Removing Weight from Les Paul

[@Rickholly74]

I am simultaneously amazed, impressed and disgusted that you did this. Wow. I think before I did something this drastic I would sell the R9 and buy one of the Gibson weight relieved modals. Seriously, it was worth a try since it was requested by the owner and now it is a custom one of a kind (I hope).

[@ModernGuitartech]

plays great and still sounds good. He was happy :)

[@Rickholly74]

@@ModernGuitartech Then mission accomplished.

[@justrockon426]

you sell the r9, buy a 8, 8.5 lp standard, then have spare cash for another.

[@rickansaldo6240]

No reason for disgust. These guitars are "heavy" because of the misinformation that the overall guitar add to the 'tone'. Most of the body is excess baggage.

[@freddiethefabs6920]

Thank you for this video! I've had my les paul for over a decade now, and its sat in its case for the last few years because the thing is so god damn heavy! to the point where I have developed back problems because of it! (i don't know how i put up with it for so long!) i dreamed about getting this guitar for years before i bought it, and i pretty much learnt how to play on it, so the idea of selling it is out of the question for sentimental reasons, and buying another is financially out the question too! I don't care about there being possible covered up drill holes as the thing is already covered in dings and scratches from playing it!! This is a great and affordable way to make my guitar actually playing again! Thank you sir!!

[@piemmetubo]

Great idea. Thank you!!!! I will do that horizontal boring in the body of a Harley Benton Telly kit. 😎 And I can be more radical, doing criss-cross "tunnels", all connected, in order to make a quite large tonal chamber. Along with shaping the edges like a Strat, I plan to remove a good deal more than one pound of wood. The painting will conceal the caps of the holes.

[@VERBANDTREM]

I would have tried drilling in a fan shape from under each strap button and input jack.

[@bennyjames3592]

Could you go in through the strap button hole and drill fan shaped pattern, then just plug that one hole and maybe it would be partially covered by the strap button?

[@therugburnz]

I read an interview with Billy F. Gibsons that mentioned that he bought many many modern LPs and had the tops steamed off and the backs routed out and rebuilt until a some were OK, A couple of few were good and a dangerous two were Really Nice. One was killer good. That is the one he used for the Super Bowl or something like that. Of course I don't know if many or many many means Fifty a hundred or a 5hundred+

[@perothing]

Gibsons are not sacred objects. People pimp expensive cars so why not a plank of wood called Les Paul?

[@craigthompson7070]

Thanks for putting this up! Been wondering about the possibilities... if the owner is happy and the guitar sounds good, awesome!

[@ParallaxFilms]

I have a non-weight relieved 2013 R9 that is 8.5 lbs. I have seen some as low as 8.1. No need to do this - just find a lighter one. If you have to get one under 8lbs just get a weight relieved one and customize it to R9 specs as close as possible. But just get a flex strap to take the weight off your shoulder and that is all you need.

[@howardsternssmicrophone9332]

I really don't get this whole "weight relief" thing. THey already cherry pick the lightest woods for those burst reissues, and I hear people complaining about a 9 pound guitar? I'm not a macho a-hole, but give me a break man! What average human man cannot handle playing a 9 pound guitar for a show? Is this all a joke? Have men really gotten this weak, and fragile that they can't handle playing a 8.5 to 9 lb guitar? Are we really in this bad of shape as a nation, or is it that the caliber of people that can actually afford a Reissue Burst just weak and frail? Not trolling, serious question.

[@MyMotherTheCar]

I'd never do that to an R9, but I'm thinking about it with my 10 pound Classic plaintop. My plan is to rout out the inside of the back control cavities like you did. You can take a lot of wood out from there without compromising the guitar at all and it's totally invisible from the outside.

[@bongnp]

For the hours you got into this, you could have removed the maple top and routed the hell out of the inside. That might have ruined the finish and binding though. No good way to do it.

[@PeterWasted]

Better would be to plane the back to flush with the neck heel, drill or rout the weight relief holes then glue on a new 1/8th inch back plate. I would never try it on an expensive guitar but did something similar on a cheap copy with great success.

[@Daniel-be6ue]

I think it would be better to contour the back so you can lose weight and also make it more comfortable but idk

[@powerswish]

Yep, what I was thinking too. Especially since the back is all scratched up and could use a refinishing anyway.

[@jacquelinechellis4036]

Precision drilling. I got a firebrand the paul and carved out 3/8" off the whole top then chambered it then put a top on it. It was difficult. Yet looks sharp. Havent got it all together yet. I wanted a les paul look. What you did was sensible if someone wants to keep it to play why not make the weight work out. Sounded excellent.

[@eppleheid]

Thought about doing this so many times to my Vintage V100 but didn't want to take the plunge so hats off for doing it and getting a positive result!

[@gekojazz798]

Im almost sure that vintage v100 are chambered or at least mine is

[@eppleheid]

@@gekojazz798 There's nothing on the JHS website about chambered bodies. If your guitar is lightweight, then you are lucky. Some I have held in the past felf like they were made from granite. My V100 is 9.9lb or around 4.5kg.

[@gekojazz798]

@@eppleheid mine it's not light either, it's around 4,2 kg. The fact is that the other day I was curious and I opened the pots and the PU selector cavities and found pretty significant chambers in the body. I think that since it's a relatively cheap guitar the manufacturer cutted costs by using heavier woods and then chambering it to make it lighter to the point it's at least usable (p.s. I'm sorry if my english it's not fantastic, im not a native speaker)

[@perothing]

@@eppleheid My Vintage v100 pgm weighs 4,6 kilo. Way too heavy. Gonna drill holes in it

[@eppleheid]

@@perothing Would love to know how that goes!

[@marcavus1]

I have Cortez lawsuit era copy. Might be a candidate for something like this. The neck is a D shape and I am thinking of shaving down the shoulders anyway. I've had is over 20 years so it's a keeper but less weight and a more c shaped neck might make it my #1 again. I have onsidered makeing a back for it and removing material in a similar way that Gibson does it and covering it with mahogany.

[@duo2max]

Keep those drills far away from my guitar jajajajja

[@ssabp8313]

duo2max It would make a hell of a lot more sense for the sky just to buy a fucken Les Paul studio one of the newer ones that has a chambered body regardless that this is his favorite guitar I know what the guy feels like because I love less balls and I've actually thought about putting Floyd roses on them in the past which I am not going to do when I'm glad I never did But truthfully why mutilated guitar like this

[@k77stan27]

What about carving out a belly cut🤔 wonder how much weight that would have relieved as well as making it comfier to play..

[@davidgallucci4255]

This is great. I inherited my grandfathers 1959 Burst. I think I’m going to do the same thing.

[@Metalwrath2]

Your grandfather must be rolling in his grave

[@richardlee866]

Looks like The guitar NC Plays in Vintage trouble.

[@THUNDERWORX]

I totally understand. Guitars are for playing, rather than collecting and selling. I have a 13 pound Les Paul that was given to me by a guy that is no longer living. So, I wouldn't think of selling it, and yet, it is a back problem. It it a 98 studio, so it is not worth a great deal. I'm wondering how hard it would be to get the cap off of it and routing some cavities under the cap. That seems a good way to go if possible.

[@cederickforsberg5840]

Why are people offended? Anyone can do what the fuck they want with guitars they own!

[@johnmiller9219]

you could have drilled through the strap button holes as well as the output jack hole at different angles to accomplish this without having visible holes in the side. Shoulda thought this out more. When done you dowel the large hole where the strap buttons are and redrill for the strap buttons. Would've been totally undetectable

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

Dude - thanks for sharing this 2 years ago. Been wondering about this for about 30 years :)

[@peejay6930]

I'm wondering how small a bloke would have to be to notice a pound! Good job he hasn't got a clip on tuner on the headstock, I'm surprised he didn't put a hollow nut on it and switch to 7 gauge strings to shave off a few micrograms. Saying that he wanted it doing, and the guy did a good job. Someone needs to invent a small version of the mechanical moles used to excavate the Channel Tunnel :o)

[@dwaynemcallister7231]

9.5 lbs. for a Les Paul is perfect! Most people wouldn't want this mod...or maybe I should say I wouldn't want this mod.

[@jato1956]

Neck heavy? Same tonality as before the relief? (audio tape before/after)?

[@colerobinson2647]

Wow! Great job! I'm going to do the same thing on my LP. How did you make the mahogany caps?

[@christopherguzzi1316]

It's a Chibson. No big deal if you want to make Swiss cheese out of it.

[@morrisonreed1]

glad you posted this ; it worked ......i wd have started with the strap button holes first ,,,hm,, next search is for expanding drill tip

[@howardsternssmicrophone9332]

It's seriously sad to me that people have to get a 9 and a half pound, and extremely expensive guitar weight relieved. I mean, Im not trying to be mean, or troll anyone, but is that really that heavy? Not to mention the price of an R9 in general, they usually cherry pick the wood for those guitars to keep them as light as possible. Are we really living in a world where a person can't handle 9 and a half pound guitar? I could understand if it was like 40 or 50 pounds, but....Anyway...I was just asking.

[@lovesgibson]

I mean, I noticed an extreme difference in weight and carrying around my les Paul compared to SG, and it’s only like a 3 or 4 pound difference. But yeah, once you’re used to the Les Paul. It’s not a big deal… and if you only want a really light weight guitar don’t get a Les Paul lol. Kinda crazy that someone would buy a super expensive custom reissue, but not like the weight

[@geet77777]

les pauls that hang evently on a strap suck. you want it heavy in the back so the neck sits at an angle when youre standing up or youll constantly be pulling up on the neck. once you have a badly balances les paul youll know.

[@ijahtom]

Wow, I Like it. Thanks for the idea. I was thinking to reduce some weight on my strat even though its just 7.2 pounds. But still In would like it a Bit more light. All the best.

[@marcavus1]

On a strat/ tele you can remove quite a bit under the pickguard.

[@f3uibeghardt522]

You're going to JAIL.

[@moleman1961]

I have an epiphone Zakk Wylde bullseye and a 1996 Gibson les paul studio. Both weigh a ton! Why the hell do they make them so heavy? I’m nearly 62 now and don’t enjoy playing them anymore due to their weight.

[@jdmoney1000]

This house show gone crazy...

[@plantagenant]

I have a Les Paul that is great sounding but too heavy. I'm thinking of routing out a recess like the one for the volume and tone controls higher up , mirroring the shape and then covering it with a similar back plate.

[@badnomad357]

Why not a short shank forstner bit with a 90 deg angle drill? About 3/4". Or 90 deg adapter? I think the size would work. Hog it all out from pup and control area. I liked the router trick.

[@alirezazarringhalami4371]

I know tonight this nightmare will comes to me

[@tyroneenglish8396]

Laughs in 11 lbs of glory on my Les Paul!

[@adamhotrod]

I think I recognise that lp. Is it Nalle Colt’s main guitar?

[@richardlee866]

Looks like the guitar from The dude That plays in vintage trouble

[@MRROBBIEWATTS]

Loved your video man! - I just was wondering why you never gave it the Gibson 9 holes treatment ?? - Thanx!

[@drugexperiencepodcast1039]

Love the video. Someone had to do it. Glad I watched this. Thank you!

[@kdakan]

This looks awful, I've seen someone else on youtube doing similar damage to a guitar, it's not worth it. If I were forced to do it, i would carve in a second cavity on the back on the opposite side of the exiting one, and enlarge both cavities underneath the covers, not come near the bridge or the pickups.

[@PureToneAmps]

wow.... I came here for some suggestions on a Les Paul I love but its..... heavy... AND I SAW.... NALLE's guitar isn't it?

[@jimbo9357]

I have a Les Paul the guitar is so heavy I don't play it. But It's a totally beautiful guitar. Also a Paul with weight relief almost too light. I also have a gem series Paul just right.

[@howardsternssmicrophone9332]

Only good thing coming from this procedure is that someone will be able to buy a used Gibson Les Paul R9 for like $300 because that's all it's going to be worth after this nonsense. Nice that someone in the future will be able to have a real Gibson R9 Reissue for the price of an Epiphone equivalent.

[@PeterOevergaard1]

How big holes did you drill?

[@VitorMachadoProf]

Nice presentation. Subscribed and licked. Cheers.

[@petedogg369]

Why not do it the right way? Remove the neck. Cut the body in half, like a Norlin era pancake body. Route both halves. Glue both halves back together. Reset the neck. One seam all the way around that's centered.

[@rdhorsey9081]

was this a '58 ?

[@danielsgrunge]

That's as crazy as it's genius

[@0000song0000]

And I am here sitting wondering if I shall do something drastic to weight relief a Cort EVL Z44 😂 ... #HoldMySaw

[@popstotexas]

Yikes!

[@biggmigg22m32]

Killer vid. Didnt even know you could do that to a guitar

[@ssabp8313]

biggmigg22 \m/ Well you never thought this could be done because you're not a moron the person that asked to do this to his Les Paul as much as I feel sorry for him because most people that give a shoot about their instruments have psychological problems when it comes to having little things done to it But I think I actually feel sorry for This guy

[@j_freed]

@@ssabp8313 - it's his money, so who has the psychological problem. One of the best guitars I have is heavily tweaked by a very 'picky' previous owner and I'm grateful all I had to do was give him some cash for all that trouble.

[@ssabp8313]

@@j_freed OK in by telling me that it's his guitar your point is what? This is a discussion that's exactly what it is. The story about you haven't got hard it's heavily tweaked how does that have any bearing on this discussion. Discussion seems to be more about A Les Paul being mutilated And you refer to that as being Tweaked. You're not making any sense. Tweak , I would even go as far as saying that the guy scalloping his fret board. Is a tweak or replacing the nut With r a brass , steel , bone , corian graphite nut as a tweak Maybe putting locking tuners and replacing the shaler or Grover tuners maybe he took off the standard to know matic bridge and put a roller tuna matic bridge Another tweak might be that he put a coil tapping or coil splitting system in these would be pretty much like tweaks to me. Book completely mutilating a Les Paul to reduce the weight because he wants to play his favorite guitar boats not his guitar anymore it's not the guitar that he had just because it has the same feel of the neck don't mean ship now it doesn't sound like itself anymore it just does not sound like anything anymore it's been totally ruined. If he had put a Floyd on there which I had thought about many times But even constitute a tweaking and that's rather a major overhauling as well but the amount of wood that was pulled out of the guitar for Floyd is nothing compared to what this guy did in terms of just drilling holes in the guitar to whiten up the load and you wanna know something even if let's just say hypothetically it it amounted to the same amount of wood that a sensually he created another guitar so to speak not exactly he heavily modified . If he wanted AA weight reduced Les Paul only how to do is just go out there and buy any number of studios did around there he obviously you know he sent that out to be fixed didn't or that he do it himself I don't even remember from the video regardless regardless whether he paid for he didn't he ruined the value of the Guitar eternally. There's no coming back to after what he did. There are loads of people out there that are buying less polls would Floyd's on them Gibson's making them now so it's not that out of the way any longer it's not that obscene any longer. But you're sitting here trying to tell me that as I said there something psychological about what the man did and when I say psychological I was being rather like ironic or I was adding some coloring to my opinion didn't exactly mean he has a psychological problem but once again you would like to sit there end somehow we quate the fact that it's his guitar and his money and I mentioned he has a psychological issue and now suddenly you want to turn it around and say that I have a psychological issue because I'm making a comment on a KZbin message board I mean Are you really could kidding.

[@ssabp8313]

@@j_freed I mean if playing his Les Paul was that important whichi perfectly understand ,I'm very much obsessed with my guitars 2 Les Pauls is that and a Jackson I love my guitars. But the sit there and completely just went through the construction of the guitar by drilling holes in it just drilling holes in it not even that it's a you know a Spring cavity on the back of the guitar which I believe for the most part the studios and the new tribute Les Paul standards had the sensually a sound chamber that is nothing more then really a routing like that of a springboks or Spring cavity on ostrat or any guitar that has had a tremolo installed On it but the fact is it looks uniform the studios in tributes that are sound chambered and maybe does all the less polls as well but I believe it's only the tributes in the studio is that they've done this with the cap goes right over it the Maple top goes right over it or for the most part I guess if it's a studio that doesn't have a Maple cap because typically historically they never had Maple However which way they do it they do it but it looks perfectly normal you don't even know it's there and the less pause that are being made which Floyd roses the back is routed there's a plastic cover for the cavity and looks perfectly normal and for the most part the guitar is manufactured so it holds some kind the value because now it's a manufactured guitar but if you went to a Lua theer then fine but this guy is drilling holes. The man is gonna regret it. There were any number of torque it companies that around there that he could have found a suitable neck and he could have found a guitar that has no name that he paid obviously far for for less for and if he made mistakes it's a guitar kit no big deal.

[@ssabp8313]

@@j_freed Honestly I feel very bed for the guy in the reason why I feel very badd for him is because he so hung up on his guitar which I can completely understand that but at the same token he took measures that were Extreme. Honestly wanna help do you think hes making a video I don't think it turned out all that great. He couldn't even went out. himself ostrat body that was made of mahogany but a hard tail on it and he would have something of a Les Paul sound and I love the sound of a Les Paul it was a beautiful recipe from the start and it still is one of the greatest if not the greatest recipe for guitar

[@anthonyprevite6805]

This makes me so sad man seriosuly

[@uroskusar9477]

Respect, I know it is not easy to do that :) I have the same problem, guitar plays great, sounds great but the weight is killing me after 2h of playing...

[@howardsternssmicrophone9332]

I refuse to believe what you are saying. It's just not humanly possible for a average human being to grow weary, and fatigued from playing a 9 pound guitar. I don't know what you all are talking about. Please tell me you're trolling. I mean, C'mon man!

[@trecnga6645]

Good drum roll ......haha !

[@TheMrMRsmoke]

This hurts

[@justinfendelet8675]

frustrated this les paul so heavy cuts arm off ffs

[@marty644]

poor guitar

[@dcxplant]

Noooooooooooooooooo

[@j_freed]

1) buy a guitar that is expensive in part because it is not weight relieved. 2) do savage weight relief. 3) leave the hole plugs exposed, because fuck it. More savage...

[@troyangle7311]

that was insane why why why just buy a different guitar

[@ModernGuitartech]

because life is too short to not try

[@markdalton293]

Who ever had you do this insane weight relief is very stupid , that guitar just lost 1 pound and 1 thousand dollars

[@David-ob2gn]

@@markdalton293 No one said they're planning to resell it. It could be a work guitar they love the sound of and plan to keep.

[@sladeoriginal]

thats not authentic

[@russelmurray9268]

You don't have a clue

[@user-mj4cv2tc2c]

Ewoo~ you insane

[@grizz1887]

Holy Crap!!!! What a dumbass idea to ruin a Classic

[@ChristopherTarento]

Sadness

[@bryantherocker]

Nice Video my Gay Friend

[@ModernGuitartech]

sometimes i do wish i was gay

[@fickbasterd]

back in the day the les paul model was very light weight it was another kind of mahagony today they still claim it is the same even the custom shop but it isnt its heavy as f!?!?!! i wouldnt want a new les paul as a present dump that shit

[@DRIIC-qw8us]

'59 Les Pauls average at about 8.75lb. There are plenty of R9s which weigh that or less today.

[@sckwong3888]

Stupid to reduce weight from original gibson. They purposely made the guitar from more dense wood to give better high sound and sustain and not to absorb it like softer wood. All original Gibson are made with a standard weight. This guy is telling you to make it lighter to sound like Chipson.🤪good way to destroy your guitar and made it worthless

[@maxibillie]

you don't deserve a guitar like that.

[@northernmonkey8652]

W T F 🤢 should have just changed the Grover's and tailpiece

[@starrguitarworks]

Ha, ha, ha. Ruined a guitar for 1 pound. Brilliant.

[@jato1956]

You don't know that. If it is balanced on the strap and sounds the same...lacquer those plugs on the body and call it a WIN.

[@ssabp8313]

Wow big fucken deal one God Damn pound Destroy the beautiful guitar like this just to lighten the fucken I sympathize with this guy I'm a Les Paul affection auto also it is my preferred guitar but to do this to a Les Paul is just sickening he would've been better off buying a kit there's any number of companies that around there even shady ones Could have even bought a Bolt on Les Paul