Mass Effect

[Guitpicky]

I was wondering if anyone has noticed a correlation between guitar weight and sound. I guess the question is more for those who own multiple guitars of the same model having different weights. I only own 2 electric guitars from different manufacturers so it's hard for me to do any real comparison.

I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard Limited Edition Mahogany Top that weighs more than it seemingly ought to. At nearly 10 lbs it weighs more than a lot of maple tops and maple is a heavier wood. I can't complain tho because it sounds better than any other Les Paul Standard I've heard.

I just bought a McCarty 594 double cut and again it seems to be on the heavier end of the scale for a DC 594 weighing in at a whopping 8 and 3/4 pounds. They have a new one at Eddies that's almost identical spec wise that clocks in a full pound and a quarter lighter.

Again tho, it sounds better than any of the other PRS guitars I had the opportunity to try out. One of the first things I noticed about it was how unbelievably good it sounded unplugged. For one thing it's noticeably louder, another thing I noticed immediately was the unusually long sustain. These are readily noticable on both my overweight guitars, but "wow" noticeable on the 594.

Since these are the only two electrics I own, it's not enough empirical evidence to establish any correlation between weight and sound but it got me to wondering about it enough to post a thread asking the question...

Have any of you noticed a correlation between weight and sound or is it just a lucky coincidence that I got two fat kids that sound phenomenal?

 

[xjbebop]

My personal experience has led to a 'general' conclusion that a lot of heavier guitars somewhat deaden the body/neck response, thus resulting in mostly just hearing the strings.
Whereas a lot of the lighter guitars include the body/neck responding and adding to the string sound. More lively and singing overall. We've bought, sold, traded at least 300+ different guitars over the last 9-10 years. A lot of used and mostly inexpensive models. (Mrs. Bebop likes 'cheap' used guitars like a lot of women like to buy shoes...) So that's what I base my experience and opinions on...plus I've set up, repaired, and modded/upgraded almost every one of them to some extent.
My personal preference at this point is that I prefer lighter guitars for a few different reasons, but also that every single individual instrument is unique.
We have more than once sat down with 3-5 copies of the same exact model/run of guitars to compare, and almost always find that each one is slightly different. Some brands are much more consistent than others (like PRS...), but still, at the end of the day, you just need to find the one(s) that make YOU happy.....

 

[AceIT]

weight is just one.. and to me not even the most important... between the factors that influence sound.
I like to mod / upgrade my guitars you can trim "almost" every tone you are searching for... bridge and saddles are ESSENTIAL.. nut too....

I notice that a guitar is a very awkward system.

e.g. when I canged the studs on my lp in order to mount an abr type bridge... they were put in the guitar with a HUMMER... nevertheless it takes a couple of days plying the guitar before they settle and transmit vibrations completely... during that period the guitar sound dull.. than it gradually open up...

so... I don't think weight is so foundamental in the equation...

 

[László]

Every piece of wood is different, even within the same weight ranges. And what sounds good, better or worse is entirely personal, and a matter of opinion.

It's really impossible to generalize.

 

[charliefrench]

Spare the lumber and save our lumbar!

 

[dogrocketp]

My girlfriend is Catholic. She always notices a positive effect when she goes to mass.

 

[Boogie]

Despite scary weights, sometimes a good guitar is just heavy. My '79 Les Paul is over 10lbs now but was 11lbs when I first bought it...in '79. Today, it sounds great and I turn to it for certain gigs and don't care about the strain on my back. None of my PRSi come anywhere close to that figure, but it's also not the heaviest I've heard of. A buddy has an 11+ lbs Tele that defies logic. IMO, like all guitars, it's the total package that makes the instrument. If you love the tone, play it, regardless of weight, color, or scent.

Btw, my back is still killing me since my last gig and I played a < 7 lbs. Vela semihollow.

 

[Guitpicky]

Despite scary weights, sometimes a good guitar is just heavy. My '79 Les Paul is over 10lbs now but was 11lbs when I first bought it...in '79. Today, it sounds great and I turn to it for certain gigs and don't care about the strain on my back. None of my PRSi come anywhere close to that figure, but it's also not the heaviest I've heard of. A buddy has an 11+ lbs Tele that defies logic. IMO, like all guitars, it's the total package that makes the instrument. If you love the tone, play it, regardless of weight, color, or scent.

Btw, my back is still killing me since my last gig and I played a < 7 lbs. Vela semihollow.

I'm not complaining about how much they weigh, it hasn't been an issue physically or anything like that. I also was well aware of their heft before I bought both of them and didn't care. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed any correlation between weight and sound in the same model guitar because I got two fat kids that can really sing.

If nobody else comes up with similar observations then there probably isn't any direct correlation. Correlation or coincidence, I'm just as happy either way.

I just have a mind that likes to wonder I guess

 

[Lee B.]

There are folks who swear a maple topped hog log needs to weigh at least ten pounds to sound good. Good on those folks, let 'em keep buying those anchors and there'll be more 7- and 8-somethings left for the rest of us.

 

[CVS]

I have some guitars that are same make and model, but one has a maple fretboard / neck, the other rosewood fretboard, and pick ups are different as well, so impossible for me to generalize about weight impacting tone even though one weighs at least 1 lb more than the other and the tones are noticeably different.

In general, at least for me, the lighter the better (like my PRS NF3).

 

[veinbuster]

I've observed surprisingly little difference in otherwise similar guitars with very different weights. My spalt is basically a CU22 that weighs a hair over 6lbs. My standard materials CU22 is easily 30% heavier and if I play them unplugged, the difference isn't huge. Same deal going from my rosewood topped Santana to Sapelle or Maple.

 

[Lee B.]

I do think there is something to more wood giving a woodier, fuller tone. I just don't think wood density/mass plays much more of a role than the general dimensions of the wood. A two inch slab hog body has a certain general tone, whether it weighs five pounds or eight. Some slabs are special, and weight just doesn't seem to have all that much to do with it. I met Danny Mangold recently and watched some of his YouTube videos afterward. In one vid, he was demoing a '60 burst that he called the lightest Paul he'd ever played, and that thing sang for days. Dickie's '57 Gold Top is 11 pounds and sings for days. Just special 2" slabs of hog.

 

[AP515]

Sounds like a lot of us here are hedging or simply don't have a strong opinion. I'll stand up out of the foxhole and take the fire head on.

Yes, more mahogany = more tone. At least in the bottom end. So heavier guitars that have more dense or thicker hog will be monster power players. Lighter, thinner guitars might be more expressive but less powerful. That has been my experience. I have two LP types (Heritage's) that weigh just short of 10 Lbs. and they are power monsters. I have a 2000 SC and a 2006 SC. The 2000 is not weight relieved and it out power's the 2006. All of these have more bottom end than the CU/CE body styles. The Cu/CE's will be more expressive. The much lighter Mira can do SG better than an SG, but won't get anywhere close to the others in power.

So while there are always exceptions, I'm in the camp that says more wood = more power. Okay, lob the mortars at me.

 

[veinbuster]

So while there are always exceptions, I'm in the camp that says more wood = more power. Okay, lob the mortars at me.

I don't disagree with that.
My earlier response interpreted 'mass' literally as the only variable - it's the career engineer in me.

 

[Rider1260]

Im not sure that weight equals tone but I do believe there is a tone difference between a thinner and thicker guitar ( neck size comes into play also IMHO )
Just a difference tho I have played heavy thick guitars that are just too dark and wooly sounding for my tastes and thin ones that have to much bite but then there are the ones ( Like goldylocks said )
This one is just right -- the right combo of woods, electronics , and finishes when you pick up a guitar play it a few notes and it says something special to you, you just know that its special ( for you )
I am lucky enough to have a couple like that right now and have my sights on a couple owned by another forum friend
I do not believe there is a special weight that guitars need to be to have a great sound but if you are after the biggest fattest sound a thicker body and neck would be a safe place to start

 

[RevBillyG]

First, we're all different. What we hear is what we hear. I can describe it to you best I can, but you still won't hear what I hear.

Second, just like the tone wood debate, I think the discussion gets off track way to easily. People making cardboard guitars & saying, see... it has tone. Or an acrylic guitar, or whatever. Yeah, they make noise, but it doesn't sound like I want my guitar to sound.

So when we talk about weight... guitars that weigh different will sound different. You may like the way a heavy guitar sound, you may like the way a light guitar sound. You may even prefer one to the other. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if you come across a guitar one day that is totally contrary to what you think you believe.

I think it's totally possible for a dense, dry piece of wood to sound "better" than a hollowed out (or weight relieved if you prefer) high moisture content less dense piece of wood. But after it goes through all the electronics, amplifier, speakers, air... you can make either sound however you want to make it sound. The only real difference is the way it feels in your hands, how you connect, or don't connect with that (& the sound) is where it's at.

 

[coyote]

My '79 Les Paul is over 10lbs now but was 11lbs when I first bought it...in '79.

Did you put the guitar on a diet or something?

(ducks for cover)

 

[coyote]

I do think there is something to more wood giving a woodier, fuller tone. I just don't think wood density/mass plays much more of a role than the general dimensions of the wood. A two inch slab hog body has a certain general tone, whether it weighs five pounds or eight. Some slabs are special, and weight just doesn't seem to have all that much to do with it. I met Danny Mangold recently and watched some of his YouTube videos afterward. In one vid, he was demoing a '60 burst that he called the lightest Paul he'd ever played, and that thing sang for days. Dickie's '57 Gold Top is 11 pounds and sings for days. Just special 2" slabs of hog.

 

[Boogie]

Did you put the guitar on a diet or something?

(ducks for cover)

In a way...hung it on the wall and it dried out.