Since I've started to try and sell guitars online

[Mincer]

Light bodies aren't all that great when paired with standard necks, as it throws the balance off once tuners are added. It is not easy to make a well balanced, light guitar with a headstock, although my Ernie Ball is like that. That is because of the shorter headstock and body design, though. I can rest the cut-out on the side of the body on my leg and take my hands off of the guitar and it will just hang there.

 

[Masta' C]

Light bodies aren't all that great when paired with standard necks, as it throws the balance off once tuners are added. It is not easy to make a well balanced, light guitar with a headstock, although my Ernie Ball is like that. That is because of the shorter headstock and body design, though. I can rest the cut-out on the side of the body on my leg and take my hands off of the guitar and it will just hang there.

Agreed, the potential for neck-dive is the downfall of very lightweight guitars.

The only thing I hate more than a sharp edge where the forearm hits or the volume knob placement on a Strat is a guitar with neck dive!

 

[Edgecrusher]

Light bodies aren't all that great when paired with standard necks, as it throws the balance off once tuners are added. It is not easy to make a well balanced, light guitar with a headstock, although my Ernie Ball is like that. That is because of the shorter headstock and body design, though. I can rest the cut-out on the side of the body on my leg and take my hands off of the guitar and it will just hang there.

I maintain this is a lot of the reason people complain about neck dive with SG's. SG's that have the skinny little necks balance nicely but particularly lately gibson has been trying to put chunkier necks on them and it throws off the balance. Light body needs a light neck. Years ago I had a Ibanez saber and the little knife edge body paired perfect with the super thin wizard neck. I never weighed that guitar but it epitomized the "barely there" concept.

 

[switchman]

I agree its balance. SG's are bad at that. Joe Naylor from Reverend and Railhammer had a weighted strap product about 15 years ago called Heads Up Strap. I remember they used SG's and acoustics in the marketing shots. It had pockets at the lower strap button end you could stuff little counter weights into. Wasn't on the market long...

Balance is what got me interested in weights and ergonomics. I bought a Thinline Tele when I was first starting. The neck dive made it unusable so I sold it off. Teles and Les Pauls both had periods they were built with way too heavy woods. It's probably why those camps are so conscious of it.

I got a mid price small postal scale a while ago. It costs about $65 today. There's plenty cheaper ones out there. Its small but it can weigh a whole guitar accurately when its sitting on the scale right. I've taken the necks off and weighed the neck and body separate they add up the same. I think its a necessary "shop tool".

I have a spare Strat Neck I just weighed to give a real measurement. Roasted Maple, medium C profile, locking Hipshot open gear tuners, Tusq nut, stainless steel frets and inserts, 2 way truss rod...1lb 10 oz.