Weight is the guitar spec nobody mentions until their shoulder is killing them by the third song. We obsess over tone, pickups, and finish, then strap on a nine-pound guitar and wonder why our back hurts by the encore.
Electric guitars are wood and metal, and that combination adds up fast. We’ve played everything from featherweight travel guitars to back-breaking vintage Les Pauls, and there’s a real difference between a comfortable electric guitar and one that leaves a strap groove in your shoulder after a three-hour set.
For this guide, “lightweight” means under 7 pounds. That’s roughly where most players start to notice real relief on a long gig, though comfort isn’t only about the number on the scale. How the weight balances on the strap matters just as much as the total.
Below are the best lightweight electric guitars we’d actually recommend, whether you’re dealing with back pain, want more freedom to move on stage, or you’re just tired of a sore shoulder. Weights, honest tone descriptions, and the gripes we found with each one.
Our Top Picks for Lightweight Electric Guitars
| Guitar Model | Weight | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Strandberg Boden Prog NX 6 | 4.7 lbs | Overall performance & lightest option |
| Ibanez Ichika Signature | 4.9 lbs | Technical playing & modern styles |
| Gibson SG Standard | 6.7 lbs | Classic rock tones with manageable weight |
| Danelectro ’59M NOS+ | 6.7 lbs | Vintage vibes with alternative tones |
| Epiphone Casino Coupe | 6.0 lbs | Jazz, blues & classic rock |
| PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo | 6.3 lbs | Versatility across all genres |
| Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Tele Thinline | 6.8 lbs | Country, blues & light rock |
| Epiphone Les Paul Muse | 7.0 lbs | Les Paul tone without the weight |
1. Strandberg Boden Prog NX 6 – The Ultimate Lightweight Champion
Weight: 4.7 lbs (2.0 kg)
At 4.7 pounds, this is the lightest full featured electric guitar we’ve played, full stop. The first time you pick one up, it genuinely feels wrong, like someone handed you an empty case instead of an instrument.
Strandberg builds the Boden around a headless design. No traditional headstock, so tuning pegs sit at the bridge instead. That single change removes a chunk of weight and shifts the balance point closer to your body, so the guitar doesn’t try to dive toward the floor the way a heavy-headed guitar does on a thin strap.
It tops this list not just because it’s the lightest, but because Strandberg built the whole instrument, from balance to neck shape, around eliminating fatigue rather than just shaving grams off a spec sheet. Clean tones are clear with a touch of warmth, and high-gain settings handle prog metal and fusion without falling apart. The chambered body adds resonance you don’t usually get from something this light.
The multi-scale frets (fan frets) throw beginners off for the first week, then stop being noticeable. The EndurNeck profile, with its flattened sides instead of a rounded back, exists specifically to reduce hand fatigue, which matters here more than on almost anything else on this list, since people buy a Strandberg for comfort first.
The price is the catch. This isn’t a beginner budget guitar. But if you play long sets regularly, or already deal with shoulder or back pain, it might be the one guitar here worth the stretch.
2. Ibanez Ichika Signature – Modern Lightweight Innovation
Weight: 4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)
Ichika Nito built a massive YouTube following by making absurdly difficult tapping and legato lines look effortless, and this signature model is built for exactly that style of playing.
At just under 5 pounds, it disappears on a strap. The nyatoh body and maple/bubinga neck combination keeps weight down without making the guitar feel hollow or cheap, and the slim neck profile practically pulls your hands toward fast runs and tapping passages.
The single coil pickups stay clear even under heavy compression, which matters for the percussive, tapped style Ichika is known for. Gold frets against a roasted maple neck look sharp, but more usefully, they feel smooth under fast position shifts.
If your playing leans technical and your practice sessions run long, the low weight here isn’t a bonus feature. It’s the point.
3. Gibson SG Standard – Classic Lightweight Rock Icon
Weight: 6.7 lbs (3.0 kg)
The SG won’t win any “lightest guitar” award on this list, but at 6.7 pounds it’s roughly two to three pounds lighter than a typical Les Paul, and that difference is very noticeable by the second hour of a gig.
Angus Young and Tony Iommi made this double cutaway mahogany body famous, and it still delivers the same aggressive midrange punch decades later. Independent volume and tone controls on each pickup let you dial in changes mid-set without touching the amp, more useful live than it sounds on paper.
The SG handles clean tones fine, but it’s happiest pushed into overdrive, where the mahogany body adds weight to the sound, just not to your shoulder. For players who want classic Gibson tone and a strap that doesn’t dig in by the last song, this is the practical choice over a Les Paul.
4. Danelectro ’59M NOS+ – Vintage Lightweight Character
Weight: 6.7 lbs (3.0 kg)
Danelectro has been making oddball, affordable guitars since the 1950s, and the ’59M NOS+ carries that same spirit into a semi-hollow body with a masonite top, the same material used in skateboard decks and cheap furniture, which sounds strange until you hear how good it actually sounds.
That masonite build is also why the guitar stays light. The tone sits in an unusual middle ground: not as bright as a Stratocaster, not as thick as a Les Paul, more its own thing entirely. It sounds best with both lipstick pickups on at once, producing a quacky middle tone with more body than a typical single coil pairing.
Upper fret access is a little cramped because of the cutaway shape, and reaching fret 21 takes some hand contortion. Worth it for indie, garage, and alternative players who want a tone nobody else on this list has, in a body that won’t wreck your shoulder over a long set.
5. Epiphone Casino Coupe – Lightweight Hollowbody Magic
Weight: 6.0 lbs (2.7 kg)
John Lennon made the original Casino famous, but the Coupe is the more practical version: a smaller hollow body that’s easier to handle and lighter on the shoulder, at around 6 pounds.
It’s a good reminder that lightweight doesn’t only mean solid body under 7 pounds. Full hollowbodies, built smaller like this one, can land in the same weight range while keeping the open, resonant tone solid bodies can’t fake.
The P-90 pickups are more versatile than people expect from a hollowbody. The neck pickup gives a warm, bluesy tone with real depth, and the bridge pickup adds enough cut for lead lines. Together they cover rhythm parts that need some harmonic complexity without turning muddy.
The vintage-style bridge limits how low you can set the action, which is the one real compromise here. Factory setup plays fine, but players who like a very low action will want it adjusted.
6. PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo – Premium Lightweight Versatility
Weight: 6.3 lbs (2.9 kg)
This is a hollowbody that comes in at 6.3 pounds, lighter than you’d guess by looking at it, and the mahogany body still delivers real tone rather than feeling hollowed out for the sake of saving weight.
What makes it stand out is the piezo system layered in alongside the regular humbuckers. You can blend convincing acoustic-style tones with full electric output, or switch between the two entirely, without changing guitars mid-set. That’s a real advantage if you cover multiple styles in one show.
We expected feedback issues at high gain, since that’s usually the tradeoff with hollowbodies, but the SE Hollowbody II stayed composed even when pushed hard. The neck and fretwork are comfortable enough that the genre-jumping versatility doesn’t cost you anything in playability.
For musicians who need more than one tone from a single instrument, and don’t want a heavy guitar weighing them down between songs, this is one of the strongest picks here.
7. Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Tele Thinline – Affordable Lightweight Classic
Weight: 6.8 lbs (3.1 kg)
Don’t write this off because of the Squier badge. The Classic Vibe ’60s Tele Thinline gets you most of the Fender Telecaster experience, including the lighter semi-hollow build, for a fraction of the price.
The semi-hollow body trims weight down to 6.8 pounds, lighter than a standard solid Tele, and adds some warmth and low end the solid version doesn’t have. You still get the signature Telecaster twang and brightness, just with a fuller, rounder edge.
Clean and light overdrive tones are where this guitar is happiest, which suits country, blues, and indie players well. Push it into heavier distortion and the semi-hollow resonance starts fighting the gain instead of working with it.
Fit and finish punch well above the price point. If your budget rules out the Strandberg or PRS on this list, this Tele Thinline is the lightweight option that won’t feel like a compromise.
8. Epiphone Les Paul Muse – Les Paul Tone Without the Weight
Weight: 7.0 lbs (3.2 kg)
Putting a Les Paul on a lightweight guitar list sounds like a contradiction, since vintage Les Pauls regularly crack 10 pounds. The Muse solves that with a chambered okoume body that drops the weight to around 7 pounds while keeping the Les Paul shape and most of the tone.
The chambering adds a slight hollowbody-style resonance to the classic Les Paul sound, a bonus rather than a downside. Alnico Classic PRO humbuckers still deliver the warm, thick, singing sustain Les Pauls are known for, with enough output to push an amp into natural overdrive.
The contoured body sits comfortably against your torso, and the weight relief also opens up upper fret access that traditional Les Pauls don’t have.
If you’ve always wanted Les Paul tone but avoided the model because of the weight, this is the guitar built to solve exactly that problem.
How Much Should an Electric Guitar Weigh?
Most electric guitars land around 8 pounds, though it varies a lot by model and build. Most players start calling a guitar “lightweight” once it drops under 7 pounds.
Use this guitar weight guide as a rough starting point:
- Under 5 lbs: ultra-lightweight
- 5 to 7 lbs: lightweight
- 7 to 9 lbs: average
- 9+ lbs: heavy
Vintage Les Pauls can run past 11 pounds, with some heavier ones near 14 to 15. On the other end, the Strandberg on this list weighs barely 4 to 5 pounds.
Weight alone doesn’t decide comfort, though. How a guitar balances on the strap, and how that weight is distributed across the body, matters just as much as the total number.
Does Body Type Determine Guitar Weight?
Not as much as you’d think. Hollow and semi-hollow guitars usually weigh less than solid bodies, but the Strandberg proves a well-designed solid body can beat them anyway.
Wood is the biggest factor. Dense woods like mahogany and rosewood add weight, while basswood, poplar, and chambered construction cut it down.
Body size, hardware (bridges and tuners), neck dimensions, and headstock design all affect the total too. Headless designs in particular shift the balance point and can make a guitar feel lighter on the strap than its actual weight suggests.
Do Lightweight Guitars Sound Worse?
No. This is one of those guitar myths that refuses to die.
Tone comes mostly from pickups, electronics, setup, and amp, not from how much the body weighs. Bruce Springsteen’s famous Telecaster was reportedly weight-relieved by carving wood out of the body, and it’s responsible for some of the most recognizable tones in rock history at 5 to 7 pounds.
If you’re chasing tone, focus on pickup quality, wood resonance (not mass), your amp, and your hands. Weight changes how a guitar feels far more than it changes how it sounds.
Benefits of Choosing a Lightweight Electric Guitar
A lightweight electric guitar puts less strain on your back, neck, and shoulders during long sessions, which matters more as you get older or if you already deal with shoulder or back issues.
It also frees you up on stage. A heavy guitar pins you to one spot. A lighter one lets you actually move during a set.
There’s a fatigue angle too. Less weight means less energy spent just holding the instrument up, so more of your focus stays on playing instead of discomfort.
Smaller players and beginners often find lightweight guitars easier to manage, which can make practice less of a chore and more of a habit.
And if you travel with your gear, every pound counts. Electric guitars under 7 lbs are a lot easier to carry to rehearsals, gigs, or flights than a 10-pound vintage Les Paul.
Who should buy a lightweight electric guitar?
This list makes the most sense for gigging musicians playing long sets, and anyone managing back or shoulder pain who needs a genuinely lightweight guitar for back pain relief.
Older players who’ve started feeling the weight of guitars they used to play without thinking, touring or traveling musicians, and beginners who’ll practice more often if the instrument isn’t a chore to hold.
FAQ
What is considered a lightweight guitar?
Most players consider anything under 7 pounds lightweight. Under 5 pounds is closer to ultra-lightweight territory, which only a handful of guitars, like the Strandberg Boden, actually hit.
Is 7 lbs light for an electric guitar?
Yes, relative to the average of around 8 pounds. It’s on the heavier edge of “lightweight,” but still noticeably easier on your shoulder than a 9 or 10 pound guitar.
Are hollowbody guitars lighter than solid-body guitars?
Usually, but not always. Hollow and semi-hollow bodies tend to weigh less, but a well-designed solid body, like the Strandberg, can be lighter than some hollowbodies.
Do chambered guitars sound thinner?
Not necessarily. Chambering removes wood from inside the body to cut weight, and it often adds a touch of resonance rather than thinning out the tone. The Epiphone Les Paul Muse is a good example.
Which lightweight guitar is best for back pain?
The Strandberg Boden Prog NX 6 is the lightest option here, but the Gibson SG is a strong alternative if you want something more traditional that’s still noticeably lighter than a Les Paul.
What is the lightest type of electric guitar?
Headless solid body designs, like the Strandberg, tend to be the lightest overall, since they drop the headstock entirely and often use chambered or lightweight wood.
Are lightweight guitars good for beginners?
Yes. A lighter guitar is easier to hold through long practice sessions, which makes it less likely a beginner quits out of sheer physical discomfort.
Final Thoughts
The idea that a good guitar has to be heavy doesn’t hold up anymore. Every guitar on this list proves it.
The Strandberg, SG, and Les Paul Muse each solve the weight problem differently: total reinvention, smart classic design, and chambering, in that order. Try a few in person if you can. The number on the spec sheet matters less than how the guitar actually sits on your shoulder.
If you’re dealing with back pain, or you’re just tired of a sore shoulder by the end of a set, start with the Strandberg or the SG. Both deliver real tone without the weight that’s probably been bothering you all along.