Is Your Guitar Too Heavy?

In this video, I'll offer some advice on how to control the weight of your guitar before you build it.
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[@Tomislav_B.]

Having a lightweight guitar is a blessing. Lot of players like to swap bridge block on tremolo for heavy and hefty brass block for added tone and sustain (which is debatable)

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

You can use non-traditional wood for your neck and not worry about the wood not being strong enough. About 25 years ago I built a neck through guitar and the body and neck were both made from air dried yellow poplar. I still have this guitar and I’ve had strings as heavy as 11-50 on it with no problems whatsoever. The neck wood was not even quarter sawn. I have also used white oak and some unknown mahogany-like wood I salvaged from an old pair of water skis. The latter was quite open grained, light and very easy to work with hand tools. This is one way to reduce neck dive. So, to your very excellent suggestions for keeping weight down, I would add using some light, stable, well-dried species for your neck.

[@HighlineGuitars]

If you make and sell guitars that are protected by a warranty, the use of woods like you describe will kill your business due to warranty claims.

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

@@HighlineGuitars Great point! I don’t sell many guitars. I think the only one I’ve sold with an oddball neck was made of cherry, which seems about as sturdy as maple.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

If the guitar is too heavy consider the strap you’re using. A wider strap will help distribute the weight better and make it more comfortable to play.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

Great Point! Some are more 'grippy' than others to combat Neck Dive👍

[@Tomislav_B.]

Great point and SRV style strap looks cool also

[@wolfcreekguitars]

I built a couple guitars from two different black limba body blanks. They looked identical, had the same dimensions and had the same moisture content. The weight difference was ~25%! I was amazed how drastic it was!

[@buzzedalldrink9131]

Back in the day I had two Travis Bean aluminum neck guitars. They were ridiculously heavy. It was the body being made of Koa, not the neck. they were so heavy they hurt my back and I sold them! I also own an original 1977 Ibanez Artwood double neck made out of ash. It’s so heavy I rarely ever play it.

[@jklep523]

Really enjoy your channel, thumbs up. My project started right around New Year’s and I’m now in waiting out my third week of letting my nitro dry. It’s torture, but I’m going to put off sanding until I’m at least at the 3w stage. Looking really good. I thought a ton about weight going in and planed down my well-seasoned swamp ash body to 1.6” lightweight schaller tuners. Have a simple but not lightweight brass through-string bridge, and two P90s w basic wiring. I’m optimistic I’m going to come out under 7lbs once it’s all put together, but won’t know for sure until I get to put it all together. TP was right, the waiting IS the hardest part. Will keep you posted.

[@adamcone6856]

I am making a walnut body, claro walnut topper, roasted birdseye maple neck, and a cocobolo fretboard. It should be quite the stout guitar, and is intended for playing seated in a home studio setting.

[@NicoViergever]

I assembled my Strat in 1979 with parts that probably came from Warmoth (before they were Warmoth). It got a american walnut body, a Canadian maple neck with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard. There is a brass trem bridge with a heavy brass block. A built-in pre-amp with battery. It weighs about 5 kilograms, 11 lbls. When I was still gigging, it never bothered me. Now, occasionally jamming, it still doesn't bother me at all.

[@luisytomy64]

Great video Chris, thanks!

[@DarkArtGuitars]

To me the weight of a guitar is one of the most overlooked specs. I find the vast majority of guitars to be too heavy. For me it should be as light as possible without having neck dive. That's what drew me to headless guitars, where I can consistently build extended range guitars at 2.5-2.8kg or around 6lbs.

[@Tomislav_B.]

I had a 2.1 kg Cort and it was beautiful to play for hours and hours

[@bluglass7819]

With my first build I was looking for feedback. A store owner told me that no musician would want to hold it for 2 hours (it’s 9lbs ish). Since then I’ve kept that in mind. I like building semi hollows.

[@bluglass7819]

I’m giving Spanish Cedar a try. It’s nice to work with. Haven’t finished anything yet so can’t comment further. It’s light, related to Mahogany.

[@bluglass7819]

Love the Hipshot mention. They’re my favorite for exactly the reason you mentioned.

[@thecentralscrutinizerr]

My Squire Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster is heavy as lead. The body is made out of pine. I've actually thought about routing out the body underneath the pick guard to reduce the weight.

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Set my notification. See you soon Chris.

[@markdolan8866]

Answer: Yes!

[@jasonpillingmusic]

I've build a 6.7lb bass, and a 5.6lb tele. No neck dive. Basically on my first try. It's not hard if you're willing to make all the minor design changes to accommodate...e.g. a single pickup. I've also modded a j-bass to remove 2lbs. My opinion in conclusion is that the main thing that prevents lighter weight instruments is tradition. But money and aesthetics would be secondary factors. Videos on my channel with all the details if you're asking...

[@markferguson3745]

You can strip away a lot of weight out of a Fender style body.I generally rout out the whole area under the pickgaurds when the body is overweight.You'll notice that certain bodies end up on Reverb and the like, sometimes trying to make it sound like a good thing, while others leaving it for the buyer to discover.Jazzmasters and Teles are the most common offenders, and on a few , I've even undercut through possible entry points.Does this impact the sound, creating these open hollow cavities? Not that I've really noticed, especially when it comes to the oft mentioned sustain.

[@scottakam]

I've yet to build a guitar that turned out lighter than I hoped it would be! I'm starting to get into semi-hollow and hollow bodies. We'll see how that goes.

[@sunn_bass]

I have guitars and basses as low as 6 pounds to a Jazz bass that clocks in at 9 pounds. I prefer 7 to 8 pounds. I also like a thinner body, 1.25" to 1.5" thick. Saying that, I'm 56 and don't find an 8 or 9 pound guitar is too heavy either. I have various neck and back issues, especially my neck from intense radiation therapy nearly 20 years ago. Considering I used to play tuba and could carry a metal 30 pound sousaphone for several hours in Texas heat, any guitar is by comparison is light.

[@kdakan]

To my experience, a thick or wide, and preferably non-bolt on neck with a fixed non-tremolo bridge contributes to the sustain of the guitar more than anything. I have a Danelectro 12-string that has no proper body wood, that sustains like a piano. I also have a very cheap no-name les paul copy that has a very heavy body, that also sustains more than any of my 6 string electric guitars. My 8 string Ibanez also has good sustain, probably because of the wide neck. These are all on a very clean amp setting with no dirt at all, and with widely different pickups, from lipsticks to ceramic humbuckers to pafs.

[@knowyourenemy66]

Very informative as usual.😊Can Beech wood be used for a fretboard? What are the pros and cons of using it? Keep up the great work!👍

[@HighlineGuitars]

Yes. It's about as hard as Hard Maple so it will hold frets well. It can be susceptible to warping, bending and twisting, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem since it will be glued to a neck.

[@knowyourenemy66]

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you. Love your videos, I've learned so much.

[@jamesonpace726]

Thank you for the great info. Hadn't thought of hardware so much & thought sapele was similar weight to mahogany....

[@chocolatecookie8571]

Slash doesn't like lightweight Les Paul guitars, he prefers them heavy but for the feel of it.

[@jethrotannis5673]

Guitar weight is also deceptive. I pick up a 8.5lb guitar and I’ll think this guitar feels so heavy, my 9lb baby so light. I think it’s somewhat due to moments like moment on your arm and then moment on the guitar (body or neck significantly heavier). A lightweight guitar feels amazing my epiphone explorer has no business being as light as it is, my Carillion is a literal work of sorcery as a sub 6lb 7 string.

[@maplechill75]

7-9lbs give or take half a pound is probably the ideal range. Balance is critical. A guitar body that is so light that the guitar neck dives is awful. Good posture and exercise to strengthen your back will always be super important whether you play guitar or not.

[@ltgray2780]

China has an amazing abundance of titanium. Maybe it's more difficult to machine or cast, or could be some other issues. I could see it come way down in price in the near future.

[@quietinterlude770]

My basswood strat is a feather @ 6.5lb, while my Les Paul is still very light @ 7.9lb. unfortunately my ash tele is 9lb+, but has dreamy tone

[@tonyy.8852]

My ESP mirage is heavy, like as much as a Les Paul lol

[@tsiggy]

If the neck turns out to be heavy, is there a way to still attach it to a light body while avoiding neck dive or is one essentially forced to attach that neck to a heavy body?

[@2dazetake]

I bought a sycamore tele body,for a build because I wanted a really lite guitar, I'm afraid the wood did affect the tone, sounds rather dead for having fender custom shop pickups, after burning, staining the body with food coloring and adding only one coat of linseed oil to the body, seems to suck all the sustain away from the pickups, I'm going to try clear coating with some sorts of finish, hopefully it will help, didn't want alot of finish,not sure what to do.

[@Patrick-857]

I love a heavy guitar.

[@raoulduke8382]

I agree with most of what was said here, except for sapele being heavier than mahogany. That was not my personal experience.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Sapele has an average dry weight of 41.6 pounds per square foot while African Mahogany has an average dry weight of 33.9 pounds per square foot according to the Wood Database website.

[@beginner_electric_guitar]

How can one slice the top of a guitar body so he can chamber the body and glue the slice back on? What tool could one use for this?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Bandsaw.

[@protonman8947]

Do you experience with paulownia? Suhr Classic uses paulownia. Very light weight.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I am familar with Paulownia, however, it's not available from my lumber supplier so I haven't used it. I probably never will as it is softer than Basswood.

[@thevirtualluthier4987]

Does not provide rhino3d an option to calculate the volume of the body and neck? So you just would have to multiply it with the specific weight of your wood. So you could at least get a raw idea of the wood weight.

[@banditkeithkingofduelmonsters]

One technique to reduce weight is go with a body blank that is 1.5 inches thick instead of the standard 1.75 inches. I haven't noticed much of a difference between the two personally.

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

Whats the average weight difference

[@Tomislav_B.]

Or a body style like a Ibanez SA series

[@WilliamHaisch]

This is why so many players choose to play air guitar! 😂

[@HighlineGuitars]

My air guitar has better tone than any real guitar that’s for sure.

[@Tomislav_B.]

Don't underestimate weight of air 🤣

[@KragonPebble]

6lbs is the absolute max I'd consider. The myth of improved tone for heavier guitar's been debunked many times. It's the strings, pickups, and the primate operating the guitar. Full stop. Pick up a modern 5.5lb headless, you'll be debunking that old myth very enjoyably. The newer guitars are getting lighter and lighter. For some reason people never had a problem letting go when laptops went from 8lbs to 4lbs, but we cling to these fallacies that you need to break your back with a big heavy grandpa rocker les paul to have tone. Not true. Allan Holdsworth said it best, when it comes to all the extra body and headstock weight, there's just a bunch of "extra stuff" you don't need. If he didn't need a bunch of extra weight, I can promise you, neither do you. Put down the grandpa rocker and pick up a modern well made headless guitar, you and your back will be happier.

[@ashscott6068]

No. They're never too heavy. The less weight, the more handling noise there is and the less pleasing and in-tune the feedback is. If a guitar is too heavy for you, just be glad you're not having to work for a living.