Guitar weight Vs Tone

psyx

Is there a definitive correlation between the weight of a guitar and it's tone? Some guitars are chambered and others aren't... What's your opinion on this?

vic

psyx wrote: Is there a definitive correlation between the weight of a guitar and it's tone? Some guitars are chambered and others aren't... What's your opinion on this?

In the case of the solid body Customshop Gibson Les Pauls there is definately a correlation.The lighter the guitar (IOW the less dense the wood) the more open (more harmonics I guess) the sound/tone and the more sustain you get .The heavier Les Pauls (IOW the more dense the wood) tend to have a more woody and creamy sound/tone with about the same amount of sustain. Some players prefer the second senario. (NB: pups and strings being the same of course)

AlanRatcliffe

In the same species, lighter woods tend to be more resonant and lean more to warmer tones. Heavier examples tend to be brighter and more focused. Chambering, done properly (lots of smaller cavities) keeps the core tone of the wood but adds a little resonance.

VellaJ

As to be expected, Vic and Alan answer you concisely and precisely ?

I just wanted to add, I used to think that chambering would decrease the weight of the guitar, but sacrifice the sound. It appears I was wrong, looking at Billy Gibbons, all his guitars are chambered, and he's even started having the necks chambered. And he uses 0.007 strings, but man the sound he gets from those guitars is gorgeous...

psyx

Thanks! Ive been wondering about it for a while...havn't tried enough guitars to find out for myself yet! It seems basswood guitars are far heavier than most others, mahogany guitars and maple guitars are a bit lighter, but I'm not too sure about ash yet. Ive picked up a few ash guitars that were relatively heavy.

Psean

VellaJ wrote: As to be expected, Vic and Alan answer you concisely and precisely ?

I just wanted to add, I used to think that chambering would decrease the weight of the guitar, but sacrifice the sound. It appears I was wrong, looking at Billy Gibbons, all his guitars are chambered, and he's even started having the necks chambered. And he uses 0.007 strings, but man the sound he gets from those guitars is gorgeous...

Slightly OT, but since Vella's on a big BFG trip at the moment I thought I'd share:
http://www.premierguitar.com/Video/20110607/1456/Rig_Rundown_Billy_F_Gibbons_ZZ_Top.aspx

Billy G rig rundown. Surprisingly complicated.

AlanRatcliffe

psyx wrote: Thanks! Ive been wondering about it for a while...havn't tried enough guitars to find out for myself yet! It seems basswood guitars are far heavier than most others, mahogany guitars and maple guitars are a bit lighter, but I'm not too sure about ash yet. Ive picked up a few ash guitars that were relatively heavy.

Basswood itself is lighter than almost anything else, but basswood guitars are often paired with Floyd Rose Trems, which add a lot of weight. They also need thick hard finishes, which adds a little weight to a basswood guitar too.
Ash can be one of the lightest or one of the heaviest woods, depending on where it is grown and how high up the tree the wood is taken from.
Alder is medium weight and fairly consistent.
Mahogany is on the heavier side of medium weight.
Maple is heavy.
Rosewood is heavy, but most species have a high oil content, so it is mostly darker toned.

VellaJ

Psean wrote: Slightly OT, but since Vella's on a big BFG trip at the moment I thought I'd share:
http://www.premierguitar.com/Video/20110607/1456/Rig_Rundown_Billy_F_Gibbons_ZZ_Top.aspx

Billy G rig rundown. Surprisingly complicated.

Can you blame me? The guy's the DEFINITION of cool 8)

Thanks man, yeah that's a good video, awesomely informative about his style...

psyx

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
psyx wrote: Thanks! Ive been wondering about it for a while...havn't tried enough guitars to find out for myself yet! It seems basswood guitars are far heavier than most others, mahogany guitars and maple guitars are a bit lighter, but I'm not too sure about ash yet. Ive picked up a few ash guitars that were relatively heavy.
Basswood itself is lighter than almost anything else, but basswood guitars are often paired with Floyd Rose Trems, which add a lot of weight. They also need thick hard finishes, which adds a little weight to a basswood guitar too.
Ash can be one of the lightest or one of the heaviest woods, depending on where it is grown and how high up the tree the wood is taken from.
Alder is medium weight and fairly consistent.
Mahogany is on the heavier side of medium weight.
Maple is heavy.
Rosewood is heavy, but most species have a high oil content, so it is mostly darker toned.

Woah! Thanx Alan