how heavy is a guitar

How Heavy Is A Guitar? Acoustic, Electric, Bass Weight: Does It Matter?

Guitars always vary in shape, size and weight. There’s many unique guitars out there, that you can find a guitar to fit any need.

But does the weight of a guitar make a difference? How heavy is a guitar?

Should I consider the weight of a guitar when buying a new guitar?

The weight of a guitar (Electric, Acoustic or Bass) largely does not directly impact the performance or quality of the guitar.

Heavier guitars are said to have better or longer sustain. However, this is less to do with the weight, and more to do with the wood the guitar is made from.

The average guitar weights approximately:

  • Electric: 6 pounds
  • Acoustic: 3 pounds
  • Bass: 9 pounds

The type of wood used in building the guitar is a large factor in the sustain of the guitar. 

Some woods provide better sustain than others, the wood varieties with better sustain also tend to be heavier wood, but not always.

So yes, heavier guitars typically have better sustain, however, it isn’t an absolute.

Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitar Weight

Acoustic guitar weight

Acoustic guitars almost always weigh under 5 pounds.

There are many different sizes of guitar, so a Taylor Mini is going to weigh far less than an oversized dreadnought, of course.

By and large, I wouldn’t worry too much about the weight of an acoustic guitar

Whether you end up with a 3 pounder or 5 pounder, you’ll see bigger differences between the guitars in terms of fit and neck feel, than you will with sustain or weight.

Electric guitar weight

Electric guitars tend to weigh about 6 pounds.

Electric guitars can have a lot going on inside the body that you can’t see.

Some have hollow channels, are solid bodies, or made from a lightweight wood.

For example, Les Pauls are a notoriously heavy guitar.

Their design is a thicker body, that is solid and many also have an archtop that adds to the weight.

A Gibson SG on the other hand is very light for an electric guitar.

The thickness of the guitar is thinner than average and mahogany is used throughout the build.

How heavy is an electric guitar? However heavy they make it! haha

While I have nothing against Les Pauls, I do prefer SGs, so for me I actually like a lighter guitar, but again, weight isn’t something I’d consider too much when choosing a guitar.

Bass guitar weight

Bass guitars usually weigh about 9 pounds, they’re heavy!

Not surprising when you consider the sound produced by them!

If you’re used to an acoustic guitar, and are looking to pursue bass, yes, maybe you’d want to consider a bass that’s on the light side.

Basses also tend to be longer in length, with necks that are much longer than a 6 string.

Added neck length means extra weight, but also means that the body needs more weight to ensure balance.

Without a good weight balance, you might start getting neck dives, or worse, your neck sliding up and knocking some sense into you!

Does it matter how much a guitar weighs?

No, when compared to other factors of a guitar, the weight is not a major factor to determine quality.

While weight is something you’ll want to consider, there are probably 10-15 factors you’ll want to put ahead of weight when looking for your next guitar.

The biggest thing when considering the weight of a guitar, is that the balance is there.

A guitar needs to have a good or at least reasonably controllable balance, as it makes playing much more enjoyable.

Again, how heavy is a guitar isn’t a big question you should worry about when looking for a new guitar, but should be a minor consideration.

If you’d like to see a funny little experiment regarding the weight of a guitar, here’s a great video testing sustain while removing chunks from the body of a guitar:

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