Posted on 07/03/2011 10:17:25 PM PDT by Beowulf9
Wow, a light weight Tele huh? Everyone of those things any guitarist ever let me hold weighed a ton. Found the same to be true of the Les Paul.
Les Pauls are the guitars that are famous for being heavy, heavy, heavy. In fact, Gibson started "weight-relieving" them a couple of years ago by drilling huge holes in the core of the body, which is covered by the back and top veneer. And lot of purists think the weight-relief changes the tone and don't like it. Gibson sells some weight-relieved models and some that aren't. Those that aren't weigh ten to twelve pounds (the Custom Shop Les Pauls are notoriously heavy).
When Les Paul himself died there was a thread on FR.
One poster said that Les Paul was the reason that the poster had walked around for the last thirty years with his right shoulder four inches lower than his right.
Another poster talked about the time he sold his Les Paul. Claimed that he missed it so much that he bolted a guitar strap to a railroad tie and wore it until he could afford to buy another Les Paul, just to remember the feel.
Some guitarists will play a Les Paul in the studio, when they can sit down - but there's no way they are going to sling 9-1/2 to 10 pounds around their neck for a couple of hours in concert every night.
Telecasters and Stratocasters average 7.0 pounds.
Some Les Paul Custom Shops weight 12 pounds. Mine is a dainty 11 pounds, 4 ounces. I think non-chambered (non-weight-relieved) Les Paul Customs are 10 to 10-1/2 pounds. Those three extra pounds feel like a ton after a two-hour set. Five extra pounds (from a Tele to a 12-pound Les Paul) feels like a pickup truck after a two-hour set.
Most of the guys I played with kept to Strats and Teles, those Les Pauls were expensive. Good friend of mine had a sunburst color Strat. This was years ago, when I was, well, younger than I am now. I always remember the feel of the ol’ Fender Stratocaster. With that cut-away body, forgive me for being, er, risque, but it felt like holding a teen-age girl!
“But at least, unlike most of us, he died in Paris!”
No kidding, just got done reading 3 books on Marie Antoinette, who had more than enough chances to leave the place....
but I think she felt just the same. Dying Queen of France was better than living a live dog in England.
Jim had taste, albeit a bit overindulgent. Dunking your head in the barrel till your lights go out, well...but the lights were...in Paris.
What year did you graduate from Canoga? I went there briefly, joined the football team in the summer, made it through hell week but then they found out I was using my Uncle’s address. Got kicked out.
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