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Old 05-30-2020, 09:14 PM
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brencat brencat is offline
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Default Anyone Besides Me Sensitive to a Heavy Acoustic?

I've enjoyed a lot of cool instruments in the 9 years I've been playing, but my favorites seem to be the ones built right to the edge and feather-light. The break point for me seems to be ~ 4.5 lbs. Anything over that and I really start to notice the weight.

There was a certain Cocobolo dread I was interested in recently, until I found out that it weighed 5.2 lbs. Umm...yeah, that's never gonna happen.

This got me curious, so I brought out the scale today and here's where my current stash weighs in:

000-18 Authentic -- 3 lbs, 15oz
D-18 Authentic 1937 -- 4 lbs, 3oz
SCGC D/PW -- 4 lbs, 5oz
D-28 Marquis -- 4 lbs, 6oz
Bourgeois JOMT -- 4 lbs, 10oz

I'm not surprised to learn that the Bourgeois is the porker here, as it is just over the 4.5 lb mark and I notice the weight every time I pick it up. Remember this is basically an upsized Adi/EIR OM, yet weighs more than my 3 dreads. The other 4 guitars have traditional dovetail neck joints, so I'm thinking the 6 bolt neck join of the Bourgeois is the primary culprit adding the extra mass.

Does this mean most Bourgeois dreads are regularly pushing 5 lbs ? Curious to hear from some Bourgeois dread owners on AGF, and those with dreads made by other builders who use bolt on neck designs if your guitars weigh more than 4.5 lbs and if that bothers you at all?
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Old 05-30-2020, 09:30 PM
wisedennis wisedennis is offline
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It might not just be the “net weight”. It could also be the Distribution of tHe mass.
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Old 05-30-2020, 09:31 PM
mercy mercy is offline
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I dont like them when I pick them out of the case but once Ive sat down the weight disappears. To play a Coco is worth the extra weight IMO
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Old 05-30-2020, 09:35 PM
Birchtop Birchtop is offline
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I don’t know, but when you’re use to one guitar, you can definitely notice the difference when one weighs more, even if it’s buy a little bit. When I got my Yamaha LL16D I thought it was considerably more heavy than my D-35. Boy was I surprised when they were less than 2oz apart in weight.

LL16D — 4 lbs, 14.3oz
D-35 — 4 lbs, 12.5oz
000-18 — 3 lbs, 10.9oz
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Old 05-30-2020, 09:38 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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They sum it up perfectly ....

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Old 05-30-2020, 09:42 PM
Dbone Dbone is offline
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Big time...I find the Taylor Grand Pacifics noticeably heavy as an example...

The Yamaha Transacoustics hit me weird too, but that might have been partially a weight distribution issue with the location of the electronics or something etc...
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Old 05-30-2020, 09:49 PM
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Brencat, you dodged a real bullet there... what kind of shop would even stock such a thing??? Albatross Music Works???

HAHA!

Seriously, though... of course, once you've enjoyed a feather-light guitar that delivers everything that you're after, tonally... well, how does it get better than that?

BUT the tone is always the thing. Rosewood and Cocobolo guitars (especially those that are built thoughtfully and with regard to lasting for the long haul) can vary somewhat. There isn't an understood range of weight on these things, and sometimes a rosewood (family) guitar can skew quite heavy... but the sound can be so, so sweet!

It's interesting to us to see this play out in the acoustic guitar world, because in the electric world it is ever and always the very first question. "WHAT DOES IT WEIGH??" The problem is, we rarely get a satisfying response once we answer!

"What does that Collings City Limits weigh?"

"7.9 lbs" (they pretty much all do)

*crickets*

Too heavy? Too light??
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Old 05-30-2020, 10:14 PM
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KevinH KevinH is offline
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Surprising. Your 000-18 only weighs 3 oz more than my 00-18. And I even have light strings on it . Guess that extra 0 doesn't weigh much.

I play sitting down, so I don't really notice the weight itself, as long as it's distributed well.
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Old 05-30-2020, 10:37 PM
donlyn donlyn is offline
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I have always kind of accepted each instrument on it's own merit. I suppose if I couldn't pick it up, I wouldn't play it. But I'm game to try about any guitar and keep an open mind about it. Guess I'm not so sensitive about guitar weights, but some people call them by lady's names. And I was brought up not to mention a lady's weight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlBqo8Pco_A



Sooo . . Brencat, I guess you shouldn't be looking at older Gibson J-200s. My rosewood model is quite heavy and built to last. But it sounds sooo sweet.

When I played electric, I used a Les Paul Standard, so I guess I shouldn't recommend that to you either. But the sound . . .

Don

Edit > Oh yeah, I don't have a scale, but maybe someday I'll find out what each weighs.
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85 Gibson J-200 sitka/rosewood Jumbo
99 Taylor 355 sitka/sapele 12 string Jmbo
06 Alvarez AJ60S englmn/mpl lam med Jmbo
14 Taylor 818e sitka/rosewood Grand Orchestra
05 Taylor 512ce L10 all mahogany Grand Concert
09 Taylor all walnut Jmbo
16 Taylor 412e-R sitka/rw GC
16 Taylor 458e-R s/rw 12 string GO
21 Epiphone IBG J-200 sitka/maple Jmbo
22 Guild F-1512 s/rw 12 string Jmbo

Last edited by donlyn; 05-30-2020 at 10:43 PM.
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Old 05-30-2020, 10:42 PM
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Mr. Jelly Mr. Jelly is offline
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My Waterloo is noticeably lighter than my 00-18 Authentic.
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Old 05-30-2020, 10:48 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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I pulled a hamstring lifting my Guild F-412.
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Old 05-30-2020, 10:59 PM
donlyn donlyn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brucebubs View Post
I pulled a hamstring lifting my Guild F-412.
Hey Bruce,

I think you're just pulling my leg.

There are some 'weighty' matters in this thread.

Sure you weren't just 'hamming it up' with a 'hambone' variation?

Don
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*The Heard:
85 Gibson J-200 sitka/rosewood Jumbo
99 Taylor 355 sitka/sapele 12 string Jmbo
06 Alvarez AJ60S englmn/mpl lam med Jmbo
14 Taylor 818e sitka/rosewood Grand Orchestra
05 Taylor 512ce L10 all mahogany Grand Concert
09 Taylor all walnut Jmbo
16 Taylor 412e-R sitka/rw GC
16 Taylor 458e-R s/rw 12 string GO
21 Epiphone IBG J-200 sitka/maple Jmbo
22 Guild F-1512 s/rw 12 string Jmbo
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  #13  
Old 05-31-2020, 01:56 AM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly sensitive to heavier acoustic guitars - I’m a pretty insensitive guy - but it’s definitely noticeable if you’re used to playing lightweight guitars and then pick up and play, say a 1970’s vintage guitar.

A few years ago I played a LoPrinzi dreadnought from the 70’s, and my very first thought was: “Dang, this thing is heavy!” I had played some LoPrinzis back when they were still being made in the 70’s, and it never occurred to me at all back then that they were heavy, because that robust build quality was more common than not during that period.

Of course, acoustic guitars built since can be quite heavy, as anyone who’s played a McPherson can tell you. There’s also a common misconception among many players that only super lightweight guitars will sound good, but that’s flat out wrong. Light builds make it easy for the low end and lower midrange response to bloom, but vivid, shimmering trebles aren’t always easy to coax out of those guitars.

That’s why guitars built by Bozo Podunavac and some Guilds have such a sparkling treble response: it has something to do with the deliberately heavy build approach.

So there’s more than one way to skin a cat....


Wade Hampton Miller

Last edited by Wade Hampton; 05-31-2020 at 02:01 AM.
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Old 05-31-2020, 05:04 AM
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BrunoBlack BrunoBlack is offline
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I’m another oddball who weighs my guitars when I bring them home for the first time, and log them into the record book I use for their string change & maintenance schedule. My guitars range from 3 lbs 8 oz Froggy C (00 size bolted neck) to 4 lbs 10 oz Froggy K (full size bolted neck) with Collings OM at 4 lbs 2 oz (bolts) and SCGC OM 4 lbs 2 oz (no bolts) taking up the middle ground. My only Cocobolo is a SCGC OMG (0000) that weighs 4 lbs 6 oz.

I might notice how light the C is when I heft it out of the case, but I can’t say I have ever lifted another guitar to play and thought, wow this one is heavy. I play sitting down, so weight is not the issue that strikes me as noticeable. It’s the shape and size of the guitar that’s more important to me.
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Old 05-31-2020, 06:31 AM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is online now
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If I exclude the resonators, mine cluster in weight from 4.5-5 lbs. The 12 string (more metal, bigger headstock) is 5.3 but does not feel heavy to me. My National is way over 7. Now, that feels heavy!

My Sexauer is the lightest at 3.5 and it always feels very light when I pick it up. Sizewise, they are mostly 15-16" lower bout, only the jumbo is wider and only the Sexauer is less than this (but not much).
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