[hesson11]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

My thoughts:

• Check out a Godin CW II, a dual P-90 (also available with humbuckers), full-size single-cut hollowbody in the mold of the original postwar ES-175D; similar in overall feel to the Seagull mini-jumbo - the weight (mine's just a tick over five pounds on the strap - a full two pounds lighter than many Casinos) and neck are virtually identical - the underwound P-90's and lightweight body woods give it a clear, airy tone reminiscent of a (similarly-constructed) Brooklyn Gretsch, that lends itself well to a variety of not-too-heavy electric styles. QC and playability are what you would expect from Godin, Tony Bennett's guitarist used one on tour for a number of years - I'd tend to think neither he nor his boss were about to make any compromises on tone - and unless you can find a dead-mint or NOS Korean-built Gretsch Electromatic 5400/5600-Series, IME there's nothing out there in the under-$1K bracket that comes close...
• If you need a smaller body size, several manufacturers offer semis and hollowbodies with 14"/15" widths, similar to 00/000 acoustics. Good thing is that there's a broad variety out there, from entry-level Ibanez AM/AG and Epiphone 339 models, to mid-price Gretsch and Eastman, to top-of-the-line mass-production and luthier-built instruments; while the semis may be heavy, an Epi Casino Coupe should come in somewhere in the five-pound bracket - significantly less than the full-size version, and comparable to some of the small-body Westerly (USA)-built Guilds...
• If you're dealing with the twin problems of excess weight on one shoulder and sliding off your lap, there are a couple makers who produce a harness-type strap that allows the weight to be evenly distributed between both shoulders when standing, and alleviates sliding when seated - unless you change instruments several times during the course of a set, one of these might be a viable (and inexpensive compared to a new guitar) option - but who needs an excuse to buy a new addition to the stash...

Thanks a lot for your thoughtful reply, Steve. Funny you should mention the Godin and the Casino Coupe. I've been considering both.