What constitutes a "heavy" Tele...?

[drewsblues]

... or a "light" one for that matter? Do y'all have a cutoff or rule of thumb that you personally use? Do you just go by feel? Does it even factor into the equation for you?

I just weighed my '96 AmStd and it's 8 pounds, 9.5 ounces. It feels a little heavy to me when I pick it up, but it's very comfortable to wear with a decent strap. Once I start playing, I hardly notice the weight.

Anybody have a gold brick that they love to play, even though it weighs a ton?

Just curious...

 

[Dizi]

Its an initial shock, I think. My first two Strats were almost identical, 7lbs 5ozs. Then my 3rd Strat was 8lbs 9ozs and the difference felt huge at first, but then I got used to it. Now I only notice the difference when I switch from one to the other.

 

[Rabog]

Not overly arsed by the weight - so long as it doesn't way too much, I mean 10lbs would really get to me, or for that matter, too light would be equally odd....a few ounces here and there doesn't affect me too much.

 

[Ignatius]

Too heavy is where it becomes uncomfortable to wear. But if the guitar sounds good I don't give a rat's behind if it's heavy. I'm not a big guy and I have a couple Teles over 9lbs and I play gigs with them week after week. I don't understand all the talk about heavy/light Teles on this site, but I suppose it matters to some people for their own good reasons.

 

[KevinB]

For me, a good average weight is 7.5 to 8.5 lbs. But it really all depends on how it plays and how it sounds. Over 9lbs is starting to get heavy, and under 7lbs they start to feel like a toy. But overall, the weight is not much of a big deal to me with other things being much more important.

 

[Rumblebones]

The best weight is the guitar that feels comfortable to you.

Some people feel uncomfortable with a light solid body guitar, some feel uncomfortable with a heavy one.

 

[fordfanjpn]

Since several people found Road Worn Tele's that were significantly less than 7lbs, I was a bit disappointed that mine weighs in at 7.9lbs, and it does feel a bit heavy to me. In fact, I'm seriously considering looking for a lighter one.

Bill

 

[telideli]

My '76 checks in at about 10 lbs.....I like it fine....I'd feel cheated with a Tele under 8 lbs.

 

[Joe M]

The 52RI that I just bought weighs almost exactly 9 lbs., the heaviest tele I own. But, it plays and sounds better than any 52RI I've ever had. Sound and feel is much more important to me than weight.

 

[otterhound]

My Rosie is all but 10 lbs. and plays like a feather . A heavy Tele is any Tele played by Jimmy Page .

 

[Jaxson612]

To paraphrase a former Supreme Court Justice- " I know it when I feel it".

 

[91xlntS-3]

Just let go of my G&L ASAT III from 87-88; it was 10 lbs. even. I hardly ever played it, and it really put a strain on my back/shoulder. Beautiful, original guitar, but spent most of it's life (with me) in it's case.

Everything else I own falls into the 6.4 to 8.6 lb. range. With 7.5 lbs. being about average.

 

[telechaser]

I normally just feel the weight after playing. I don't really feel the weight while playing. Maybe when I get a little bit older I'll begin to feel it.

 

[Jammin'John]

Heavy

My heaviest Tele is 9 #.
Sometimes it bothers me but not often.
My lightest is around 7#'s.
It feels like a feather.

JJ

 

[golfnut]

My 52 Hotrod RI is 8.8 lbs. Its a little on the heavy side and I start to feel it after gigging a night with it. But it sounds sooo good. I have been tempted to get rid of it just because of the weight but I can't bring my self to do it. I had a 52 reissue that was 7.5 that I got rid of for the hotrod. I wished I had kept both I have a CS Nocaster that weighs 7.1 lbs. And I love the sound of it. All 3 of the above guitars are great sounding. I regret selling the 52 ri. I won't make the same mistake with the other 2.

 

[surfco]

All a wide leather strap don't fix.

 

[mijstrat72]

I now have 2 wide leather straps for 8.6 lb CV tele. Much more comfy. If I had a brutal day at the warehouse (I can lift upwards of 20-25,000 pounds a day, not all at once mind you) I use the 4" strap, if the day was slow, I'll use the 3" strap.

Hardly notice the weight with the wide straps. I had one of those cool looking thin straps with the shoulder pad from Fender and it almost killed me after 2 hours and band practice.

 

[mr.fitz]

I have a mim that I have a parsons style B bender in it,the bender assembly is mounted to a 1/8" piece of metal,I have also just finished a metalflake finish(ala buckocaster) with about 40 coats of clear(17 cans worth) and I love it.I have an epiphone lespaul that feels like a paper weight in comparison.I'm almost afraid to put it on a scale,LOL

 

[qblue]

I just finished playing my 8.8 lb Baja blonde, and I stood for about an hour. I have a wide Fender strap, and it helps. But despite its size, it still is my number one. I think the guitar is well-balanced and sounds good, so I don't notice it.