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What a difference a few pounds make


Rabs

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I know we have talked about guitar weights on here many times...

 

But in this case its not about the sound of the guitar but the practicality of them..

 

As you all know I have a Classic, and its a heavy one at about 11 lbs.. My other guitars are say 9 lbs for my 2008 Standard and about 6/7 for for my DC Special and Studio..

 

I realised the other day that I no longer enjoy playing my Classic sitting down any more... Im not sure if its age or the recent back issues ive had but it just gets really uncomfortable after about 15 mins sitting with it on my knee.. Standing up its not a problem (I even prefer the nice weight sometimes, kind of gives you something to lean in to)...

 

But I just think its mad that just 3 or 4 lbs makes so much difference.

 

In saying all that it doesn't make me want to sell my Classic or anything like that cos its stonking guitar, irreplaceable to me.. BUT it does make me want to play it less as my lighter guitars offer more fun in the way that they don't get uncomfortable at all either standing or sitting.

 

So I for one am glad that we get the lighter and cheaper options.. if not id probably have bought a Tele or a PRS by now.At one point and for many years I thought id never need another guitar and it was only when I went on the search for a lighter and less expensive one to take to jams that I found the DC Special that kind of changed my view of how different guitars are (which is what started my Gibson/Guitar madness off :).

 

Hows about you guys.. do you have guitars that you feel differently about over time, even ones you've bonded with and still love ?

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Hows about you guys.. do you have guitars that you feel differently about over time, even ones you've bonded with and still love ?

I gave 'Honey' ('95 1960 Classic) a work-out at the rehearsal studio on Tuesday.

Over the 4 hours I probably played it more than I played my R0. I have never previously enjoyed playing it quite so much.

 

P.

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Well, in all honesty, I can't be really objective, on this, right now...as I've

been "seduced", by my SG's! Light, very maneuverable, and none of them are "neck

heavy," either. So, they're a joy to play, sitting, or standing.

 

When you say "sitting," are you sitting in a non back supported fashion.

Maybe a different chair, or a good neoprene strap, or being able to lounge

back, more, in the chair or couch, would help. I don't seem to have any

problem, with even my heaviest LP (1980 Custom, with NO weight relief)...

and it's an "anvil" weight wise.

 

Good luck, though, Rabs...on whatever you decide/need to do! [thumbup]

 

CB

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heaviest LP I have at the moment is my 95 standard, like your classic it's close to 11 lbs

 

I've got a new model standard that's just over 9.. difference is noticeable.. I've got a Epi Elist country gent that's probably heavier than my 95 LP, though I have not weighed it, but it feels heavier.

 

My SGs are like feathers by comparison, as is my Tele and Strat.

 

I don't really have a problem sitting and playing with any of them, but I should preface that by saying I mostly sit on a 30" bar stool, (I'm not a big dude. 5' 7" 155 lbs, -- ) I usually use a strap if I'm going to be at it for a while just for hand position comfort.

 

Heaviest guitar I ever head was a '78 Ibanez MC400. That axe was over 14.5 lbs.. twas a beast!

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I have a beautiful 18" wide, long-scale archtop (a Knight) which I love and have gigged hundreds of times but it's been hard work to deal with a guitar that size, standing or sitting, sometimes over the years. When I got my LP (solid mahogany) it was like "I'M FREEEE!!" The weight does begin to tell on me after a couple of hours as the strap creeps across my shoulder to my neck. A lighter guitar resonates more in some ways but the solidity of my LP is very satisfying; it sits there and just does the job superbly.

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I gave 'Honey' ('95 1960 Classic) a work-out at the rehearsal studio on Tuesday.

Over the 4 hours I probably played it more than I played my R0. I have never previously enjoyed playing it quite so much.

 

P.

Yeah I was gonna ask how that went. I will be there next time :)

 

And its not that I don't enjoy the guitar per say, just that I REALLY noticed the weight recently.. I still love it more than anything and standing up its no issue. It just starts putting my leg to sleep after a short while :)

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Well, in all honesty, I can't be really objective, on this, right now...as I've

been "seduced", by my SG's! Light, very maneuverable, and none of them are "neck

heavy," either. So, they're a joy to play, sitting, or standing.

 

When you say "sitting," are you sitting in a non back supported fashion.

Maybe a different chair, or a good neoprene strap, or being able to lounge

back, more, in the chair or couch, would help. I don't seem to have any

problem, with even my heaviest LP (1980 Custom, with NO weight relief)...

and it's an "anvil" weight wise.

 

Good luck, though, Rabs...on whatever you decide/need to do! [thumbup]

 

CB

Cheers man.. Not much im going to do really. I LOVE that guitar.. More just an observation.

 

Yeah the only place I can sit is on my arm chair (waiting for some new furniture).. Which I know is not the best position but if I sit back I have to lift the neck too much cos the arms get in the way so that doesn't work..

 

The thing is ive had the same chairs almost as long as ive had that Classic and never really noticed before.. So as I say im either starting to feel my age or the fact that im getting too used to the lighter guitars and its making me soft :)

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Understood, Rabs. [biggrin] I had to get a Levy Neoprene "Bass" strap,

for my heavier guitars, and that REALLY helped! My '80 LP Custom,

and the '76 LP Deluxe are both very heavy, so it was a real shoulder

saver, that particular strap! [thumbup] Fender, makes a nice Neoprene

bass strap, as well. Might give one a try, the next time you're in

your favorite guitar store?

 

Cheers,

CB

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Agreed. I don't like to play a heavy Les Paul sitting down either. Since the bottom bout is so large, the weight likes to pull it off of my leg. This is less noticeable in a lighter LP I find. I had an 8 lb chambered LP that sat nicely on the leg. Since I'm down to one LP now - and it's a 10 pounder - I rarely play it sitting down. I will grab an SG or a Strat or a Tele if I plan to be sitting down. Not sure if it's the weight difference or the shape difference, but those guitars all stay on my leg well while sitting down.

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My leg goes numb if I play sitting for a few minutes with my LP.

 

Frankly, electric I like to play standing. Sitting doesn't feel right for electric.

 

It doesn't matter how much I prefer to play a lighter guitar...the heavy LP still gets strapped because it sounds amazing. It sort of is a sound vs weight thing. I adore the little "duo sonic" and with the right setting I can get decent tone and crunchies out of her, but if I were to be a pro and go in front of people for money...I'd suck it up and play a big girl. MY Parker is feather light and I can't get down with the sound. Lord help me, I'm a tone snob >.<

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I recently sold my LP '68 RI because it was too heavy. It weighed 10.6 lbs. It was easy to sell because it weighed 10.6 lbs.

Currently I only have my Chet Atkins Country Gentleman with Humbuckers. I love that sound.

If I was to start playing out again I would consider another LP, but at my age I would get a chambered model.

My Tele is chambered and I love it.

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chronic severe back damage here, it REALLY causes me to play in unconventional positions.

my guitars range in wt from 6.3 lbs (homebuilt quilt Tele) to 14.1 lbs (old LP), my other Tele is a backbreaker as well.

I love heavier guitars, Sheratons, LPs, Teles, Huge Jazzboxes, even my Amer.Dlx.Strat is quite heavy.....I just "deal w/it" and take breaks more often than most while playing

Even w/a ruined back & hips, I still prefer a guitar w/a substantial feel.

My new Guild, and my older DeArmond jazzers both feel perfect, at around 10 lbs each.

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I have a Parker DF524 that weighs in at 5 pounds. That's a pound lighter than either my Gibson ES-330 or Epiphone Casino.

 

df9_body_angle.jpg

 

It's my go-to guitar:

  • It's lightweight but sustains almost as long as my +8lb Faux LP
  • It's well balanced, no neck dive like my ES and Casino
  • Contoured and comfortable, it's like wearing the guitar ... and beveled nicely where my arm rests on it
  • 14" radius - 25.5" scale - perfect for me
  • Ebony fretboard and hardened stainless steel frets - make bending like a hot knife through warm butter
  • Sperzel locking tuners, graph tech bridge, and straight string path past the whammy to the ball end make for extraordinary tuning stability - stays in tune better than my guitars without a whammy
  • Duncan S-S-S/H pickups plus a piezo under the brige make for a variety of great sounds
  • One Volume, one Tone, and one Piezo knob makes for quick and easy changes during the song
  • Made in the USA

 

I don't have back issues, but as a multi-instrumentalist I'm picking up the guitar, putting it down and picking up the sax or flute or wind synth many times through the night. The light weight is greatly appreciated by the end of the gig or after the 20th time I've picked it up and set it down on the gig.

 

Since I got the Parker, I've hardly touched my other guitars - it's just a joy to play.

 

I'm ordering another custom built one. It will be like my 524 but with Duncan P-Rails instead of the S-S-S/H pups. That will give me the same guitar but with different sounds.

 

Then I'll probably put my 1970 Gibson ES-330 up for sale. I love it but if it isn't going to get played, I don't need it. It sits there hanging on the wall of my studio with that "puppy dog look" that says, "Don't you want to play?"

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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chronic severe back damage here, it REALLY causes me to play in unconventional positions.

 

Same here.

 

Basically I can't play standing up at all (or not for very long).

 

I don't think my style goes that well for standing up although I can still do it ok - but just does my back in.

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My '99 B7 is a heavy beast. I really like the weight of my faded studio. I'm thinking of P-Rails with TS rings for the studio as well. The B7 mostly hangs and looks pretty due to weight these days.

 

I can play any of the guitars sitting with a strap fixed high and my right leg kind of dangling ...

 

 

Nice Parker BTW ...

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Guest Farnsbarns

When I first started playing I sat down all the time. When I first tried to play standing up it was weird, I couldn't do it. Eons later when I stood up I found it was easy and played standing for years. Tried sitting down again a few years ago and found I could only do it with the lower bout between my legs a la classical guitar so now, when I sit, that's how I do it.

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