Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

GuitarGuy503

New member
The question is pretty straight forward.... What's the best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts on this? :burnout: :dance:
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

ack! this is why i don't like LPs...the heavy ones sound no where near as good as the supposed magic LP '8 lbs'. which is still too heavy for me.
I did like the LP Lites of the late 80s, and the semi-hollow Florentines of the 90s. The really expensive LPs today have chambered bodies.
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

My LP is 9 lbs. I'd always heard the weight of them was cumbersome for some people but I actually find it to be the opposite.
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

but the probelms of les pauls coem in on the really heavy ones, they sandwich a really cheep heavy piece of crap between the normal wood, thats why the really heavy ones are not good at all.
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

9 lbs or less....The weight is only one important factor though...The wood and all of the other components make up the final guitar..

John
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

My Heritage is just under 9 lbs. And this is because of lighter mahogany and aluminum bridge, etc...
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

Usually under 9 pounds, although it's all subjective. My favorite sounding Les Paul is 10 pounds and also has a thick laquer finish over the gold. Go figure. Sometimes, a heavy Les Paul has a heavier tone, but usually light ones sound better. It all depends.
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

lighter is synonymous with higher, more resonant sounding wood in an LP. That's why the heritage ones tend to be lighter and sometimes chambered.
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

My Custom weighs in at over 12 lbs (never officially weighed it, but it feels about as heavy as our cat, and he's 16. It's one of the heaviest LPs that I've ever played. The lighter ones to me don't sound as good.
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

The vintage collectors make a big deal out of the weight falling within the 8lb category. I think it's all in how the guitar sounds plugged in and acoutically too, plus how it feels. Mine weighs in at 9+ pounds (pretty heavy) and is one of the nicest I've ever had.


Jeff
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

dc_mally said:
but the probelms of les pauls coem in on the really heavy ones, they sandwich a really cheep heavy piece of crap between the normal wood, thats why the really heavy ones are not good at all.


I think they did that sandwiching crap during the '70's
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

Mine weighs 10 pounds 4 oz's, my Charvel-playing buddy jokingly refers to it as "The Log". It plays great and the sustain goes on and on, I just wish they had sent along the stump that it grew from so it could hold it while I play. ha-ha But it's not that bad!

I see why Jimmy Page had his slung so low that it sat on the top of his leg, it gave his shoulder some relief from holding a log for a three-hour show. I guess this is why when you see Mr. Les Paul play he's always sitting down? I know he was hurt in an accident years ago so maybe what he had in mind when designing the LP was a nice heavy guitar that wouldn't slide off your lap while you play. Who knows?

I've never heard that heavy wood is cheaper, maybe Gibson used some bad wood during the 70's, but all wood isn't uniform in weight, there are variables in all wood that make it heavier or lighter.

This woodworker site shows that air-dried mahogany can be between 30 - 52 pounds per cubic foot. So I don't see any difference in quality in an 8 to 12 pound slab of wood. Tonal differences may vary with weight but not quality.

http://www.wood-worker.com/woods/mahogany.htm
 
Re: Best weight for a Les Paul? Whats your thoughts?

callous_frigid_chill said:
As heavy as possible

I think as light as possible...and as resonant. I like the notes to have alot of bounce to them....heavy won't do that as well.

I never weighed my Les Paul but I've owned many and this is the only one I've kept. It's also the lightest and most resonant.

Lew
 
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