I love/hate my Les Paul

[kselbee]

So this is how it goes.... I pull out my Les Paul after not playing it for a while and I'm totally in love. The tone just kills... and I'm nailing lots of tones from my favorite recordings. Then a few weeks go by and I have this back pain. And then these little things start bugging me... the shorter scale makes it harder for me to pick with much speed, pickup selector isn't convenient, etc. But right now I'm at the beginning of this cycle and man, it's sounding sweet! I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts!

[billm408]

I have a love/love relationship with my LP's. Sure it feels a lot heavier than 10lbs after a couple of hours, but that's part of the trade off for the sounds you get through it. I never considered the pup selector as inconvenient- mostly becasue I rarely find myself going from bridge to neck in the same lead and the scale is what it is- maybe I'm just not fast enough to know that it's limiting me in any way. My only complaint with any LP is playing between the 17th and 22nd fret. Just a bigger stretch than a double cutaway. Again... part of the trade that I'm willing to make.

[Tone_Terrific]

The tone just kills... !

So right for many tunes, not as right for others.
The pup selector works for me, the pots are out of the way, but it still doesn't fit/feel/play as well as most stratoids. Constant quandary...hmmm
It would be nice to find the "ONE" something that I can hang my hat on.

[Martin Horne]

I'm just the opposite; I can't get comfortable on Fender type guitars. The set neck, 24 3/4" scale, fat, round neck feel great to me and I prefer the fatter, warmer tone of humbuckers.

[kurtsstuff]

Don't even get me started!! $1000.00's of dollars spent on Lester's and I'll be damned if I can play em anymore.....Just can't seem to bond with them no matter what????:NUTS

[planetal]

I'm just the opposite; I can't get comfortable on Fender type guitars. The set neck, 24 3/4" scale, fat, round neck feel great to me and I prefer the fatter, warmer tone of humbuckers.

I'm with Martin on this one.. I have a couple of strats and a tele and regardless of how much I try, I just can't get truly comfortable on anything other than a set neck, 24 3.4" scale length guitar ( i.e an LP or a 335).. It is very much the scale length and the feel of the instrument and to a strong degree it is the right set of tones for me. I find good flexibility in the tones I can get by working the volume controls and pickups. It just works best for me and what I'm gigging with these days.

The weight of an LP (or 335) doesn't bother me in any way as thankfully I still have a strong back. I also have to lug a pa and all my stuff in and out of gigs every weekend, carrying an LP for a few hours is the least of my worries.
When I'm home and practicing, I'll use a Fender style guitar a lot (usually a tele actually) and if I'm lucky enough to do any recording I'll use the best guitar/amp combo for whatever it is I'm working on.. but for gigging it's almost always a LP mostly due to the how comfortable I am with them.

[planetal]

So right for many tunes, not as right for others.
The pup selector works for me, the pots are out of the way, but it still doesn't fit/feel/play as well as most stratoids. Constant quandary...hmmm
It would be nice to find the "ONE" something that I can hang my hat on.


I've been trying to find one guitar that did everything and felt great.. I've not found any and I've tried MANY... This might be the ultimate guitar player dream.. one of em anyway.

[gkoelling]

I'm just the opposite of some of you. I've owned two LP's and was glad to see them both go. Off balance, weighed a ton and not very articulate.

Though I love the sound of an LP when someone else plays one, they just sound like crap in my hands.

For 15 years I had only one guitar, a Fender. I think that might be where my problem with LP's comes from.

Did any of you LP lovers start on Gibson styled guitars?


Thanks

[Phil M]

I've always played Les Pauls and love them. I FINALLY found a good Strat a couple of years ago (a Nash) and I play that quite a bit too.

[planetal]

I'm just the opposite of some of you. I've owned two LP's and was glad to see them both go. Off balance, weighed a ton and not very articulate.

Though I love the sound of an LP when someone else plays one, they just sound like crap in my hands.

For 15 years I had only one guitar, a Fender. I think that might be where my problem with LP's comes from.

Did any of you LP lovers start on Gibson styled guitars?


Thanks

That might be the issue.. When I could only afford one guitar it was always a Gibson style guitar.. usually a LP

[Martin Horne]

My first good guitar was a Fender Jazzmaster which I loved (after all, that's what the Ventures used). After a few years, I sold it and bought a 335 which I liked even better than the Jazzmaster. It's been mostly Gibsons and PRS with a few Fenders along the way but I never kept the Fenders very long. I enjoy hearing other people play them but I can't bond with them. My last ditch effort was a new Tyler which I played for 4 hours and wound up putting up for sale.

[ChickenLover]

I played Strats for 20 years before I ever played a LP that I liked...even then it took a while before I really loved it. Now I go back 'n forth between Strats and LPs and like/appreciate each for what it is. Depends on my mood and what I feel like playing...and that goes for amps too.

[paintguy]

Love Les Pauls. They just fit me. Very comfy.

[Sharkey]

I had a Joe Perry LP that weighed 10 + pounds and it sounded great. I hated to do it but I had to let it go.
I then purchased an R7 Historic that weighed 8.6 pounds and thats all it took. The weight factor was gone. Being a Strat guy for 15 + years, I never thought I would say this, but its the best playing guitar I have ever held in my hands. The fat neck, perfect frets and short scale length just makes this thing effortless to play. Chords just sound so perfect on this guitar and lead riffs are a breeze. It's like no other LP I have played. Some of this may be due to the new Plek machine, I don't know.

I still struggle with the vol & tone controls while playing LP's and find that I have to just stay focused more on what I'm doing. The pickup selector hasn't been as hard for me to adjust to for some reason.
I'm still way more comfortable with the control layout on my Strat while singing.

[phoenix 7]

Did any of you LP lovers start on Gibson styled guitars?


I'm a Lester guy, and, yes, my first electric was a '66 SG, then an ES-335, then a Les Paul. Never played Fender-style guitars until recent years. I'm pretty comfortable on Strats and on Gibsons. Just matter of practicing frequently on both (for me anyway). But my Les Paul is my numero uno. I play a Les Paul 90% of the time, but for some songs/sounds the Strat is indispensable!

[Calloway]

I started out on a strat and proggressed through thinline teles, PRS, SG's, Firebirds and finally have settled with my R6 which is the "ONE". I'll admit that at times I've considered selling it, mainly because I think it is too good for me. The guitar just has a huge neck and the P-90's sound awesome, a good mix of what I love about Gibsons with a little of a Fender tone to it.

[jakob]

I go through love hate relationship with my LP.
I'm just such a Strat guy that it's hard to stay
away from them but on the other hand when I sit
down with my LP I just love it but then I leave and
pick up one of my Strats....hehe

[harryjmic]

I'm battling selling my R7 to fund another Vinetto. Some times I love the guitar and others it just bugs me. Heavy, poor upper fret access, poor construction compared to other makers, upper bout contantly digging into my ribs etc...The one I have does sound great and it weighs 8 lbs and 13 oz so it's not too bad.

My thought is to keep my Hamer Monoco (semi hollow with spruce top) for humbucker duties. It doesn't have quite the thud as a lester but it is more responsive and articulate...this will be tough.

[bluesjuke]

I play both but have only one Fender.
It's funny how it takes less Fenders to fulfill the GAS in that department than Gibsons do.

Gibsons I always want just one more.

Going back & forth between them on a regular basis makes it easier to be comfortable on both especially if the Fender is set up nice with the proper neck relief which makes a big difference in their playability.

None of my Gibsons are that heavy but even with the Strat- I have a very good chair. Sitting down was good enough for John Lee.

[hungrymusician]

as a fender guy,i never could see myself playing a les paul just because of the clean tones doesnt sound 'clean' and 'clear' to me.

[bluesjuke]

You haven't played the 'right one' yet.

[localplayer]

crank up the marshall, plug the LP in and switch to the bridge....heaven

[gerryguitar]

this is a great thread....:) I love the tone and the look of a Les Paul, but a strat is just more comfortable to me... I was playing my friends historic LP a few days ago and it really was beautiful with stunning tone.. then I picked up a strat... :AOK and I knew I was home... I learned how to play on a Fender and it feels right to me.. but... I'd still really like a Gibson..... it's that tone that is sooo cool... :YinYang

[kselbee]

crank up the marshall, plug the LP in and switch to the bridge....heaven

No doubt about that one brother!

[tonedaddy]

So this is how it goes.... I pull out my Les Paul after not playing it for a while and I'm totally in love. The tone just kills... and I'm nailing lots of tones from my favorite recordings. Then a few weeks go by and I have this back pain.

You might want to insure you're using the best strap you can find support the weight. There are lots of straps out there that can help, wider ones, padded ones, different materials, etc.

[BluesForDan]

My first guitar was a 335 style Japanese copy, followed by a real Strat that was such a piece of sh*t. I replaced that with a lawsuit Ibanez LP copy, and played that exclusively for 13 years. I replaced that with a real Gibson LP in '89, brand new. It had to weigh over 12 lbs. It sounded huge, even my mother noticed within 3 minutes of plugging it in at home for the first time.

Alas, I was ignorant about how to use tone controls, volume controls and the pickup slelector switch. Eventually, I grew bored with the bridge pickup tone and sold the guitar to fund amplifier GAS.

Fast forward to 2002. I spied an Ibanez lawsuit LP copy just like my old one. Massive nostalgia kicks in, asprin and ibuprofin did nothing for it.:crazy In rapid succession, I bought that guitar, and a '02 Classic in lightburst, IIRC. I was also pursuing the marshall sound, but that's another thread. During the internet search for things marshall, I found a site that turned me on to historic lps. That in turn lead to the only place in NH to buy quality, used historic lps, Mark's Guitar Loft. Once I started playing those, my search was done.

For me, nothing beats a good sounding, great playing, sub-9 pound, well balanced historic lp. I know how to use the tone and volume controls now.

For me, no one guitar can do it all. A minimum of a strat, a tele and a paul is what I need to cover my bases. If I had to have only one guitar, I'd prefer to have a paul, with a tele an extremely close second.

[Robert1950]

My only complaint with any LP is playing between the 17th and 22nd fret. Just a bigger stretch than a double cutaway. Again... part of the trade that I'm willing to make.

I don't think I am. LP is a tone monster, but I prefer playing (the key word for me) an SG or 335.

[rcl]

I love the look and sound of my LPs but I am always looking for the next generation. The Washburn PI70 is cheap, just as thick, has the same sound, a longer neck tenon and a nice smooth carve into the body. The newer ones are supposed to be chambered but those will sound like LP supremes I imagine, which just isnt the same. I also grabbed a GMP elite deluxe which is a longer scale, extra thick maple/mahogany strat shape with a smooth neck joint and sounds just like my LPs. Of course, it's the same(or at least in the ball park) weight but the longer scale and smooth upper fret access make it a joy to play. LPs vary greatly in weight anyway. My custom must be over 10, my slash sig is much lighter. The washburn is heavier than my slash, the GMP is between the Slash and the washburn. I've come to the conclusion that I will have backaches the rest of my life, because I like the heavy guitar sound. I have a mahogany/maple jackson but it didnt cut it. I have warrior which is purple heart on mahogany and it's close but still not quite there. Pass the aleve..

[papa taco]

I've got a love/hate thing going with my 90's MIJ Orville Gold Top Les Paul. Right now I'm in love phase and absolutely love the neck and the tones and don't mind the weight (mine's actually light for a LP about 8.5). SD Seth Lovers in it and upgraded pots and hardware.

But sometimes I hate it.... LP's are not comfortable to play sitting down, it's still heavier than my other guitars, sometimes I find the neck too fat, sometimes tonally it's just too big at the bottom.

I think I'll get an SG type guitar and then switch back and forth depending on mood.
;)

[axepilot]

I play Strats and LP's. Both feel just fine to me, but I love my Les Pauls. They can be temperamental at times, but I smile every time I play mine. :D

[bluesjuke]

That' funny papa taco, I prefer to play my Les Pauls sitting down.

For what it's worth ya'll I like blondes, I like redheads, I like....you get the picture.

[billm408]

I never said I don't play up there, just that it's a bigger stretch.

:RoCkIn

I don't think I am. LP is a tone monster, but I prefer playing (the key word for me) an SG or 335.

[mad dog]

I never got to the love part with LPs. Always wanted one, based on playing my buddy's 50's Special so long ago. But every other one I've tried since then does not do it. Had SGs and really didn't like them at all, so with that and the LP thing, figured it had to be HB pickups and the scale. But now I play this old 335 that has blown up those theories. What a great instrument! I still try LPs, but realize now it's just not for me. Strats, a whole different story. Teles too. My '61 strat is the best playing guitar I've ever had in my hands. The longer scale is so much easier to work with.