Chambered or not chambered ...

hotpickups

octatonic said:

hotpickups said:

Well I'll let you know where I'm at. I have commissioned a guitar build this weekend. My choice was for it to be chambered rather than solid due to weight and I ain't getting any younger etc. My fear is I am thinking I am forsaking something by going this route purely for weight issues. Or maybe I'm gaining something better with chambering? I'm at a stage that I can choose either route at the moment. Once the cutting and routing has begun though I am committed to it so feeling a little nervous

By the way I'm not a high gain player or anything – Old school rock/blues at the very most  

Unfortunately it isn't so simple.

You cannot say whether a chambering a particular guitar will be better or worse unless you do it and compare to the unchambered version, which is of course impossible because you cannot build a guitar twice.

Have you considered making it semi-hollow, rather than chambered?
My personal opinion is semi-hollow trumps chambered in most circumstances.
YMMV.

Funnily enough he does do an f hole semi hollow version but it would be out of my price range unfortunately due to more work involved etc

Danielsguitars

i built a semi chambered LP style with p90's and it sounds really good to me, i think there is a difference but wouldn't stop me making more,  it was 7.8lb and love it 

Schnozz

The chambering also helps with the Les Paul's ergonomics, as it no longer wants to slide when seated.

I think it's a definite improvement on an LP, but I'm undecided when it comes to Strats etc. The difference in tone is pretty darn small, so for me, it's more about comfort and playability.

hotpickups

Schnozz said:

The chambering also helps with the Les Paul's ergonomics, as it no longer wants to slide when seated.

I think it's a definite improvement on an LP, but I'm undecided when it comes to Strats etc. The difference in tone is pretty darn small, so for me, it's more about comfort and playability.

That's good enough for me @Schnozz . It's not a les Paul guitar but it is a derivative of one

Thanks again guys

rossi

Jack_ said:

Telling everyone you have a heavy Les Paul that's not chambered, makes you look hard.

Like, I wouldn't wanna bump into that guy down a dark alley, he gigs an unchambered Les Paul every night.

And thick strings = large penis dont forget .Must be true its on the wobbly  wunder web.

I have  a fully hollow Les Paul  type .Keiper 109 .great for jazz and blues and loud enough  unplugged to be my  practice acoustic .Ultra light and floating bridge.I think i was lucky and got a good one though .

Cabicular

It really suits the Gretsch single cuts
they sound massive when you crank the volume (although the filtertrons help)
ive got a couple of ES les Paul’s as well as big bollocks customs and there is obviously a big difference in sustain but the semis are a lot more middly and open sounding
Every guitar is different though so it is difficult to generalise too much 

hotpickups

I guess at the end of the day it's always gonna be personal choice and what kits it's being played through etc. Which always seems to be the case .

on this occasion it's gonna be an expensive build and would like to base my decision on some hard evidence. Gonna be difficult

Danielsguitars

I'd think about the sort of final weight you'd like and go from there,  some blanks will need more weight relieving which will alter tone
 compared to a blank that only needs some weight removed which will leave more solid mass, the rest of the guitar can get built around the body 

hotpickups

customkits said:

I'd think about the sort of final weight you'd like and go from there,  some blanks will need more weight relieving which will alter tone
 compared to a blank that only needs some weight removed which will leave more solid mass, the rest of the guitar can get built around the body 

I think I'm going to have to consult the luthier about that as he knows his guitars better than anybody o guess. Thanks again 

SunDevil

My vote with a LP would be that keep the weight ar around 8.5lbs to get the best combination of ‘muscle’ and quick response - you can do that with either solid or chambered and I think the solid will be a touch quicker and focused on the fundamental and the chambered a little more nuanced in terms of its tone

hotpickups

SunDevil said:

My vote with a LP would be that keep the weight ar around 8.5lbs to get the best combination of ‘muscle’ and quick response - you can do that with either solid or chambered and I think the solid will be a touch quicker and focused on the fundamental and the chambered a little more nuanced in terms of its tone

Not sure what quicker or more focused actually means as it's all relative of course but it's not a les Paul but probably a close relative maybe. I'm gonna have to grill the luthier I reckon

Thanks again though