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Vintage Les Paul Weights

SJD53LP

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
30
I was wondering what other vintage (especially) 50's and 60's Les Pauls weighed and how people believed it affects their tone. I have a 1953 Les Paul Standard I bought in 1977 which had already been recently converted. The changes were removal of Trapeze to later style bridge and tailpiece, refinished all over except front of head stock and from Gold Top to Black top, routed for humbuckers, and Schaller tuners. (In the 80's I had the pickups changed to Seymour Duncans and one of the pots was replaced for a single coil pull switch and like an idiot I didn't salvage the old one, so I'm in the market for a vintage '53 pot, tuners and perhaps 50's PAFs that I can afford).

The guitar plays and sounds fantastic. It weighs 9.03 pounds. Pics of mins are here. I was wondering what other vintage LPs weigh and how people feel it impacts the tone. Might be an interesting thread and I didn't see another like it on weights.
-Steve
 

MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,166
These weights may be somewhat inaccurate, because I didn't have a good digital scale at the time I weighed them several years ago (going to re-do them), but they were:

'58 Burst - 9 lbs. 8 oz. (yup, a porker!)
'59 Burst - 8 lbs. 12 oz.
'60 Burst - 8 lbs. 10 oz.

In my opinion, a weight in the high 8's/low 9's is best for tone, at least to my ears. :hank
 

Nihon Jim

New member
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
511
Steve,
I don't have an answer to your question but that is a nice looking LP.
Love those ebony beauties! :dude:

Good luck with your pot and PAF hunt.
-Jim
 

cjp54

Member
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
496
My 54 weighs in at 7lbs-15oz. Not sure how tone is effected because I haven't played any 54's side by side it. It does sound nice and is extremely light around your neck. My other Les Pauls, 58/72 (10 lbs) and my R9 (8lbs-9oz.) both have humbuckers.
 

mbowen

New member
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Mar 6, 2009
Messages
5,022
Most of the 1950's Les Pauls i have had were between 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 lbs.Mike B.But there are many exceptions.
 

SJD53LP

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
30
BTW, I took my guitars (this LP, my '67 Tele, and others) to my local grocery store and had him weight it on the register scale. Seemed to work Jim-Dandy and I presume very accurate since by law they need to be regularly calibrated.
 

Red Baron

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
6,774
From guitars I've owned -

54 @ 8.1lbs - Very honky, super resonant and strong in the mids, however not a 'big' sounding guitar.

54 @ 8.5lbs - Balanced, but nothing really stood out.

55 @ 9.5lbs - Strong guitar with a raspy/hairiness to the sound, the best of the 3 overall.

I've got another 54 on the way @ 9.3lbs and I'm hoping it'll sound similar to the '55 due to the similar weight.
 

j45

Active member
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
9,081
I think just about every carved top 50's Les Paul I've owned was at about or over 8.5 lbs. My burst was 9.5 and my favorite conversion was somehwere around the same.
 

johnnyslim

Active member
Joined
Oct 4, 2001
Messages
1,129
Both of my 1952 conversions are around 8 lbs...maybe a tad less. My rescued '56 Custom is around 8 1/2 lbs.
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
Vintage Les Paul weights?

Here's a weight lifter with some vintage Les Paul weights. :ganz

normal_917_p48058.jpg
 

Rev.WillieVK

Active member
Joined
Jul 26, 2002
Messages
9,268
Lifting Les Paul weights at Dallas a few years ago
i-NrzCQPM.jpg


Here's another happy Les Paul weightlifter
842086453_yE9qn-L.jpg
 

MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,166
Hey, here's some weaklings! Lifting with two hands! (Tony Bacon to the right).

Tony_Bacon_visit_010.jpg
 

sglp63

Active member
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Messages
529
Check out page 220 of "Beauty of the Burst" by Yasuhiko Iwanade. On page 220, there is a table showing the weight of 28 Bursts, which ranges from 3,674g (8 lb 2 oz) to 4,411g (9 lb 12 oz).

You might also find that the previous 219 pages are worth having a look at...
 
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