Heavy guitars - what's your threshold?

McToot

I bought a MIJ Tokai from a forumite from the OTHER place (I don't think he's moved over) a couple of months back and am broadly very pleased with it: really like the neck ('59 style apparently), the looks and in most respects the sound. 

But ferk me it's heavy - 10lb 9 approximately - almost a pound heavier than my Yamaha SG1000, which is the heaviest guitar I had owned previously.  It's beginning to wind me up as LPs are not the most comfy to play seated. 

Where do you all stand on the weight thing? And what impact do you think it has on tone, if any.  The low end on the Tok is very full and needs taming a bit, though that could be more the stock pups... 

Jalapeno

A wider strap !

rpr

This?

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/819/for-sale-rare-k-m-guitar-performer-stand-not-a-guitar-stand-by-the-way

octatonic

Nothing over 9lbs if a LP.

Ideally under 8 if anything else.

My main guitars- Forshage Orion and an Anderson Classic are under 7lbs.

McToot

My strap's already 6cm wide, which is pretty chunky I'd have thought.  And as for the stand I'd feel like Stephen Hawking in that rig...

blindlemonade

My LP Studio weighs about 9lb. After a three-set gig last Saturday, my neck was killing me for for three days.

While I wanted a heavy LP, perhaps it's time to find something lighter, with a similar sound?

I did rather like a PRS i played last year - can't remember which one...

(PS: I use an elastic strap, while standing.)

 

McToot

blindlemonade said:

My LP Studio weighs about 9lb. After a three-set gig last Saturday, my neck was killing me for for three days.

While I wanted a heavy LP, perhaps it's time to find something lighter, with a similar sound?

I did rather like a PRS i played last year - can't remember which one...

(PS: I use an elastic strap, while standing.)

 

Gawd.  Good thing I'm not gigging: I already have back problems (muscular) because of a posture not dissimilar to that of a great Turkey Vulture. 

octatonic said:

Nothing over 9lbs if a LP.

Ideally under 8 if anything else.

My main guitars- Forshage Orion and an Anderson Classic are under 7lbs.

 

I've played your Forshage - it is indeed featherlight. 

octatonic

McToot said:

I've played your Forshage - it is indeed featherlight. 

So THAT is what that smell is.

dindude

Ah guitar weight, the weigh-in happens almost before the first strum on NGD these days.

I tend towards Fender types and I've found that anything bewteen 7lb and 8lb is ideal for me, preferrebly bang in the middle.

I like the thought of going lighter but I've had a few sub 7lb geets and they just feel a little toy-like for me.

So my 4 mains at the moment, Strat, La Cab, Gibson Midtown, Charvel Pro Mod are all in my 7 - 8 sweet spot.

As for tone, I think very very light or very very heavy may start having an impact but in the normal range there are other factors that contribute more I reckon.

I don't think I could go above 9lb for any geet, which is why for Gib tones I like to go semi instead of Les Paul alike.

OilCityPickups

My vintage V100 at 9 1/2 lbs (think it's nearer 10) kills me for longer than about 45mins. I try not to wimp out ... but the last 40 years of heavy guitars has done my vertebrae no end of no good. 

monquixote

Not as heavy as this:

http://nealmoser.com/store/images/im_bvi_700x560.jpg

CloudNine

7.5lbs is the max now for me. And that is for any style of guitar, which I guess is a bit limiting!

I don't even like the feel of picking a heavy guitar up off it's stand, let alone having it round my neck. For me personally, primarily playing Fender style guitars, I almost always prefer the tone of the really light ones. For me, Tele has to be under 7lbs. Strat has to be under 7.5lbs.

digitalscream

I wouldn't want to go a whole lot heavier than my Jaden Rose Series 2, but that's purely because of my back problems; I think it's pretty light as guitars go (a bit shy of 8lb?), but Guitarist bitched and moaned about the weight - it was the only negative in their review.

Some of the original Chapman ML1 guitars were horrifically heavy, though - I played one which must've been way in excess of 10lb.

Phil_aka_Pip

My LP Std weighs 4.5kg, my SG2k weighs 4kg. Other axes come in at around 3.5kg. I don't mind the weight, especially if it contributes to a good tone.

bertie

monquixote said:

Not as heavy as this:

a white square ?   #:-S

Lixarto

bertie said: a white square ?   #:-S

Be grateful you can't see it - some horrid metally V variant.

ICBM

My max is about 11lb for a Les Paul, probably 10 or so otherwise. Les Pauls are actually quite a comfortable shape for me, so they don't feel quite as heavy as they are (although the steep neck angle is a problem). Guitars much under about 7-8lbs (9 for carved-top LPs) usually feel flimsy to me, unless they're SGs, Danelectros or something else which seems to positively benefit from being light. My favourite Rick is 9lbs, and that's a very comfortable guitar which feels 'just right' for something of that body size.

p90fool

Bare shoulder, bit of cheese wire, mere slip of a girl.
Just sayin'.

Phil_aka_Pip

Both Lester & Mary must have been taller than me - look at how the size of the instrument on them compares to the size of the instrument on me! 

ICBM

And for the opposite effect, here's Jane Weidlin (ex of the Go-Gos) with an SG that looks almost bigger than she is!

http://mlblogsraysrenegade.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/087.jpg

Skipped

Based on feel on a normal/average strap I would say that the perfect weight for a Les Paul is 8.8 lbs.

Average weight of guitars in the book Beauty of the 'Burst:  8.8lbs

Average weight of a "cheap" R8 2013 Historic Les Paul:   8.8lbs.
http://davesguitar.com/products/gibson-custom-shop/series/R8/?&view-all=true