Guitar Recommendations - Lightweight and Upper Fret Access

[quiknilter]

Hi! I'm brand new to this forum, and have come in search of some pointers from wiser guitarists than myself.

I'm "in the market" for a newer archtop. I bought an Ibanez FG100 a few years ago and fell in love with it. It's a wonderful instrument. At least this one is. I have two complaints about it that I'm hoping to resolve.

1. It is too heavy!

2. Upper fret access. I keep finding that the neck joint and my left hand are arguing about who should occupy that space.

I would love anyone's recs on some higher-end electric archtops that would be A) Lighter and B) Have better upper fret access, but still maintain a high quality sound.

Budget is around $5,000

Thanks!

[jazzloverfat]

1. It is too heavy!

1. No offense but if that is too heavy, the problem is not the guitar... Have you thought about visiting a gym?

[Freddels]

How much does it weigh? What is your budget?

[Sigmund451]

The more laminate you have the more weight you get.

I dont know about too heavy but Ive got an Aria and its pretty darned heavy in comparison to my 810ce.

If you have the budget for all solid wood the weight is substantially reduced.

Of course a 15 or 16 inch thin is usually less weight than a full 17 or 18 full body.

I think its the full lam construction on your current guitar leading to the weight.

As for access, a carved thin body with a double cutaway might work. It really depends on budget and desired sound. I dont have one in mind but Im sure they are out there. Members here will know but they need your budget cuz its probably gonna hurt a bit.

[GuyBoden]

Visit a good guitar shop and try all their Archtops.

[kris]

I"m also looking for a lightweight hollow guitar.

[GuyBoden]

I"m also looking for a lightweight hollow guitar.

I find that the very light weight Archtops, with a very thin top, that sound great acoustically, can feedback more easily than heavier archtops.

[Gitterbug]

I don't know about the weight but you seem to need a thinner body and a 16th fret neck joint. Such builds require a strong joint and body around it = weight. Gibson ES-275? I've been playing for 65 years and never find a need to reach beyond the 15th fret on top E string in jazz.

[ooglybong]

I really like my Eastman John Pisano AR-380...

Here's a JGO thread on this guitar...
Eastman AR380CE John Pisano
You could also look into their less expensive AR-371 or AR-372 models.

[kris]

I find that the very light weight Archtops, with a very thin top, that sound great acoustically, can feedback more easily than heavier archtops.

Yes... This is true.

[Rolf Field]

I've tried an 810ce. Great guitar. Felt like playing air-guitar

[Archie]

1. No offense but if that is too heavy, the problem is not the guitar... Have you thought about visiting a gym?

Ouch lol.

I would say FG100’s are on the heavier side.

[Freddels]

I think the OP has abandoned us.

[quiknilter]

I think the OP has abandoned us.

Nope! I appreciate all the responses!

[quiknilter]

Updated the original post to show a budget, not sure on actual weight.

[Cunamara]

A little more information would be helpful. Are you wanting to stay with a full-size archtop guitar with a 16" or 17" body? Are you wanting to stay with a full thickness guitar (rim depth of around 3")? if those answers are "yes" then your options are relatively limited, especially for more upper fret access.

I would suggest considering an ES-335 style guitar which might not necessarily weigh less but sits very differently. A friend of mine has an Ibanez AS180, not a very common instrument but an excellent guitar. He also has a PRS Hollowbody SE, which he doesn't really care for but I think is also an excellent guitar. I have a 1981 GB10 which I've owned since 1983, my first electric guitar. I always say that it will be the last guitar that leaves my possession in that may still very well be true, however…

My semihollow is Telecaster shaped, weighs about 5 1/2 pounds (it's very hollow and a little neck heavy which can be problematic, despite having a 24 3/4" neck). Over the last few months I have found that it has become my go to guitar for its tone and playability, excellent portability, lightweight and general comfort; it's giving the GB10 a run for its money.

[thelu]

I second the ES-335 style guitar recommendation.
Although they can be quite heavy due to the solid center block.
Eastman have the T186mx and T185mx, which have only a very small block under the stop tailpiece and are much lighter.
(btw solid mahogany body and solid maple top)
T186MX - Eastman Guitars

[Average Joe]

335s can be quite heavy. If you want something in that overall shape/size an es-330 or Casino is a safer bet in terms of weight imho.

For something different, have you considered carved top thinlines like the Hamer Newport (Pro), Eastman Romeo, CS-336? Perhaps some of the hollow PRS offerings as well.

[Freddels]

Another issue with a 335 style guitar is that the ergonomics are different due to where the neck meets the body. So, the reach out to the first fret is about 4" further than the reach on an archtop. For me, I'm finding that to be an issue with my shoulder. Just something to consider.

[John A.]

OP, if you like the form factor of the FG100 and the only issue is weight, I would suggest looking at other Ibanezes that have the same form factor but a spruce top. Off the top of my head, FA200/FA2000 and LGB300 are the same basic size and shape and may be somewhat lighter. Another possibility might be an ES-175 built to the lighter specs of the earlier versions (either an actual mid-50s ES-175 or one of the "VOS" reissues).

The catch here is that the things that make the FG100 sound the way it does are also the things that make it on the heavy side (e.g., all maple laminate construction). Something that sounds like that and has the same dimensions is going to weigh around the same, +/- maybe half a pound depending on the specific guitar. In general, lam maple 16" archtops are in the 6-7 lb-ish range, with maybe some a little lighter more or less at random due to vagaries of the density of particular pieces of wood or the specific laminations.

To get significantly lighter you'll probably have to go smaller and/or different construction. E.g., an archtop with a more acoustic-like build (e.g., many Eastman models), thinline hollowbody of some sort, or some sort of GB10-like object. You're probably going to have to spend the time trying a bunch of guitars out to get to an answer here, or just deal with the weight of the guitar you have. As far as upper fret access goes, it's not going to be noticeably different on an any other single-cutaway full-depth guitar. For that, you need a thinner body and probably two cutaways.

[kris]

PRS SE hollowbody is light guitar.

[Rickco]

How about this, 575/S16 5lbs 1oz 24/3/4 scale, '01 hand carved spruce top built offline while the masters were still there, 5pc neck like golden eagle, masterful refret by Nat Resophonic and lots more. Im going to list it this weekend. Early bird special $3650 shipped PM me here if interested.

[MikeTT]

If full hollow-body: Ibanez PM100 / PM 120 (double cutaway, only available used), with single deeper cutaway: PM200 (current) or PM20 (PM20 is only available used and sadly quite rare).

[Jx30510]

I agree with the OP, some hollow guitars can feel heavy. Like the Ibanez GB10, that weighs around 3.5kg, which I find too much for the design (even though it's a fabulous instrument).
One thing that can cut the weight is having a guitar with only one pickup. Do you absolutely need the bridge pickup ?
At 5000$ you can buy almost anything you want..
Have you tried a semi hollow Telecaster with humbucker pickup ? They're fabulous.. and can be very lightweight, superb fret access and versatile.
One thing I've discovered is that the balance of a guitar, and its design, can feel so ergonomic that you actually "forget" it's weight.
As an example, both of my Fender AV59 Stratocaster and Gibson ES135 weigh exactly the same : 3.4kg.
The Stratocaster on the strap is so confortable, slim, the contour fits the body perfectly.. you'd swear it's much lighter than the bulky ES135.
And it sounds really great for jazz..
So don't limit yourself, go try everything, you'll be surprised!

[chris32895]

Seconding an Ibanez PM100. It should be lighter than an FG100 because of being less the one pickup. I had one and the extra cutaway really did work well.