Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: FELINEGUITARS on December 13, 2009, 02:46:20 PM
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Recently I started weighing my Lion model (like a Les Paul) guitars as I was building them to get an idea of how heavy they would end up.
My own Amber Lion weighs in at about 9lbs and I thought it was a bit heavy at times till I started weighing Gibson LPs that came in for repair and found that it was fairly typical of the average weight or his style of guitar.
Weighing the guitars without hardware & paint proves interesting with most clocking in between 5-7.5lbs in naked form.
The pickups and hardware comes to between 2-2.5lbs (depending on type of machine-heads and bridge /tailpiece used) and the paint finish I suspect actually weighs in at about nearly half a pound or maybe more (as crazy as that sounds)
Some players want a Les paul that comes in at about 8lb or lighter like some of the old 59s were and we deliberately made some recently that were partially chambered to get this weight , and other players prefer a weightier LP as they feel it gives a better tone for what they play.
But I thought I would throw it out as a poll to see what range of weights the LPs that you guys have and how you feel it affects the tone of the guitar and the comfort levels of playing it for any period of time.
So don't be shy - stick yours on a kitchen scales or bathroom scales and share the results with us all.
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I don't have any LPs now, but my Orville goldtop was 8lbs 10oz and my Edwards was 8lbs 5oz. Neither were chambered (as far as I know).
From a comfort perspective that's my absolute limit, I wouldn't buy a heavier guitar.
I haven't played enough LPs to say much about the effect on tone, but in general I find heavy guitars can sound thin acoustically but actually have loads of focus and sustain when amplified. Whereas extremely light guitars can be very lively and resonant, but somehow that can get "lost" when amplified. I guess somewhere inbetween is probably the ideal. But of course lots of other factors come into play.
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9.25lbs here.
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My Agile's just a hair under 9lbs.
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don't have les paul..but my LP shaped guitars...duesenberg 49er is 8. somthing and Bluesbird is nearer 6 but is chambered
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My back breaking few as follows:
1. Epiphone les paul 8.6 lb
2. Silverburst Feline Les paul 8.8 lb
3. Greco les paul custom 9lb
4. Amber thin line feline les paul 9.6lb
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Honeyburst 7lbs Gecko 9lbs. Looks like the new Lion will come in at 8lbs. 9lbs is a bit heavy for me, which is why I asked for the Lion to be lighter.
Andy
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IIRC:
Vintage Burst: 8¼lb (that's the one you've got at the moment - check it yourself :))
Desert Burst: 9½lb
Goldtop: 11lb
(all 3 LPs are non-chambered LP stds circa 2004-6)
I didn't vote because you can't vote more than once :)
In my experience, the heavy ones have a really boomy bass and absolutely endless sustain. Play them acoustically & you can feel the resonance in your legs :lol: Plugged in, they lend themselves to huge metal riffage but I find the mids get a bit overpowerd by the low end & it's harder to get than wonderful musical feedback for long soulful lead notes. Looking at the grain of my goldtop next to the vintage burst, you can see how it's a much denser, closer grained piece of mahogany. I'm not at all surprised the two guitars are so divergent in weight.
The lighter ones seem to have a much more balanced tone with more pronounced mids. They feel "snappier" & more lively. It seems easier to control harmonic feedback on them.
FWIW, I started with a set of Holy Divers in my goldtop. They didn't work at all well (I've posted about this before). But when I swapped the HD set over to the Vintage Burst, they were a revalation. The VB sounds absolutely wonderful with HDs in it. The Goldtop had Nailbombs for a while (a bit better) but now has Cold Sweats which have rescued it from being sold. I love it now :)
The Desert Burst is somewhere between the two. Doesn't "boom" quite like the Goldtop. It started with Nailbombs which were really good, but I moved to Miracle Man which is better (although I suspect I'd enjoy CS just as much in it).
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I have weighed my '81 LP in the past and it reads about 9.5lbs... It definitely weighs more.
A few of you have had your hands on it, I wouldn't mind your estimates?
I think my White Lion is about 9 - 9.5 though :)
And my ZW epi was about 8.5 but I found that to be a little neck heavy
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I have weighed my '81 LP in the past and it reads about 9.5lbs... It definitely weighs more.
A few of you have had your hands on it, I wouldn't mind your estimates?
I've had my hands on it (the guitar that is) and I'm sure it must be over 10lbs. I don't know how much over.
I had a Tele which was just under 9.5lbs and it didn't have that "oof!" quality when you picked it up. That LP is heavier, I'm sure.
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Well, not very accurate but... my bathroom scales reckons that my 89 Standard LP is 5.0 Kgs = a tad over 11 lbs
No wonder it hurts my shoulder!
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My ESP Eclipse is 3,67 kg with strap and with battery. That is just above 8 lbs. Withouth the strap it would be less than 8lbs. It feels very comfortable and light to me. It is non-chambered, since it's an ESP and a bit thinner than a Gibson.
My Voodoo Les Paul is more, must be close to 10Lbs - and that despite being made from swampash (?). I thought swamp ash was a light wood. But then again it has a quite massive body and a fat neck.
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I have weighed my '81 LP in the past and it reads about 9.5lbs... It definitely weighs more.
A few of you have had your hands on it, I wouldn't mind your estimates?
its definitely a manly weight, i recall many positive comments on that at the bkp meet
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just weighed my Adrian Smith inspired Agile at 9.15
you know you're playing it ;) but its managable.
(my light swamp ash strat is 6.39lbs as a comparision - i sometimes think that might be too light)
i know jonathan puts a nice thick maple cap (vintage spec) on his lions, which might explain the few extra oz?
antag: rebel yells are great for boomy les pauls too!
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(my light swamp ash strat is 6.39lbs as a comparision - i sometimes think that might be too light)
That's very light! The body can't be much more than 3lbs (it is hardtail though isn't it?).
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(my light swamp ash strat is 6.39lbs as a comparision - i sometimes think that might be too light)
That's very light! The body can't be much more than 3lbs (it is hardtail though isn't it?).
yes it is hardtail and very light - the body was almost the lightest on the showcase. the neck is moderately light too, which stops it being neck heavy, even if I have normal fender machine heads. actually i still sometimes think of lighter tuners - its not neck heavy but there is a slight tendency there - plus it would be cool to have light tuners ;)
just checked and the body was 3lb 1oz (3.06lb)
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Hiya Jonathan,
My Gibson Les Paul Standard weighed in at 8.58 lbs ( 3.9 kg ). Again, this is having used the potentially innacurate digital bathroom scales Man + Guitar method.
I really like the heavy / substantial feel and tonal sweetening that I feel a heavy 'Lester' presents. If I had the choice, and was asking you for a custom build - I would ask for heavy. Especially surreal - is the sensation that ( after playing an almost weightless but huge Archtop for ages ) - this tiny little Les Paul has such density. :)
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I have weighed my '81 LP in the past and it reads about 9.5lbs... It definitely weighs more.
A few of you have had your hands on it, I wouldn't mind your estimates?
its definitely a manly weight, i recall many positive comments on that at the bkp meet
My... that is a very polite way to put it :P
I think its safe to put my vote in as 10+ then
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I have weighed my '81 LP in the past and it reads about 9.5lbs... It definitely weighs more.
A few of you have had your hands on it, I wouldn't mind your estimates?
its definitely a manly weight, i recall many positive comments on that at the bkp meet
My... that is a very polite way to put it :P
I think its safe to put my vote in as 10+ then
i heard someone say something like: i like will's les paul, its *heavy* :)
i like your les paul too ;)
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My unchambered R8 weighs around 9.5lbs.
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My Edwards 112 comes in a bit under 8lb and as far as I know is not chambered (I haven't X-Rayed it though).
It's a nice balance and still sounds meaty enough.
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But I thought I would throw it out as a poll to see what range of weights the LPs that you guys have and how you feel it affects the tone of the guitar and the comfort levels of playing it for any period of time.
Can't really comment on LPs (don't have any), except to say that they usually feel rather on the light side compared to my Vox Custom 24 (about 11lbs) or even worse the Vox Standard 25 (don't know the exact weight but at least one or two lbs heavier than the Custom 24). So my comment will be about comfort level, specially after a 3+ hours rehearsal: ouch, it hurts :(
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The heaviest I've encountered was a Les Paul Professional which came in at just under 15lb!!
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Was that LP Professional still attached to the amp when it was weighed?
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Was that LP Professional still attached to the amp when it was weighed?
Hahaha, I was drooling over my computer just now LOL
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I don't have great scales but it looks like my Studio is nearly 11.
Didn't weigh the feline but I'm guessing it's a nice 8 or 9. Much more comfortable
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My new LP Custom is not chambered and weights 10.6 lbs. But to me the bass doesn't sound boomy at all.
Compared my ESP Eclipse is a real light weight with only 7.5 lbs.
pop
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I've never weighed my guitars, but my '75 LP Customs is heavy. A pig.
My restored '56 LP jr is almost feather-light, but it is hard to say whether it left the factory like that; this guitar makes Pammy Anderson look natural and un-retouched by comparison.
My G0 is medium weight.
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I just weighed my Basswood Charvel strat and it came in at 9lbs!
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My Japanese Tokai Love Rock comes in at 9lb 2oz
Of course, I ended up weighing the others! :roll:
My Mexican Fenders (Baja tele and Roadworn 60s strat) both are around 8lb 4oz
My Japanese Fender 62 strat is 7lb 8oz apparently, but I'm buggered if I could've told you it was lighter!! :lol:
The big surprise for me was that my Gibson Faded SG is only 7lb 2oz. I knew it was lighter than the Love Rock, but not that much...
I was gonna weigh my old Epi LP, but couldn't figure out which bag it was in... I think it was about 8 - 8.5 lbs. Definitely lighter than the Love Rock, so maybe even less.
I prefer the heavier Love Rock, quite considerably, to the lighter Epi...
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i havnt got my epi here at the moment as i just lent it out - but the first comment it got was about how it was heavier than it looks
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One of my Agiles is 9lb
The other is 10lb
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Recently I started weighing my Lion model (like a Les Paul) guitars as I was building them to get an idea of how heavy they would end up.
Thought you would have been all over this right from selecting woods of certain weights and density for quality control. I've heard a few luthiers say they do this to ensure their guitars are the "right weight" to get the best tones
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I weighed my Les Paul. It's about 10lb. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever played one that's heavier.
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Recently I started weighing my Lion model (like a Les Paul) guitars as I was building them to get an idea of how heavy they would end up.
Thought you would have been all over this right from selecting woods of certain weights and density for quality control. I've heard a few luthiers say they do this to ensure their guitars are the "right weight" to get the best tones
Oh - believe me we have been all over this for years
Years ago when we first started doing the Lion model we zeroed in at about 8-9.5lbs as the best bet
Over the years we have had guys ask for specific weights - sometimes higher and sometimes lower than what had become our typical weight range.
Also recently scoring some excellant Brazillian mahogany that hads been in storage for over 30 years made us have to review things a bit as it was superb , but just a bit on the heavy side .
We chambered some of the Lions we made with it and on the Lion cub we couldn't so it was a bit on the heavy side , but sounded so good
It was more a case that we had a few customers in this week discussing comparative weights of guitars, and we had the scales out with the customer weighing a few we had in stock, that made me think to raise it as a subject and it was more by way of an introduction that I said that I had started to weigh them
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The big surprise for me was that my Gibson Faded SG is only 7lb 2oz. I knew it was lighter than the Love Rock, but not that much...
SGs can be really light! My Tokai is 7lb 3oz and my SG-X is 6lb 8oz. My Epiphone LP Juniors, PRS Mira and McCarty and Edwards V are all under 7lb.
But the "champion" is my Melody Maker, at 5lb 10z! And it rings like a bell. :D
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Ha, my Parker Fly is 5lbs.
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Ha, my Parker Fly is 5lbs.
I've never understood how they manage that, it's a solid wood body under the outer shell, isn't it? I know the neck is basswood rather than maple or something, but surely that can't make such a difference.
I've never played one, but I've picked a couple up and couldn't believe how light they were.
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My old Gibson Les Paul Standard was just over 8lbs but I sold that and bought the Feline Lion Cub which weighs just over 9lbs. When you pick up the Lion Cub it feels rather heavy but when slung over your shoulder the guitar feels great and very smooth and easy to play.
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Yeah Phil the Fly neck is basswood wrapped in carbon and the body is carbon on the back and wood front, mahogany on mine. I think they save a lot of weight in the general thinness of the body.
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What strikes me the most is that all the Les Pauls in the 8-9 lbs range are always LP Standards.
It seems much, much harder to find a weight relieved LP Custom that weighs in this range. I've played and owned countless Les Pauls and I'm a believer that the 8-9 lbs range is most perfect, above all in tone; open, lively and dynamic with lots of balls and shiteee loads of sustain. As a LP purist, I think it's the trick to find a great piece of wood in the 8-9 lbs range. Too light in weight = bad. Too heavy in weight = bad. Bad wood = bad, no matter the weight. I'm mainly talking about the influence of weight on the tonal balance and characteristics of a Les Paul (assuming you're having a good piece of wood).
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I never looked at the weight on a scale.Just the "feel" ,balance and tone.I'll try to find a scale and have a look at my '53 LP...
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You're right Viking; initially you buy that particular LP because of the way it feels (which has to do with the balance of the instrument). The neck plays a very important part too (I prefer a '59 neck profile). Of course the tone is important too. But you already should notice if it's a light, medium or heavy Les Paul, from the first moment you hold her. When I bought my '08 Custom I already knew it weighed between 8-9 lbs, without even weighing it actually. When I got home my thoughts proved to be exactly right (8.8 lbs).
In the end it appears that two most balanced sounding and feeling LP's I've ever played both weighed between 7-9 lbs (a Standard and Custom). Lighter ones seem to 'breathe' more in general compared to the heavy ones, assuming they're all good pieces of wood. 'Breath'/'Vocality' is something really great for a LP (whether you're playing with medium/high gain or clean). These qualities are not easy to find in a LP, as it depends very much on that individual piece of wood; pickups can only represent what's already there.
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I don't have any scales so it's hard to tell you what mine weigh, though I can tell you that the heaviest is my old 71 55 Reissue Custom and the lightest is my 53 conversion. The weights low to high are 53, 54, 86 Goldtop, 55 Custom. The old woods are definately lighter but still sustain and sound great.
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Now that is a drool-worthy set of Gibbo's.
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Now that is a drool-worthy set of Gibbo's.
I was thinking that... not quite as drool-worthy as I find his similar pics of Fenders, but still worth taking a moment out of one's day to gaze at them :D