Drop Top weight

[fusgtr]

Hi Tom and mates.

Well, i have a HDT and i'm thinking to buy also a solid one.

I found in an online store a drop top (maple on alder and rosewood fretboard on hardrock maple) and the seller weight it after my request and it was more or less 8 lbs 2oz....I don't know if his digital scale is wright but isn't it a biτ heavy?

I know that alder is heavier than basswood but a very close friend of mine has a DT with the same specs (maple on alder) and it weights 7lbs 1oz

I would like to ask if 2 alder bodies can differ so much in weight - almost 1lb+

Tom can you help pls?

[Janine Doubly]

That weight is not out of the realm of possibility. Especially since its a solid Drop Top. The trem hardware adds some girth as well. Frankly, and this is just my opinion, the sub 7 and 6 pound weight thing has become a fad that I'd like to see tempered a bit. How heavy a guitar is is certainly a concern when you start talking about 10 pound guitars, but given a proper design that balances well (which the T and S shapes are known for), 8 - 9 pound guitars are quite comfy. Personally, I have played 8 1/2 pound alder Strats that sound lovely (a little more visceral and girthy sounding). With that said, weight is not and will never be the sole determining factor regarding what a guitar will sound like. I have played very light weight Hollow Drop Tops that sound enormous. But I have also played some ultra light weight guitars (non Andersons of course) that seem to have lost something in the mix, in the pursuit for ultimate light weight. I am sure that if that is the exact weight of the Anderson guitar they are showing, that the tone woods were selected not only for weight, but more importantly for tone. Plus, one thing I have found is guitars with bigger necks, need a bit more body girth to balance well. Its no fun having an ultra light weight body and a big neck that makes the overall guitar neck heavy.

[Drew]

My solid alder Classic (not a drop top) is 8lbs even. I'm guessing 8lb 2oz for a Drop Top is reasonable.

[fusgtr]

thnx for your response my friends

I know that great tone is a matter of combination of great woods.

As i said my friend has an alder dt and it sounds amazing...
Just in comparison with a dt basswood - top maple is heavier.

Can anyone from the forum inform me how much weight a dt maple on basswood?

[tom]

hollowing only drops a half pound at best on a drop top. alder can vary pretty greatly, but the stuff we've been getting for the past 6 months has been nicely light. basswood and alder are pretty comparable in weight most of the time. i've sen light and heavy in both. we've been using a lot more alder these days.

[fusgtr]

hollowing only drops a half pound at best on a drop top. alder can vary pretty greatly, but the stuff we've been getting for the past 6 months has been nicely light. basswood and alder are pretty comparable in weight most of the time. i've sen light and heavy in both. we've been using a lot more alder these days.

Thnx Tom

I always believed that alder is heavier than basswood but i trust your opinion.
Anyway, the only weight drawback to me is the long-hour gigs because i'm a session player and i gig 4-5 nights a week.

anyway thanks

[tom]

more basswood is lighter than alder, but i've seen it go both ways.

[fusgtr]

Tom regarding the different wood weight (let's say of alder) does this means that we can expect a slightly different tonal chacteristics?
I mean a heavier alder can has more bottom end or greater sustain from a lighter one?
Or the sound is the same no matter the weight?

[tom]

heavier tends to have a firmer bottom, lighter a sweeter top.

[morty]

My DT basswood/Maple is heavyer than my Fender with solid adler. but i have not messured the difference...