Does Drilling Holes in Your Guitar Qualify As Weight Relief?

[@ryanelias3668]

Thanks, Matt. You forgot to mention their Bouyancy Coefficient changes and how much fun it is to have a guitar that can second as a life ring/preserver when you're jamming out to yacht rock or on the Kiss Kruise.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Missed opportunity

[@pedrolourenco2707]

There's a big difference in sound between a chambered weight relief and a hole wieght relief. What you made there is a chambered weight relief. The guitar will resonate in a different way and will make a lot more feed back. I've had all tpes of Gibsons, 9 holes, modern weight relief, chambered and solid and I cant tell you that you can't hear the difference between the 9 holes and the solid body, ehile you can feel something different on a modern weight relief (not in a bad way) and you can defently fell and hear the difference in the chamered guitar!

[@jerryjaystone9444]

Perfect video for the 2024 competition!! I must redeem my self from the anchor of a Tele I brought this year!!

[@guitarbobification]

Awesome! I have a10 lb ash tele and now I know I will have to hog out most of the material below the pickguard to get it more shoulder friendly!

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Good luck brotherman

[@legbah7]

Cool Matt! Looking good so far!

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Glad you think so man, this will be one cool guitar

[@pizzaROX]

Glad I watched this before taking a drill to the tele.

[@JohnCane147]

Great video. I have a P-bass that's way too heavy and was thinking of drilling holes in it. I will just remove a chunk of it. Thanks

[@KB-kc7ou]

Fill 'em with helium before you glue the cap on!

[@KB-kc7ou]

Of course, helium with make the tone sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks...

[@TheloniousBosch]

😂

[@kmajor44]

Ha!! Love it. I am thinking the best method without affecting tone would be to tie a bunch of helium balloons to each strap button.

[@SerenityGuitars]

1 1/2 lbs. That's the difference between a 8 lb Tele and a 6 1/2 lb Tele. Awesome. The Thinline Tele I built at a Texas Toast class ended up at 6.02 lbs complete, and I love it.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Excellent Doug!

[@redelk2974]

thank you. sound inside of shop is questionable...

[@nsjguitarsakascotsman6989]

I had a chunk of mahogany and a chunk of sapele, both the same size. The mahogany weighed over 7lbs but the sapele was about 5lbs. That's why I asked about sapele in one of the lives. With sapele back and walnut top the completed guitar came out at just over 7lbs which is really light for me.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Sounds like a cool guitar

[@legbah7]

I would love to know what it weighs when you carve out the body shape, pick up routes, back electronics route and neck route!

[@TexasToastGuitars]

You will know pretty soon

[@michaelm5137]

This channel is great, , keep up the sweet videos matt. Love the no nonsense approach. From UK

[@TexasToastGuitars]

I appreciate that Michael

[@rocker6957]

I remember seeing a frontman from a country band back in the 70's that played a les paul that looked like swiss cheese on the back. I was a kid, I thought maybe it gave it even MORE sustain!

[@BradHutchings]

And acoustic reverb.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

And who knows... maybe it did?

[@VitorMachadoProf]

Nice presentation. I subscribed. Cheers.

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

Most other video intros I fast forward thru, but the TTG toaster intro I never skip (also the outro)!!! Oh yeah, and the content is very informative! 😉 The holes in the old Gibson... can't imagine that few holes would make a difference, would it be for a better balance? Just a ponder...

[@TempoDrift1480]

I got a killer jazz bass that needs something done because its just ridicilasly heavy.

[@JC-11111]

Didn't Crimson just do that, specifically? What's his face drilled holes around the outside edge of the body to get rid of over 2 lbs. And he drilled like 6 holes or something. I don't think he lost the 2+ lbs he was looking to get rid of.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

I'm just sure I don't know

[@heres2ya]

Awesome video, compare the sound difference between them when fully built.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

That will be tricky

[@MrAZed209]

@@TexasToastGuitars especially now that it’s been hogged out. Also, to do that all over again just for a vid might not pay the rent, hey?

[@juliansuarez3849]

So cool

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Thanks Julian

[@michaelmenkesOZSKIB]

After making a solid ash body for the GGBO, made a couple of Tele thinlines. Ash is damn heavy. On the second thin line I was more willing to go a bit deeper, and comparing you can certainly tell. Didn't work with a cavity template but you really don't have too. I overlapped my forstner holes by 1/3. Its just as efficient to overlap on my puny drill press anyway, because the drill press is 1/3 faster when cutting 1/3 less. Worth the hour to drop the weight and then put a top on a guitar. I'm topping some mahogany flying Vs with maple so maybe I'll do the same thing.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

That is a good move amigo

[@michaelmenkesOZSKIB]

@@TexasToastGuitars got some ambrosia maple for the tops! You guys and Tim Sway are my biggest influences. because of Tim I planned my lumber out like a jigsaw puzzle and found enough extra to make a Les Paul JR body. Love hiding wiring routes under the tops too

[@makotos7859]

Nice! Classic TTG content. So where do you draw the line between a "solid body with weight relief" and a "semi-hollow"?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

I think the Challenger is well and truly in the semi-hollow category

[@barryhaynes103]

I looked up Black Limba and Korina and it appears that Korina is another name for White Limba. They both have the same scientific name (Terminalia Superba) and are from the same Family (Combretaceae). Korina does not appear to be associated with Black Limba, only White Limba and It also appears to be generally called Korina in the USA. … anyway, love the content and channel … 😎

[@TexasToastGuitars]

It is only called korina by guitar people, specifically Gibson guitar people. If you go to a hardwood shop and ask for korina they won't know what you are talking about

[@scottakam]

Thanks Matt. I've been weighting for this one! At what point does weight relieving turn into a semi-hollow body?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

I think we are well and truly into the realm of the semi-hollow for the Challenger

[@irakopilow9223]

now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Practice?

[@dastardlydave1455]

Hole-y Mackerel!! It is physics & math. Probably faster to hog out the material on the drill press.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Not as much fun though

[@johnkirkpatrick1778]

But then you can't go as deep, as you don't want the centre point of the bit going through the back of the guitar.

[@PastelComGini]

Honest question: wouldn't it be better (costly, environmentally) to use just a slab of wood as a center block to hold de neck, pickups and bridge (kinda like a neck thru) and glue the "ears" made of a cheaper/lighter wood or a semi-hollow construction with the center block?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Only you can decide if the juice is worth the squeeze

[@KirkDickinson]

When you have chambers that big, do you create resonant frequencies that are detrimental?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Not that we have ever noticed

[@KirkDickinson]

@@TexasToastGuitars Thanks for the reply. :)

[@timblissATT]

Remember Russ Ballard's Strat in the '70s? Of course those holes went all the way through though…

[@TexasToastGuitars]

That was certainly one way to go about it

[@kenno470]

+1 for the use of the word "homogenous". Nice work there, mister.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Thanks Ken

[@BradHutchings]

Drilling holes won't do a (w)hole lot. 😂 😂 😂 So the pin router is definitely the route to take.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

HiYO

[@rodkuehn6146]

Hi Matt how thick are the sides and the back after you plow everything out

[@TexasToastGuitars]

About a half inch. We could go deeper but we need some meat to screw the control cavity covers to HAHAHA

[@murraydavidson2130]

Cool, (handsome), and thanks for the practical experiment. Q: when the body is lightened to the max, what do you do about balance for the neck (when the upper bout / strap attachment is not moved further out as on some lightened bass designs)? Do you find that it matters in practice?

[@goog646]

That's a great question and it's an issue I'm trying to deal with because I want to have a super light guitar (< 5lb) but the neck dive will be terrible I'm sure. I think headless is probably the only way to have a super light body without neck dive.

[@j-mo2453]

Damn it… no quotient of specific gravity in the machinists handbook for black limba. Lol

[@j-mo2453]

Cad is very handy for area and volume of odd shapes. Seems you’ve probably got your theoretical lbs/cubic inch of black limba by now and very quickly get estimates of reality. To get 5lbs off of it, you’ll need to use a much heavier material or a much bigger guitar. Lol

[@j-mo2453]

I’m impressed though… you’ve taken two beers and two straight shots off that guitar body… lol

[@j-mo2453]

It’s funny as It’s not much weight compared to what we’d normally perceive and is even a comfortable way to carry weight on our body, yet makes a big difference. I’m guessing the chambered Les Pauls were conceived by noticing wicked Lester’s posture after decades of playing… a backwards human evolutionary drawing from upright to hunched knuckle dragging associated with his lp custom guitars. Lol

[@j-mo2453]

I’ve wondered if lp custom is actually the heaviest of all common solid body guitars… think a funny video could come from a trip to guitar center with a bathroom scale. Goes along with my other idea… am I really playing a heavy riff? Lol

[@zwitchguitars]

I wouldn't have thought the leftover bits would weigh that much, thanks for sharing

[@ryanelias3668]

Hey Zwitch. I enjoyed watching your build videos earlier in the year. Nice guitar and good information! Good seeing you here on the TT channel. Matt and Chris' in-person "Build A" workshops are awesome and highly recommended. I'm headed back in December for my second visit. Cheers.

[@zwitchguitars]

@@ryanelias3668 Stop by and watch some more, I’ve done 30 since then 😂

[@TexasToastGuitars]

I hear ya, we go through this all the time with guys who want to just drill holes to take away weight. Thought a video was in order

[@globalnova]

Going the extra quarter inch deeper was where the magic happened.

[@davedupuis2069]

Man what I would do to be able to afford a pin router! Coveting

[@TexasToastGuitars]

They are out there

[@lexist7]

Kinda looks like a semi-hollow by the end.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

It pretty much is

[@petedazer3381]

Heavy guitars rule. Gimme an old LP standard any old time!

[@TexasToastGuitars]

You should have no trouble finding something to your liking

[@webalistic]

Safety rules? Ok then: why did you stick your hands in the routed hole with the router still running at 6:36 :-)

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Do as I say

[@Nellil]

For us europeans : 26 ounces = 737 grams 👍

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Good to know

[@dondavidson9619]

Hi Matt any tips on getting lbs off my gut 😂😂😂

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Coming soon, I'm working on that myself

[@rodh9184]

Do you know what is homogeneous?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Well, I know one thing that is

[@cassiuswilliams6633]

You must have been watching Ben Crowe video of putting holes in a Stratocaster. I like your method better. A hollow body is much better because the holes are hidden and not to sore eye and less appealing.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

You are not the first person to say that my friend. Actually, I did not see that one. We did, however, just do a class and a lot of the guys wanted to drill holes for weight relief. They never believe me when I tell them the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

[@cassiuswilliams6633]

@@TexasToastGuitars this is the issue Matt 30 holes must be hidden not seen. I like quality guitar. A guitar can be ruined just putting pot holes in it. Your method is much better.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

@@cassiuswilliams6633 Thanks man, I appreciate your kind words

[@cubfanmike]

Sure, Tuesday/Thursday... whatever

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Whatever

[@danandratis]

That's what happens when you reach middle age - looking for ways to drop a little weight!

[@TexasToastGuitars]

I know that's right. I used to not care about weight but these days I appreciate the light stuff

[@FoulOwl2112]

Now tell truth... You ever put little notes in there.?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

all the time

[@ashscott6068]

If your guitar is too heavy, just sit down! None of y'all are playing the kind of gigs where the audience cares if you're standing or sitting! Hell, most of those people aren't even there to hear you, nevermind, see you! It might seem a bit rude at an arena concert...IF you're the headline act. But who the Hell cares if some crusty old dude playing Bob Dylan covers in a half empty bar, is sitting or standing? They just want to get drunk after a week of hauling 94 pound bags of cement. If a guitarist is sitting down, cus they can't take the weight of a 10 pound guitar for a few hours, they're not going to care! They never even knew there was going to be a band playing, and would probably prefer it if there weren't! Get drunk, get laid, avoid arrest, get home. Those are their priorities. Any three of those, is a good night, no matter how the guitarist orients himself.

[@captbuscemi]

A bit disturbing that you’re using actual math and scientific method to prove your point on social media 😩. What you gotta do is stir up a heap of irrational emotion and get people angry at each other and involve politics at the earliest opportunity- that’s the social media way! Also: nice work on the weight relief 😅.

[@mars6433]

Nothing wrong with a weight relief guitar. I know lots of chicks that play those.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

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