Ideal weight for a Strat?

guitarfishbay

octatonic said:

I was surprised to find that a whale testicle is 500kg.

Or 10.02 Jennifer Anistons.

Or 17 Stingray Basses.

Philly_Q

octatonic said:

I was surprised to find that a whale testicle is 500kg.

Or 10.02 Jennifer Anistons.

I'm suprised Jennifer Aniston's that light.

thegummy

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

Whitecat

thegummy said:

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

A digital kitchen scale. Works fine on a stable surface. 

For me, around 8 lbs or less is great. I don’t mind the under-7 lbs examples at all - they seem to be quite rare though and often very materials-dependent. 

ICBM

thegummy said:

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

I use kitchen scales... old-fashioned tall Salter ones. You just need to put the guitar where it balances, which is normally somewhere near the front of the body. If it's over 10lb I use the electronic ones that go up to 10Kg, but it's harder to read the display with a guitar balanced on top.

thegummy

Whitecat said:

thegummy said:

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

A digital kitchen scale. Works fine on a stable surface. 

For me, around 8 lbs or less is great. I don’t mind the under-7 lbs examples at all - they seem to be quite rare though and often very materials-dependent. 

Must be either the type or specific model of scale I have in the kitchen, it's just impossible to balance the guitar on it without the scale tilting over.

Philly_Q

thegummy said:

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

Works OK on my kitchen scales.  You place the guitar somewhere just below the neck joint area and it balances fine.

Maybe your scales themselves are too tall and/or have a narrow base.

octatonic

Kitchen scales here too.

robgilmo

I used a fishing scale, might try the kitchen ones, the Mrs is going to look at me well funny.

Whitecat

thegummy said:

Whitecat said:

thegummy said:

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

A digital kitchen scale. Works fine on a stable surface. 

For me, around 8 lbs or less is great. I don’t mind the under-7 lbs examples at all - they seem to be quite rare though and often very materials-dependent. 

Must be either the type or specific model of scale I have in the kitchen, it's just impossible to balance the guitar on it without the scale tilting over.

Basically it’s this exact one except in silver - http://www.salterhousewares.co.uk/salter-disc-electronic-digital-kitchen-scales-white.html

I can almost always place the guitar so the body curve is showing the weight readout. 

thegummy

I tried the old analogue kitchen scales.

Strat came in at 8lbs, Les Paul came in at 8lbs and PRS came in at 7lbs.

That can't be accurate surely, the LP definitely feels heavier than the Strat

Whitecat

thegummy said:

I tried the old analogue kitchen scales.

Strat came in at 8lbs, Les Paul came in at 8lbs and PRS came in at 7lbs.

That can't be accurate surely, the LP definitely feels heavier than the Strat

Could it be a balance thing? Heavier body/lighter neck and vice-versa?

WezV

It is a balance thing

ICBM

WezV said:

It is a balance thing

Very much so. I've come across plenty of guitars where one that feels heavier is actually lighter than one that really is heavier, if the light one doesn't balance well.

Neck angle and where it joins the body also makes a surprising difference. It changes how you hold the guitar and the way the weight presses on your left shoulder.

thegummy

Whitecat said:

thegummy said:

I tried the old analogue kitchen scales.

Strat came in at 8lbs, Les Paul came in at 8lbs and PRS came in at 7lbs.

That can't be accurate surely, the LP definitely feels heavier than the Strat

Could it be a balance thing? Heavier body/lighter neck and vice-versa?

WezV said:

It is a balance thing

I think you could very well be right - when just holding one guitar in each hand (far from an accurate measurement) it's not so easy to tell that one is particularly heavier than the other but when playing it the Strat feels totally normal to me (played strats exclusively til a couple of years ago) whereas the LP feels very heavy.

Not just playing position though, even just lifting them down off the wall hanger, the LP feels so much heavier than the Strat.

Assuming the measured weight has any kind of near accuracy - do I have a heavy Strat or a light LP?

WezV

I have an iceman, 3 Les pauls and a strat shape that are all within 200g of each other.  The iceman is the lightest, but feels so much heavier than all the rest.  It’s all about that weight distribution


But it’s worth remembering 90% of guitars will be between 7-10 lbs.  it’s not that big a range

less than 7= Very light 
7-8= Light
8-9lb= average
9-10= heavy
more than 10= very heavy

balance can move you up or down one category, it can’t make a heavy guitar feel light

wibble

Whitecat said:

thegummy said:

Whitecat said:

thegummy said:

I tried but it's just impossible to balance the guitar on my kitchen scales without the scales tilting over to one side.

What is it you guys are using?

A digital kitchen scale. Works fine on a stable surface. 

For me, around 8 lbs or less is great. I don’t mind the under-7 lbs examples at all - they seem to be quite rare though and often very materials-dependent. 

Must be either the type or specific model of scale I have in the kitchen, it's just impossible to balance the guitar on it without the scale tilting over.

Basically it’s this exact one except in silver - http://www.salterhousewares.co.uk/salter-disc-electronic-digital-kitchen-scales-white.html

I can almost always place the guitar so the body curve is showing the weight readout. 

I have similar set of scales.
I put a small plastic bowl/tupperware container on it first and then zero the scale, then put the guitar on it. Makes it easier to see the display.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

WezV said:

It is a balance thing

Very much so. I've come across plenty of guitars where one that feels heavier is actually lighter than one that really is heavier, if the light one doesn't balance well.

Neck angle and where it joins the body also makes a surprising difference. It changes how you hold the guitar and the way the weight presses on your left shoulder.

The most extreme example I've had was a Bacchus "Clapton Cut" (sawn off) Explorer.  It was less than 7.5lbs but for some reason on a strap all the weight - and much more - seemed to be focused right on the top of my left shoulder.  It was very uncomfortable.

I got rid of it quickly.  No idea if other examples of that body shape exhibit the same problem.

crunchman

For me lighter Strats seem to have a livelier tone.  The other extreme is the late 70's boat anchors.  The ones I've played just sounded completely dead.

I don't know if you can go too light, but in general the lighter the better for me.

robgilmo

With kitchen scales I just perch the guitar on its end standing up and lightly hold the neck making sure I don't effect the reading on the scales.