Daft question: how do you weigh a guitar?

4string

I would have thought fishing scales would be ideal, but not having any of those to hand... Your tips please on weighing (reasonably accurately) a guitar. Extra points for style :-)

guitarfishbay

Get a set of digital scales, weigh yourself, note the weight.  Weigh yourself holding the guitar, subtract what you weigh, and you'll get the weight of the guitar.  

Lew

Run a bath. Drop the guitar in and see how much the water rises.

strtdv

^ This seems like the obvious answer.

Don't forget to make sure the water gets into all the control cavities.

Next question has to be "will my les paul float?"

Seriously though, a small set of digital kitchen scales will get you a reasonably accurate result, or alternatively hang the guitar by its strap off a set of luggage scales.

57Deluxe

I have one like this.

Make a sling to go round and about your headstock and tuners and place the base cushion from the sofa on floor and weigh your guitar over top - is no need to be held more than a few cms from the floor/cushion...

http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/upimg5/Weigh-to-go-luaggage-scale_561995.jpg

If you got dickie eyes, you may want someone to take the readings for you...

DiscoStu

guitarfishbay said:

Get a set of digital scales, weigh yourself, note the weight.  Weigh yourself holding the guitar, subtract what you weigh, and you'll get the weight of the guitar.  

That's the weigh (!) I do it.

meltedbuzzbox

strtdv said:

^ This seems like the obvious answer.

Don't forget to make sure the water gets into all the control cavities.

Next question has to be "will my les paul float?"

Seriously though, a small set of digital kitchen scales will get you a reasonably accurate result, or alternatively hang the guitar by its strap off a set of luggage scales.

if it floats its a witch and you burn it

guitarfishbay

DiscoStu said:

guitarfishbay said:

Get a set of digital scales, weigh yourself, note the weight.  Weigh yourself holding the guitar, subtract what you weigh, and you'll get the weight of the guitar.  

That's the weigh (!) I do it.

Weigh-hey!  >:D<

4string

The thought of getting on the bathroom scales with or without a guitar does not hearten me... :-)

Lew

Didn't think we'd have to weight long for the cringey jokes to start.

guitarfishbay

It is just the weigh of the world these days.

bluechargeboy

4string said:

The thought of getting on the bathroom scales with or without a guitar does not hearten me... :-)

Just wear shoes and lots of thick clothes and blame the weight reading on them.

viz

Insert joke about scales.

meltedbuzzbox

viz said:

Insert joke about scales.

sounds fishy

richardhomer

viz;318908" said:

Insert joke about scales.

I tend to only use the penatonic.

Apparently the chromatic's the most accurate....

guitarfishbay

richardhomer said:

viz;318908" said:

Insert joke about scales.

I tend to only use the penatonic.

Apparently the chromatic's the most accurate....

Are you using a Tuna?

HAL9000

If it's a Les Paul you can probably get an indication of its mass by seeing how much a beam of light bends around it.

Lev

If you have a case, try stand the case with the guitar inside on a bathroom scales. Then subtract the weight of the empty case.

ICBM

Er... I get a set of scales and put the guitar on them. Why make things more complicated?

The tricky bit starts when the guitar is an awkward weight, like 8lb 15.5 oz. Under no circumstances must you admit that it weighs (rounded to) 9lbs - that will kill the value stone dead even if it's the best-sounding '59 Les Paul ever made. The correct weight in these cases is "EIGHT POUNDS fifteen ounces" or "about eight and three quarters pounds".

fretfinder

Buy some flat-topped digital kitchen scales that weigh up to 11lbs/5kgs. They are reasonably cheap, accurate and I've weighed Strats, Teles, Les Pauls and 335s etc very successfully and accurately with them. You just balance the guitar flat with its body on the top of the scales. 

If the scales bottom out then it's probably a Les Paul and all you need to know is that it's uncomfortably heavy and you should probably get rid! 

You can also use luggage scales or fishing 'spring balance' scales successfully. Bathroom scales can be unreliable in my experience as they're designed to weigh several stones in weight (10s of kgs for the youngsters) rather than 5-10lbs.

Edit: no way is this a daft question, it's probably the most sensible question on here!

richardhomer

Borrow a lorry, take it to nearest weigh bridge....