Strat weight-Does 6 ozs make a difference?

[archtopjazz]

Looking at 2 strat that are pretty much identical. 1 weighs 7 lbs 8 ozs and the other weighs 7 lbs 14 ozs.
They both sound and play the same. The heavier one may have a little nicer top.
Which would you go with?

[AaeCee]

For Strats I've often found that lighter = better balance and more complex tone. For LPs, different story.

[dkaplowitz]

I'd go for the one that sounds and feels better. ;) That said, if I couldn't play them, I'd probably choose the lighter one simply b/c I prefer a lighter guitar. Nicer top means better resale though, esp. on places like TGP where people are essentially buying pictures of guitars all the time. That's something to keep in mind as well.

[Tim Plains]

6 oz wouldn't make a difference for me. Buy the one you like more.

[lowenzz]

It only matters here on TGP:messedup

[Brien]

6 oz is noticeable.

[Unburst]

which one sounds better?

[dspellman]

I'd never choose a guitar by weight. Leastways, not over 6 ounces of difference, I wouldn't.

[Giraffecaster]

if they're both identical in every aspect then probably the lighter one just because of better re-sale. but in general, the best sounding one is the one to go with.

[archtopjazz]

:dude

[K-Line]

A scale knows no tone! Go with the one that feels right, grabs your eye, and sounds like what you want. If you have a fused neck, then maybe the lighter one...

[Kyle Ashley]

You have to play both and take the best one. If I'm building from scratch, 6 oz would make a huge difference in what body I would buy. I try to keep bodies at 4lb and under. I have an EJ that I put a RW neck on that weighs 7lb 12 oz, and another top shelf partscaster with Fralins that weighs 7lb 7 oz. The EJ is the more "alive" of the two even though it's 5 oz heavier.

[Jim Soloway]

If you like light weight guitars (which I do) then it makes a difference. I have always been of the opinion that feel is at least as important as tone and a big part of feel is comfort. I'm much more comfortable with a light weight guitar and as a result, I tend too play better with one, especially after playing for a couple hours. Because of that, 7lbs 14oz is heavier than Im willing to put up with. Just my opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it.

[bluesjuke]

More than any weight factor it would depend on each individual piece of wood on which is the best.

[stevieboy]

Since you said they both sound and play the same, I would probably buy the lighter one. But since they both sound and play the same, it wouldn't make that much difference to me, it would simply be a tiebreaker. But I would probably sit and play them both for longer if I could and one might eventually start to win me over.

The nicer top would probably be less important to me, if the lesser top simply means plainer, I'd probably like that better anyway.