guitar weight

[rickenmetal]

I didn't know what category to post this in, it can apply to any guitar, offset or not.

I kind of think that super light guitars are not that great. I have a modified Danelectro U1, which is incredibly light. It balances perfectly, that is when I take my hands off the guitar the head does not drop. However, if I jump around and play really energetically it is not very comfortable and I feel restrained to not move around much. I am not saying that cheap super heavy guitars made out of some recycled fiberboard are good, they can be too heavy, but I think it is nice for a guitar to have some weight.

[JazzBlaster]

I agree man, light guitars feel like toys to me.

[Orang Goreng]

It's quite funny, I think. Back when I got my MIJ jag, other guitarists made fun of me because of my superlight guitar (Les Paul players, obviously)...that couldn't possibly sound good. That guitar is the heaviest one in my collection (not counting the basses of course). These days people seem to think light ones sound better, and give the same elaborate argumentation people used to give about heavy guitars. Fashion, I guess.

(OK, I know you weren't talking about tone/sound, but it made me think about it anyway. I prefer some weight on a guitar, but I find my MIJ jag slightly less comfortable to play than my others, because of the weight).

[zhivago]

I think the whole light guitars = better has been started by aging rockers and also people who get no exercise or have bad backs (or both)

For a while all that talk really got to me (it's a big subject amongst Les Paul users), and I started being turned off heavier instruments, but I have lately come to my senses and back to judging instruments by sound and feel, instead of weight.

it's probably/definitely easier for people in the USA to say "go play a bunch of them and pick the lightest and best sounding" or "I went through 30 different guitars of the same model till I found my keeper", but here in Europe it just doesn't work that way...we'd be lucky to play two of the same model in the same year (unless we're talking standard fare Stratocasters and Telecasters)


you know, I was watching this documentary on the History Channel about the ancient Spartans...their shields were ridiculously heavy.

None of them complained...they were too busy kicking ass.....


I think we should all follow their example...just focus on the ass kicking...no pain, no gain etc

[Orang Goreng]

I was watching this documentary on the History Channel about the ancient Spartans...their shields were ridiculously heavy.

None of them complained...they were too busy kicking ass.....


I think we should all follow their example...just focus on the ass kicking...no pain, no gain etc

Well, the ancient Spartans were rather hard core, IIRC.... if not to say completely insane . I'm SO glad I wasn't born in their society....

[zhivago]

hehe...they were nuts!!

....it's a lovely place (geographicaly), though...my father's side of the family is Spartan

[spacecadet]

Les Paul players wouldn't be Les Paul players if they didn't believe heavier guitars were better.  So obviously there are plenty of guitarists who feel this way.

From a feel standpoint, I like light guitars.  But I do think it affects tone and sustain to have a guitar that's too light.  So I think it's a balance.  My current CIJ is pretty much the perfect weight - I haven't weighed it, but it's significantly lighter than any Les Paul I've played and somewhat lighter than the Jag HH I picked up at Guitar Center a couple months back.  I feel like I can really throw it around, whereas with a Les Paul, I feel like I've gotta hold the thing with two hands at all times and really grip it tight or it'll eventually just slip through my fingers.  And heavy guitars like that are just really tiresome to play after a while.

[rickenmetal]

I wasn't saying that a guitar should be ridiculously heavy, just that one that is too light could also not be as comfortable.

Unfortunately, there is no way to control that by using a certain type of wood. For example, if you look on the Warmoth site where they weighed the bodies they made, they have some swamp ash bodies that are lighter than certain bodies of the same model made from basswood, and some swamp ash bodies heavier than certain bodies made out of mahogany or walnut, certain pieces of mahogany lighter than some pieces of basswood, so pieces of wood of the same species can vary greatly. It's not that their wood descriptions are not correct though, although they are a very rough estimate.

[Surfoverb]

Having owned a 9lbs, 8lbs, and 7lbs guitar I prefer 7lbs. I wouldn't want to go lighter than 7lbs, maybe a half pound or so.

[northern_dirt]

I like em heavy.

[mynameisjonas]

i'd prefer it if all my guitars were really light, just to save my back. but the two of my guitars that sound the best are the heaviest (CIJ jazzmaster) and the lightest (SG special), so you definitely can't judge the sound quality by the weight.

[Maggieo]

I like my guitars to be resonant and sound good acoustically.  Lightness is a plus, especially if I'm singing.  The worst sounding guitar I ever had weighed a ton.  My best sounding guitars happen to be light, but they're also super-resonant.  That said, my Les Paul sounds pretty good, too.

[pj]

I own 3 fairly light electric guitars, (1 Dano and 2 Parker Niteflys) and 1 heavy guitar, (Tele) and I have to say from a practical standpoint I like playing the lighter guitars better because they don't strain my back. I think that weight is just one of many factors in how a guitar will sound. I like all of my guitars regardless of their lbs. My back prefers the Dano and Parkers, though.

PJ

[Jaded]

I own 3 fairly light electric guitars, (1 Dano and 2 Parker Niteflys) and 1 heavy guitar, (Tele) and I have to say from a practical standpoint I like playing the lighter guitars better because they don't strain my back. I think that weight is just one of many factors in how a guitar will sound. I like all of my guitars regardless of their lbs. My back prefers the Dano and Parkers, though.

PJ

Parkers! Never had the chance to play one myself 

but on the subject.. i agree with surfoverb 7lbs (or there abouts) is probably the nicest weight, its a nice in between weight.. not too heavy to give you back ache and not so light that they feel like a toy

[del]

I have an SG Classic (the one with p90s) that I like very much EXCEPT for its weight: it is too light and has the toy-like feel that people have mentioned.  Still, it has great tone and fine sustain and is a lovely playing and sounding guitar.

del