What does a guitar weigh?

One of the questions we often get from our customer support team is: “how much does this guitar weigh?”. To give you a clearer idea of a guitar’s weight, we’ll take a closer look at it in this blog.

All sorts of factors

Guitars come in all shapes and sizes, and are made from all kinds of materials. The most commonly used material is, of course, wood. But how much does a guitar actually weigh? There isn’t really a short answer, because the weight depends on multiple factors. The biggest factor is the body. An acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar is almost always on the lighter side, thanks to the hollow body. With electric (bass)guitars, the weight varies more because of the solid body. This can range from 1.5 to as much as 7 kilograms. Often, it logically comes down to: the bigger the body, the more wood, the heavier the guitar. However, the type of wood used is also an important factor.

Light

The lightest body wood is basswood. Guitars with a basswood body are almost always light in weight. So, if you specifically want a lightweight guitar, basswood is a safe bet. Other commonly used tonewoods for bodies include ash, alder, korina and poplar. In general, poplar and alder are a bit lighter, while ash and korina are average to heavy.

Heavy

Some guitarists actually swear by heavy guitars. In particular, (older) single-cut guitars are known for their heavy weight. People often think the mahogany used is what makes them so heavy. However, mahogany is a medium to heavy wood, and doesn’t necessarily guarantee a heavy guitar. The real heavyweight here is the maple top on these single-cut guitars. Maple is dense and hard, and relatively heavy. So if a guitar has a solid body made of pure maple, or maple combined with another wood, you can assume it will be on the heavier side.

In conclusion

Despite the rules of thumb above, in practice every piece of wood has its own weight, and even two seemingly identical guitars can differ in weight. That said, we hope this blog can serve as a guideline when choosing your next guitar.

The Electric Guitar: History, Sound and Playing Techniques Playing Keys in a Band: What You Need to Know How to Breathe: For Vocalists & Musicians How to Tune Up & Play a Guitarlele Setting Up the Band with a PA System? Here’s What You Need to Know The Hammond Organ: A Classic