Heavy Les Pauls Made The Best Music 

“Good tone is heavy and hard to carry” - Tom Bukovac

I always loved heavy guitars and basses, but now that I'm an old man I love my SG.

I had a 1970 LP Custom that weighed close to 11 pounds. That guitar is a tone monster, even with the not so high output pickups it has. Wish I hadn't sold it.

I got a wah-wah pedal yesterday. First time I’ve ever really got down with one. I played for 8 hours straight. Didn’t even smoke a cigarette, couldn’t be bothered to go outside(bong hits were taken though). My lower back hurts today. I was kinda standing on one foot the whole time.

My 82 Les Paul weighs in at 13.5 lbs. An absolute beast to wield.

My 68 Les Paul weighs 10lbs 13 oz. It was a Mike Ladd custom build, at least the pickups (double screws on each pickup), also neck and bridge wired out of phase for “greenie tone”. Still in love with it.

I have a 1976 Les Paul Deluxe, and a 1980 Les Paul Custom...BOTH are "boat anchors" but a nice neoprene 3" wide strap takes care of that issue, quite nicely. And, they are both "tone monsters" Norlin era be damned. Love 'em!!

YES! Billy Sheehan is a stud bassist. His work with Mr. Big and DLR is spectacular as well.

I’m got an 82 custom at 12.5 lbs and am 80 custom at 11. Love ‘em heavy 🎸🤙

Thanks Derek, for noting the work ethic and non complaining of bass players!

My main guitar is a 2003 Gibson Les Paul Standard (50s) in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. It weighs in at 10.8 pounds!

Just another reason to hit the gym! To be able to lift my Les Paul.

I love my 11 lb Les Paul, however as a petite woman ii is honestly very fatiguing to play it for long stretches. At 5 lbs I can practice on my 59 melody maker all night without feeling it. My playing improved because I could practice for longer.

I started out on resonator banjos, so whenever someone says a guitar is heavy, I have to laugh a little inside.

My '81 Custom is 9.90lbs. Love it. Warm&fuzzy.

My 76 Les Paul Custom weighs close to 13 lbs. And I believe it sounds even better than my 2015 Paul. Of course you got to consider your pickups , on my 76 they are DiMarzios creams . My newer Paul has 57 classics . 🎸

Hi, I bought my 1st "real" guitar in '78. A 1976 Les Paul Custom in wine red with chrome hardware. My gigging guitar back in the day. Weighed it recently: 9lb 6oz. It's tone and feel is worth every oz.

My 2014 Les Paul Anniversary Traditional weighs almost 10 pounds and it’s my favourite Les Paul from years of playing them. I’ve sold all the other ones which were all weight relieved. Lightweight guitars for lightweight players. Haha

Thank you for the Bass shout out

So, my heaviest guitar is a 79 KM cherry SB Les Paul. It weighs around 10 lbs as I recall. Maybe 10.2. Contrast that with my 72 Deluxe Goldtop, which is a full 2 lbs lighter. It is a very noticeable difference when holding both. The 79 was part of the first run, because it had the Custom-Made plaque behind the stoptail. It absolutely delivers on the tone and sustain from the creme bobbin HBs.

My ''74 Standard is 9.2lbs. Sounds great. Back in that (my) day, we added brass stuff. Tail pieces, nuts, even knobs. That was THE thing back then.

I play live (standing) 2-3 hours/set, 2-4 times/month, with a Fender Jazz bass Marcus Miller edition (10.1 lbs) and never 12:07 even think about it. I’m 64 years old, and have done that for decades

I got a 73 standard new in 74 & weighs in at just under 13lbs! Endless sustain-had now for 50 years

I play bass and the weight doesn't bug me. I had an instructor tell me to wear my strap at the end of my shoulder, on the bones of the joint, because bone takes the weight better than tissue. I've taken that advice, and have never had any neck or shoulder problems or pain.

Yes. Bass player's use wide straps to mitigate the weight.

"He ain't heavy, he's my Les Paul."

Hi, great show, where is the weight sweetspot ?? Do Bigsby's add good weight?? thank you

I find that heavy lp's are more resistant to squealing at higher gain, but lighter lp's are easier to coax desirable feedback at lower gain.

Yep-bass player here. My Fender Jazz Marcus Miller edition weighs 10.1lbs. No big deal.

The average weight of vintage Bursts is around 8.5 lbs. These are the most sought-after Les Pauls, and they inspired all that came after. You are correct, the "heavy is better" came from the 70s boat anchors (not just Gibsons either). Fast forward to today, when most Gibsons - Custom Shop included - have gotten heavier overall. I noticed this over the past few years. I can only assume that promoting the "heavy is better" mantra will help find these new boat anchors a loving home... just not mine, lol. Specifications have become more important due to internet purchases and it totally makes sense. I like to know what I'm getting, even when it's hands-on. That's part of the reason why Fender CS instruments are cool because you get the Floor Traveler. Even with a damaged shoulder, I am not a weight snob - there are a few ways around the discomfort of a heavy instrument. My lightest Les Paul is a Studio that weighs 7.8 lbs. It's the most resonant electric in my collection - including my Custom Shop Reissue. (My heaviest instrument is a MIM Fender Cabronita Precision Bass @ 9.3 lbs.) I traded in a gorgeous '17 Traditional Plus that weighed 9.75 lbs for my '17 R8/CC29 that weighs 8.5 on the money. I couldn't handle the weight of that Traditional... if it was a pound lighter I would've kept it. The difference between a heavy bass and a heavy guitar of the same weight is due to the distribution/balance of weight. That's why I don't mind a heavier bass.

I have three Les Pauls from 2019 to 2021, so no weight relief, and all of them are under 9 pounds. My heaviest guitar of late was a Tele Deluxe that was almost 10. Certainly not the average, but it does happen. I picked them all up at a local store except one, and I didn’t care about the weights. I do3 to 4 hour gigs standing while playing and singing harmony and lead. I’m 59 (this May), and I e been at it for decades. Also not the norm. All that said, just because one person or even a group has an experience does not mean you will. Do what’s right for you.

The bursts just levitated in front of you and played themselves.

Winery Dogs mention, my absolute favorite! 🙌🏻

My Gibson LP standard weighs 11.5 and it rings like a bell

With effects these day's....just in the mind.... dial in .... Any tone under the sun with any guitar...

I have 9.5 lb les paul standard and a 10 lb les paul classic, love them both, weight was never an issue when I got them

I confirm, the first electric guitar I’ve played was a Les Paul custom from the 70s or maybe late 60s and it was the best. When I bought my first electric guitar I used the Les Paul as a template. The guitar was heavy and sounded wonderful

My R8 is 8.3 Lbs and my bad back is damn grateful for the light weight. It happens to sound great too.

When I started playing in the late 70's/early 80's, adding weight was all the rage, brass nuts, even brass plates to install on the headstock, adding Grovers, etc. Everyone said "tone is heavy". But... I have a 60th anniversary '60 Sunburst custom shop, 8lbs, one piece mahogany, it is incredible. I've seen the list of weights of vintage bursts, they hover around 8.5lbs. None of my basses weight 10lbs and I have 3.

I have a 9 pound squire strat. Is it great ?

how does a capo alter the sound? If you didn't use a capo you would have to play it with you fingers, so the nut still doesn't come into play

Like you said, each guitar is unique. The weight only really matters if it's TOO DAMN HEAVY!

My first real good guitar was a 78 LPC, i never weighed it, but it was heavy, wish i still had it. I currently own, and love, a 2003 epiphone elite, modded with pearly gates pickups, sounds glorious, and weighs just over 11 pounds. A lead ingot wrapped in mahogany.....

I played shows and practiced with a fairly heavy Les Paul for a few years. After a while it was like I broke my shoulder in and I didn’t notice the weight. Now it doesn’t feel quite right if the guitar is too light. Just something I got used to.

I once picked up a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe at a Guitar Center that weighed every bit of 12 pounds. Awful. BUT everything lighter than that is fine 😂😂

I picked up even a Player Plus Strat to try out and holy crap...that thing was heaaaaavy.

I absolutely love a heavy guitar. There's some mojo to how they make me feel when I play - like I can be extra careless and play with energy. I don't feel like I'm breaking it. Maybe that extra energy is what subconsciously translates to a better tone. I find myself 'babying' light guitars a lot more whereas I play a heavy guitar like I stole it.

i have a 2022 gibson les paul standard it`s 10.2 lb it sounds great

Those new weight reducing straps work pretty good.

Ian Faith: "Certainly, in the topsy-turvy world of heavy rock, having a good solid piece of wood in your hand is often useful."

I have a Les Paul copy by Dillion Guitars. It weighs around 11 pounds and sounds great.

I've heard that Marty Stuart's original Parsons/White B-Bender Telecaster weighs about 14 lbs. I recently got a brand new Epiphone Standard 60's Les Paul which weighs 9lbs 11oz and that feels pretty chunky to me. Hats off to Mr. Stuart (who is in his early 60's) for playing that thing constantly since 1980 and still going strong.

Well, Yes. Absolutely.

I have one of the new Pro II Strats in ROASTED PINE. Lightest guitar I’ve ever owned and maybe it’s the new pickups but this sucker sings! I have a severely damaged neck and playing standing for me ended about 5 years back. I’ve learned to sit with everything and not have it effect how I play. I figured Skunk Baxter can do it, so can I. Guitar weight will never stop me from owning something. Hell, I have a PRS McCarty 594 10 top that’s HEAVY but it is what it is.

What's up Jonathan Love you guitar playing bro

My Solar GC1.6 T-FAB and GC1.6 FRC single cuts have a nice weight to them. Been playing for nearly 50 years and these Solar guitars are the best I’ve played. I have 5 now and want more !! Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

I asked to see a Tele with a Bigsby that was at the very top row in a Guitar Center years ago. A guy went up a ladder to get it and as he was coming down the ladder he handed it to me and I almost dropped it. The thing was heavy enough to anchor a cruise ship. I handed it right back and said that will never work. It may have been the one, but I don’t care😂

I once owned a 70s custom. Called it a shoulder killer.

Dan Hawkins of 'The Darkness' actually had weight added to one of his Les Pauls by having lead fishing sinkers secured in the chambers. He dubbed the guitar 'The Codfather'. The man is a genius! :) (Check out his Marshall demo videos - absolutely breathtaking tone.)

I'm an old man still playing out constantly in a cover band having a ball. I have a very bad back. I've had fusion surgery, and I will always have a cage in my back. Although every gig I swear at myself when we are done but I just can't NOT play my LP Traditinal. I play rhythm, and the sound of that guitar is just better to my ear than any other guitar I own. 10 lbs is a lot for me to use, but I still do.

My Les Paul is 11 pounds. This video cheered me up.

I've built a few guitars out of various materials. One of them is my heaviest at around 9 to 10 pounds. I used two Cherrywood cabinets doors stacked on top of each other, shaped it like a skull and it's almost as big as as an ES-335. It's very mid range sounding so not something I could use for every song at a gig. I think it sounds that way maybe because of the wood type but also the size, weight and denseness. P.S. it has a single bridge humbucker.

We weighted all those guitars on the wall Saturday, 489 lbs!

I had a nut from Reverb open a case to return a nice guitar because his scales read it to be 10.88 ounces heavier than mine did.

I think weight distribution is actually a big factor how heavy a guitar feels. My Jazzmaster is a pretty similar weight to my Les Paul, but the Jazzmaster doesn't nearly feel like a boat anchor hurting my back. Perhaps its to do with the Jazzmaster's wider body and contours whereas a Les Paul is a smaller body and a thicker slab of wood.

The best sounding Strat I ever had was a 70s, weighed nearly 11lb. It was so full of mids, with tight lows that it could eat a Les Paul for breakfast and still have room for an Explorer. My current 8lb Strat is amazing but a totally different guitar to that 11lber. My favorite Les Paul was 9.3lb. the heaviest Les Paul that I've owned. My current Les Paul is 8.8lb. It's the most resonant and 'sweet' sounding Paul that I've owned but does not have the chug of the 9.3lber.

Part of the reason an old 70's Les Paul is heavy is the lead shielding cup over the controls. That thing probably weighs a pound on its own. My old friend's 'Paul was a '70, if I'm remembering correctly. It had to weigh 12 lbs. It had the lead cup. I had a Stingray that was north of 12 lbs. I sold it, because 4 sets with that thing killed my shoulder, even with a really good strap.

I have a Les Paul Standard and Strat that weigh a metric ton but I could care less! They are gorgeous and easily make the best tones. 😊

I played the Layla gold top, under 9 for sure

I find buying a 10lb Les Paul that I liked to play is very difficult to find these days. This video is great guys sooo true!

I am 99% sure that all of the guitarists who had heavy guitars would have still made the same songs with a lighter guitar. It is 95% person and 5% guitar when it comes to the real genius players.

So true, Heavy is best!!

Heaviest guitar I've ever played was a Fender USA Strat. My Les Pauls don't weigh much at all and they're awesome. My 61 Jr weighs like 6 pounds and sounds killer. I opt for the lighter guitars if possible. Heaviest guitar I own is a Gibson Explorer and it's still comfortable and maybe a little heavier than my Les Paul Traditional.

I have some boat anchors that sound fantastic. Do like light ones as well. I really don’t care as long as it sounds good!

I had a custom once that was almost 12 lb and it played great but it was a heavy Guitar.Does anybody remember the Queen album Jazz with fat bottom girls. Mine came with a poster of a nude all girl bicycle race. And Queen were in the stands! Oh yes those were good days along with heavy guitars.

Les Paul SG became popular and was particularly light.

I had a 10-11 pound Epiphone Les Paul that sounded great, sustained great, played great, but every time I played it I pulled a muscle in my back. Basically sitting down, keeping it balanced, and lifting my right leg to stomp on pedals is what did me in. It made me sad to own it because I couldn't even play it without pain. Sure I could workout more, but I know I wont :-). Now I have a Gibson LP Standard that is just under 9 pounds. It sounds great, sustains great, plays great, and no more pulled muscles. By my experience, weight had nothing to do with the tone, sustain, etc., but I did discover that I seem to prefer a pain free guitar playing experience. Conclusion, I seem to like lighter guitars.

Winery Dogs was one of the best shows I’ve seen in forever! My Les Paul is 10lbs. It does come with a special kind of weight relief called an SG.

got Dusty's Saloon in Mellen, WI and ya got Sally's Saloon in Minneapolis

The first "Electric" guitar I played was a Fender P Bass. I sort of expected the weight. When I first tried my hand at an actual "Electric Guitar", it was a borrowed 57? Gold Top LP with a Bigsby, I did not expect it to be as heavy (heavier?) as the bass, but I accepted it as part of the deal and assumed all electric guitars were supposed to be heavy. Then I went to buy one and came across a 1968 Norma, 3 single pups, kind of a Strat styling. I could not believe how light it was compared to the LP, and it sounded significantly different. I've played S-styles since and LPs just weren't a thing to me, 50 years later they still aren't. However... I was considering a 'BlackTop' Tele and was really surprised how heavy they were. Now I own a Vintage Modified Tele, with the psuedo-WideRange humbuckers. Even with a belly cut and arm relief it weighs in at almost 10 pounds! It doesn't sound like my Strat and it doesn't sound quite like an LP. Playing rhythm in a Blues-Rock band I could switch back and forth and get different tones as needed. Does the weight matter? I think to a degree it does, I know I play them differently. I strum the Strat and chop at the Tele.

I had a '76 Tele Deluxe that was so heavy, it could've been a boat anchor. I just had a Swamp Ash replacement body built for it, and it's lighter, and sounds better. Original was probably a heavy Northern Ash. Note: I didn't ditch the original body for the weight, but rather the giant neck route where the neck would regularly shift in the pocket and knock me out of tune. So new body: more comfortable, sounds great. Maybe I'm imagining it sounds better because I'm enjoying playing it again, but I don't think so.

I have a knock off brand Les Paul with a bolt-on neck. It was a birthday gift from my family for my birthday, also my first guitar. I played one other guitar sporadically for 7 years onstage, at rehearsals & just personal practice. It's about 9.8 pounds. I love 20 years later & it sounds great with the stock pickups in it. I always wonder if the sound comes from the density of the wood?

I agree, but it was also that they were played thru 50 to 100 watt amps screaming loud. There is an acoustic coupling that can occur, think old Ted Nugent's endless feedback. Riding to the point od feedback, there is a sustain and resonance that I just cant seem to hear from the models trying to reproduce them. Also, it is kind'a funny some want a light guitar, but very heavy strings! TO Note: I had a 60 black lp that came free from the front strap. My hands were putting a record on to practice with. The guitar fell down and the back strap point hit right on my big toenail. cracked it in half, and the army doctors had to remove the whole toenail. ...... memories lol. I was halfway thru swing it to the wall, when i realized it was my "guitar" and slowed and saved it. This was back in 1977, germany while I was in the army. Record was probably one more from the road, Lynyrd

Cork sniffer quality content

I recently had a 10lb Gibson Korina Explorer…that thing was a CHONK! Was super resonant though.

Heavy is the tone

My 1978 Les Paul Standard weighed a ton! It was a great sounding and playing guitar, but I still don't miss it...

I’ve gotta have a lite guitar because of a car accident. But, my heavy LP does sound the best! I play three to four hours a days so weight matters to me.

On the capo thing, last week I saw Regi Wooten playing, and he had parts where he used a capo and would move it down the neck as the solo progressed. It was fascinating to watch. I figure it makes it easier to do the same shapes as the underlying chords changed.

Subconsciously, all guitar players are drawn to a guitar that is exactly the weight they were when they were born.

Balance is more an issue than weight by itself. While I’ve never heard a guitarist complaining about the neck dive on Firebirds, many bass players hate the Thunderbird because it’s notorious for neck diving. The great benefit of replacing big heavy tuners with Hipshot light weight tuners is not just reducing the weight overall, but reducing the weight at the end of the neck.

TVL and a few select others have that “earn it” mindset, it’s not supposed to be everything is about comfort and making everything easy and coddling….love that mindset cuz it takes dedication commitment to their craft….fuck yes….

I just bought my first LP at the age of 55 last weekend

I have a 2022 Les Paul Classic that weighs 9.8lbs. It's a hoss. I only play it sitting down these days, so it doesn't matter. It has infinite sustain enough to make Nigel Tufnel not want to touch it. Playing it at a gig for 3 hours is gona leave a mark on your back... but I've never done it with this guitar.

bought my '84 LP Custom in 1988 ... never thought about weighing the dang thing when I got it. Never thought about weighing it for 20+ years. It's just awesome. Then the internet made me question my guitar choice because it's 11.3 lbs (I did end up weighing it on a postal scale a few years ago). Do I wish some days it was lighter? sometimes, but I wouldn't trade it for another LP.

My Les Paul is right around 9 pounds. I haven't weighed it with a special scale, but I've weighed myself with and without the guitar on my bathroom scale, and there was a 9 pound difference. I find that it's less strain on my shoulder and back if I leave the strap very long and low with the neck at a steep angle. There's something about the guitar sitting low and resting against my hip instead of my mid-section that makes it more bearable. At any rate, I think weight is more of a nuanced issue than most people think it is. People want there to be just one answer but there's not.

I bought a guitar made by a local Luther a red oak explorer....it's a bit heavy but it's awesome....also a pecan strat,,,a teak strat and a walnut strat.....all local by the same maker......there unique and sound like strats.

the guitarist for genesis played a 72 les Paul, and those were the heaviest LP's ever made. he was always sitting down when he was on stage

Or the things I noticed in the last 20 years is that more and more players have kept playing throughout their lifetime, where when I was a kid in the 70s 80s either you played kept at it but more of my friends that I grew up playing with stop playing so they were old men holding guitars. And I know my back by the time I reached in my forties I needed to go to something lighter I didn't want to

I never cared until this issue kept coming up on line. So I weighed the family. The 2001 Tele Am Std and 2019 LP Studio Tribute are both 7.8 lbs, the 2011 Tele 1952 reissue is 6.8. The basses? Gibson EB-0 is 6.6, the 2013 Epiphone EB-3 is 10.00 and the 2018 Fender Jazz is 8.4. I will stick with my usual mo when shopping...does it look cool, does it feel good, does it sound great?