Since I've started to try and sell guitars online

[blakejcan]

the one thing I was not ready for people to constantly ask about is the weight. I play at home sitting on a chair so it's never a big deal to me but man, people are looking for stuff that almost doesn't exist.

I'd like a 4 lbs telecaster, swamp ash with a bigsby. You got anything that fits the bill? Uh. No.

I will say, if everyone got behind Spanish Cedar bodies and Roasted Maple necks then you can get some really light guitars going.

 

[Mincer]

I always ask about the weight of a guitar I can't physically pick up. It should be in the description.

 

[Masta' C]

Yup, same here. Weight really matters to me.

Sweetwater is lame to deal with, but I appreciate that they take individual photos and indicate actual weights for a lot of the stuff they sell.

That should be a standard, IMO

 

[ICTGoober]

I get a lot of questions about weight of guitars, too. Guess I should get a cheap fish scale, or postal scale.

 

[Artie]

I get a lot of questions about weight of guitars, too. Guess I should get a cheap fish scale, or postal scale.

I just stand on our home scale. Then grab the guitar and reweigh. Subtract one from the other.

 

[GuitarStv]

I'd like a 4 lbs telecaster, swamp ash with a bigsby. You got anything that fits the bill?

A bigsby with tele pickups is about a pound. Half a pound for tuners. And a neck is a bit over a pound. So all they're looking for is a 1 to 1.5 lb tele body . . . :/

 

[jeremy]

weight is something to consider for sure. i basically only play live, so a 14 lb 1979 maple neck lp isnt something im looking to own any longer. 9 lbs or under is fine.

 

[switchman]

I understand why people ask. Some have back issues from years of slinging an 11 pound 70's LP. Or they have some other guitar they like and want the next one to weigh similar. The Bigbsy example is just too much though. Too light isn't good either. A Thinline Tele with a superlight Swamp Ash body and a maple neck will neck dive..

I've heard from builders and sales folks that when there's a choice between three of the same model, usually the lightest one sells the fastest. Buyers are placing a higher value on lighter weight but sellers haven't caught up. A factory will have a spec where they reject raw wood for various defects including too heavy or too light. But weight range isn't considered a specification of the finished product, at least not that I've seen. What I'm sure I have seen is some limited run guitar models marketed as "ultralight", but its not common.

Imagine if Fender did a run of 100 Strats, weighed them, and then priced them in tiers based on weight. Standard price over 8 lbs. Under 8 lbs + 5%, under 7.5 lbs +10% How would the market react?

This is a semi-absurd hypothetical but is it that different than tiered pricing for concert tickets or hotel rooms with a view.

Spanish Cedar gets my vote too. Roasting does remove moisture which makes it a little lighter, but there can still be heavy pieces of roasted maple.

 

[jeremy]

honestly i think a bunch of people would pay the premium for the lighter weight ones, for no other reason than they are dumb. i dont think ive ever bought a guitar without playing it, with one kinda exception being a beautiful guitar from a luthier in the netherlands, but that was mostly a gift

 

[hamerfan]

I just stand on our home scale. Then grab the guitar and reweigh. Subtract one from the other.

That's not a good move for a beer-bellied rocker, he might realize he's way overweighted. :lmao:

 

[beaubrummels]

Maybe move to newer designs, ergonomic bodies, headless, modern composite materials. I don't think that crowd is as weight-obsessed and typically modern designs/composite materials are much lighter weight. It's the Les Paul, Tele crowd that has weight problems.

 

[Artie]

That's not a good move for a beer-bellied rocker, he might realize he's way overweighted. :lmao:

Blame it on the guitar. :beerchug:

 

[blakejcan]

Asking about weight or any details that are important to you is totally valid and yes, I am always happy to actively provide those details. I just didn't anticipate how important weight is to so many buyers. If that's the big selling point then yea, I'm going to try and source only super lightweight woods.

Also what is a light guitar? Seems definitely open to a lot of interpretation.

 

[switchman]

Also what is a light guitar? Seems definitely open to a lot of interpretation.

Absolutely there's no rule for what light is. It varies by model. LP's are heavier than Strats which are heavier than SG's and Teles.

Sweetwater is a great reference. They photo and weigh individually. So you can look up these Tele models see them side by side identified by weight and serial number. The Pine average 7 lbs 1 oz. Alder 7 lbs 9 oz. At the same time, I'm sure the'yre doing this because they know people are so concerned with weight, but they're also adding to the perception its the most important spec..

The funny thing is, dealers of guitar body blanks have been charging more for lighter weight for a long time. Searching for bodies on eBay a lot of blanks come up. Individual boards are advertised with their specific weight and often with the lbs per board foot it equals. But this hasn't translated to weight as an advertised feature of large production guitars except for some retailers doing it.

 

[GuitarStv]

I tend to consider any guitar 8 lbs and under to be light. Anything over 12 lbs is too heavy.

My lightest guitar is a roasted swamp ash jazzmaster with a floyd that comes in at about 7 lbs, and every time I lift it I am surprised.

 

[blakejcan]

I made a tele that's at 6 lbs which feels like it's going to fly away

 

[Mincer]

It isn't just weight, but balance, too. Which is difficult to describe without holding the guitar.

 

[Masta' C]

90% of Strats, Teles, PRS, etc. fall squarely within the 7 to 8 lb range. Of course, there are plenty of examples that fall outside of this range, but that is not the "norm".

The "average" chambered LP is going to fall within the 7.5 to 8.5 lbs range. A non-chambered LP typically ends up between 8.5 and 9.5 lbs.

10+ lb guitars are actually somewhat rare in today's production world unless they have oversized bodies, particularly dense woods, or heavy hardware (Evertune, Bigsby, etc)

Personally, I rarely consider ANY guitar over 8 lbs and I shoot for as close to 7 lbs (or just under) whenever possible.

 

[blakejcan]

I want to try and do a chambered Spanish Cedar tele with a roasted maple neck just to see how light I can get it

I've seen roasted pine bodies out there. Those have the potential to be featherweights

 

[ehdwuld]

Maybe move to newer designs, ergonomic bodies, headless, modern composite materials. I don't think that crowd is as weight-obsessed and typically modern designs/composite materials are much lighter weight. It's the Les Paul, Tele crowd that has weight problems.

That's why my newest ones are headless

Oh and cheap Amazon fish scale here