Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • "Worst rap album in history"
  • Superbooth 2025
  • Eilish vs Radiohead
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Gibson L-00 Special small-bodied acoustic guitar in Satin Wine Red finish
Acoustic Guitars "Yes, its small proportions mean it’s somewhat restricted tonally, but forget what it can’t do and concentrate on the areas where it excels.": Gibson L-00 Special review
Martin Jr. Series: this new affordable run from the high-end acoustic brand comprises a range of travel-friendly instruments with a regular 24.9" scale. Here the range is pictured against a green background.
Guitars “Your full-scale companion. Anytime. Anywhere… the perfect companion to your full-size Martin”: Meet the Junior Series, the new small-bodied, travel-friendly acoustic range from Martin
Red Fender Stratocaster and Fender tweed amp
Electric Guitars Best Stratocasters 2025: Top Strat picks from Fender and Squier
Two Squier Stratocasters and a Squier Thinline Telecaster on a black wooden floor leaning against a brick wall
Electric Guitars Best Squier guitars 2025: 10 killer guitars that won’t break the bank
EVH Gear Wolfgang WG Standard T.O.M.
Guitars “A guitar with the same style and massive sound Eddie Van Halen created all at an affordable price”: EVH Gear reimagines the Wolfgang Standard as a high-performance shredder with a TOM bridge
Martin DX2E 12-String Brazilian Natural: Patterned HPL gives this affordable acoustic a high-end look to match the name on the headstock
Acoustic Guitars “For those on the hunt for a great quality 12-string electro-acoustic that won’t break the bank, it's a no-brainer”: Martin X Series Remastered D-X2E Brazilian 12-String review
EVH Gear Wolfgang Van Halen Signature SA-126
Electric Guitars "Whatever magic is in the Van Halen ear canals has been imparted here too": EVH SA-126 Special review
  1. Guitars

Six of the best: light guitars

News
By Guitarist ( Guitarist ) published 25 July 2014

When you don't want to carry that weight

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Tom Anderson Hollow Drop Top Classic

Tom Anderson Hollow Drop Top Classic

LA guitar maker Tom Anderson’s Hollow Drop Top Classic has a hollowed-out alder body with
a centre block, topped with a flame-maple cap. It’s a super- lightweight, state-of-the-art take on the S-type design, and comes with a huge range of options.

Weight: 2.9kg

We said: “A truly beautiful modern take on a classic, with lightweight, exceptional build, playability and sounds”

Full Tom Anderson Hollow Drop Top Classic review

4.5 out of 5

For more information visit the official Tom Anderson website.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Gordon-Smith GS-1

Gordon-Smith GS-1

Manchester’s Gordon-Smith Guitars offers a range of inexpensive, roadworthy takes on classic formats, with all kinds of options and some clever design quirks. The redoubtable GS-1 is as simple as it gets, is super-slim, and is a lot of fun to play and gig.

Weight: 2.57kg

We said: “A surprisingly versatile, more ‘rock’ take on the single- pickup LP Junior, with real clout, and plenty of options”

Full Gordon-Smith GS-1 review

4 out of 5

For more information visit the official Gordon-Smith Guitars website.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Fender Empress Telebration Telecaster

Fender Empress Telebration Telecaster

Still available to buy, this solid- bodied Telecaster is made of lightweight empress tonewood and is part of Fender’s 2011 Telebration range, celebrating 60 years of the noble plank. If you can’t find one, the company’s semi-hollow Thinline Telecaster is available in all kinds of formats.

Weight: 2.76kg

We said: “Powered by two Hot Tele single coils, it proves quite a fiery beast, and the Greasebucket tone control is very usable”

For more information visit the official Fender website.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Danelectro Wild Thing

Danelectro Wild Thing

The Wild Thing is one of Danelectro’s most outrageous designs, but shares the mostly hollow, masonite design that’s synonymous with the brand. Series switching for the two lipstick pickups makes for tones ranging from warm jazz to snappy funk.

Weight: 2.63kg

We said: “A great neck, cool sounds and a truly eccentric look: we’ll say it again – everyone should own a Dano”

Read Danelectro Wild Thing review

4 out of 5

For more information visit the official Danelectro website.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Gibson SG '60s Tribute

Gibson SG '60s Tribute

The SG is available in countless guises, and is as light as it is versatile: even with the addition
of the automated Min-ETune system, as on this impressive recent model.

Weight: 2.9kg

We said: “Lightweight, with easy upper-fret access and a great neck profile, the refined and articulate BurstBuckers lend a touch of genuine class to a guitar that punches quite far above its price division in sonic terms”

Read Gibson SG '60s Tribute review

4.5 out of 5

For more information visit the official Gibson website.

BUY: Gibson SG '60s Tribute currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
FR: Thomann | Star's Music | Woodbrass

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Fender Pawn Shop '70s Stratocaster Deluxe

Fender Pawn Shop '70s Stratocaster Deluxe

Fender’s Pawn Shop line showcases modded and mongrelised models with unique feature sets. This particularly imaginative and lightweight 70s-flavoured hybrid is a quirky but effective rock machine.

Weight: 3kg

We said: “This mix of a Strat and two Thinline Teles proves effective, performing better than many 70s Fenders”

Read Fender Pawn Shop ’70s Stratocaster Deluxe review

3.5 out of 5

For more information visit the official Fender website.

BUY: Fender Pawn Shop ’70s Stratocaster Deluxe currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann
USA: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

The magazine for serious players image
The magazine for serious players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Gibson L-00 Special small-bodied acoustic guitar in Satin Wine Red finish
"Yes, its small proportions mean it’s somewhat restricted tonally, but forget what it can’t do and concentrate on the areas where it excels.": Gibson L-00 Special review
Martin Jr. Series: this new affordable run from the high-end acoustic brand comprises a range of travel-friendly instruments with a regular 24.9" scale. Here the range is pictured against a green background.
“Your full-scale companion. Anytime. Anywhere… the perfect companion to your full-size Martin”: Meet the Junior Series, the new small-bodied, travel-friendly acoustic range from Martin
Red Fender Stratocaster and Fender tweed amp
Best Stratocasters 2025: Top Strat picks from Fender and Squier
Two Squier Stratocasters and a Squier Thinline Telecaster on a black wooden floor leaning against a brick wall
Best Squier guitars 2025: 10 killer guitars that won’t break the bank
EVH Gear Wolfgang WG Standard T.O.M.
“A guitar with the same style and massive sound Eddie Van Halen created all at an affordable price”: EVH Gear reimagines the Wolfgang Standard as a high-performance shredder with a TOM bridge
Martin DX2E 12-String Brazilian Natural: Patterned HPL gives this affordable acoustic a high-end look to match the name on the headstock
“For those on the hunt for a great quality 12-string electro-acoustic that won’t break the bank, it's a no-brainer”: Martin X Series Remastered D-X2E Brazilian 12-String review
Latest in Guitars
Scott Ian of Anthrax introduces his new X Series signature King V in black with gold hardware, and the original Jackson logo on the headstock.
“The old-school Jackson logo, that’s pretty much the pièce de résistance! And it plays even better than it looks”: Jackson gives its metal thrashing X Series Scott Ian King V a super-classy makeover
Epiphone DG-335
The Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 has just seen its biggest ever discount - this is a call to save a whopping £380 at Andertons
Brad Paisley wears a white cowboy hat, burgundy jacket black jeans and cowboy boots as he sits with his new Fender Lost Telecaster from the Custom Shop.
“I like the real thing that happens when you dig in a little bit and the amp starts to cry for mercy”: Is the compressor pedal a country guitar essential? Brad Paisley doesn’t think so – and here’s why
Status Quo Performing in Hyde Park, 2001
“We used to work with Fleetwood Mac a lot on the uni circuit. You could sit down beside the stage and they’d start playing - der-der, der-der - for an hour and a half. We wanted to do that”: Francis Rossi on how Status Quo developed their 12 bar boogie
Lee Ranaldo plays his Thinline Telecaster Deluxe as Sonic Youth perform at the Forum, London, in 1996. Steve Shelley, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore are is pictured in the background.
“This is another item that people kill for. This is the sound of Diamond Sea… This is such a preposterously cool item”: Sonic Youth are selling some super rare gear on Reverb – including Lee Ranaldo’s first electric guitar and a holy grail Ludwig Phase II
Tommy Emmanuel
“It’s really weird: 400 students asking questions, and I’m the only person there - and I’m the instructor - who can’t read music”: Acoustic guitar hero Tommy Emmanuel plays The Beatles and Oasis as he discusses the glaring gap in his musical knowledge
Latest in News
Scott Ian of Anthrax introduces his new X Series signature King V in black with gold hardware, and the original Jackson logo on the headstock.
“The old-school Jackson logo, that’s pretty much the pièce de résistance! And it plays even better than it looks”: Jackson gives its metal thrashing X Series Scott Ian King V a super-classy makeover
Billie Eilish
Fresh from covering Radiohead, Billie Eilish has now tackled a Coldplay classic on her Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour (and it's not the first time she's sung it)
Nick Banks performing with actual Pulp in 2023
"Can you believe this?": Watch Pulp drummer Nick Banks join tribute band Pulp’d at Fake Festival
Epiphone DG-335
The Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 has just seen its biggest ever discount - this is a call to save a whopping £380 at Andertons
Brad Paisley wears a white cowboy hat, burgundy jacket black jeans and cowboy boots as he sits with his new Fender Lost Telecaster from the Custom Shop.
“I like the real thing that happens when you dig in a little bit and the amp starts to cry for mercy”: Is the compressor pedal a country guitar essential? Brad Paisley doesn’t think so – and here’s why
Paul McCartney performs with guitarist Brian Ray on August 10, 2014 in Los Angeles
“Paul’s basslines, while they’re iconic and memorable and musical, they’re not really technically challenging”: How McCartney’s sidekick Brian Ray juggles bass and guitar — and plays the Lennon role in The End

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...