csbullock Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Of the solid body Les Paul's what is everyone's general opinion as to the optimal weight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 8.7lbs . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlekenny Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 the optimal weight is whatever you are comfortable with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csbullock Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 I'm speaking tone-wise not comfort... and, it's just an opinion question, not absolute because tone is relative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Tone and weight are irrelevant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Depends on the model - all goes back to the weight of the blank used, this photo from the factory still explains it best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csbullock Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 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, heavier ones tend to be warmer..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlekenny Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Thanks Kenny, I have been wrong before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Thanks Kenny' date=' I have been wrong before... [/quote'] Well...nevermind i wont spoil your fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Well...nevermind i wont spoil your fun. Enlighten me with your vast knowledge oh master luthier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csbullock Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 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). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar232007 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csbullock Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csbullock Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 8.7 lbs it is then .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar232007 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFG 28 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 imo i do belive the density and or wheght, mass all have there own toneal charectoristics. and yes even seperat guitars of the same modle and density ect will sond somewhat different frome one an other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bram Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 '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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asmith9509 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongo Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysottot Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 My LP 2008 Standard is 8.5 lbs. Same as my Fender Strat. Bottom line for me is I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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