Economics, health and custom guitars.

[BBWW]

OK, So I've been playing through really extreme pain for the last two years. All those great endorphins and the oxytocin that streams into my body while playing allows me to play but when I pack up my guitar I'm in agony. I've switched to largely guitars that are smaller, wedged and beveled. But now weight and pull on my back is a major issue. I still play standing and don't feel I can do what I do sitting.

How would one approach a light guitar build with light woods? What woods would work best for a light weight guitar built for performance? I would need a wedge and bevel and still need a pickup. The pickups tend to add weight. I've been looking at Misi Pickups as they are active but no battery pack, plus you still get "some" control of the sound without much outboard gear. The less I carry the better at this point.

Any thoughts on woods and light builds! Lightweight but easy tone and volume management from a Pickup?

Does anyone make a good custom lightweight guitar strap, out of silk maybe?

[fazool]

The lightest guitar I ever had was a featherweight mahogany Martin 000-15. Incredibly lightweight.

You can get an external pre-amp to save that weight as well.

[riverrummed]

Since you posted in the custom shop I'd say contact a couple of the custom builders here with your concerns and talk at length about your condition and what you think will work best for you and then let them come back at you with some suggestions. As for a pickup, you could go with a really good soundhole pickup, with internal wiring to an end pin jack, and then only use it when you want to play plugged in and remove it to drop the weight the rest of the time. If you are thinking a stock guitar you maybe should check out the new Breedlove Moon Light series that comes in at 3.5 pounds but it won't have a wedge or some of the other features you mention. Good luck in your quest.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Hey Jay, I'd say I feel your pain, but then neither of us would laugh.
Consider a 12 fret neck, with some very light weight wood, say Spanish Cedar.
Do a slot head, with perhaps some 3-on-plate tuners, and save even more on weight. As you know, you can really pare these things down.
Unfortunately, The Tree is denser than lots of mahogany, right?

[thomasfelty]

I just built a LG-2 style 12 fret guitar with Curly Redwood Top, Parota Back and Sides, Cedar neck and open back tuners. It's as light as a feather and has great sound. I don't know where you live but you might find someone in your area check out. There are some really nice woods that are very light. If your a D-18 or 28 kind of person you my have a hard time with the smaller bodied kind of guitar.

[BBWW]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Hey Jay, I'd say I feel your pain, but then neither of us would laugh.
Consider a 12 fret neck, with some very light weight wood, say Spanish Cedar.
Do a slot head, with perhaps some 3-on-plate tuners, and save even more on weight. As you know, you can really pare these things down.
Unfortunately, The Tree is denser than lots of mahogany, right?

I go thin on sides of Tree. I don't think that is an issue, double sides could help. Spanish Cedar is a good call. I use two capos at a time, 12 frets would eat up real estate fast. LOL Any thoughts on the "Stealth Tuners". I don't like open head stocks but that may be the way to go. I need no bling. I could do without binding if if drops weight. I'm pretty gentle with my guitars. I don't need this to be tree. I played a super light Padouk OM recently. It will be an OO...or something more radical like a custom Turner Renaissance maybe. Thin geared for acoustic sound. It will be a preforming guitar not a "studio" guitar I think.

[BBWW]

Originally Posted by thomasfelty

I just built a LG-2 style 12 fret guitar with Curly Redwood Top, Parota Back and Sides, Cedar neck and open back tuners. It's as light as a feather and has great sound. I don't know where you live but you might find someone in your area check out. There are some really nice woods that are very light. If your a D-18 or 28 kind of person you my have a hard time with the smaller bodied kind of guitar.

I've been Concert and OM only for many years. Although I did have a Jumbo too, I was brave after shoulder surgery. LOL Small guitars won't bother me. I like some of what Joel did with Larry's OO. Removing some frets and material that would not get used.

[justonwo]

My lightest guitar is my Schoenberg with mahogany back and sides and no adjustable truss rod. I believe it's less than 3 lbs. I believe if extreme light weight were a requirement, many very experienced luthiers could come with something. But mahogany is usually the lightest in my experience.

[islandguitar]

I seem to recall Mark Hatcher weighing one of his recent models before it went out the door.....super light weight.

[Martin Keith]

Jay - first off, so sorry to hear about your challenges with pain.

I've used the Gotoh ST31 Stealth tuners a number of times and they work just fine. As long as they're properly installed, they will work just like any other tuners. (If NOT installed properly, they can bind and strip out - they have a 44 lb. load limit). They will save you a tremendous amount of weight over standard tuners, even compared to open-plate units like the Waverlys.

Consider going without a truss rod as this can also save important weight.
The Dragonplate D-tube is a viable alternative that can yield a straight, stable neck without the weight of a metal rod inside. A titanium rod is another option worth considering.

Both of these remove weight where it matters most IMO, which is the neck/headpiece. Due to the leverage of the neck cantilever, this weight is felt much more than elsewhere in the guitar. Again, IMO.

Combining the above with a lightly built mahogany box, you should be able to get a very lightweight guitar that still performs as it should. Actually, this should result in a very lively and responsive instrument which will probably be great fun to play.

Best wishes and best of luck,
Martin

[StuartDay]

Originally Posted by BBWW

OK, So I've been playing through really extreme pain for the last two years. All those great endorphins and the oxytocin that streams into my body while playing allows me to play but when I pack up my guitar I'm in agony. I've switched to largely guitars that are smaller, wedged and beveled. But now weight and pull on my back is a major issue. I still play standing and don't feel I can do what I do sitting.

How would one approach a light guitar build with light woods? What woods would work best for a light weight guitar built for performance? I would need a wedge and bevel and still need a pickup. The pickups tend to add weight. I've been looking at Misi Pickups as they are active but no battery pack, plus you still get "some" control of the sound without much outboard gear. The less I carry the better at this point.

Any thoughts on woods and light builds! Lightweight but easy tone and volume management from a Pickup?

Does anyone make a good custom lightweight guitar strap, out of silk maybe?

Hey, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.

If you don't mind, can you elaborate on what the actual issue is?
I ask because I have actually modified and built some instruments for people with various ergonomic issues and degenerative diseases. Depending on what the issue is there may be some other avenues you have not considered that could be taken involving actual modifications to the instruments.

For example, on one arch top guitar we made while I was working for Tom Ribbecke we designed a back plate modification that screwed into inserts inset into the headlock of the instrument which held a piece which rested on the knee... this lifted and positioned the instrument in a way that our client, who had a degenerative neuromuscular disease, was able to play pain free.

Just some thoughts. Feel free to write me privately.

[maurerfan]

You might consider a vintage Martin 14 fret 00, like an 00-18 from late '42 to '43 or '44 ... with ebony neck reinforcement. These are crazy lightweight .... tuck neatly under the arm, and give little away to larger guitars tone-wise.

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by BBWW

I've been Concert and OM only for many years. Although I did have a Jumbo too, I was brave after shoulder surgery. LOL Small guitars won't bother me. I like some of what Joel did with Larry's OO. Removing some frets and material that would not get used.

Jay, I'm in Oakland, which isn't that far from you. You should really give my Schoenberg 000-12 a test run. Not only is it fantastically lightweight, but it's ridiculously tone-ful. You could also test out my Baranik PX, which is very light and also sounds huge. I think you'd find the Schoenberg to be comfortable without a wedge and a bevel, but I'm sure Howard could find some way to incorporate both (he built my Schoenberg). And the Baranik is small enough that it wouldn't really require a wedge or bevel either. The best way to know is to try them, and you are more than welcome.

[Gitarre]

Hi Jay, it sounded to me like you're looking for more of a custom guitar with the bevel and so forth. I searched for a while and there a number of luthiers that will be glad to talk with you about your needs. I settled on Ben Wilborn. I talked with him for a while about my wants/needs and he got it perfect. I had discomfort in arms and shoulders and was looking for a little smaller body, bevel, cutaway, short scale with 12 frets. He has a model with the waist moved forward which helped bring my fretting arm in a bit. The guitar is perfect and all my discomfort has been addressed. The guitar is beautiful and it sounds extraordinary. I just weighed it after reading this thread and it comes in at 3.14 pounds. Cedar top and EIR BACK/sides. If you consider a custom I'd suggest contacting Ben. Good guy, communicates well and produces an excellent product.

[printer2]

You can cut weight by using lighter woods but they also are softer and can get dinged up more. As you want to play out you have to keep that in mind also. If you are ok with a guitar that looks well used light weight woods are the way to go. Open tuners with plastic or wood buttons. Also if you go a lightweight neck then using a capo might be an issue. As far as a pickup goes, I would look at some of those archtop pickups that attach to the neck. They are passive and relatively small and lightweight.

I will need to build something for myself similar along what you are asking for, also have my own issues. While not known as a sexy guitar wood I would use some lightweight poplar for the neck. Carbon fiber rods to stiffen out any humidity changes. A cedar or a light Engelmann top. You can build a box light but it is going to need a neck reset much sooner than a guitar with harder and denser wood. You can go light weight by using some engineering ideas like our Mr. McKnight uses. He ties in the neck block with the waist using some carbon fiber rods. I would even think about a laminated back and sides with a light wood in between. Might not sound like much but every quarter ounce here and there starts to add up.