Why, why can nothing do what a Les Paul does?

[electronpirate]

Love hate thing here.

Love the sound. Thick, killer, seems to control and accent highs without strangling them.

Hate the playability (baseball neck). Unless the neck is in the thin range, I struggle with it. (Small hands, small guy.) Upper registers are a fight. Cleans can be iffy.

Why the hell can't I get a chunk of wood that sounds like it, without the drawbacks? My theory is that I need to just get one, play it for a year, and get used to it. Hell, Tommy Shaw aint nothin' but 4'10', and he can rip on one. But do I want to pay $3k for one just to do that?

Oh sh$t...probably.

EP

[geetarman]

It's simple just get a Paul with a slim 60's profile neck and get some after market pups to improve the cleans like Lollar Imperial low winds.

[esoteric pete]

get an R0 and turn your amp all the way up.

[Brock]

I have a guitar that sounds like the best Les Paul with a thin perfect neck. Its a Teye. Look him up!!!

[lv]

goldtop with lollar low winds.....clean tones: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6554119

[Tone_Terrific]

2 insurmountable 'problems' with LP's:

-Short scale cramps upper frets together
-neck joint makes reaching upper frets even worse

Anybody mount Strat pups into an LP?

[bluesyjacuzzi]

get a RO cloud nine if you can find one. light weight beautiful cleans with the stock bbs and very nicely made.

if not one of those try the standard faded from 06 on. they are also chambered like the C9 and sound great. also not very expensive.

good luck.

[JimH]

My view is that there's plenty of LP ball park guitars - but if they're not close enough you'll just have to get used to it. In my view they are close enough - The nuances of LP are subtle as compared to another similar guitar, particularly when you consider the variability of LPs anyway. - factor in pickups, set up, amp etc and in my opinion there's no reason not to get something with better playablity - others disagere.

[Strat58]

HI yeah love it or hate you yoy will have to get used to play a guitar, like Tele and Strat its a art of its own. But you will be rewarded with the sweetest sound you'l ever hear. Sometime I pick up a Tele and its isn't working a strat no not either, okay mine hands are up to the Les Paul today, other days its the other way round.
Spend my whole life playing Strats, Tele and Les Paul (V, Explorer, Firebirds) and its always a bit of struggle, I play as much as I can but can't compete with the pro's that are playing 6 or 7 ours a day. Practice make the skills.
Peace Strat58

[Mr.Hanky]

JUst shut up and deal with it girly men.

[Baby Evil]

Les Paul Standard DC Plus. A little brighter, but I don't mind that, it still has plenty of that thickness, and it's much easier to play. And I love how it looks too. It's not on the Gibson site now, but I did buy one a couple of weeks ago.

Jan

[soldano16]

PRS has tried for decades to capture the LP sound. They can't do it.

Nothing but a great LP sounds like a great LP. The best guitar sound in the world.

[Bassomatic]

Originally Posted by soldano16

PRS has tried for decades to capture the LP sound. They can't do it.

Please. It's not alchemy. PRS has been interested in doing their own thing with their take on LP-ishness. If they wanted a direct knockoff, they'd have one.

[frank62]

^Yes. the PRS Se custom with the humbuckers is a contender. 600 new.

[Jon Silberman]

Originally Posted by Mr.Hanky

JUst shut up and deal with it girly men.

LOL! You made my day, Hanky!

Seriously - for the same basic reason nothing can do what a Strat, Tele, or PRS can, either ... which is why I own one of each and a LP, too.