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Your views on a Les Paul


Steviepearce

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Hi guys,

 

Thought i would start maybe a controversial topic regarding the gold old Gibson Les Pauls.

 

My opinion has always been mixed and i have always had mixed experiences with any i have played or owned. I find recently  that the quality control has dropped some what. Out of a 100 les pauls you will find quite a lot of bad ones. 

 

I genuinely love the tone of a Les Paul, a good one has the tone to die for but i am not a huge fan of the neck or feel of one. Have you found another guitar that matches the tone of a les paul?

 

I want that tone, but don't really want another Les Paul. Then again i love the tone from a player like Gary Moore but so much comes from the player. 

 

Opinions please. Who loves them, who hates them or who like me just finds nothing that special about them. 

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I've got little experience playing Les Paul's but the old Washburn bird series from the 70's/80's can be gotten quite cheap and are pretty much just a double cutaway version of a Les but with thru body stringing.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-Washbursn-Hawk-Neck-Thru-STUNNING-BEAUTIFUL-CONDITION-/390836647738?pt=Guitar&hash=item5affadf73a

 

Not exactly my cup of tea but they sound pretty mega and the build quality is excellent. The one I've played anyway.

Edited by James Broonbreed
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I've got 4 (had 6 altogether)  and they are/were all different. Late 70's early 80's were dodgy in body shape and in finish, although they did sound great. There was a wee flurry in 2002 when Gibson got their act together and brought out some cracking les pauls. Got a Gold Top from 2003...and it was nowhere near as nice. 

I have a Robin guitar which is like Yamaha SG series, that i think is great.

Had PRS, but they never really sounded like a LP....then again they were not LP's but they were very good. 

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I once owned a Les Paul Studio that I bought on impulse and didn't enjoy it, I just couldn't get on with the tone.

 

I sold it and eventually replaced it with an Epiphone Sheraton ii, which I feel trumps the LP studio in terms of sound.

 

I must say though, my friend has a Gibson Les Paul standard and it is magnificent, but I've also played standards that are garbage.

 

I'm very much a fender man though, and would never replace my USA telecaster with any Gibson.

Edited by givemeasmile
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With the plethora of different necks, pickups and body weights, I think that your best bet would be to head down to a shop like Guitar Guitar and have a chat with them. They were super helpful when I picked out my SG and didn't keep handing me more and more expensive guitars, they listened! I had my budget and they stuck to it! If you play the guitar that you are going to buy, that means that the quality control issue is removed.

 

Personally I have never played a Les Paul that I have gotten on with, they're heavy and the necks are not too my taste. Plus I tend to find that humbuckers sound a bit washed out and not pokey enough for me. I am a Fender man, barring the SG of course!

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I have a 2005 Gibson Standard in the cupboard that gets the occasional airing. I'm a bit 50/50 on it. On one hand, it's a cumbersome beast and the clean tone doesn't really excite me. But I really like the neck and with a heap of drive it sounds crushing. I think you can get better bang for your buck elsewhere to be honest, but I think I'd regret getting rid of it.

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I owned a Standard a few years ago, found it too heavy to play for any period of time, and 'buckers didn't really suit the tone I was after, but every now and then I see a nice Gold Top and get some GAS for one, P90's!!

 

I think the nature of the construction means they're a lot more hit and miss in terms of quality and finish than other manufacturers - i'd never buy one without playing it first. They're pretty fucking iconic though.......

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I used to have an Epihone Les Paul and I've played a few Gibsons and PRS guitars. I just don't like the tone of them at all, which is weird as at least one of my favourite guitarists uses one. I think you really need to the amp/guitar combo right if you want to get the perfect sound for you. I tried one through the same model of amp I have for gigs, and it sounded ass, but better through a Mesa Boogie.

 

 Weight wise, I have a full set of adult shoulders so that didn't bother me.

 

If it's the shape you like, I recently tried a Guild Aristocrat, which I really liked. It's a similar shape but the pickups were more to my taste. There's also the Gretsch 'jet' series as well.

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I don't get it either! Some LP's look that part, the sound is right up my street but I'm a weak guy, so I think the SG's are much preferred, although the shape is 'err', I'm looking into an Epiphone Wilshire. Has anyone played one?

Fenders I can't get my head around. The feel and playability is great, everybody should have a strat, telecasters, I've got one for sale at the moment and it's nice on sustain but the twang isn't my cup of tea.

I play a vintage VSA535 and I highly recommend it. It's my go to guitar! The Epiphone dot is made in the same factory as Vintage guitars and slightly cheeper. It's different, gets a lot of people asking what it is on my youtube covers.

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Try a Mayones Setius. Amazing quality and tonally they have a lot in common with LPs. I actually don't really get on with mine as it's a hefty chunk of mahogany and a bit too heavy and dark sounding for me. I think the necks are far nicer too but that's personal preference again.

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I love a Les Paul, me.

 

gibson+lp+standard+bass+pre-2013.jpg

 

Not so keen on the most recent ones (the oversized bodied ones) - look bloated and rather badly proportioned.  I love the small body, gigantic long neck aesthetics of the previous model.

 

Oh wait, we're talking about guitars.  I'll get me coat.

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I love a Les Paul, me.

 

Not so keen on the most recent ones (the oversized bodied ones) - look bloated and rather badly proportioned.  I love the small body, gigantic long neck aesthetics of the previous model.

 

Oh wait, we're talking about guitars.  I'll get me coat.

 

I always though the Les Paul basses with smaller bodies looked really weird, like a guitar with a bass neck glued on.  In fender context would be like a regular Tele guitar with a P-bass neck bolted on.  I think in my head I always figured they would have bigger bodies, hence Gibson increasing the body size, cos I telt them. 

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I always though the Les Paul basses with smaller bodies looked really weird, like a guitar with a bass neck glued on.  In fender context would be like a regular Tele guitar with a P-bass neck bolted on.  I think in my head I always figured they would have bigger bodies, hence Gibson increasing the body size, cos I telt them. 

 

They've lost that "I'll have your eye out with this" or "after the gig, I'm going jousting" factor.  I love to take things to extremes sometimes, so I got a Les Paul Double Cut :)

 

01_all.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...

Never been a fan of expensive guitars with fragile headstock joints, unnecessary amounts of finish bling and excessive weight.  Muddy high gain humbuckers don't work for me, either- or skinny neck shapes.

 

Last year, I bought a 50's tribute LP Studio....... fattish neck profile, thin finish, no binding- and P90s! Less than half the price of a Trad, weighs a few pounds less, sustains just fine.

 

Drawbacks?  Nasty PCB wiring loom, P90s are a bit hot, for my taste, fretwork could be better- otherwise nothing major. 

 

I've always preferred Melody Makers, Juniors and Specials- never been tempted by anything with Humbuckers.  Played plenty of good Lesters and some fine Tokais, Gordon Smiths, Washburns and Yamahas.  If you want the LP H/H experience, I really see no need to spend serious cash to get it- just do your research.... and perhaps a pickup swap?

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  • 2 weeks later...

As stated above, the headstock / neck is an extremely weak spot. This guitar has been knocked over twice, the headstock has snapped twice. It's been fixed since (twice) and still holds tuning, no bother at all. Not sure whether it'll survive another tumble though. A strat would survive this abuse and more (I know this from experience).

yeah it was the same with my lp custom, took way too much beatings easily and all my fender style guitars have survived.
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