's huge chambers in this monster maple neckthru, and it still goes over 12 lb.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Dang Rodger!
Sweet!
I hope I can build like that when I grow up!
Dan

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Thanks, Dan. Is the Rock still there in Brushy Creek?
It came out pretty nice, but I'll never build another like it! As a neckthru, it was big, heavy, and hard to work on from the initial glueup to final finishing.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon