Formula for body weight that balances with Warmoth neck?

[bdplaid]

Hi all,

This in regards to bass builds.

I always struggle with Warmoth builds as mine always end up neck-heavy. I even bought another neck for one of my builds and it ended up the same - neck heavy.  So now I have an extra neck.

I am always trying to build the lightest bass possible, but what ends up happening is I buy a lightweight body, but then have no control over the neck weight.  Of course I could buy a body that's some whopper, but I'm looking for a smarter way to optimize the balance of weight.

So I'm asking if anyone has hit on a formula for buying the proper weight body to attach to an already existing neck?

Thx!

 

[aarontunes]

Weight is only a part of the "equation". Strap button locations/balance points are also critical, and that is determined in large part by body shape.


Some good tips on fixing a neck heavy guitar or bass here.

 

[bdplaid]

Thanks.  I am familiar with those techniques.  However, I am referring to a NEW build with a Warmoth body.

We have virtually no control over the weight of the neck (in my case, it is already in my possession), and I am looking to purchase a new Warmoth body to go with it.  The strap button positions are already set because the Warmoth horns lengths are what they are.  The only way to manage a build to be certain it will not be neck heavy is to be certain the weight of the body is not too light.  And that is what I am asking:

How do people determine the proper weight of a body to buy when the neck is already in their possession?

 

[line6man]

How do people determine the proper weight of a body to buy when the neck is already in their possession?

This is the first time that I have ever heard anyone pose that question.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

IME a lot depends on the tuners you plan to utilize with that Warmoth neck, and to some extent the bridge. my goal is to have a bass that hangs on just the upper horn strap button with no (or at least very little) tendency for the neck to tip downwards

for a 4-string P or J bass utilizing Hipshot Ultralights, I aim for a body that is in the neighborhood of 4.25 - 4.5 pounds

for a 4-string P or J bass utilizing standard BML type (i.e. heavy) tuners, I aim for a body that is in the neighborhood of 4.5 to 5 pounds

this is just my personal general guideline for when I used to utilize W parts on my early bass builds. there are ways to get the weight down, but these ways aren't so generic for a post like this and required a reworking of certain body features and neck construction methods/materials to achieve my personal preferences with consistency.

 

[fatstring]

Late reply but I thought better to respond here than launching a new thread. I have the same question. For a Warmoth standard profile Jazz bass neck with steel bars and running hipshot utralights, how heavy does the body need to be for balance?

Data point, I just built a 4 lb 9oz dinky J bass body with basic Steel bar J bass Warmoth neck standard profile. It neck dives to some extent. So if I get a new neck with graphite rods, will that balance? If I instead swap bodies and get a 5-plus lb Jazz body to swap the standard neck onto, will that balance? With the people building in this online community, please share weights on basses you built and check the balance maybe that could help.

BTW yes I already use a wide strap with suede on my shoulder. Neck dive is not subjective. With a strap on he bass, hang the instrument over a drumstick (or your hand in a karate-chop posture) and wiggle the hang point back and forth. If headstock moves south of horizontal, that is neckdive. Yes, I know I can "deal with it". But honestly, once you put on another bass that is balanced completely, it's hard to play the one tugging at your shirt all the time. I have an old P bass that I swapped out to ultralights and it is now a perfect balance, light and a pleasure to play. If only it wasn't a 1.75 in wide-flat 80's neck, and no bridge pickup.

Cheers,
Fatstring (yes it is my Oct GOM entry bass that sadly neck dives.)

 

[Logrinn]

Hi fatstring,
Love your bass! Shame it didn't win GOM.
That said, I think your questions are harder to answer than just saying, "you need a 5,2lb body".
Case in point; I recently got my new chambered 7/8 Tele body made of alder. Pretty light. I got a Mustang neck made of bloodwood with ebony fretboard to go with it. And that's pretty heavy. So: neckdive. Unfortunately.
A heavier body might solve it as would a lighter neck. But their weights are only part of it. Had the body been a 7/8 Strat, then then placement of the strap button on the upper horn would have solved it. Perhaps.
So: weight of the neck, weight of the body and placement of the forward strap button. They all play a part in the neckdive or no neckdive issue.
I guess the only way to know/solve it, is to get one or several more basses and trying out different neck and body combos by swapping them.

I know my Tele would be a problem for me if I would stand up and play for any length of time, but since I only play at home, sitting down, I'll manage.
Besides - the body and neck combo sounds absolutely awesome.
And since I'm pretty sure I'll be getting more guitars in the future, I'll try an swap some necks and bodies and see if that solves it. 

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Good luck and hope you'll solve your problem.

 

[fatstring]

Logrinn thanks for your comment on the bass, it was a learning process that apparently is still continuing.

You thoughts an trying different body/neck are in line with what I was thinking. Part of DIY should be you can change your resulting product to fix what you don't like. Just experimenting with multiple other neck and body configurations would get expensive though.

Since I would prefer light weight, leaning towards swapping in a graphite rod neck. Would be great if I knew up front the 4-5 oz savings would balance things out, based on others experiences. Kicking myself for not going that route up front now.

 

[musicispeace]

Interesting here. All I can offer is that for me I just know that anytime an instrument gets over about 8 pounds I am annoyed. So that governs any math I engage in. That is for guitar, an average comfortable weight for a bass may differ and you would be the better judge on that than me. In my experience I agree that placement of strap buttons have a lot to do with balance and if you have any sort of Fender style body shape you should be ahead of anything like a V shape for balance.