a problem ! with a vintage short scale!

[stars]

hey everybody ! whatsup ! got some minor minor issues

i have this shortscale vintage bass. its shortscale and its 30 years old. theres just one small problem.

IT weighs extremely extreemly light for a shortscale bass.

when i knock it and when i knock a normal bass guitare , the sound is the same , solid solid sound , but when i carry it , there is really a great disparity in weight.

i mean , its lighter than my frens' strat.

anyone got any idea y ?

 

[rottenramone]

.

different kinds of tone woods have different densities.

http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/options/options_bodywoods.cfm

 

[stars]

i understand tt but i just cant understand y isit so light >? i dont know wad type of wood isit . my fren suggested swamp ash / ash but its a mid range model ... how can be ash / swamp ash body ? besides my bass the tone not too bright anyway .

anyway i can tell wad type of wood isit ?

 

[BF109E]

Why is the weight a problem? If it does not affect the tone and playability of the guitar, then let it be.

BTW, what brand of guitar is it? The pix is not very clear.

8)

 

[stars]

Why is the weight a problem? If it does not affect the tone and playability of the guitar, then let it be.

BTW, what brand of guitar is it? The pix is not very clear.

8)

hey brother joe its been awhile !

its a JEDSON . got another pic with e name but i din put it on the site ,..

its supposed to be a really ancient bass. all i do know is that it was probably built in late 60s-70s. cant even get the exact year. its an english brand but made in japan. the company was a pretty small company. the other products they made were an SG style bass , some banjos etc. really ancient.

the weight bothers me ... i really worried its wood rot inside or sumthing .. its really unnaturally light ( at least to me ) . i dare say its half of my fren's strat weight. its tt light ! > 3kg i m pretty sure.

tone wise its pretty low growly. abit muddy i guess but just really curious y its so light !

heres a pic of the headstock

thanks all !

 

[JMguitars]

i understand tt but i just cant understand y isit so light >? i dont know wad type of wood isit . my fren suggested swamp ash / ash but its a mid range model ... how can be ash / swamp ash body ? besides my bass the tone not too bright anyway .

anyway i can tell wad type of wood isit ?

Maybe basswood (or in the worst case, plywood). Swamp ash or northern ash is actually fairly heavy.

Plus, basswood tones are quite balanced and not too bright. Certain basswood variants are even slightly muddy.

Again, this is estimated guess work.

 

[bodomchild]

If you're really uncertain about it you should take it to a tech..

 

[stars]

Maybe basswood (or in the worst case, plywood). Swamp ash or northern ash is actually fairly heavy..

i see

other than sound wise / weight wise

the only way i can tell wad type of wood would be to look at the grain ? but tt means i have to strip the paint ?

is there any possibility that the light weight is a result of rotting internally ? tts my main concern and worry. cos i bought it from an antique shop.

other than tt , its curiosity of the bass weight .

 

[BF109E]

How much did you pay for it and which antique shop? In SG or overseas?


8)

 

[stars]

How much did you pay for it and which antique shop? In SG or overseas?


8)

SG

obsecenely low . $75

 

[mikemann]

Well.....I seen some dubious quality gits made from 70s to 80s.

The body is very light, and digging deeper to check the wood, they are made from poor quality type wood, similar to those used for wooden pallet we see today. Have to be very careful cause the density is too light, and if you unscrew the screws chances are the hole tread is gone case.

There are worst cases where body is actually made from CHIP BOARD or CARD BOARD. Yeah these do exists too.

Actually plywood is not bad if its of good quality and made. The nature of plywood is the strength is same as good quality solid wood and its lasting too.

You can check the body recessed parts. The sides could even show if it's plywood texture. Dig deep for clues.

 

[BF109E]

Well, then you shouldn't be worrying too much. At $75, you can't expect too much. Anyway, most basses are quie sturdy, so yours should be Ok. Most importantly, the guitar must be playable.

BTW, where the antique shop? May drop by and see if there are any 'steals'?

8)

 

[JMguitars]

Maybe basswood (or in the worst case, plywood). Swamp ash or northern ash is actually fairly heavy..

i see

other than sound wise / weight wise

the only way i can tell wad type of wood would be to look at the grain ? but tt means i have to strip the paint ?

is there any possibility that the light weight is a result of rotting internally ? tts my main concern and worry. cos i bought it from an antique shop.

other than tt , its curiosity of the bass weight .

Dont fret about rotting. Its likely not the case. If it was I'd expect your bass to have snapped in 2 from the tension exerted by the strings.

Likely that its just a light wood ... dont read too much into the issue as light wood doesn't mean lousy wood.

 

[stars]

Well, then you shouldn't be worrying too much. At $75, you can't expect too much. Anyway, most basses are quie sturdy, so yours should be Ok. Most importantly, the guitar must be playable.

BTW, where the antique shop? May drop by and see if there are any 'steals'?

8)

haha thanks everyone ! so i might b just overly paranoid ...

its at clarke quay 2nd floor ... i saw it on a sunday ... but the whole place is closing down. the guy told me he had onli 3 guitars from this mat guy who was very into guitars in his youth but later he changed to scramblers and became a national scrambler rider ... he sold away the guitars + basses when he emigrated to australia to the antique shop guy. PM me if u wan details of the shop and the owner. the owner claimed he sold away the other 2 guitars already . he had onli the bass left behind , so i grabbed it ...

yea 75 bucks ... but the bass is japan made in 60s and 70s ( good ? ) and its like at least 30 years old.

 

[stars]

Well.....I seen some dubious quality gits made from 70s to 80s.

The body is very light, and digging deeper to check the wood, they are made from poor quality type wood, similar to those used for wooden pallet we see today. Have to be very careful cause the density is too light, and if you unscrew the screws chances are the hole tread is gone case.

There are worst cases where body is actually made from CHIP BOARD or CARD BOARD. Yeah these do exists too.

Actually plywood is not bad if its of good quality and made. The nature of plywood is the strength is same as good quality solid wood and its lasting too.

You can check the body recessed parts. The sides could even show if it's plywood texture. Dig deep for clues.

icic ... thanks alot mikemann !! how do i tell the type of wood ? through grain ? spacing ? i tihnk its plywood ? but through some cracks in the body finishing i noticed tt the wood appears to be a solid block / not like plywood which is glued tohether .

the guitar weight is 2.7 kg / 2.8 kg


thanks alot for your help guys ! really appreciate it

btw dun understand the last bit about body recessed parts ... isit parts where got hole / screwed or sumthing ?

 

[BF109E]

Well, then you shouldn't be worrying too much. At $75, you can't expect too much. Anyway, most basses are quie sturdy, so yours should be Ok. Most importantly, the guitar must be playable.

BTW, where the antique shop? May drop by and see if there are any 'steals'?

8)

haha thanks everyone ! so i might b just overly paranoid ...

its at clarke quay 2nd floor ... i saw it on a sunday ... but the whole place is closing down. the guy told me he had onli 3 guitars from this mat guy who was very into guitars in his youth but later he changed to scramblers and became a national scrambler rider ... he sold away the guitars + basses when he emigrated to australia to the antique shop guy. PM me if u wan details of the shop and the owner. the owner claimed he sold away the other 2 guitars already . he had onli the bass left behind , so i grabbed it ...

yea 75 bucks ... but the bass is japan made in 60s and 70s ( good ? ) and its like at least 30 years old.

Thanks for the infor. I know where that shop is, so I'll check it out when I'm around there.

8)

 

[mikemann]

Normally better to tell if you can remove the whole pickguard. If it's a electric git, can see the trem spring cavity behind. Other than that, you have to use your imagination on digging deeper without damaging the finish.

If it's japan made, should be solid wood, maybe just use the light type. Japs are quite obsessed with the quality thing.

 

[stars]

Thanks for the infor. I know where that shop is, so I'll check it out when I'm around there.

tt particular shop opens on sundays . theres a shop on the same level tt has a 60s aria electric guitar Blues style MIJ . pretty good condition , the guy claims it is as "good as a gibson" and selling it for 400 ... tt shop is one of the antique shops closer to the escalator. the building is the cannery. the shop where i got my bass is opposite of the escalator

 

[stars]

Normally better to tell if you can remove the whole pickguard. If it's a electric git, can see the trem spring cavity behind. Other than that, you have to use your imagination on digging deeper without damaging the finish.

If it's japan made, should be solid wood, maybe just use the light type. Japs are quite obsessed with the quality thing.

yea . its light . but it has something ... heres a picture of the grain line / wood ... does tt mean its a plywood ?