Neill Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Probably done to death but I'm seriously thinking about getting a LP Standard.Pros and cons (other than price obviously)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MKII Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Cons: The weight of them, especially customs and Supremes! Even standards get kinda irritating if you play for a long time standing up. After playing strats and telecasters for years, it took quite a bit of getting used to the shape etc. Pros:They can sound very, very good, thick, but biting with the bridge pickup, fenderesque in the middle and nice and warm with the neck pickup. It depends on what sounds you're going for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 The only negatives are the weakness of the neck...they dont stand the abuse that fenders soak up with ease and their habit of the G string not holding its tune.Great sounding guitars that look cool as fuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neill Posted July 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I have a tele and a strat.The strat is a HSS and I prefer the humbucker sound, just 'sounds' better than the single coils.Plus I had a Class 5 custom shop on loan for about 4 months and once I managed to build up resistance in the fingers to the frets I kind of pretty much loved it.Got absolutely no 'justifcation' for it though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MKII Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 If your telecaster is an American 52 reissue, I'd be up for a swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neill Posted July 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 If your telecaster is an American 52 reissue' date=' I'd be up for a swap. [/quote']Its not. Its some wierd deluxe (plus?) thing...Plus I like it too much (as much as just an 'object' as well as a guitar).I told you I can't give justifications for the LP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MKII Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I told you I can't give justifications for the LP!I guess you just have GAS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threeornothing Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Get either a special, studio or junior...your back will thank you for it. Theres a reason you never see Les Paul actually playing a Les Paul! I'd recommend P90's too...they are single coil pickups but piss over any humbucker for heaviness, the gibson PAF's are too thin and one dimensional...P90's have many different sounds depending on where your volume control is. The sound is an aqquired taste...but only a fool doesn't appreciate a nice vintage tone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gasss Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Buy a Heritage!Buy a Gordon Smith! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neill Posted July 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Get either a special' date=' studio or junior...[/quote']See this is what I was meaning, is it worth going all out for a Standard?I'd recommend P90's too...Now you got me thinking... Suppose I'd better find out what they sound like first.From a purely cosmetic angle I like the look of covered 'buckers more, much more, than P90's but i've never really checked them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threeornothing Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I'd love a Gordon Smith...but they cost almost as much as the real thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gasss Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I'd love a Gordon Smith...but they cost almost as much as the real thing...*gets philosophical*what is real?what is the real thing?Do you mean a guitar made in the same factory on the same jigs by the same people as the 1950s/1960s Gibsons?Do you mean a Heritage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threeornothing Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Real thing = the company who designed the bloody thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Gold Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I've got a Standard, and it's a lovely piece of kit. Bridge humbucker can kick out the jams and the neck sounds very smooth.I use it for crystal clean stuff mainly, as I prefer the bitey sound of my single coiled strat when it comes to stomping on the ol' distortion.Yes it's very heavy, but I'm not a scrawny member of generation X and have no hassle keeping it on my shoulders for a good few hours. Also, it's expensive, and that's a lot harder to justify. I got one 'cause I loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 For a little person like me, they are very heavy, so I would never gig mine. But it does sound sooo good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gasss Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Real thing = the company who designed the bloody thing.But the original designers apart from Les Paul himself - Ted McCarthy, Travis Bigsby and (arguably) Seth Lover have all now passed away. The current Gibson company is a completely different operation which has bought the rights to a name and intellectual property. It's just a name on a headstock. I'm not knocking Gibson guitars, just the black and white notion of authenticity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Maverik Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 In my opinionPros:Sound lovelyLook lovelyWell builtCons:HeavyHard to playOver-pricedAndy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neill Posted July 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Ha, thanks Andy.That's pretty much what I was thinking already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neill Posted July 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 I guess you just have GAS. Not quite what the A stands for but whichever I try it fits.I know it's not life threatening but it's a damn expensive habit.Especially as Gibson just increased their prices (great timing Neill) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Where for art thou Dusty ???Can't believe it - this post has been running for days and Dusty has contributed to one of his favourite subjects - The Lester o_O IMHO - great guitars, but an acquired taste. I've sold both of mine and bought a high-end Strat coz the LP's just plain don't fit me. I've been playing Fenders for too long now.Fantastic tone, but for me personally, too different from the Strat for me to enjoy. Sometimes wish I had started with a Les Paul, but as a kid who idolised Richie & Jimi, I guess I never had a choice.....DZL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DustyDeviada Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Can't believe it - this post has been running for days and Dusty has contributed to one of his favourite subjects - The Lester o_OOK' date=' less than a day, but I'll get stuck right in now. First of all, I should address this nonsense:Theres a reason you never see Les Paul actually playing a Les Paul! I think you'll find he plays a Les Paul every Monday night at The Iridium Club on Broadway, NYC. Certainly he was playing a Les Paul when I saw him there a year ago this week (and met him ). Here's a pic:And before anybody comments that it's not a "proper" Les paul, no it's a Les Paul Professional, Les Paul himself designed them in the early 70s because he wanted something with low impedance pickups, but they didn't seem to catch on with anybody else. I must say they sounded great when I saw Les though.OK, back on topic, as for the Standard. I currently own two Les Pauls, an 04 Standard:and an 01 54 Reissue, (special flametop version)I have previously owned a Les Paul Standard Lite, like this one:and a Les Paul Junior Special, like this one, but in black, which I sold to Jamesey out of My Mind's weapon:The Standard is a great guitar, just wonderful. The 54 Reissue is good too, but I personally would urge caution before buying a guitar with P-90s. I know Keilan is raving about them, and there is no doubt that they are excellent for certian styles, but not all. Ultimately, the P-90 just doesn't have the same output as a humbucker, and therefore is never going to be as powerful as a humbucker equipped, mahogany bodied, maple topped Les Paul.And if you want that, you have several options. You can of course go for the Standard. However, if I was buying again now, I probably wouldn't, I would go for a 57 or 58 Reissue, the Historic reissues are just better made guitars, albeit more expensive. The third option is to go for a Les Paul Studio, basically exactly the same as a Standard, but with slightly different pickups, no binding and minus a flametop. Now, Les Paul standards are SUPPOSED to come with flametops, but it seems to be the case that they keep the flametops for the states and send all the plaintops to the UK. Certainly I haven't seen any in the UK with a top as good as mine (I bought mine in the US).One more option, the Les Paul classic. More expensive than a studio, cheaper than a standard, no flametop, thin neck and "hot" pickups more suited to metal styles.I should also add that the Junior Special had P-100s, "noiseless" vesrions of P-90s. Not much cop I thought, and Jamesey appeared to agree as he's stuck an EMG in it now!All the Les Pauls I have had have been heavy except the Standard Lite which had a thinner body with "tone chambers" and was a double cut. This however made it neck heavy, in the same way that SGs are. The Junior Special was slightly less heavy as it didn't have a maple cap. So, if you're on a budget, I would go for a Studio, if you can get a second hand one, even better. If you've got enough cash to splash on a Standard, save up a bit more and either get a 57 or 58 reissue.PS, much, much, much more info available at the Les Paul forum, be sure to read it for a while before you buy anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Sorry to be pedantic but I think you'll find Les Paul's guitar of choice is a Les Paul Recording, and thats backed up by the fact that its a recording that he's using in the picture above...Edit; Just in case you doubt my superiour knowlege......http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/linkpages/music/music_lespaulrecording.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DustyDeviada Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 My mistake, although I do take issue with your "superior knowledge" on this point:The only negatives are the weakness of the neck...they dont stand the abuse that fenders soak up with ease and their habit of the G string not holding its tune.Yes, the LP's habit of snapping at the neck is well founded (hence the inroduction of the dreaded volute in the 70s), but there's a simple way to make sure this doesn't happen - don't drop the fucking things.And as for this somehow meaning that the G string will go out of tune, well that's just bollocks. My Standard DID have a problem with the G string going out of tune, but this was just down to a poorly cut nut, a local luthier widened it for me and it's stayed in tune ever since. I've gigged with it loads of times since then and never had any tuning problems. Nor have I ever heard of any complaints from the likes of:Ace FrehleyBillie Joe Armstrong Billy Gibbons Dave Grohl Dickey Betts Eddie van HalenElliot Easton Eric ClaptonGary Moore Jimmy Page Joe Perry Joe Walsh Lenny Kravitz Les Paul Mark KnopflerPete Townshend Peter Frampton Slash The Edge Zakk Wylde etc etc etc or any of the other thousands of guitarists who have used Les Paul’s at some point in their careers. I think a fairly serious design flaw like that would have been picked up by somebody other than yourself by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 My mistake' date=' although I do take issue with your "superior knowledge" on this point:Yes, the LP's habit of snapping at the neck is well founded (hence the inroduction of the dreaded volute in the 70s), but there's a simple way to make sure this doesn't happen - don't drop the fucking things.And as for this somehow meaning that the G string will go out of tune, well that's just bollocks. My Standard DID have a problem with the G string going out of tune, but this was just down to a poorly cut nut, a local luthier widened it for me and it's stayed in tune ever since. I've gigged with it loads of times since then and never had any tuning problems. Nor have I ever heard of any complaints from the likes of:Ace FrehleyBillie Joe Armstrong Billy Gibbons Dave Grohl Dickey Betts Eddie van HalenElliot Easton Eric ClaptonGary Moore Jimmy Page Joe Perry Joe Walsh Lenny Kravitz Les Paul Mark KnopflerPete Townshend Peter Frampton Slash The Edge Zakk Wylde etc etc etc or any of the other thousands of guitarists who have used Les Pauls at some point in their careers. I think a fairly serious design flaw like that would have been picked up by somebody other than yourself by now.[/quote']Fuck sake......chill out man, the superiour knowlege remark was a joke as you bobviously know a bit about les paul's, my point about the neck is well documented and they arnt as strong as fenders "and thats a fact" I have had a bit of experience of les pauls and have noticed many have a tuning issue with the "g" string...its not a big deal but the problem exists....and I'm afraid listing everyone in the fuckin world who plays one wont make any difference, I mean how many people drive fords, does that mean they are perfect...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neill Posted July 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Well Dusty you took your time but this was pretty much exactly what I was after, a completely biased opinion!The historic's are way, way out of my range but at that prices I'd expect them to be better otherwise....I am seriously comtemplating a 60's neck Gold Top (yup, coz I'm not really into that 'metal'/hard rock thang. Would never have considered it if I hadn't seen Matt Sweeney's in the flesh). I did swither over the Desert Burst in Bruce Millers but somebody pipped me to the post.Thanks for the info on the classic and studio. From a purely cosmetic point of view I favour the covered buckers so don't fancy the classic. Your comments re. metal tone just seals it. The studio would be worth investigating for sure as is appears to be roughly half the cost of a new standard.Guess I'll have to sift through the LPF (although I looks like information overload).If only I'd got my act together before the price increase...Thanks,NeillPS I presume the LP sounds great through the microcube then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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