New Jag Body from BGP
- BrendanP
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New Jag Body from BGP
My first order - a lefty. Nice grain. Quick turnaround. Not quite 3 weeks. However....
I asked how heavy an alder jag was going to weight these days. The response:
"Our alder stock is pretty good right now, we can probably get you around 4.25 pounds." Unfortunately I didn't specify the weight I was looking for. I figured I'd be fine for anything under 5.
It weighs 5.5lbs. I was ready to send it off today to be painted. I'm putting that on hold now. I see 11 Jag bodies on Warmoth right now. 10 are less than 5lbs and the other is exactly 5lbs. I was expecting under 5. My tolerance for heavy bodies is proportional to what I'm paying for the end result. I want to get some feedback. Anyone here have something built in that weight range? I'm tempted to send it back. UPDATE - BGP got back to me. See post 13 below.
I asked how heavy an alder jag was going to weight these days. The response:
"Our alder stock is pretty good right now, we can probably get you around 4.25 pounds." Unfortunately I didn't specify the weight I was looking for. I figured I'd be fine for anything under 5.
It weighs 5.5lbs. I was ready to send it off today to be painted. I'm putting that on hold now. I see 11 Jag bodies on Warmoth right now. 10 are less than 5lbs and the other is exactly 5lbs. I was expecting under 5. My tolerance for heavy bodies is proportional to what I'm paying for the end result. I want to get some feedback. Anyone here have something built in that weight range? I'm tempted to send it back. UPDATE - BGP got back to me. See post 13 below.
Last edited by BrendanP on Wed Sep 19, 2018 4:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Embenny
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
I'm used to my jags being my heaviest guitars. It would kinda feel wrong if they weren't - I'm so used to that now.
Anyway, I play bass too, and I don't really have any qualms with heavy guitars because they fall short of my heavier basses. But everyone has their own preferences...I'm just not that fussed about guitar weight.
Anyway, I play bass too, and I don't really have any qualms with heavy guitars because they fall short of my heavier basses. But everyone has their own preferences...I'm just not that fussed about guitar weight.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.
- BrendanP
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
I usually don't notice weight with bolt-neck guitars until they hit the 9lb mark. Once it's painted and saddled with 2lbs of hardware and and a fat neck, this body will push it past 9lbs. I just checked 6 Fender American Jag bodies on Ebay and they're all under 5lbs.
- wooderson
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
Rule of thumb for a Telecaster is body + 3 pounds, I'd guess with an offset you add the weight of the tailpiece to that?
- BrendanP
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
Yes, I think the tremolo, 3 control plates and extra body hardware bits add another pound on there. I reached out to an experienced builder and he didn't think the weight was surprising. Still, it seems to be an outlier. Out of 20+ samples I looked up tonight, the only bodies that breach the 5lb mark are two MIM models which I believe have the thick polyester finish. Normally this isn't something that bothers me. I've built partscasters with bodies that weighed over 5lbs and I've owned a few Agiles which were quiet heavy. They're also cheap and don't stick around long. This, however, is being built as a keeper. With professional paint work and the extra costs associated with Jags, particularly the lefty bits and a custom bound neck, it's not going to be cheap.
I see that an ultra-light swamp ash ( under 4lbs) lefty from Guitar Mill in trans white is $439. I steered away from GM initially because they didn't have alder to produce a body under 5lbs. Heh..
- JVG
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
What concerns you about the weight - is the potential sound, or playing comfort? If it's the latter, I understand, but if it's the former I'd say there's no link between weight and "good" sound (whatever that is!)
Cheers
J.
Cheers
J.
- BrendanP
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
It's a combination of comfort and a "livelier feel". If the guitar's weight is registering in my mind while I play, it's a distraction. My last Jag ( build documented somewhere here) was about 8.5lbs. Perfect.
- wooderson
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
I just had to make that decision for a Jazzblaster build - I wound up going with the light swamp ash. I don't really believe in the importance of body wood (so many people building with basswood and pine these days and getting good results) but it still feels sort of wrong.
There was a Danocaster Jag up for sale a few months ago that was under 7 pounds with an ash body - 6.8# according to the Reverb listing.
- oid
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
Just start your day with a few dozen pushups and situps and all will be well by the time the guitar is complete.
Logic gates based on billiard-ball computer designs have also been made to operate using live soldier crabs of the species Mictyris guinotae in place of the billiard balls.
- Trout
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
He is looking to be Rowland S howard, not Arnold S
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- Footbutt
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
what is BGP?
"There's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster." -Dr. Evil
- wooderson
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
Best Guitar Parts, a company that branched off from USACG from what I understand.
- BrendanP
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Re: New Jag Body from BGP
I wrote to them this morning and I was asked to send it back so they can make it right. That's excellent news!