How much should a hollow-body arch top guitar weigh?

[kris]

Is there a limit to the weight of a hollow-body guitar?
I have seen that some guitars can weigh 2.5 kg...Fibonacci guitar.

[Jimmy blue note]

Because the size of a hollowbody can vary from under 15" lower bout width to over 18"
Because the material can vary, back and sides mahogany carved and tap tuned thin (light) to thick laminates in "lawsuit" guitars from the '70's (Heavy)
Because necks made of lighter mahogany (mahogany varies greatly in density between some Phillipino varieties that had higher water content that cures off to some species that are so dense they approach hardwoods like rosewood), and the common maple necks are heavier than those...
Because fingerboards made of ebony are among the densest and heaviest woods used while synthetics like ebonite or rosewoods can be quite lighter...
Because we can be talking 4 to 7 strings and the commensurate variation in neck and headstock wood...
Because headstocks can vary from headless to massive deco billboard type headstocks
Because tuning machines and fittings can be made of wood or metal, wood fittings for peghead tuners and tailpieces are much lighter...
Because pickup magnets in a set humbucker or Charlie Christian pickup can be massively heavier (in the pound range of difference) than a small floater like a D'Armond or ...even an acoustic guitar with no pickup...
Because a cedar top is measurably lighter than a spruce or even more massive laminate of the same spec...
Because every builder "sculpts" an archted guitar to their specs which can vary from virtually 2mm to over 6 mm of wood...
Because brass fittings can add literal pounds to a deco guitar
Because a guitar like an 18" teardrop has maybe 20% (or more) more wood alone than a 15" thin depth acoustic...
Because even a choice like cutaway, cutaway top thicknessing and florentine vs venician can have a profound difference in the way and amount of wood removed in a solid wood (non laminate archtop)...
These things singularly can make this question difficult to answer.
Even the vintage of a Gibson hand built for acoustic response in some pre-war production vs some Norlin built (overbuilt for production line speed or warrantee considerations) can and will effect the weight profoundly.

Seriously, that question is a matter of builder choice, design and players' preferance. If a luthier takes a commission for a guitar that is built for acoustic response and the player will exercise care, a guitar can be built to cello specs and it'll be REALLY light. Or some heavy laminates might be REALLY heavy.
When you ask for the weight limit, are you talking the low end or high end? Cuz seriously the lighter end limit is still waiting for the luthier to build, and the high end, well the sky's the limit.

[213Cobra]

Is there a limit to the weight of a hollow-body guitar?
I have seen that some guitars can weigh 2.5 kg...Fibonacci guitar.

It should weigh less than if it were built as a solid body in the same dimensions as a hollow counterpart. How much less? Well, that depends.

Phil

[dconeill]

Is there a limit to the weight of a hollow-body guitar?
I have seen that some guitars can weigh 2.5 kg...Fibonacci guitar.

Sure there are limits. It's a good bet that a hollowbody guitar will mass more than 1 kg and less than 100 kg. But that's a smart-alecky answer because:

What is it that you're actually trying to find out? Your question has the feeling of wanting to get at something other than what you asked.

[kris]

A luthier told me that hollow body guitars should be lightweight.
I would like to find out if the weight of the hollow-body instrument has an impact on the sound.
I mean hollow guitars with guitar pickups.
Is 3kg to 3.5kg the norm?

[chris32895]

I find the sweet spot to me for a hollow body laminate guitar with 1 pickup is 7lbs (say, a ES-165). A little more if 2 pickups (let's say 7.5lbs, for something like an ES-175). A carved guitar with 1 pickup should be right at or under 6lbs, in my experience.

[Dennis D]

I find the sweet spot to me for a hollow body laminate guitar with 1 pickup is 7lbs (say, a ES-165). A little more if 2 pickups (let's say 7.5lbs, for something like an ES-175). A carved guitar with 1 pickup should be right at or under 6lbs, in my experience.

I agree w/ your target weights / sweet spot conclusions.
I just need to add the reminders that 165 and 175's are 16 in. laminated guitars.
Once you go to 17 in. the base weight obviously increases, and the later the build, the heavier the guitar will be - volume demands of the buyers etc...
My 50's acoustic L-7 cutaway, solid wood, carved, no p/u, weights 5.2 / 5,3 lbs. - -meaning light as a feather. Yes you could add a p/u and come in under 6# - - I'd sure hope.

But as I learned, my recent L-5 WesMo - -17 in., carved, single set-in p/u, weighed 7.5 lbs. ...lots of binding, etc etc..For me it was just noticeably heavier than I thought and than I was used to.

Hope that helps and makes sense ....

[wfarr]

I find the sweet spot to me for a hollow body laminate guitar with 1 pickup is 7lbs (say, a ES-165). A little more if 2 pickups (let's say 7.5lbs, for something like an ES-175). A carved guitar with 1 pickup should be right at or under 6lbs, in my experience.

I think there’s probably a bit of wiggle room in there but this generally aligns with my own experience. My single pickup thinline hollow body at 5.5 pounds is a lot more feedback prone than my 7.5 pound ES-175D, despite both being laminates.

[Sigmund451]

Im not saying your luthier doesnt know what he is doing BUT: I work in the music instrument industry and have for 25 years. Both players AND skilled craftsmen have all sorts of beliefs and many of them are pseudo science bunk.

You can have a great instrument that is heavy and you can have a trash instrument that has very little weight (vise versa).

Take what people say with a grain of salt and look for general trends rather than rules.

When you move into acoustic instruments increasingly small changes (in any direction) tend to result in some sort of tonal shift. If its a great guitar and its heavy you can pretty much figrure thats part of what makes it great. Same with a light instrument. And of course one sitting next to it with similiar weight might be crap.

You cant buy a guitar by the pound.

[Hammertone]

You cant buy a guitar by the pound.

You can, however, sell England by the pound.

[deacon Mark]

The weight has an effect, but it is not some exact science. Very heavy acoustic archtops do exist, and it depends on the size of neck blocks and hardware. A Super 400 or D'angelico New Yorker tailpiece weight much more than a Benedetto tailpiece. That does not make one better or worse than the other except possibly what a player likes for sound. I have always preferred the sound of a metal tailpiece on acoustic archtop guitars. Some don't like them or find them harsh.

What I can say it that archtops built in the 1930's are considered some of the finest ever made. The new generation of luthiers have a different mindset I believe for the most part. Are they better or not, the ones made today? I don't know because none of them are 80 plus years old. But I also know that some of finest are made today now. Play a Campellone or a Trenier and believe in today for sure.

I have a 1979 Barker 17 inch guitar. It is very light and produces wonderful rich sound that is even and smooth in all registers. I have a 1938 Gibson L5 that is a powerhouse with cutting treble and plenty of sound. It almost feels like the sound is being blown out the guitar when played hard. The 2 guitars have different sounds and do different things so I cannot just categorically say which one is better but the L5 certainly weighs more. I have an 18-inch Hollenbeck that is louder and generally smoother than both of those guitars. This guitar actually weighs more than either one of them. It is not a boat anchor but just not feather light. To me my ears it sounds better than most any guitar you can name.

I have also played very heavy Stromberg's that had plenty of sound if you played them hard, but they just never live up to a chord melody masterpiece with a light touch.

So here is my analogy. Some ladies are beautiful and round with curves and quite striking for attraction. Others are lean and not so round yet can be very attractive. The reverse is true in too. The thing is when one comes up that strikes your fancy you better make a move..................................if you are single and not in vowed religious life.