TremoJem Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 If you had a choice to buy a Les Paul that weighed in at 2 pounds heavier than another, ALL other things being equal, would you and why? Is the wood more dense in the heavier one and would it sound better...etc., as these are the questions running thru my head. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I'd buy whichever one sounded best to me and felt better in my hands. Nothing else matters to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 If you had a choice to buy a Les Paul that weighed in at 2 pounds heavier than another, ALL other things being equal, would you and why? Is the wood more dense in the heavier one and would it sound better...etc., as these are the questions running thru my head. Thanks But if ALL other things being equal means all other things being equal, they sound the same, right? rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 But if ALL other things being equal means all other things being equal, they sound the same, right? rct Ahhhhh...the joys of logic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TremoJem Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Man...this is a tough forum...LOL. What I mean by "all things being equal", is that the hardware etc. is identical. So in other words, does the increase in weight lend itself to a denser wood? And, would that density yield a better, fatter, thicker tone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I've been around guitars since 1971. There have been great heavy guitars, and heavy guitars that sucked. There have been great light guitars, and light guitars that sucked. By itself, the weight means absolutely nothing. The guitar is the sum of its parts, can't say that light or heavy is better, you have to try them. You buy fish and apples by weight, not guitars. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Zeplin Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Man...this is a tough forum...LOL. What I mean by "all things being equal", is that the hardware etc. is identical. So in other words, does the increase in weight lend itself to a denser wood? And, would that density yield a better, fatter, thicker tone? The original 1950s Les Pauls are considered the best. Most were under 10lbs. If you look in the book "the Beauty if the Burst" a lot were in the high 8/low 9lb range. In the seventies they were 11-13 lbs quite regularly. I have read that the lower density guitars sustain better if that is important to you. The theory being the lower density wood trasmits vibration easier than wood of a higher density. This is just info I gleaned while researching vintage guitars and am by no means an expert in the field. The wood on current Epis may be of similar density but may lack the same resonance. All that being said I would opt for the lighter one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Man...this is a tough forum...LOL. What I mean by "all things being equal", is that the hardware etc. is identical. So in other words, does the increase in weight lend itself to a denser wood? And, would that density yield a better, fatter, thicker tone? Yes, it can be tough on here but bear with it and all will be well... The problem is that your question is one of the several never ending "debate" questions re Les Paul guitars. Generally, the denser the wood the heavier it is but it is another matter to claim that high density (heaviness) = better, thicker tone. Some say it does and others say it makes not a jot of difference. Some Les Paul's are extremely heavy - over 11lbs (I have heard of them weighing up to 15lbs). Do they sound better? No, in all honesty they don't sound "better" although they may sound great nonetheless. But so do lighter Les Paul's. It is often said (although personally I have never held one in my hands) that many of the original fabled 1959s actually weigh quite light. In my opinion, more than 95% of what is called "tone" comes from the combination of pickups and amp and nothing else. EDIT: I should say that a lot of "tone" actually comes from the player - nowt to do with guitar or amp. It is "in the fingers". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TremoJem Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 I was looking online at Sweetwater...that is where I saw the discretion. This is why I asked. I thank all of you for your help. I like the idea of the lighter one, as the logic behind this seems "sound". Although some artists use Paduck wood and Ebony because of their hardness and characteristics associated with that hardness. It's all a crapshoot when buying online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 six lb is my preference - my neck/shoulder muscles ache at the thought of 8 let alone 10lb seriosly though, if you play standing up for hours its worth considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_s Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 For the sake of the game, if everything is identical apart from the weight, I'd take the lighter guitar to save on chiropractor costs :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 In the '70s & '80s, the theory went that weight equated to increased sustain, not necessarily tone. They were sticking brass nuts on everything, 11 - 14 lb bodies/necks, high-mass bridges, blah blah blah... Now the trend seems to be "lighter is better." Tone Pros is using light-weight aluminum stop tailpieces. The heavy Grover tuners were good machines, but they promoted neck dive. There are plenty of top quality light weight tuners that don't have half that mass. Plenty of guitars are chambered or weight relieved (Gibson comes to mind here!). My experience is the same as rct's. In and of itself, weight doesn't really mean squat. I can tell you though, if the right materials are used and they bring out real resonance in a guitar, I'd prefer the lighter one. But again, as rct said, there were some heavy guitars that sounded fantastic and I couldn't walk away without buying them. But I bought 'em because they sounded good, not just so I could have a hernia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I've been around guitars since 1971. There have been great heavy guitars, and heavy guitars that sucked. There have been great light guitars, and light guitars that sucked. By itself, the weight means absolutely nothing. The guitar is the sum of its parts, can't say that light or heavy is better, you have to try them. You buy fish and apples by weight, not guitars. rct So...say...200 bucks a pound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 ALL things being equal? The heavier one will have a lower resonant frequency, which translates into a beefier, bassier tone. The lighter one will be brighter. BUT...as has been said, that is NOT the only thing at play. It is NOT a reliable way to judge which is better, or even reliable to say one is dark and one is bright based on weight. Even IF all the hardware and pups and everything is equal, there can, and are, different factors that can effect the sound as much as weight does. Same goes with sustain. What we all "read" changes with the trends. And that tells us, that in a lot of things guitars, what is "trendy" is often not based on truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burchster Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Les Pauls in my opinion should have some heft to them....Les Paul Custom should be around 9 or 10 pounds at least that's how I prefer but Im young so my back can handle it. My Black Sheraton 11 weighs in at round 9.5 pounds and that does kind of bother my back sometimes just because of the size of it. Light or Heavy I suppose it depends on the tone and if you bond with that particular instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceS Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Having read all the previous LP weight related issues and agreeing that it's in the tone and playability, not necessary the weight. I recently bought a new Epi LP 1960 Tribute Plus at 9.8 lbs from Sweetwater. They had four of them on their websight and being online I obviously couldn't "road test" any of them. So I picked the porkiest one. I couldn't be more pleased with the guitar. I also have a 2010 Gibby LP Studio Deluxe at 8 lbs (weight relieved). I realize that any comparisons are not apples to apples due to different pickups, but the Epi sustains longer, and IMO has a nicer, deeper tone and is more fun to play. Good luck with your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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