Here I have created a list of 7 of the best lightweight electric guitars that I have personally tried and tested in 2023, containing detailed information along with relevant pros & cons that will help you conveniently compare and select the most suitable model based on your needs.
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Things to know
How to use this guide
In this guide, I’ve put down my top picks if you’re looking to a lightweight and compact electric guitar. Along with that, you can also learn about how the weight affects the playability, whether are heavy guitars better & which guitar suits you.
Tips for buying
If you’re looking for comfort in playing you should also consider points like size of the guitar, action, and string type. You can’t go wrong with any popular brands like Epiphone, Fender or Ibanez.
Trust me when I say this – you don’t feel like practicing an instrument when it gives you pain in the shoulder.
You also don’t want to put pressure on your thighs when you are playing guitar while sitting. It’s obvious that when the instrument is heavier, you experience more discomfort. No one says it but it gets super uncomfortable when you have to handle weighted instruments for a long time.
All you need at that moment is that incredible playability that allows you to be yourself.
And that’s why a lightweight electric guitar is the need of the hour.
Related blog : How Much Do Electric Guitars Weigh | 11 Best-Selling Models
If you’re a beginner, lightweight guitars align with your strength and can let you practice for hours without feeling discomfort. Also, using light guitars can enhance your performance and help you learn the instrument quicker due to increased playability.
That’s why to help you out in such situations, lightweight electric guitars can be your new best friend.
I tested 7 guitars and decided that this Ibanez GRX70QATEB is the best lightweight electric guitar for most uses.
Here is a list of the seven lightest electric guitars that let you play comfortably, without sacrificing the quality of the sound. These are super lightweight guitars that are specially designed so you can endure long practice sessions, live shows, or even sit down sing-along with friends.
To summarize, I have created a guitar weight chart of these light electric guitars. Take a look!
Related blog : 9 Best Lightweight Bass Guitar (All-budgets)
Quick Weight Summary
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Top 7 Best lightweight electric guitar
7.5 lbs / 3.4 kg | Value for Money
The Ibanez six-string guitar comes in different colors like black, blue, green. The body, back, neck, and fretboard of the guitar are built with maple wood material for brighter tones. You get the magnetic guitar combination with this Ibanez electric guitar.
This guitar is a clear winner amongst the lightweight guitars – sitting at only 7.5 lbs, the guitar comes at an affordable price.
How does it sound?
The maple material in the body, neck, and fretboard helps in generating crisp and brighter sounds.
You get high output Infinity R pickups from this Ibanez guitar.
How does it feel?
Since the lightweight maple material is used in most parts of this guitar’s construction, it is a great option because the instrument feels so light. The light structure lets you play the device for a longer duration.
Since this device is built for all levels of players, it is a great option for all players.
The quilted maple art grain top and the maple neck features make the guitar look more stylish. The higher input infinity helps in dropping out the best-driven tones.
Pros
- Crisp and bright sound
- Excellent playability, easy to carry
- Suitable for all level of players
- Comes at a great price
Cons
- Had some cheap quality hardware
- Not the best tuner
3.1 lbs / 1.4 kg | Best Choice for Kids
This Fender Strat guitar comes in different colors like Surf green, black, brown sunburst, competitor orange, Dakota red, and shell pink. The body, top, and back of the instrument are built with poplar material, super soft. The neck part is built with maple material, the fretboard with Indian laurel material.
The string part is built with the Nickel steel material for producing warmer sounds. This is the lightest guitar on the list – standing at just 3.1 pounds.
How does it sound?
The major wood material used in the construction of this guitar is poplar. Poplar material is a soft body wood, and it’s is, even more, softer than Mahogany, swap, or maple. So the instrument tends to have very short sustainability. The instrument also helps in generating classic Fender tones. But it is only suitable for producing soft tones.
How does it feel?
The construction type makes it easier to move the fingers comfortably around the strings. As the name suggests, it’s best suited for kids from age 6 to 12 years.
The instrument kind of has a vintage touch to it.
Pros
- All the essential accessories included
- Suitable for kids with this compact structure
- Well-constructed fretboard
- Great playability
Cons
- Less sustainability because of the poplar material
- Not the best finish on a guitar
6.6 lbs / 2.9 kg | Lightest Full-Size Guitar
The Squier by Fender classic vibe 70’s lightweight electric guitar comes in four different colors: black, natural, Olympic White, and 3 color sunburst. Also, you get three different styles like custom, Delux, and Thinline.
The body, back, and neck material of this guitar is built with maple material. You get a Humbucking pickup configuration with the nickel steel-string material.
How does it sound?
The Humbucking configuration in the guitar helps in canceling the interrupts between the coils. Helps in generating a thicker and heavy sound.
The nickel strings help in balancing out the tones and give better clarity.
How does it feel?
The C-shaped neck and lightweight nature of the device help in having better playability. The dimension of the product is 44.5x15x4 inches.
The instrument feels easier to switch between the sounds.
Pros
- Lightest professional guitar
- Gorgeous-looking guitar
- Comes with signature Fender sound and promise
Cons
- Premium price for premium guitar
9.24 lbs / 4.1 kg
The Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric guitar is one of the best electric guitars in this range. The guitar is available only in the Ebony color. The topic and back material is built with the Okoume material, while the body is built with the basswood material and the fretboard with the Rosewood material.
The guitar comes with the H pickup configuration, and the bridge is built with a Tune-O-Matic system.
How does it sound?
The humbucking configuration in the guitar helps in canceling out the interference. Helps in better pickup by the proper flow between the coils.
The rosewood fretboard material primarily helps in generating more warm tones. Also, it helps in developing more softer tones.
The material used in the construction of the instrument helps in better sustainability.
How does it feel?
The Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric guitar comes with a weight of approximately 10 pounds. And the instrument dimension is 45x17x7 inches. Though it’s a little heavier than the other guitars on the list, its efficiency is something that consolidated the weight factor. The instrument is suitable for young adult players but not much suited for kids.
Pros
- Great sound clarity
- Very good value for money
- Matches the quality of many other high-end and weight guitars
Cons
- Heavier than many other guitars on the list
Related blog: The Best Guitars With Low Action | Definitive Guide
8.5 lbs / 3.8 kg
The Epiphone ES-339 semi-hollow body electric guitar comes in a cherry red color. The back material of this guitar is built with cherry wood material, and that adds up for more density of the sound. The neck part of the guitar is built with the Mahogany material, and the fretboard comes with rosewood material. You get a Tune-O-Matic Bridge system with a scale length of 24.75 inches.
How does it sound?
The cherry wood material on the back helps in producing a denser and reflective sound. Also, you get a balanced mid-range of the frequency favoring the expected outcomes.
The instrument comes with better sustainability and clear bass quality.
How does it feel?
The instrument comes with a smaller dimension, and hence it has even better portability and playability. The small dimensions also make the instrument suitable for people with smaller hands. The push-pull coil tapping helps in switching between the tones easily.
The slime and taper ‘D’ profile neck helps with the flexibility to move around, and it feels so comfortable for the player.
Pros
- Flexible to move around
- Best for kids and people with smaller palms
- Better coil-tapping system
Cons
- May sound dry sometimes
10.15 lbs / 4.6 kg
The Squier by Fender Bullet Telecaster is a lightweight electric guitar built with poplar body material. The fretboard comes with the Laurel material with the strings in the Nickel steel material.
You get a hardtail guitar bridge system that incorporates the better flexibility of the strings in the guitar. There are many variations of the iconic Telecaster but this specific model that uses Laurel material makes it the lightest Telecaster in this budget.
How does it sound?
The guitar’s poplar body material helps generate softer sounds, and the laurel fretboard material has its specific sonic potential with the sound output. The nickel steel 6 stings help in delivering sharp and crisp sounds.
How does it feel?
The instrument comes with a scale length of 25.5 inches. And the instrument has 6 strings for a better user experience.
You get two single-coil Telecaster pickups with this guitar. And the satin neck finish gives the guitar a classy look.
Pros
- Good playability
- Better sound sustainability
- Can’t go wrong with a Telecaster
- Very portable
Cons
- Heaviest guitar on the list, still feels pretty light
8 lbs / 3.6 kg
The Ibanez Steve vai 6 string electric guitar comes in white color. The top and back material of the guitar comes with Meranti material, the body part of the guitar comes with Mahogany material, and the neck part comes with maple material.
The jumbo fretboard helps in easier hand movement over the fretboard. Also, you can put on the pressure of the strings easily.
How does it sound?
They get the quantum humbugs and the quantum single-coil pickups with the availability of five-way switching systems. Again, the combination of Meranti and Mahogany material helps in producing clear sounds.
How does it feel?
This is a lightweight electric guitar, and it lets you play the instrument and the flexibility you desire to have. And the jumbo fretboard helps with an easier hand movement over the strings
Also, you get an instant grip, and the instrument is easy to hold and play around with.
Pros
- Good playability
- Better sustainability and resonance of the sound
- Easy to use fretboard system
Cons
- Not super comfortable for beginners
How we Pick & Test our Guitars
The problem with a heavy guitar arises during long practice sessions, so I spent long hours with these guitars and thoroughly tested the picks. A simple search on the internet will give you tonnes of lookalike lists of light electric guitas, many constructed of cheap & non-durable materials. So, my criteria with while creating this list was:
- Guitars that weighs not more than 10.15 lbs
- Body shape that gives a playbility and reachabilty advantage
- Affordable guitars by popular brands
- Available on renowned marketplaces with good return policy
The testing was simple. I played these guitars as long as I could, noticing the pressure on my thigh while sitting and on my shoulders while standing up and playing. These guitars, at no point, felt uncomfortable or strenuous. They passed the test effortlessly.
Small disclaimer: I can bet my money on these electric guitar are great for long hours of playing continuously but I also recommend going down to a local music shop and testing it out yourself because guitars aren’t one-size-fits-all, you might find out a guitar that fits your body-type better.
Which one is better: heavy or lightweight guitars?
Here’s a great video I found that weighs the pros and cons of having heavy and a light guitar. While weight is important for high sound quality, it isn’t enough to get the most out of your performance. Playability is a critical characteristic to consider because it determines whether or not you will be able to perform satisfactorily.
Your guitar might have some cool features and upgrades. However, you can only perform better if you are comfortable with the instrument.
As a result, the sound quality and playability of a guitar go hand in hand. In most cases, heavyweight guitars cannot compete with lightweight guitars in terms of playability. In terms of sustainability, lightweight guitars cannot compete with heavyweight guitars. As a result, it’s critical to pick one that matches your expectations.
Finally, the winner of this debate is a matter of personal opinion. It’s all dependent on how you feel about the instrument. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of instruments that strike a balance between weight and durability.
Impact of the weight of guitar on your playability
Before talking about playability, you need to first understand why do some guitars weight more than others. In this video, you can find the answers to that.
To successfully reflect the generated sound, a guitar needs to be more sturdy. And the heavier guitars have a higher stable base than the lighter ones. It’s due to the type of wood used in the guitar’s manufacturing. Sustainability is inherent in lightweight guitars, however, in comparison, heavier guitars have a better level of sustainability.
The type of wood used in the instrument’s construction has a significant impact on the device. Although larger body materials aid in optimal sound transmission, there are several lightweight guitar materials that perform effectively to heavy-weight guitars. Alder, ash, basswood, mahogany, and maple are the most prominent woods used in the manufacturing of lightweight guitars. And their efficiency is strikingly similar to that of heavy-weight wood materials.
After all of this, we’ve come to the end of my collection of lightweight guitars. So, go over each and every instrument described in the article and figure out which one appeals to you the most. At the end of the day, it’s all about the creative flow. You should also enjoy the process. As a result, make sure the instrument fits you in all of the ways you wanted it to.
In conclusion
So, go over the above-mentioned lightest electric guitar right away. Choose the one that most closely resembles your area of interest. And take pleasure in every performance you will have in the coming days.
Cedric Philips
Hey there, I am Cedric and I've been playing guitar professionally for 9+ years. I also work in a music shop so I can get my hands on a lot of different guitars. And so, I like to share my take on these fantastic instruments here. Cheers!
Hi,
Does Fender Squier Classic Vibe 60s Telecaster Thinline make the same weight as Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Telecaster Thinline?
Thanks
Hey Herway, so the Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Telecaster Thinline weighs slightly less than the ’70s Telecaster. The ’60s Telecasters sits in at 5lbs whereas the ’70s Telecster comes in at 6 lbs.
Hello,
I need a light guitar, as I have health problems with my legs.
I will take Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Telecaster Thinline.
I tested a Squier Classic Vibe 60 Custom, but it was too heavy for my leg.
I had thought like Peter about an Epiphone SG, but I have a doubt about the weight, not the money to get a Gibson SG.
Thanks a lot for your answer.
Hi,
I thought that the SG style from Gibson or Epiphone were light guitars, am I wrong?
Thank you
Definitely. Gibson’s SG is a great lightweight guitar (if you don’t mind paying premium price for a premium guitar)