Guitar weight
 

Had a practice session last night for several hours, and when it was done my shoulder ached from having the guitar strap on. It got me to thinking, how much does a typical Taylor Guitar weigh? ( mine is the 214ce) And how does its weight compared to other higher-end guitars?

Guitar weight
 

It all depends on the size of the guitar, the chosen woods and the builder. I have owned many Taylor models and can attest to the varying weights. My rosewood guitars always weighed more than my mahogany ones of the same size.

Mahogany lighter than most rosewoods according to this. https://www.bellforestproducts.com/i...y-weight/?s=28

From my own experience my all mahogany 00015m is one of the lightest guitars I have played.

Most larger guitars tend to weigh about 4lbs.

I used to have two identical Collings guitars one built in 1998 and the other in 2007. The newer one felt far heavier but when I weighed them both the difference was matter of a couple of ounces.

I'm wondering if the OP is referring to his strap side shoulder, or his picking sde shoulder?
I smashed up my left shoulder in '96 in a cycling accident (well, I wasn't on the bike when my shoulder hit the ground!)

So I had some leather straps made - 3 " wide. I now make straps and all are 2.5 to 3" wide.

If the right (picking) shoulder - most likely the guitar is too low.

It was my strap side shoulder, was standing up the whole time cause there were no chairs in the practice room...could have sat on the floor, I guess. But then id have something else sore lol

Mine is rosewood :)

If this continues to be a problem there are a number of straps/harnesses (often aimed at electric bass players) on the market which aim to combat this by distributing the weight onto both shoulders or even to the waist.

Slinger straps is one such company, but there are others. I have no affiliation to them or even experience of their products. I couldn’t find the company who used to make a x-brace neoprene harness years ago, maybe they went out of business.

Anyway, I hope you find a solution (at least it’s not a Precision Bass, or worse, an old Kramer aluminium-necked bass where you spent the whole evening trying to stop the headstock from diving to the floor!).

Regards,
Clive.

Haha! Yep, those basses... They can be "fun" to keep upright

Martin D-18, 1960 grams
Furch OM-32, 1850 grams

It depends on the guitar and what its made from. my electric is a Gibson Les Paul classic and it weighs a ton, really plays hell on your shoulder after wearing it for a good half hour or so.... I can definitely see why Angus Young made the switch from the Les Paul to the SG.

I can attest to the comments regarding bass's and would add that the weight of the guitar may not be the cause of the discomfort but more likely the position,both vertically and horizontally of your playing stance. It can take a fair bit of experimental time to find the optimal position,but its worth the input,( especially if your fond of 4+ hour jam band sessions.)

Describe your current strap: width and thickness, and how low do you have yuor guitar hanging - i.e. does your belt buckle show below it?

I have found that I have had to experiment a bit with guitar straps to find the right size and fit. I have a cocobolo deep body grand concert that is my heaviest guitar. It is almost 5lbs. I now have a mahogany guitar which is lighter than any of my rosewood guitars. I like a strap to be at least 2.5" wide and I have several that are 3" wide. You want to make sure that they do not slip - otherwise I find that my shoulder starts to rise a bit and adds stress to the shoulder muscles. There are some stretches and weight bearing exercises that can also help to strengthen the muscles involved which will help over time.
My most comfortable straps are Lakota Leather straps. Supple, soft, strong and stay put. I recently got a Sully strap and it needs broken in a bit more but it is on its way to being very comfortable.

Best,
Jayne

I will second/third/fourth this is either a strap issue... OR a posture issue.

Looking online at sweetwater, who sometimes weigh individual guitars, the one they have a 214ce online at the moment and it is 4lbs 13oz. That's within in the 'typical' acoustic guitar range.

Its probably not much much more than a heavy leather jacket. Clearly, the weight distribution is not remotely similar, but puts it in context.

If your strap is cutting into the top of your shoulder get a wider one.

If it's actually your shoulder muscles that sore, try playing in front of a full-length mirror and see if your shoulder is hunched up halfway to your ear or pushed forwards, backwards or some in other non-normal looking place.

Sometimes you can be surprised looking in a mirror. I started to get shoulder ache while playing sitting down. I sat down to play in front of the mirror and was horrified to see how slumped over I was with one shoulder held really high -- completely without realizing it or being able to feel I was doing it. Once I straightened myself out in the mirror I felt much better.

no, no, no, your belt buckle needs to show above your guitar if you want to look cool

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/files/img/music2/slash.jpg

https://i0.wp.com/metalinjection.net...s-hetfield.jpg

Most acoustic guitars are between 3-5 LBS. There are a few brands that are a bit heavier.

I recently played a couple concerts using my Gretsch Brian Setzer Black Phoenix Hollowbody Electric guitar. I hadn't played Electric in a while. It was shocking the difference in weight. My back was sore for a whole day after. Dang did I feel out of shape playing that instrument. Imagine if it were a Fender J Bass or Les Paul instead of the Hollowbody Gretsch!!