Electric guitars come in many profiles. Each has a variety of different kinds of wood and hardware. But how much does an electric guitar weigh?
Maybe you want to buy one, but you’re not sure how comfortable it will be hanging from your shoulder. A few hours of practice can really add up!
For a quick reference, use the calculator below to get the weight of a guitar, the heaviness over time and the strap width that will help make a difference when wearing it from your shoulder.
⚖️ Guitar Weight & Strap Calculator
Find out how heavy your dream guitar is—and how to carry it without back pain.
In this Killer Rig article, we will take a look at how the weight of electric guitars is affected by their profiles. We will also take a look at some popular models and how much they weigh, as well as discuss how they can impact the sound.
How Much Does an Electric Guitar Weigh?
Weight Spectrum
The weight of an electric guitar varies a lot. This is a direct result of the wood choice and additional hardware. The more that gets added, the heavier it will be. Some of the heaviest guitars include the Gibson Les Paul and PRS Custom 24.
But you can find guitars that weight less than 6 pounds in the Rubato Lassie and Strandberg Boden. These guitars are easy to wear on your shoulder for many hours. Maybe you are a gigging guitarists and need something light. Then you do have options!
Let’s begin by looking at a few of today’s top brands. We will explore the weight of some of their popular models. This way you can find one that is good for your music but is very light.
| Guitar Model | Weight (Lbs) |
|---|---|
| Gibson Les Paul | 9-12 |
| PRS Custom 24-08 | 9 |
| Standberg Boden | 5 |
| Rubato Lassie | 5.5 |
Fender Guitars
We touched on the weight of a few popular electric guitars, but now we will look closer at the details. We will start with some popular fender guitars!
| Fender Model | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Stratocaster | 8 |
| Telecaster | 7.5 |
| Jazzmaster | 8 |
| Jaguar | 8.5 |
| Mustang | 7.5 |
Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster is a comfortable guitar that weighs about 8 pounds. This is pretty average for a guitar with this body shape and build.
Thanks to the thinner body and alder or swamp ash wood. The Stratocaster can be worn on the shoulder for long periods comfortably.
The neck material is maple, which is a bit of a heavier wood, but it doesn’t add enough to be an issue.
Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster is also made from alder or swamp ash and weighs 8 pounds. It features a maple neck and light hardware, which keeps it pretty standard. The Telecaster is well-balanced and is a comfortable guitar.
Jaguar
The Jaguar is made from alder tonewood and weighs 8 pounds. Fender likes to use alder for their guitars, as you would have noticed by now. The Jaguar has a shape that is like the Stratocaster but is a different profile that keeps it light.
Gibson Guitars
Gibson makes guitars of all tonewoods and body profiles. This gives their guitars different weight.
| Gibson Model | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Les Paul | 9 to 12 |
| SG | 6 |
| Flying V | 7.5 |
| Explorer | 8 |
| ES-335 | 9 |
Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul is one of the heavier guitars on the market and weighs between 9 and 12 pounds. They are well known for their weight.
Many guitarists can attest to this by the sore shoulder they get after an hour of practice. This is because the Gibson Les Paul is made with dense woods like mahogany throughout.
Gibson began chambering the Les Paul bodies to remove some material to make them lighter. But they are still in the heavy category.
Want to learn more about guitar body chambering? Click here!
Gibson SG
The Gibson SG is another popular guitar that is much lighter than most at 6 pounds. This is because the body is very thin with a small profile, and so there is less wood material than most.
The guitar is made from mahogany, but being on the smaller side makes it very comfortable.
Flying V
This is an interesting guitar with a different body shape. The flying V weighs in at 7 pounds and is also made of mahogany. This shape is good in the sense that it doesn’t need a lot of wood, so the weight is much lower than a Les Paul, for example.
Squier Guitars
Squier guitars are made as cheaper Fender models, but some of them do come in weighing less.
| Squier Model | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Stratocaster | 8 |
| Telecaster | 7 |
| Jazzmaster | 7.5 |
| Jaguar | 8 |
| Mustang | 7 |
Squier Strat
The Squier guitars are normally made from basswood or alder and weigh about 7 pounds.
They feature the Stratocaster double cutaway body and are light and comfortable. The hardware is pretty minimal and so there isn’t much that is adding more weight.
Squier Tele
The Squier Tele is also made from basswood or alder and is only 6.5 pounds. It’s half a pound lighter than the Strat primarily because of the body size and light hardware. Not only is it affordable, but it’s light and sounds good too!
PRS Custom 24
The PRS Custom 24 has a great body profile, but because they are made of mahogany, they weigh 9 pounds. By no means is this a deal breaker. The extra pound over what is standard is not very noticeable and can be worn for extended periods.
The neck is also made of mahogany, which contributes to the weight, as well as some robust hardware. It’s a great guitar and so dealing with the extra weight is well worth it.
Check out our article on guitar tone woods, click here!
Other Electric Guitar Weights
| Guitar | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Ibanez RG | 8 |
| Jackson Dinky | 7 |
| Yamaha Pacifica | 7.5 |
| Gretsch Streamliner | 7 |
| Epiphone Casino | 6.5 |
The Great Debate – Does Weight Equal Sustain?
If you ask a guitarist from the 1970s, they will tell you: “The heavier the wood, the better the tone.” This is why vintage Les Pauls from that era often weigh a back-breaking 11+ lbs. But does physics actually back this up?
The answer is yes, but with a major trade-off. It comes down to Absorption vs. Reflection.
The Heavy Guitar (The “Anvil” Effect)
A heavy, dense body (like non-weight-relieved Mahogany) has high inertia. It doesn’t want to vibrate.
- The Result: Because the body stays still, the vibrational energy stays in the string rather than transferring to the wood.
- The Tone: Massive sustain, tight low-end, and a focused “fundamental” note. This is why metal players often prefer heavier guitars—they sound precise and immediate.
The Light Guitar (The “Acoustic” Effect)
A lightweight body (like Swamp Ash or Chambered Mahogany) vibrates easily. You can feel the chords rumbling against your ribs.
- The Result: The body “steals” some energy from the string to vibrate itself.
- The Tone: You might lose a tiny bit of sustain length, but you gain Resonance. The tone feels “airy,” “open,” and has a blooming quality that sounds sweeter at lower volumes.
The Verdict:
- Want infinite sustain and tight metal chugs? Go Heavy (9+ lbs).
- Want complex overtones and a lively feel? Go Light (Under 7.5 lbs).
How to Weigh a Guitar
If you have a guitar that is a bit rough on your shoulder, perhaps you might want to measure the weight. If you are selling one and need to know for shipping purposes. Then this method can also help get the information you need quickly.
Most people have a bathroom scale collecting dust! It finally has a great purpose! That’s right, this is all you need as long as it’s somewhat accurate.
The process is simple:
- Weigh yourself by standing on the scale.
- Repeat the process by standing on the scale with the guitar in your hands.
- The difference between these two measurements is what your guitar weighs.
An example of this is if you weigh 180 pounds and verify it on the scale. Then, with the instrument in your hands, you get a reading of 188 lbs.
This will tell you that the electric guitar weighs 8 pounds. You can do this with anything that weighs over 4 to 5 pounds, granted your scale has some accuracy.
Shipping Weight Cheat Sheet (For Sellers)
A huge reason people search for “guitar weight” is because they are trying to sell one on Reverb or eBay.
If you calculate shipping based only on the guitar’s weight, you will lose money. You must account for the case, the box, and the packing material. Here is the realistic breakdown you need for the shipping label.
📦 Total Shipping Weight Calculator
| Item | Average Weight |
|---|---|
| The Guitar | ~8 lbs (3.6 kg) |
| Hard Shell Case | ~10 – 12 lbs (5 kg) |
| Cardboard Box (Double Wall) | ~3 lbs (1.3 kg) |
| Packing Material (Bubble/Paper) | ~2 lbs (0.9 kg) |
| TOTAL SHIPPING WEIGHT | ~23 – 25 lbs (11 kg) |
⚠️ Critical Warning: Dimensional Weight Carriers like UPS and FedEx don’t just charge by weight; they charge by size. A standard guitar box (50″ x 20″ x 8″) might physically weigh 25 lbs, but carriers will charge you for ~55 lbs because of the volume it takes up in the truck. Always input the dimensions when buying a label, not just the scale weight!
Conclusion
When you’re looking for a guitar, the weight is important to consider. Especially if you need a comfortable model that doesn’t fatigue your body.
But if you are basing your sound on weight, you might be disappointed. It’s far better to research the material that is used to make the instrument to get the one that is best for you.
