Shall we try again ?

Paul_C

https://www.guitarworld.com/features/do-lighter-electric-guitars-sound-better 

Funkfingers

Is it not the definition of madness to do the same thing repeatedly whilst expecting a different outcome this time?

bacchanalian

We have had PRS dentist 'jokes', Gibson QC, now tonewood. If somewbody starts a thread about 'how can two bits of wood screwed together cost more than £150', I will shout bingo!! 

Roland

What annoys me about this type of discussion is not the “I know better than you (and you’re despicable for not bowing to my knowledge)” type of comments. Rather that “better” is a relative term, and no one bothers to define what their criteria are. For example, Nile Rodgers goes for high attack and low sustain. Carlos Santana uses high sustain. 

Paul_C

Roland said:

What annoys me about this type of discussion is not the “I know better than you (and you’re despicable for not bowing to my knowledge)” type of comments. Rather that “better” is a relative term, and no one bothers to define what their criteria are. For example, Nile Rodgers goes for high attack and low sustain. Carlos Santana uses high sustain. 

Both sides of the argument are considered and the idea that someone might prefer a heavier guitar and its sound is suggested too.

I don't think the article falls definitively on one side or the other, except for PJE saying he doesn't get customers asking that their guitar be made deliberately heavy, so they don't make them. 

Rowby1

No, let’s not.

GSPBASSES

Rowby1 said:

No, let’s not.

I'll second that.

Kittyfrisk

Funkfingers said:

Is it not the definition of madness to do the same thing repeatedly whilst expecting a different outcome this time?

Not falling for the old Einstein attributed quote trap  

Vintage65

It's not scientific, but I have found that heavier guitars burn more slowly on bonfires, especially the Les Paul Customs.

TeleMaster

NOT AGAIN?

armitaan

When did the weight obsession begin ? I bought my first strat in 1987 and pretty sure noone talked about weight then . These days people will literally buy or not because of a few ounces , it's like middle aged blokes with their expensive road bikes , most of which should probably focus more on the extra stones or pounds round their waist line than a few ounces on their bike /guitar.  

inewham

There was a time when weight was seen as good, in the early 80s. Yamaha SGs with brass sustain blocks and Westone Thunder III v3 with solid maple bodies. It was supposed to improve sustain but mine is so heavy (11.5lb) its a pain after a while and the sustain doesn't seem that much better than my strat. Probably due the crapbridge

LionAquaLooper

If people are being picky about weight because of sustain and tone then I scoff at the whole thing.
If they're being picky because of comfort and health then i wholeheartedly agree.
I suspect the ones who quibble about +/- a few ounces fall into the former category. 

GoFish

Lighter the better for me until it hangs wrong or I notice other undesirable characteristics (I have not, yet).

When I was young, I was a real man and went for the heavy stuff.

Times change, people change, music changes.

Now, onto the real stuff, maple or rosewood?

Devil#20

I think the whole angle of whether a guitar sounds better or worse than a heavier guitar needs to be considered from the playing side instead. Obviously, from a weight point of view you don't want to play a 10ib Les Paul on stage for 2 hours over an 8.5lb one. However, there's a certain weight somewhere in between where playing at volume has a real visceral feel about it when the whole guitar starts to give tremendous feedback and it becomes almost physically connected with you and the amp and it will make you play better; I don't mean acoustic feedback. It's when you are feeling the sound as well as hearing it through your hands like the guitar is a living entity. Anyway, you know what I mean. Too heavy and you don't get it and too light and the guitar feels less connected and floppy. There's a sweet spot. If you get a guitar at that weight  and a neck you like then right there are the 2 most necessary essentials for a potential keeper. You can always tweak the tone through the pickups, pots, caps or effects but without those first 2 things it will never be a great guitar in my opinion. 

fretmeister

armitaan said:

When did the weight obsession begin ? I bought my first strat in 1987 and pretty sure noone talked about weight then . These days people will literally buy or not because of a few ounces , it's like middle aged blokes with their expensive road bikes , most of which should probably focus more on the extra stones or pounds round their waist line than a few ounces on their bike /guitar.  

Don’t worry, one day your back will be fucked too. 

Nerine

The absolutism when analysing guitar construction is silly. 

The target is completely undefined and cannot really be verified subjectively.

There are a couple of things that can be generally agreed upon, but other than that, evidence is anecdotal at best. 

Philly_Q

LionAquaLooper said:

If people are being picky about weight because of sustain and tone then I scoff at the whole thing.
If they're being picky because of comfort and health then i wholeheartedly agree.
I suspect the ones who quibble about +/- a few ounces fall into the former category. 

And why shouldn't they fall into the latter category? 

The whole argument - and this thread on a topic which has been done to death, most recently just days ago - is completely pointless.  It's just personal preference.  Why do we try to tell other people what they should think or what they should prefer?

Sporky

Kittyfrisk said:

Funkfingers said:

Is it not the definition of madness to do the same thing repeatedly whilst expecting a different outcome this time?

Not falling for the old Einstein attributed quote trap  

Actually from an Evelyn Waugh play, I think? 

Litterick

An alternative view from Samuel Beckett: "All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

fretfinder

Devil#20 said:

I think the whole angle of whether a guitar sounds better or worse than a heavier guitar needs to be considered from the playing side instead. Obviously, from a weight point of view you don't want to play a 10ib Les Paul on stage for 2 hours over an 8.5lb one. However, there's a certain weight somewhere in between where playing at volume has a real visceral feel about it when the whole guitar starts to give tremendous feedback and it becomes almost physically connected with you and the amp and it will make you play better; I don't mean acoustic feedback. It's when you are feeling the sound as well as hearing it through your hands like the guitar is a living entity. Anyway, you know what I mean. Too heavy and you don't get it and too light and the guitar feels less connected and floppy. There's a sweet spot. If you get a guitar at that weight  and a neck you like then right there are the 2 most necessary essentials for a potential keeper. You can always tweak the tone through the pickups, pots, caps or effects but without those first 2 things it will never be a great guitar in my opinion. 

Sorry but I don’t know what you mean. I don’t believe there’s some Goldilocks mid-weight sweet spot when a guitar suddenly becomes just right, and that if it’s heavier or lighter then it will never be a great guitar, as you said. If you think that’s the case fair enough but I’ve had heavy and light guitars over the years that felt great to me in their different ways, and there are many members on here who prefer one or the other and why not? As it happens, as I get older I have increasingly come to prefer lighter guitars as to me they’re more comfortable to hold and play and, if you pick the right ones, they can be more resonant and feel and sound better too, in my opinion. It’s good that we all like different things!