Daft question: how do you weigh a guitar?

imalone

You should leave the guitar to curdle, you then strain out the remaining liquid.

Philly_Q

fretfinder said:

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. 

^  This.

Having said that, my scales seem to be oddly inconsistent.  Most of the time I'm weighing a few grams of food and they're absolutely fine, but with guitars I can get variations of two or three ounces on different days.  

My LP weighed a fraction under 8lbs when I got it (which was great), now it apparently weighs 8lbs 2oz.  Maybe it's been raiding the fridge when I'm out....

richardhomer

Philly_Q;319293" said:

My LP weighed a fraction under 8lbs when I got it (which was great), now it apparently weighs 8lbs 2oz.  Maybe it's been raiding the fridge when I'm out....

You haven't started to use much heavier strings have you?

Philly_Q

Piano strings, maybe....?

Nah, tried a set of 11s once.  Straight back to 10s.

streethawk

Always wondered if having a large portion of something hanging off a set of scales gets weighed accurately or not?

E.g., you weigh the body on digital scales but the neck is somewhere near the sink?

ICBM

It makes no difference if the only thing supporting the guitar is the scales. For a static load all the weight is effectively at centre of gravity, which must be over the scales for it not to fall off.

mellowsun

Is this for a classified ad to satisfy the tyre-kickers? 

Why not just put 'it's heavy the way a decent [insert brand/model here] should be'

ICBM

mellowsun said:

Is this for a classified ad to satisfy the tyre-kickers? 

Why not just put 'it's heavy the way a decent [insert brand/model here] should be'

Because that kills the level of interest stone dead - I've tried that before. No matter if you put something like "this is a really great one, it sounds fantastic and it feels solid the way a good one should, don't bother asking about the weight if that bothers you because it's a little heavier than some people seem to want these days"… the first couple of enquiries you get are "how heavy is it?" and "is it over 9lbs, because I wouldn't want it if it was", and after that nothing.

I often think that a truly great-sounding, all-original '59 Les Paul Standard would be unsellable on the net if it weighed 9lb 1oz.

fretfinder

mellowsun said:

Is this for a classified ad to satisfy the tyre-kickers? 

Why not just put 'it's unfortunately heavy, the way no decent [insert brand/model here] should be'

Edited for accuracy. 

Skipped

9.5lb Les Pauls don't get heavier.
But the average Gibson Historic has got got lighter in the past 2 or 3 years since they started to use Fijian Mahogany for the backs....
If people get used to picking up 8.5lb Historics in guitar shops, the slightly older 9.5 lb Historics will suddenly feel quite heavy.

I have been looking for a scale which will weight 30kg suitcases and 9lb guitars with equal accuracy. And it seems the only answer is the type pictured above.

mart

Lew said:

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

You just made Archimedes weep. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_(word)