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Optimal Les Paul Weight?


csbullock

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Tone and weight are irrelevent??? Do you even play guitar? The weight of the guitar contributes significantly to tone... Light les paul's are very resonant with more highs' date=' heavier ones tend to be warmer.....[/quote']

 

You can have two blanks of wood the same weight and they will sound different tonally (FACT)

Depending on the age, growth area, mineral content, and fiber density of said piece of wood makes the difference tonally(FACT)

 

And I do play and work on guitars (FACT)

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Tone and weight are irrelevent??? Do you even play guitar? The weight of the guitar contributes significantly to tone... Light les paul's are very resonant with more highs' date=' heavier ones tend to be warmer.....[/quote']

 

 

I wouldn't doubt axe's knowledge of guitars if I were you

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I don't doubt what you say but they are NOT irrelevant and, in general, lighter lp are more resonant. And, to argue that wood mass is irrelevant to tone is the height of ignorance... And, I'm not trying to be confrontational. I'm simply stating physical fact and I have a Phd in Physics (FACT).

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Enlighten me with your vast knowledge oh master luthier.

Well...one day i was playing a acoustic guitar in a mom and pop shop and 3 guys were talking about how the mineral content in a guitar doesnt effect the guitar sound at all...now i dont know if its a 100% but i think it might be true.

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I stand by 8.7 lbs...Mahogany.

 

And I am not trying to be confrontational, just stating knowledge I have accrued over the 30 years I've been messing with the things.

Weight does have effects on tone, but like I said it is not the final word on tonal frequencies.

 

In steel maybe, wood, not so much.

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It's not so much the weight of the wood, as it is density.

More Dense = Brighter Tone

Less Dense = Warmer Tone, w/lot's of bass.

 

But, I do believe that a guitar's weight can affect it's overall tone, because when I was 16 (around '98), I had a LP Standard, that weighed like 6.5lbs, and it sounded very thin, like my Strat, the one I have now (same exact model) weighs just over 9lbs, and has a very bassy sound. That's been my experiance with every guitar I've ever played/owned since I was like 7, so I think there is some valitity to that assumption.

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Rockstar- Since we are talking about the same style guitar (guitars of the same volume) Density=Weight, since Density=Weight/Volume and the Volume of all Les Pauls are the same.... Thus, in this case, we can use the terms weight and density interchangeably.

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Axe- Of course, mass isn't the "final word" regarding tone. Hell, to discuss everything that contributes to tone would require more time than any of us care to spend... You've got pickups, finish (nitro vs. poly), guitar dimensions, blah blah blah.... I was just trying to get at what people prefer, all else being equal, regarding weight.

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Rockstar- Since we are talking about the same style guitar (guitars of the same volume) Density=Weight' date=' since Density=Weight/Volume and the Volume of all Les Pauls are the same.... Thus, in this case, we can use the terms weight and density interchangeably.[/quote']Fair enough.
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'Weight' always plays a big part in the tone of any guitar, whether it's

an acoustic or electric guitar. Assuming you're comparing guitars of the

same type.

 

An all mahogany Les Paul (10lbs) with rosewood fretboard will sound natu-

rally warmer than a mahogany/maple Les Paul (10lbs) with ebony fretboard.

 

My Les Paul Standard Faded weighs 6,8 lbs, while my 1988 Les Paul Standard

weighs 11 lbs.

 

The Les Paul Standard (with ebony fretboard) sounds warmer, bassier, smoother

and more compressed.

 

The chambered Standard Faded (with rosewood fretboard) sounds more open,

brighter, woodier and has a more 'punchy' tone.

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I have a 1980 Custom with maple neck and a 98 Standard with mahogany neck. I've never weighed either, but the Custom is much heavier; probably neighborhood of 12-13 pounds.

To me the Custom sounds better in every way. Nice warm tone but with great note definition, great balance from string to string. By comparison the standard sounds muddy, and is not nearly as balanced. Thus, the super-heavy, maple necked, Norlin-era Custom (a cherryburst no less!) sounds subjectively better- which defies all of the tone myths that circulate on these discussion forums.

At the end of the days I think that weight, species, etc. clearly have an affect on tone. However, I think it's the combination of these factors that lead to each instrument's sonic signature, and these factors can sometimes combine in unpredictable ways.

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8.7 lbs it is then ....:D

 

Absolutely. 8.7.

Everyone knows that.

 

That said, I've got some nice-sounding guitars in the 11 pound range with that 10.5 oz brass sustain block (Yamaha SG2000 and '82 ibanez AR -300). And some pretty heavy LPs. And a pretty heavy Agile. They all sound pretty good, too. Got a few all-maple Gibsons that sound pretty good -- the L6-S and the L5-S don't do badly. That old Carvin all-maple DC-150 sounds really good and I think it's heavier than 8.7. And that old Moonstone Vulcan with the one-piece solid maple burl body and the maple neck is really heavy and it sounds pretty good.

 

But 8.7 is the best. I agree completely. No question.

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