this new bass is heavy and hurting my back suggestion?

[JadedBass]

my 1979 ibanez musicains a crazy beast at playing and such but its heavy! when i play it for a long time it starts to hurt my shoulder and back a bit? any suggestion? maybe tightening the strap would work? anyone every have this problem?

[sixner]

well... it might just grow on ya? i know my shoulder hurt for a while when i started gigging and what not....... but, not any more... you build a tolerant to it....

or, if it's too bad... get a... double strap? it goes over both shoulder's... im not sure who makes them though...
-sixner

[funkyhoney]

i have this problem, its a pain in the ***
i recommend payhing standing up for 10 mins or something, then take a break, then for a bit longer next time, endurance training.
it will help your posture in the long run if you can learn to stand up straight and play for long periods of time.

[Bass Queen]

put a couple of bricks in your backpack, it makes your upper back and shoulder muscles stronger, worked for me *weak with heavy basses*

[irishslappop]

tought it out, the more you do it the more accustomed you'll become.

[Gravaged]

Do you use a regular nylon strap right now? You might wanna try one that is wider, or step up to one of those padded ones. No pain, no pain

[Naveed Afzal]

Look for a Wider Strap, I use a Pretty thin One because i have broader shoulders, but for a skinnier person it may hurt so go wider strap. Try Levys.

[Alma]

A big, wide, fat, padded leather strap should do the trick. You might have to dig out $50 or so, but it will be worth it.

[Jamie]

Get a 4" leather padded strap :thumb: I just got one for £20 for my 6 string


*also owns a '79 Ibanez* (but its a challenger p-bass)

[mister_tee]

I think tightening the strap might work, and possibly trying to improve your general posture. Other than that though, toughing it out seems to be the way to go!

[Worrpigs]

my warwick weighs 9.5 lbs. get a Yamaha Air Cell Strap. that thing works wonders.

[skingle]

get a thick padded strap to distribute the weight.

[SLKBassist]

Yeah I would say get a wide strap, I want one as huge as Timmy C's but ca't really find them anywhere.

[PaulR]

Either:

Man up you poof :p.

Stick it out and you'll get used to it.

Or, leather strap.

[vashts80]

you'll get used to it after awhile..I know when I first got my jazz copy that weighs 9lbs I was pretty hurting, after playing an ibanez gsr200 for almost a year (which seemingly weighs 3lbs compared to the jazz copy)...after a week or two I had gotten used to it.

[mastrrbasser]

check out "comfort" straps. It's nylon where it hooks to the bass, but the whole part that goes over the shoulder and back is made of some sort of foam rubber. They're pretty cheap (20 or 30") and they do wonders. Also do the endurance training that was mentioned above. If your shoulder hurts really bad, play sitting down for a couple days until it stops hurting, then play standing up again. You just need to get some more strength in your shoulder.

[Spencer]

when I first got my jazz it hurt my back soo much but you get used to it and it don't hurt maby some exersise will help.

[6stringslinger]

like he said^^^ maybe some excercise or stretching(back bends) about 10 minutes a day before you play

[muthafunkabass]

my 1979 ibanez musicains a crazy beast at playing and such but its heavy! when i play it for a long time it starts to hurt my shoulder and back a bit? any suggestion? maybe tightening the strap would work? anyone every have this problem?
my traben is really heavy too. GET A YAMAHA AIR STRAP! their air cell strap takes off so much wieght and is such a relief, u'll be thankful. it has air pockets on the inside that make the bass feel weightless.

[bass face]

get a really padded strap...tightening the strap would only transfer the weight from your lower back to your upperback...but if its not making your lower back sore so id say padded strap

[PillarFreak]

[Tough] it out, the more you do it the more accustomed you'll become.

I started playing standing up as well as playing sitting down because I was no good playing standing up because I had never practiced playing like that. It hurt a LOT at first, and it still hurts some after about a half hour, but the more I play like that the longer it takes to hurt / the less it hurts.

[lbanks]

Here's the fix:
Gym 5 times a week
4 inch strap (GOOD STRAP!)
Glaucosamine tabs
Lots of water
Cut fats, increase roughage
cut sugar, drink green tea
... sucks, eh?

[Low_End_Communications]

A wider strap or a dual strap with distribute the weight more evenly.

http://www.italiastraps.com produces a 4" wide leather+suede strap for under $50. $35 for the 'Studio' model I believe. I'm hoping to get one or two soon.

Sliders makes the Dual Shoulder strap. You'll look like a dork, but it'll help a lot.

Raising your bass up higher will only screw up your technique and position, and that wouldn't help you any. Raising your strap could cause even worse cramping in your shoulders than before.