PMRazr
So, as posted earlier I recently acquired an Ibanez AEL-40 (2003) acoustic guitar. One thing has has been on my mind about the guitar is how light it is compared to the AEL series guitar I have handled. The AEL-40 is the top of the range in the AEL series with a large solid spruce top and flamed (not solid) sycamore back and sides. However I have noticed that my guitar is considerably lighter than the "lesser" AEL-20 which lacks the solid top but it otherwise identical. Could it be that the electronics are for some reason lighter in my 2003 model AEL than in my friend's 2009-ish EAL?
Is solid wood heavier than plywood?
But most importantly, does it matter in regards to the sound quality?
Bob-Dubery
Wood is not wood as regards weight. My Larrivee is noticably lighter than my Morgan despite having a larger body. The Larry is spruce and mahogany, the Morgan is spruce and rosewood. It turns out that rosewood is a denser, thus heavier wood than mahogany.
There may be all sorts of other factors that add up to weight differences. The Morgan has metal (I'm guessing brass) buttons on the tuners, the Larry has wood. There may be differences - even with guitars from the same maker - in construction that count towards a weight difference. Tops may be cut to different thicknesses, bracing may be differently shaped. All sorts of things.
Let your ear be the judge as regards sound. I don't believe that weight and tone are directly related, and tone is subjective anyway.
