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One of the things I am trying to work on right now is getting the overall weight of my guitars down. I’m not doing to bad but feel that the guitars should be a bit lighter. I would like any suggestions you guys have as to where I could potentially take some weight off. I have thought of some of the more obvious ones like the neck block, but I’m sure there are a few areas that I am not thinking of.

I plan to buy a small set of digital scales and starting weighing the different pieces as I am building. For example weighing different tuning machines to see how much of a difference there is between say a Waverly, or a Gotoh 510 machine (my current standard).

So if you anybody has some good tips lets hear them.

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
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House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

What do you use for the tail block?
I'm not sure which is lighter but I use 5/8 baltic birch plywood for the tail block instead of mahogany.

After looking at your website and the features, of course plastic bindings would be lighter but than you have plastic on a nice custom guitar (inferior in my own opinion).

There's always switching to balsa wood tops

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Overall thickness of your back and sides, I find that if I leave my backs .090 that leave the plate feeling heavy- whereas if I take it down to .080 or even .075, same with the sides, I get a lighter box assembly. Right now I'm working on lighting up my back braces, I have them down to .250 wide by .500 tall, and tapered to a sharp point, triangular in shape.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Rod
I am currently using a Mahogany Tail block. I think your suggestion is a good one and I will probably switch to plywood. I know a few builders who are doing that.

I have only used wood binding and don't plan on ever using anything else. Switching to plastic or fiber is not an option. Wood all the way!

Lance
Some good suggestions. I am going to carefully look at the thickness of my plates and sides on the next guitar and. I also carve my braces to a nice point, but I think I can probably take even more off.

Thanks for the tips. I think I will print this thread off when it comes to an end and make a list of all these suggestions. I think they will help a lot.

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

[QUOTE=LanceK]Right now I'm working on lighting up my back braces, [/QUOTE]

Halogen? I'm assuming low voltage battery-operated, right?

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Josh,
I have been on a diet as well!
I agree with Lance about thinning the sides and back as much as possible-withot losing structural integrity of course.
I am using a spanish cedar neck on the classical I am building for less weight. Some of the lightest guitars I have seen have had cedar necks.