Recommend me a light-weight guitar for about $400

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm going to stop at GC and try out an Ibanez S521. It's got a thin Mahogany body. I was also looking at a used Hellraiser C1, but I think those are as heavy as a Les Paul.

I've also thought of getting a harness guitar strap, or a really good back brace.
 
BrammyH said:
It's certainly an option, but if we start playing out it's a problem I'll have to solve.

Besides, when your GF says "maybe you need a new guitar" who am I to say No?
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Fuck it, wheel out a recliner on stage and lay back in it. You'll make an unforgettable impression on the audience.

Your GF needs to talk to my wife.
 
Counting loaners, I have 9 electrics in my house. If I can't find one of those that's comfortable to play for a while, I have bigger problems.

With that in mind, I stopped by GC on the way home to try out a bunch of guitars. This is not a problem a $400 guitar will solve. I played a bunch, and while I liked the S521 weight, the pups need to be replaced to so I need to add in a couple hundred to that.

I ended up deciding if my back pain gets in the way of me playing, and since I'm used to playing good guitars, in the future I might be looking at selling most of the collection and getting one of the Ibanez Prestige S guitars.
 
So, after thinking it through, the best I could hope for is a guitar about a pound lighter than my RG.

I ordered a harness guitar strap to see if that helps. I also have a bar stool floating around I'm going to lean against.
 
There's a whole thread about this Vintage Modified '72 Thinline:



It's streeting for $299, although it's back ordered in most places.

The more trad Classic Vibe Thinline can be had for about $399:




This one is another Vintage Modified, but with a Gibsom 24 3/4" scale, which should also be about $299:


 
Typically I would say SG, but I don't think the budget SG's are all lightweight mahogany.

I think many of the traditional Superstrats are Basswood, which would be a great option. I also like the older Poplar Mexican Strats, but as ergonomic as Starts are, you might prefer the small Superstrat-esque bodies.
 
The steinberger spirits are like 399. No idea what they weigh but I'd assume they are light
 
Yeah, I have a basswood Superstrat. It's about 7.5lbs. I did not like the Ibanez 521 I played that much. I would need a pup replacement so that's an extra $200 or so. I was thinking of the 7-string version, but that's only 1 lb lighter than my Ibanez RG570

I did think of the Squire, but I decided that in the end, trying to find a workable solution with my existing 7 guitars was probably best.
 
Mbrace?

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Believe it or not, my Gibson USA Faded Flying V is feather light (lighter than any of my other guitars by far), remarkably well-balanced, and sounds incredible. They were only 800 new, so I'll bet you can find them used for 400. They came in brown and cherry. I have the brown, but one of my students had the cherry, and it looked good too.
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