Heritage weight - one thing puzzles me...

[GuitArtMan]

In my experience Heritage's hollow bodies and semi-hollow bodies have been consistently lighter and more resonant than their G word counterparts.  However, their solid bodies have consistently been boat anchors, as heavy as the heaviest G word counterparts.  I don't get it.  ???

[PacerX]

In my experience Heritage's hollow bodies and semi-hollow bodies have been consistently lighter and more resonant than their G word counterparts.  However, their solid bodies have consistently been boat anchors, as heavy as the heaviest G word counterparts.  I don't get it.  ???

 

I'm in the "heavier is better" camp where Les Paul style solidbodies are concerned, so me likey. 

[dblazer]

The semi and hollow body guitars are mostly curly maple or other woods rather than Honduras mahogany.

 

The H-150 I had weighed 13.5 lbs, it was the biggest, heaviest chunk of mahogany that I'd ever seen that wasn't part of a boat.

 

Sounded great, spectacular neck/fingerboard, but "Two Ton Tony" just HAD to go. My H-140 weighs about 7.5 lbs and sounds better, probably because the H-150 had the Schaller P/Us and the H-140 has Seymour/Seth P.A.F.s.

[Thundersteel]

The last new H150 I played weighed 9 pounds; it was very light compared to my LP & H157.

[golferwave]

  I also had an H-150CM that was a battleship anchor and had to go. In discussions with Jay he told me that for a while Heritage experimented with African mahogany like the Gbrand uses & got back to Honduran because it's lighter and more resonant. It's also more expensive.  All of the H-150's I have now are right at the 9 lb mark and sound great.

[GuitArtMan]

I'm in the "heavier is better" camp where Les Paul style solidbodies are concerned, so me likey. 

Not me at all.  I had a moment of epiphany with a real '56 Gold Top that I will never forget.  The thing couldn't have weighed more the 7.5 lbs, resonant as hell, sustain for days, and P90 tone from Heaven.  In fact I would have to say of all the vintage Gibson’s (‘50s and early ‘60s) I have played most if not all were feather weight by today’s standards.  I don’t buy into the BS that a guitar has to weigh a ton to sustain well – I think that’s the biggest BS that’s been marketed and has not been my experience at all. Almost to a one (if not to a one) the finest vintage instruments I have played were very light and resonant and still sustained extremely well.

[GuitArtMan]

  I also had an H-150CM that was a battleship anchor and had to go. In discussions with Jay he told me that for a while Heritage experimented with African mahogany like the Gbrand uses & got back to Honduran because it's lighter and more resonant. It's also more expensive.  All of the H-150's I have now are right at the 9 lb mark and sound great.

Wierd.  I have a one-piece Mahogany strat body that I bought from Warmoth that weighs in at a svelt 3.0 lbs and is resonant as hell, and no it's not chambered.  Warmoth advertises that they use African Mahogany. 

[grayta]

Yeah, I've found there's really no correlation with weight and tone.  I had a 150 that was a whopping 12 lbs-sounded great but that's too dang heavy.  I've had LPs at 8lbs that sounded just as good.  My 535 clocks in at a petite 7.

[PacerX]

Not me at all.  I had a moment of epiphany with a real '56 Gold Top that I will never forget.  The thing couldn't have weighed more the 7.5 lbs, resonant as hell, sustain for days, and P90 tone from Heaven.  In fact I would have to say of all the vintage Gibson’s (‘50s and early ‘60s) I have played most if not all were feather weight by today’s standards.  I don’t buy into the BS that a guitar has to weigh a ton to sustain well – I think that’s the biggest BS that’s been marketed and has not been my experience at all. Almost to a one (if not to a one) the finest vintage instruments I have played were very light and resonant and still sustained extremely well.

 

Hmmmm...

 

This is interesting.

 

I can see where you're coming from... and might be inclined to believe that the setup of the issue is #1 to the equation... but, oddly enough (and maybe it's just a limited experience in LP-style guitars that I've lived with - a total of 3 in my life), the heavier guitars seem to "chunk" more and sustain better.

 

Maybe I should try a featherwieght out and see what happens.

[doggy1972]

I think weight definately thickens tone. Think 70s Yamaha SG. Those things weigh a ton. Very thick tones. Although the brass sustain block helped. Wonder why more makers dont use them?