Lightening a heavy guitar

[Doughboy]

I have a really nice 1 piece warmoth ash solid body strat that is too heavy. I've tried routing under the pick-guard to remove as much wood as much as possible, but it's still to heavy.

Is there any way to lighten a heavy solid body guitar without cosmetically damaging it or ruining the tone?

 

[Cagey]

Some pieces of ash are just plain heavy, to the point where even chambered they'll have some heft to them. If you've got a vibrato bridge, you could change to a hardtail and save a few ounces. Maybe lose a pickup you don't use much. But, you're probably better off getting a lightweight replacement body.

 

[greywolf]

The other alternative , which is more work is is to hand chamber it and cap it with something pretty.

I did that with a walnut LPS and got down to a 6.5lb finished weight

 

[Doughboy]

Unfortunately I can't hand chamber it as it has a super crazy AAAAAAAAAA quilt maple top that I love.

How about drilling small sideways holes in the body under the pickguard.

I desperately need to lighten this body as it's too damn uncomfortable to play.

 

[Cagey]

Pretty as it may be, perhaps it's time to move on. Somebody else will appreciate it, and you get yourself something you can live with.

 

[Doughboy]

Pretty as it may be, perhaps it's time to move on. Somebody else will appreciate it, and you get yourself something you can live with.

Noooooooooooooooooo!!!! Can't do it. It's so purty I can't part with it. There's got to be a way!!!!!

 

[bagman67]

 

[greywolf]

I'd agree with Cagey,  if you can't stand the weight look for a better candidate. 

My '79 LP Custom is 12+ lbs , I don't play it much any more for that reason .

There is a limit to routing , even under a pickguard . 

If it is really pretty , you should be able to recover your investment.

 

[Cagey]

There is a limit to routing , even under a pickguard . 

Right. Even Warmoth's full-tilt boogie chambering or hollowing only returns about a 25% reduction, at best. And that's a pretty ambitious bit of routing out that requires the top not be on the body. Once the body's whole, I doubt you could pull out even 5%, and that's probably being optimistic. Assuming you could get it, on a 5lb body, that would knock it back to 4.75lbs. Not enough to write home about.

On the other hand, here's a quilted Maple topped Swamp Ash Strat body that's been chambered and only weighs 2lbs., 15oz...

$236 in the box, out the door.

Do it! You know you want to!

 

[line6man]

Put a large rear route cavity on the back, put a big swimming pool route on the top, and do some rabbeting around the perimeter of the cavities to remove more wood. Use a lightweight bridge, plastic knobs, fewer pickups, and a lighter neck.

 

[mayfly]

This is your future:

 

[Cagey]

Fascinating.​

 

[Doughboy]

Put a large rear route cavity on the back, put a big swimming pool route on the top, and do some rabbeting around the perimeter of the cavities to remove more wood. Use a lightweight bridge, plastic knobs, fewer pickups, and a lighter neck.

I've already done the swimming pool route, but will try routing around the cavity & see what that does. 1/2 lbs would be nice.

 

[stubhead]

You know, I had a Peavey T60 in the 80's and I did some hole-cutting and sawed a Musiclander-type notch in it. Got it down to around 10 lbs. maybe, apparently nobody told Mr. Peavey about the "swamp" part of ash.... and put my very first "part" on it, a giant no-name maple/maple replacement neck I got at Guitar Resurrection in Austin for $99. 13 lb. guitars with popsicle-stick necks, we all gotta start somewhere. And then after I made it useful - really useful - I traded it for my first pedal steel, a S10 ShoBud, which if I still had it would have turned out to be, like, my 3rd-best deal of a lifetime. Do NOT ask about the 2nd & 1st, if I still had 'em..... :sad1: :tard:  :sad:

 

[mullyman]

This may sound silly but have you considered trying a wider strap? It won't reduce the weight at all but it will hold it over a wider area.
MULLY

 

[Updown]

Is there any way to lighten a heavy solid body guitar without cosmetically damaging it or ruining the tone?

Sorry ... couldn't resist  :icon_biggrin:
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=21391.msg316695#msg316695


If ya got a dremel 'flex shaft attachment', sould be able to grid / drill more out from under the pickguard area.
With a swimming pool route, you should have room for drilling holes in different directions, 'with some long drill bits'.
Other wise ... sell and start again.  :dontknow:

 

[Doughboy]

This may sound silly but have you considered trying a wider strap? It won't reduce the weight at all but it will hold it over a wider area.
MULLY

Tried it, but it didn't help unfortunately.

 

[Doughboy]

Is there any way to lighten a heavy solid body guitar without cosmetically damaging it or ruining the tone?

Sorry ... couldn't resist  :icon_biggrin:
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=21391.msg316695#msg316695


If ya got a dremel 'flex shaft attachment', sould be able to grid / drill more out from under the pickguard area.
With a swimming pool route, you should have room for drilling holes in different directions, 'with some long drill bits'.
Other wise ... sell and start again.  :dontknow:

I was thinking that this was a last resort. Will see if my luthier has one & if he's kosher with doing this. If this guitar didn't look & play so well, I'd just part with it, but it's sooo purty & plays so darn nice.

 

[jackthehack]

Have you considered spending some time in the gym and building your body up to the point where an ash strat isn't too heavy for you?

 

[Cagey]

I was thinking that this was a last resort. Will see if my luthier has one & if he's kosher with doing this. If this guitar didn't look & play so well, I'd just part with it, but it's sooo purty & plays so darn nice.

So... keep it. Use it as a recording or practice guitar, or even just a wallflower. Build something else to go out and fight with. This one you sit with. Lord knows I can't stand with several of my guitars. I have physical problems to start with, but even if I didn't I wouldn't want to hang some of these bitches around my neck. They're just too heavy. A couple pounds makes a surprising amount of difference in comfort, even with the widest, most supple strap you can buy. Then there are others that are just too pretty to ever take out in public. Somebody with too much lust in their heart and too little self-control may try to relieve me of them.

If money's an issue, keep eBay in mind or watch the trading sections on the forums. Patience pays. Don't commit to buy something RFN, just put it in the back of your mind. Collect up some parts over time as opportunities present themselves, and eventually you'll get to where you need to be. Also, keep in mind you might not want the ultimate guitar of doom for going out. Something simple and maybe even a tad ragged is the way to go. As long as it plays/sounds good, you're in. Get too fancy on stage, and you'll lose your baby sure as hell. Even happens to the pros, and you know they've got allies and security all over the place.