Whether you want to ship a guitar, take it on a plane, or find a guitar comfortable to play, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about the weight of electric guitars.
The average weight of an electric guitar is 8 lbs (3.6 kg). Typical electric guitars can weigh anywhere from 6 to 10+ lbs (2.7 – 4.5 kg) depending on the type of wood used and shape of the body.
Let’s look at the typical weight of different types of electric guitars, why the weight matters, and other important details you need to know about an electric guitar’s weight.
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There are a couple of things that make up most of the difference in weight between electric guitars. Understanding these factors will help you better understand the guitars you are buying or own.
Different types of wood have different densities that impact the overall weight of a guitar. If you’ve ever picked up some Balsa wood and were shocked at how light it was, you know that the type of wood makes a big difference in weight.
The type of wood used for the fretboard does impact weight, but it is insignificant compared to the type of wood used in the guitar body and neck.
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As you can see, there can be a massive difference between types of wood, but also within the same type of wood.
For example, Mahogany is typically thought of as a heavy type of wood and Alder is thought of as a light type of wood for guitar, but you can see that it is possible to buy Alder that weighs more than Mahogany.
The weight of a type of wood can vary depending on growing conditions and location, so keep this in mind when considering wood type.
How Much Does A Les Paul Weigh?
It should be no surprise that the Strandberg (headless guitar on the right) is the lightest (by far) and the double-neck guitar on the left is the heaviest.
While those are extreme examples, the shape and size of a guitar’s body can make a big difference to a guitar’s weight.
Take a look at the below Ibanez S Series and Gibson Les Paul to get an idea how much of a difference the thickness can make:
Gibson Les Paul Standard
It should be no surprise that the slim and contoured Ibanez feels ridiculously light compared to the thick and bulky Les Paul.
The guitar on the left is significantly larger but weighs less than the other guitar because the guitar on the left has a hollowed out body.
While they are both Gibson Les Pauls, one may be significantly lighter than the other depending on whether the guitar body has been chambered or not.
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An important aspect of a guitar’s weight is how solid the body is. Some guitars are built with a solid slab of wood, while others have hollowed sections.
Asolid body guitaruses a solid slab of wood or a few solid slabs glued together. A typical Les Paul feels heavy because it uses a solid slab of wood.
As you might imagine, hollowing out the body not only changes the way the guitar sounds, but it also significantly reduces the weight.
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You won’t be able to tell if a Les Paul has been chambered by looking at it, but you will definitely notice when you pick one up.
When looking through these examples, remember that the type of wood used does play a big role in the weight of a guitar.
The heavy weight of a Les Paul is due to the thick body design and the use of mahogany for the body.
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Some Les Pauls have cavities routed into the body to provide some weight relief. They look identical to a solid-body Les Paul but feel significantly lighter.
If you play a Les Paul then pick up a Stratocaster, it will be obvious how much lighter and more comfortable it will feel.
Just like strats, teles have been built with a variety of woods over the years. You are most likely to see one made alder or swamp ash, which makes it fairly lightweight.
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SGs are made out of mahogany and are thinner than a Les Paul, which explains the big difference in weight between the two guitars.
While the PRS can be just as heavy as a typical Les Paul, the contoured body style makes it feel more comfortable to play.
The JEM body is typically made with basswood or alder with a maple neck. The wood used in RGs can vary as there are a lot of different woods used across RG models.
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This is an extreme example of cutting the weight down by removing the headstock, having a small and contoured body, and heavily chambering the body.
When you pick up a Strandberg for the first time, the lack of weight is the first thing everybody notices. But you forget about the weight when you play it and hear how good it can sound.
As you can see, there is quite a lot of overlap between different types of guitars. Even in the same type of guitar, there can be a significant variance in weight due to the type of wood used.
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The above chart shows that while the average weight of an electric guitar is 8 lbs (3.6 kg), the average doesn’t really mean anything.
The weight of an electric guitar case can vary depending on the thickness of the shell and the materials used on the inside.
While shipping a guitar with a hard case may push your shipping costs up, it does provide the best protection for your guitar.
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There are a couple of reasons why a guitar’s weight matters. Some of these reasons may be important to you, while others may not be important.
If you’re looking at buying a guitar, here are a few things to consider when looking at how heavy the guitar is.
Out of all of the reasons you may consider when it comes to a guitar’s weight, comfort is likely the most important to most people.
Why Are Les Pauls So Heavy?
The weight of an electric guitar plays a massive role in overall comfort. A super-heavy electric guitar can give you shoulder pain when playing standing up, while a lightweight guitar won’t cause any discomfort.
If the first thing you notice when you pick up a guitar at a shop is how heavy it is, think about whether you’re happy for all of that weight to be held by your shoulder.
There are plenty of guitarists who love heavy guitars, so there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to comfort. Just remember that lighter guitars tend to feel more comfortable while playing.
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The weight of a guitar can vary significantly. So you may wonder whether the weight of a guitar has an impact on tone.
To answer this question, you need to remember that the main difference in weight between electric guitars is the type of wood used. So does the type of wood used in a guitar affect tone?
That question causes more debates and arguments among guitarists than anything else. There are countless YouTube comparisons, heated Reddit arguments and forum threads that go on forever trying to answer that question.
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Heavier guitars and lighter guitars do tend to sound different but don’t concern yourself whether the difference in tone is caused by the weight of the guitar.
The weight of a guitar does play a part in the overall sustain you hear. Denser woods impacts the resonance of your strings and can cause them to ring out longer.
If you strum the open strings on several types of electric guitars and listen to how long they ring, you will notice that heavier guitars tend to ring out longer.
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This is partly why Les Paul guitars are well-known for their great sustain. There are other reasons that contribute to sustain, but the weight of the guitar plays an important role.
As explained above, the weight of a guitar impacts tone to an extent, sustain, and comfort. But it would be a mistake to only look at the weight of the guitar to decide on these points.
For example, it is generally believed that heavier guitars have better sustain. But it doesn’t take long to find a lightweight guitar with far better sustain than a Les Paul if you look for one.
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Think about what is important to you in a guitar and focus on those features. If you end up with a heavy guitar, buy a suitable guitar strap as explained later. If you end up with a light guitar, that’s good too.
While many guitarists think that tone is the most important point to focus on when buying a guitar, many others would argue that playability is more important.
You can always upgrade your pickups to improve your guitar’s tone, but the playability of a guitar is fairly unchangeable (apart from changing string gauges or adjusting action).
Gibson Les Paul Standard
If you want to ship your electric guitar or take it on a plane, you probably want to have a decent idea on how much it weighs.
As you saw earlier, there can be large differences in weight in the same type of guitar, so weighing your guitar is better than relying on averages.
As an example, if you weigh yourself and you are 160 lbs (72.5 kg)
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