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do-it-yourself lp weight relief


kevinkjs

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Due to a pinched nerve, I'm wondering how to lighten up my 99 lp standard. I had it apart once for

 

a home fret dress and cleaning once, though I don't care about it's numerous battle scars. Other

 

than thinking I could have weighed all the hardware and seen if a difference could be made by

 

swapping tailpiece, bridge etc. with aluminum or some lightweight alloys. I would even swap every

 

screw, jackplate, etc. If I thought I could cut 2 to 3 lbs. It's a 1999 lp standard, all stock with Grover

 

tuners. Would anyone have an idea what this undertaking could or would accomplish? Any and

 

all opinions or suggestions is always appreciated in this forum. Even a good snarky wise-crack

 

would lighten my funk at this point.

 

 

Thanks, Kevin

P.S. she weighs in right around 9 lbs.

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9 lbs isn't really the heaviest of LP's. I think it's called, "good weight".

 

The LIGHTEST of guitars would be around 7 lbs, that's for any guitar. A full chambered LP would be heavier than 7 lbs. Lightest I have ever weighed or heard of is one I have, which is 7 1/4 LBS, and it feels it.

 

So...here it is. The MOST you could accomplish is a difference of 2 lbs. In reality, 2 lbs isn't really a factor as far as weight when it comes to stress on the old back. But for some reason, it's the perception. I think with a small solid body like an LP, picking it up "feels" heavier, especially when one considers the ones on the heavy side are more like 11 or 12 pounds, and a larger guitar may be expected to weigh the same or less.

 

I bring this up, because the real solution is a wider strap. Your back isn't going to notice a difference of 7 lbs vs 9 lbs, but your shoulder will feel a big difference if the weight is distributed over 2 inches or 3 inches, or wider.

 

I think putting the efforts into a more comfy strap is going to be the more successful way to solve the problem.

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Thanks Houndman and Stein for your input. I appreciate hearing I may be able to cut 2 lbs. I also appreciate

 

getting yanked out of denial and considering an SG. The wide strap didn't occur to me though. I guess I have

 

a decision to make because some of the SG's I've checked out online are looking sweeter and sweeter. I'm

 

not a big new instrument guy or a fan of all the push/pull/pot options. A 60's/70's/80's SG, possibly with P90's

 

sounds right. I don't know why P90's, as I've never had them. Are any of you familiar or fans of them?

 

Thanks again.

 

KJS

 

 

 

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I have two lp standards, one is close to 10lbs it's my #1 go to. The other is just around 9. Go figure

 

I also have two SGs, one standard and a classic which has P90s. Aside from the hum/noise they make in some situations (high gain settings), the Gibby P90s are great sounding pickups.

Nasty - in a really good way

 

My SG stadanard has the same pups as my 10lb lp (498R/490T) But I can't say they sound the same, the LP has a bit more top end bit, and over all, I get more clarity from it,

Not that it's a bad thing, right? The SG plays great, sounds really good and it's feather light in comparison to the 10 pounder.

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  • 3 months later...

Thanks Houndman and Stein for your input. I appreciate hearing I may be able to cut 2 lbs. I also appreciate

 

getting yanked out of denial and considering an SG. The wide strap didn't occur to me though. I guess I have

 

a decision to make because some of the SG's I've checked out online are looking sweeter and sweeter. I'm

 

not a big new instrument guy or a fan of all the push/pull/pot options. A 60's/70's/80's SG, possibly with P90's

 

sounds right. I don't know why P90's, as I've never had them. Are any of you familiar or fans of them?

 

Thanks again.

 

KJS

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