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Post subject: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:22 pm
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I have an older guitar that I believe is made from Agathis, Its very heavy. When I searched online about Agathis body guitars I found many conflicting posts. Some said its very heavy, some said lite. I know wood varies type to type and even tree to tree, but does anyone have a general idea about this ?

The reason this came up is my band mates new V (early version) 59 Strat, its body is Alder and its very lite. This brought up the old topic "Lite vs. Heavy guitar" which is better and why. As I mentioned in an older post I remember a quote from Les Paul "The best sustaining guitar is two anvils with strings between them". While that may be true for sustain, what about tone. What do you all think?


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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:34 pm
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Personal preference is different for everyone.

I have a Strat made of basswood which is light and resonates well
but it's not really considered a good tonewood compared to others.

Also consider that there are different grades of wood.

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:39 pm
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Tweak a couple of knobs and it makes no difference. If someone wants to hang 10#'s or more from their shoulder because they think the audience can tell the difference, more power to them. I have two Les Pauls. One is a solid body, no weight relief, and one is chambered. Acoustically they sound very different, but through an amp, I can get what I want from either one. But the solid body one rarely gets played.

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:43 pm
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My back's opinion is the only one that matters.

And after four 45-minute sets on stage it makes a pretty persuasive argument.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 6:04 pm
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Perhaps, your build and not just the guitar would come into the equation. Picture Schwarzenegger versus Danny DeVito. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:14 pm
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Fender Strat Brat wrote:
Perhaps, your build and not just the guitar would come into the equation. Picture Schwarzenegger versus Danny DeVito. :wink:

So what, you figure Schwarzenegger has more sustain? :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:24 pm
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Drew365 wrote:
Fender Strat Brat wrote:
Perhaps, your build and not just the guitar would come into the equation. Picture Schwarzenegger versus Danny DeVito. :wink:

So what, you figure Schwarzenegger has more sustain? :lol:

Nope! But, Arnold may have more muscle tone, while Danny would have little. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:28 pm
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The actual weight of the different wood types, after 6 years of discussions here about it, is still a mystery to me. My Stratocaster/partsocaster is quite heavy but I don't know it's wood type. My super Strat is considerably lighter but I don't know it's wood type. Primarily a bass guitar player I should know at least about my basses and in that light I can say, nope I sure don't know about them either lol :lol: I should update my photo's, my next project.

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:39 pm
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Solid Body Love Songs wrote:
Primarily a bass guitar player I should know at least about my basses and in that light I can say, nope I sure don't know about them either lol :lol:

Well, obviously they're made from bass wood?


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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:36 pm
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I lusted for an LP, but a buddy and I swapped my Deluxe Ash for his '79 LP Standard for a month.

I had a sore shoulder (2 prior surgeries) and neck the entire 1st week. Even had trouble getting sleep.

When the month was up, even though the LP was a very nice guitar, I wanted my Strat back.

He wasn't as excited to swap them back... :?

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:38 pm
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This is of great interest to me. Next week I have my second spinal surgery in 4 months. After I get home I am on a weight restriction of 5 lbs for a month. So no electric guitar playing. If I even feel like like practicing it will be with an acoustic.

Then after that it is <10lbs for another 6 months. When I had the surgery earlier I didn't even think about lifting my LP but felt the Strat was marginal.

Are you telling me that there are Strats made with lighter woods than others? I might be able to find a lighter Strat that I would be more comfortable with? Exposing my ignorance here but i did not realize this. :oops: :cry:

What type of wood body should I look for that is going to be the lightest?

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:42 pm
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Strap on a Fender J or P bass for awhile then tell me how
heavy your guitar is. :D

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:03 pm
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matonanjin wrote:
What type of wood body should I look for that is going to be the lightest?


Aged swamp ash is generally regarded as the lightest -- the older, the better. I have a hardtail Strat made of this lumber and it tips the scales at just under seven pounds.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:25 pm
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Each guitar is different because each piece of wood is different.

That said, there are a few which are especially light. Aged Swamp Ash as Arjay mentions, then there is the Telebration Series Empress Telecaster, a limited run made from Paulownia wood. 600 were made in total - 300 Aged White (Blond) and 300 'Burst'. Though limited, they can be found fairly easily.

Known in Asia as Empress wood, it has been used for centuries as the soundboard for many Asian stringed instruments such as the Japanese Koto and the Korean gayageum.

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My Telebration Empress Telecaster comes in @ 4.92lbs. It plays great and has terrific sustain contrary to myth that light guitars don't have good sustain. This is likely due to Paulownia's fine-grain and warp-resistance.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on guitar weight "Heavy vs. Lite"
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:43 pm
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matonanjin wrote:
This is of great interest to me. Next week I have my second spinal surgery in 4 months. After I get home I am on a weight restriction of 5 lbs for a month. So no electric guitar playing. If I even feel like like practicing it will be with an acoustic.

Then after that it is <10lbs for another 6 months. When I had the surgery earlier I didn't even think about lifting my LP but felt the Strat was marginal.

Are you telling me that there are Strats made with lighter woods than others? I might be able to find a lighter Strat that I would be more comfortable with? Exposing my ignorance here but i did not realize this. :oops: :cry:

What type of wood body should I look for that is going to be the lightest?

Stay positive, I had a fusion surgery in 89 and after 2 years recovery I can lift weights with the best of them.


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