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What to expect from a light Les Paul?

rsoby

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Feb 22, 2016
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4
After several months my dealer finally got an R6 (this one is Murphy Lab Ultra light aged) in.
Turns out the guitar weighs 3,65kg (8.047lbs). So far my lightest Les Paul was around 4kg (8.8lbs) or more.
I am NOT specifically looking for a light guitar but I'll grab this one (still have a 30 day money back guarantee though!) since he told me the next one could take another couple of months to arrive.

So for people who have played 8.8-9 lbs Les Pauls vs lighter ones (like this 8lbs) : what can I expect tonally from this R6?

Thanks for your help!!
 

C-4

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Jan 5, 2005
Messages
1,776
Each guitar regardless of it's weight alone, will not determine what you might get from it.
Some sound full, others sound thinner, and so on.

The only way for you to tell what "you" are going to get from it, is for you to plug it in to your amp and play it.
 

ADP

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Jul 16, 2015
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681
The lighter the better in my book, but it is always the sum of the parts that equal a perfect LP. The best Les Paul I own is 8lbs even.
 

goldtop0

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Aug 19, 2003
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As above and I always tend to get lighter ones when possible.......physically easier.
You're going to love the P90s..................post a pic when you get it (y)
 

goldtop0

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the heavier ones have better tone .... just dont go past around 9.3 lbs

( this is a general statement .... there are exceptions )

To be honest it's all over the place as regards tone and weight and must be looked at with each individual guitar......it's a bit of an old wives tale that the heavier the weight the better the tone.
For example in my experience the heaviest Gibsons I've encountered were in the Norlin era and I mostly do not like the sound or feel of the ones I've played over the years however there are other people that do.
 

garbeaj

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Feb 27, 2016
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Honestly, in my experience any tone difference is impossible to put down to the weight of the guitar. Call me crazy, but Iā€™ve played Les Paul guitars that are over 9 lbs. and one might have been the worst sounding and feeling Iā€™ve ever played and another really great. Iā€™ve played chambered Lesters and all them were great. Nothing Iā€™ve ever played compared to a famous Burst that I had the good fortune to play, that being ā€œCandyā€, and it seemed very light to me (although Iā€™ve never weighed it, Iā€™m sure itā€™s weight is documented somewhere on this forum) especially versus my own 1988 ā€˜57 reissue goldtop which was a real backbreaker at over 9 lbs.
 

gibsonjunkie

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Sep 2, 2003
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150
This "Made for Guitar Center" LP weighs in at 7.2 pounds. For an inexpensive Gibson it sounds pretty darn good.

10845715_10205346775729411_8843397577838000062_o.jpg
 

Dr. Green

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Dec 12, 2018
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To be honest it's all over the place as regards tone and weight and must be looked at with each individual guitar......it's a bit of an old wives tale that the heavier the weight the better the tone.
For example in my experience the heaviest Gibsons I've encountered were in the Norlin era and I mostly do not like the sound or feel of the ones I've played over the years however there are other people that do.

so you have heard first hand a very light Lester of under 8.0 LB which was as full toned as a 9 pounder ?
 
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renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
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Most of mine hit around 8.5.

I have several right at 9ish.

A couple right around 8.

I don't think weight tells you much.

It's just interesting and I always post my weights.

I would not have kept any of them if I didn't like the tones.

IMO the best sounding one I have is a 62 LP Jr. at under 6.


35662972023_8cf6cfa7b6_3k.jpg
 

rsoby

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Feb 22, 2016
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4
Thanks for the input!!
It's clear that I cannot reduce everything to the weight...there are more variables that play a role in this equation. I'll report as soon as the guitar is at home!
 

goldtop0

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Aug 19, 2003
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so you have heard first hand a very light Lester of under 8.0 LB which was as full toned as a 9 pounder ?

It's extremely rare to find a LP at under 8lb unless it's been chambered. My criteria here are vintage and customshop guitars.
I've kept two LPs out of seven that I've had over the decades since '91(a Standard that weighed a ton and was say 9.5lbs maybe, think it was an '89), since then I've owned customshop ones and played many vintage, all have been in the 8-8lb 8oz range.
My keepers are at 8lb 3oz each('13s) and sound great with heaps of sustain..........have a 8lb 15oz 335('14) that sounds sublime too.
 

DharmaBum

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Mar 16, 2020
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I think every guitar can be unique, which makes it hard to generalize. Personally, I favor the lighter guitars. I've got a 60th R9 that weighs 7lbs 15oz, and it feels and sounds great. Very resonant. I recall an interview with Derek Trucks, and he favored the lighter guitars too:

 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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Here is my unscientific contribution to this discussion . I grew up playing a 9LB Norlin era Les Paul Custom . So I have them all around 9lbs (10 ) One 2019 R8 weighs 8.2LBS and I can hear difference ,which I am not crazy about . At first when I am playing I am busy concentrating ,but I take a break and then the sound is very present and hard to miss . So yes to me weight makes a difference and I am partial to 9lbs.89381C.jpg
 
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