How heavy is your Guitar or Bass?

[wazkelly]

When recently doing Tru Oil comparison shots also weighed each guitar as I was curious to see how much difference there might be where the results were quite surprising and thought this might be an interesting thread topic for others to share how heavy or light weight their guitars are.

First off, the heavy low end:


EX-5 with Basswood body & bolt on maple neck = 4.4kg
JB4 with Ash body & bolt on maple neck = 4.7kg
MMB4 with Basswood body & bolt on maple neck = 4.0kg
Artist P Bass presume basswood body & bolt on maple neck (de-fretted) = 3.2kg

Never weighed the Ric 4001 I gigged with during mid 1980's but reckon it was heavier than any of these.

[wazkelly]

Now the Guitars:


EX1 with Basswood body & set maple neck = 3.7kg
TL1 with Basswood body & bolt on maple neck = 3.4kg
TL1-AR with Alder body & maple bolt on neck = 3.1kg
Artist Grungemaster presume Basswood body with maple bolt on neck = 3.5kg

No surprise that I prefer playing the Swampy with it being the lightest of the bunch. Grungie is a ton of fun too with those phat sounding P90's.

[McCreed]

I only have guitars but I won't waste bandwidth with posting each one. However, 3.7kg has been a common figure throughout the range. Purely by coincidence, not design.

My PBG TLA-1 weighs in as the heaviest at 3.8kg, and the lightest is my Strat-configured Tele hybrid coming in at a ridiculous 2.9kg (basswood).

I do feel that right around that 3.5-3.7 mark is perfect for me.

[Marcel]

A good thread to start... and I bet of great interest to many... Here is my short list that I have access to ..

PBG PBA-4 - Pbass style Ash body Maple neck Rosewood fretboard = 4.3kg
PBG RCM-4F - Ricci style double bound Mahogany body/neck Rosewood fretboard = 3.9kg
Jazz bass kit build - basswood body maple neck Rosewood fretboard = 4.5kg
PBG LP-1SSP - LP style bound Mahogany body/neck Maple veneer Rosewood fretboard P90's = 3.4kg
PBG PRS-1H - PRS style bound Mahogany Body/neck hollow body = 2.7kg
PBG TLA-12 - Tele style bound Ash body Maple neck 12 string = 3.8kg
PBG SGM-1 - SG style Mahogany body/neck Rosewood fretboard = 3.2kg
PBG ES1TL - ES style double bound Basswood hollow body Maple neck Rosewood fretboard with bigsby = 3.4kg
Gibson USA LP 2016 50's tribute = 3.6kg
Fender MIM Stratocaster deluxe 2017 - Ash body Maple neck = 3.5kg
PRS SE245 - 2016 flame Maple top made in Korea = 3.7kg
Squier 2006 Afinity Hello Kitty Strat - made in Indonesia Basswood body Maple neck Maple fretboard= 3.2kg
Squier 2019 Classic vibe '70's Telecaster custom - Poplar body Maple neck = 3.5kg
Epiphone 2019 ES-335 Pro = 3.7kg
Partscaster Denim Tele. 2017 - Denim covered Alder body Maple neck Rosewood fretboard = 3.3kg
Partscaster Strat 2017 - Clear Poly Alder body Flame Maple neck Rosewood fretboard set SD Hot Rails = 3.6kg
Partscaster mid '70's era Ason Strat copy - Plywood body Maple neck Rosewood fretboard = 3.9kg

So there is truth that bass's in general and Plywood Strat copies are heavier.... and Alder is lighter

[wazkelly]

Interesting to note that J Bass in Basswood was 4.5kg? Must be more timber in J Bass bodies when compared to P Bass.

[Marcel]

I got the J bass kit from a kit supplier place on the Sunny coast. The exact nature and origin of the Basswood may well be a factor.

[FrankenWashie]

An interesting exercise, I'm curious to see how the FrankenHerd stacks up in comparison, though I think already know the outcomes for the light and heavy ends of the range.

[Marcel]

Interesting to note that J Bass in Basswood was 4.5kg? Must be more timber in J Bass bodies when compared to P Bass.

Comparing my two kits side by side they are both similar in overall body height and thickness and upper bout size/shape. But my Jazz is noticeably wider than the P bass on the lower bout and slightly taller on just the neck pocket section which would easily account for the extra 200 grams. Sadly you do quickly notice those extra 200 grams the instant you pick the Jazz up.

[wazkelly]

Comparing my two kits side by side they are both similar in overall body height and thickness and upper bout size/shape. But my Jazz is noticeably wider than the P bass on the lower bout and slightly taller on just the neck pocket section which would easily account for the extra 200 grams. Sadly you do quickly notice those extra 200 grams the instant you pick the Jazz up.

Yeah, have to agree with you there.

[fender3x]

I am in the middle of a build on a guitar...but at the moment I just have one, an old Fender Coronado that is very light due to being a true hollow body thinline. About 2.9 Kg.

All my other electrics are basses. In order of weight:

4.5 Kg.....G&L ASAT bass. I have no idea what the wood is. Solid color covering it. In spite of the small body, a pretty heavy bass.

4.4 Kg.....SX "FrankenJazz" bass. I think the wood is basswood. Not super light.

3.9 Kg.....'75 Fender Precision. The body is ash, maybe swamp ash. One of the lighter P-basses I have played.

3.4 Kg.....Both of the ESB basses. One is a PitBull ESB-4 with stock neck and body, but the only hardware that came with the kit are the tuners. The other is an almost identical body that I got from the Fretwire with a Kmise Jazz bass neck.

Ironically, the PitBull is the lightest and has original tuners. As does the lightest solid body--original Fender tuners. Both also have a bit of neck dive, but are lighter overall.

The others are all better balanced but heavier, although the ASAT required a Steinberger-like mod to gt it to balance properly. It has Schaller tuners with aluminum posts for lightness. The SX has Gotoh Resolites, and the non-PitBull ESB-type has Hipshot Ultralites. Less neck dive but heavier overall.