Does weight matter?

PapaBearJr · #1 02-17-2019, 05:07 PM

While browsing on Sweetwater, I many times notice weight differences of between 3-8 ounces or sometimes even more on guitars of the same model. I realize playing each instrument would be best, but if purchasing online, would this be a factor you take into account when deciding which one to chose? How might the different weights affect the tone, if any?

Steadfastly · #2 02-17-2019, 05:13 PM

A lot of it could be moisture content in the wood. The other difference could be where manual sanding occurs. That is not always consistent. Will it affect the tone? Moisture content certainly will. Thick and thinner bracing certainly will.

PapaBearJr · #3 02-17-2019, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

A lot of it could be moisture content in the wood. The other difference could be where manual sanding occurs. That is not always consistent. Will it affect the tone? Moisture content certainly will. Thick and thinner bracing certainly will.

So, would you personally choose the guitar that weighed the least? Or most? Or would it not be a factor in your choice?

Steadfastly · #4 02-18-2019, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaBearJr

So, would you personally choose the guitar that weighed the least? Or most? Or would it not be a factor in your choice?

The guitar that sounds best for my budget is the one I choose.

AndrewG · #5 02-18-2019, 06:48 AM

I buy my guitars by their sound, not by the pound.

rokdog49 · #6 02-18-2019, 06:59 AM

I agree with AndrewG and Steadfastly.
My Eastman E10 00 SS Adirondack /Mahogany is a heavy build but that little sucker has wonderful tone and it'll blow your doors off volume-wise.
On the other hand, my D18 is so light I have to tether it to something to keep it from floating away

... and yet it sounds awesome as well.

The Bard Rocks · #7 02-18-2019, 07:06 AM

If all things were equal, I'd prefer the lighter instrument, as it is more likely to be the most responsive and perhaps the loudest. But they never are equal.

A bigger guitar will be louder (when all things are equal) - and heavier. Some woods are heavier than others and I have not found that the weight of the wood per cubic foot has a relationship with sound it can produce. For instance a cedar-topped guitar will weigh less than a spruce-topped one, but that does not make cedar a better wood for this purpose. It makes it a different wood.

drplayer · #8 02-18-2019, 07:29 AM

You were quite clear that your question was specifically for online purchases where you don’t have the opportunity to play the guitar prior purchasing it. In such cases, I’ve always done my homework before making the purchase by researching the model, reading reviews, and listening to any sound clips or videos that might be out there (not great, but better than going into it blind).

When I’ve decided it’s the guitar I want, and if the dealer has multiple guitars of that model to choose from, I usually just go with the one I like the appearance of best. In cases where I have no preference in appearance between the offerings, then I’ll opt for the lighter built guitar. Although it’s far from always being the case, lighter built guitars can be more responsive; however, even when they’re not, they are at least a little lighter to hold. In brief, I don’t think it’s important enough to let it sway your decision...

Triumph1050 · #9 02-18-2019, 07:40 AM

Im no luthier but I built a Martin dread size guitar from scratch a decade ago from EIR with an Englemann top. This thing is a tank! Its also very loud with great sustain. The weight is all in the neck, neck block, and back and side bracing. The top bracing is very scalloped and the top itself is quite thin.
My newer custom shop J-45s are very light.
So...there's a lot of factors that affect tone but weight doesnt seem to affect volume depending on where the weight is.
I prefer playing a lighter guitar.

Golffishny · #10 02-18-2019, 07:45 AM

The weight of the guitar may not have as much to do with responsiveness as the bracing does. Each instrument is an individual. You just have to try it. I do notice the weight difference between my mahogany and rosewood guitars. I like the lightness of mahogany, but I would prefer it even if it were heavier. Life is full of choices.

J Patrick · #11 02-18-2019, 07:59 AM

...generally speaking I have found lighter guitars to be more resonant and responsive than heavier ones...a lighter touch sets things in motion...so they may produce more volume with a lighter playing style but reach their ceiling quicker and are easier to overdrive...as usual many variables can affect specific instruments...

varmonter · #12 02-18-2019, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Patrick

...generally speaking I have found lighter guitars to be more resonant and responsive than heavier ones...a lighter touch sets things in motion...so they may produce more volume with a lighter playing style but reach their ceiling quicker and are easier to overdrive...as usual many variables can affect specific instruments...

Yes really too many variables to answer accuratly.
Given two identical guitars the lighter one "may"
be more responsive, But any other comparisons
Would be a crapshoot trying to theorize an absolute.

PapaBearJr · #13 02-18-2019, 08:21 AM

Thanks for the responses guys.

I wasn't really asking if overall a lighter or heavier guitar was better in general, especially between different kinds of woods. I was more so wondering about purchasing specifically from an online site like sweetwater, where they typically give you up to 4 choices of the same model guitar to pick from, and they also include the weight of each individual instrument. It would seem to me that a 6oz or more weight difference between the same model, same wood, exact same guitars that only weigh around 4lbs to begin with is quite a large difference. 2-3 ounces doesnt seem like much but ive seen some with even an 8 or 10oz difference.

ManyMartinMan · #14 02-18-2019, 08:43 AM

Weight matters but just because one on-line vendor lists a product at a specific shipping weight, and another vendor lists it at a slightly different weight, doesn't mean there is a true difference.

ljguitar · #15 02-18-2019, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaBearJr

While browsing on Sweetwater, I many times notice weight differences of between 3-8 ounces or sometimes even more on guitars of the same model. I realize playing each instrument would be best, but if purchasing online, would this be a factor you take into account when deciding which one to chose? How might the different weights affect the tone, if any?

Hi PBJr

The density of wood - even sequential batches taken from the same tree - can vary wildly. Here's a link to an abbreviated article by Ervin Somogyi which helped me begin to understand why/how guitars vary in their building procedures.

Ervin is not only one of the best builders but has been one of the best educators at helping other builders maximize the tone, responsiveness, projection, sustain, and tone of their instruments.

CliCk for Ervin's shot paper on the topic…

It's not the weight, but the flexibility and stiffness of pieces which matter. Luthiers will arrive at the optimum thickness for each piece of tone wood, which is not often the same identical weight nor thickness of other guitars…it's not a one-thickness-fits-all scenario like manufactured instruments.

Michael Bashkin once described to me the difference between manufacturing and hand building as, the goal of a manufacturer is to have the next guitar be as good as the last guitar (and current guitar). The goal of hand builders is the next guitar be the best guitar he/she has built.

Picking up a guitar and weighing it doesn't assure one of the lightest built instrument, merely the lightest instrument in the room.

Hope this at least adds to the discussion…