are edwards LP's chambered or not. which models

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That's too bad. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is someone over at The Gear Page Forums that had a new Edwards smashed in transit. He plans on sawing off the top to check for chambering.
 
As far as I know African Mahogany wich is used on most MIJ guitars or the usual Gibson Mahogany have average set weights.
I don't know how someone can make a guitar from African Mahogany and make it lighter than another guitar made from African Mahogany. The only way Gibson could make the Mahogany lighter was with the swiss cheese holes or chambering.

The only other way I know to make it lighter is to use a different wood.
I have a low end student model Gibson SG from about 1973 and it is a lot lighter than the other 1973 Gibson SG's and also my Orville SG.
So I looked up an old 1973 catalog and Gibson had all the SG's listed as made from Mahogany but for my model it just said solid wood so I don't think mine is made from Mahogany but from something else which would explain why it's so light compared to the other SG's.
The funny thing is that my Gibson SG wood looks like Mahogany but it's much lighter than Mahogany.
It a great sounding guitar whatever it's made from.
 
1 cubic centimetre of mahogany will vary in weight, depending on what part of the tree it came from. The base of a big massive tree is a LOT denser than the top branches, which aren't supporting tons and tons of weight.

It also varies from 1 tree to the next.

Sorry, but your argument is not accurate.
 
Hello cyberpunk, mate you are absolutely right , the wood at the bottom of the tree is denser and therefore heavier the further up the tree the lighter the wood. :wink:

Cheers Mick
 
What you say is right but I was talking about average set weights.
If a model of guitar is consistently light for all guitars of that model than something is not quite right unless the guitar is made from a lighter wood species like Basswood for instance.
What company is going to make guitars with wood just from the top of the tree for a bit of lightness.
There might be some guitars made of African Mahogany that are lighter than others but the expected average weight can be estimated.
In the case of my Gibson SG, all the owners I've read have said it's a lot lighter than the Mahogany SG's (average weight) and from Gibsons specs they don't seem to be made from Mahogany.
 
I don't have an Edwards so I don't know what they weigh in general but if most Edwards weigh about the same as Tudors then I don't know why anyones worried about the weight.
Tudors Edwards weight can be explained by a bit thinner Maple top.
Maple is from what I've read a heavier wood than Mahogany.
If the Edwards were on average say closer to 7 lbs then I might suspect different woods to Mahogany/Maple or chambering being used.

As far as I know there are 5 main ways to make a LP lighter in average weight.

The Swiss Cheese holes that Gibson tried.
The Chambered bodies which Gibson are now trying.
Using lighter wood species.
Making the body or maple top thinner.
Just selecting the lightest wood from a wood species which would be expensive as there would be no use for the heavier bits of wood and I don't think you can just buy the lighter wood in bulk you would have to buy just wood and some bits would be lighter than some others.


"My Edwards says 4,0 kg / 8.8 lbs, my Gibbo (weight relieved) has 3,8 kg / 8.4 lbs"

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9587&sid=810464922803cbe837d30bc5ff1cdfea


"Got an answer from the ESP.

(Luna translated process)

They are all using mahogany wood. And we do not select a light woods expressly.
But the maple of the top material is very thin.

This is why they are not as heavy as gibson LP usually, for ewample.
Don't forget the top is laminated.

So apparently they are not chambered body. "

http://guitarsatbmusic.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3468
 
Both my Edwards weighed in at 7.5 pounds which led me to wonder if these were weight relieved.
 
hmmm, interesting topic of discusion here people!
My luthier told me that he's seen an X-ray of some edwards models and some were drilled and some were solid...are Edwards cutting corners without telling us?

I know that the JP relic that I bought brand new for over 1000 US dollars came without a long neck tenon, and a poor neck set so you cant put the action anymore lower than how it came :(
 
Dann said:
hmmm, interesting topic of discusion here people!
My luthier told me that he's seen an X-ray of some edwards models and some were drilled and some were solid...are Edwards cutting corners without telling us?

I know that the JP relic that I bought brand new for over 1000 US dollars came without a long neck tenon, and a poor neck set so you cant put the action anymore lower than how it came :(

are you sure your Edwards JP relic does not have a long neck tenon? any chance of posting some pics of inside the neck pickup cavity? sometimes edwards do their long tenons SOOO well that it's hard to see the joints.
 
i'll take some pics shortly, i have to retreive my camera from a friend of mine....

but my luthier looked at it and first told me about it, i never believed him so i cracked it open and yeah....you cannot see anywhere where a tenon sticks out.

to me it doesnt make so much of a difference, the thins resonates and sustains for days...but its all the advertising thing about it. a little dissapointment but not too much...still a killer guitar. i slapped a bigsby on mine
 
The high action may be due to the extra deep/tall carve on the top. I don't find the action or the bridge to be excessively high on my 130, but I've read of complaints that the bridge sits higher than an actual Gibson.
 
It seems that some Edwards are normal weights and some aren't.

The images below are of a Edwards LP-98 that got damaged in transit.
What I'd like to know is how a plastic volume knob can make a dent into what is supposed to be a solid Maple top.

I think Maple is a stronger wood than that and I would expect the plastic volume knob to not make a big hole in the Maple top.
Instead, the plastic volume knob has caused a big hole in the Maple top. Having a Maple top with a veneer wouldn't change anything, it would still be like a solid Maple top in regards to wood strength.

If you ask me, I can see the chamber in the image.
The bottom volume knob has gone right through the top and there is a black shadow around the bottom volume knob which looks to me like a chamber hole.

The control route might extend into the Maple top but you would still not expect a volume knob to just go through the Maple top like it has.

I think they might be chambering the bottom end of the Maple top (not the pickups end) and leaving the pickup cavities alone so even if you take the pickups out you won't see any chambering.

From the image of the damaged LP-98 I think it's got a chambered Maple top and the chambers are not visible from the pickup or control cavities.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5910/feninaq4.jpg

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?p=3411953
 
Hi Japanstrat, mate i have a couple of lp's "MIJ" that have the routing in the control cavity and i guarantee if you hit it hard enough to do that sort of damage the controls would go straight through, i doubt very much that the maple tops are chambered, i have a ls 180 tokai and a custom order Tokai gold top and there is a reasonably big difference in the weight of these 2 guitars and neither are chambered. And both sound and play awesome.. :p

Mick
 
Yes it could be that the knob has just gone through to the control cavity.
It's hard to be sure without more info and images of the control cavity.
All I know is that if I owned a Edwards I wouldn't lean on the volume and tone knobs too hard.
The Gibson chambered weights are roughly around the 7.5 lbs mark and some Edwards seem to be around this same weight so I think somethings not quite right.
 
I don't think they would break that easily, maple is a brittle hard wood and therefore a good enough hit would kind of shatter it if the routing was thin enough, i think your guitars are safe.. :p

Mick
 
Here is another angle of the Edwards with what appears to be a black (empty chamber?) colour where the top has chipped.

In the first image there is a 4 5 6 piece of the knob near the bridge post, embedded into the top. He has then removed the 4 5 6 piece and it seems to have left a hole (where the 4 part was embedded into the top).

In the second image the knob near the bridge post, just has a 8 after he's removed the 4 5 6 piece.

1st image

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5910/feninaq4.jpg

2nd image

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4710/fengatoelp3wk5.jpg
 
One way to test for chambers is to take off the knobs and loosen the pot bolts and pull the pots away from the top and then get a bit of bendable wire and bend a length of the tip so the bent bit of the wire is wider than the pot hole and insert it into the pot hole and see if it turns around without hitting anything.
If it doesn't hit anything then the Maple top is chambered.

Or just stick a bit of wire or whatever into the pot hole at an angle and move it about and see if it hits anything.

But if they are using supports around the pot holes then this won't work.
 

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