REVIEW - Gibson Les Paul VOS 1960 vs Edwards Les Paul LP130 (with clips)

[shoe]

In an effort to decode the mystery between high-priced Gibson Les Paul's and their lower-priced Japanese siblings manufactured by Edwards, we are comparing a Gibson Les Paul VOS 1960 with a Edward Les Paul LP130.

We recorded four clips with each guitar, playing essentially the same riffs/changes through the exact same amp & volume settings in order to get a truly fair comparison. To that point, example 1 is a riff (same one that I used to demo the Egnater seminar head last February for Premier Guitar), example 2 is a series of distorted chords, example 3 is a brief solo/lick and example 4 features some changes played clean through the neck pickup (all other examples feature the bridge pickup). Each clip is short so you can go back and forth between them for comparison purposes.

Edwards Les Paul

http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso.../Edwards-1.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso.../Edwards-2.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso.../Edwards-3.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso.../Edwards-4.mp3

Gibson VOS 1960

http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso...s/Gibson-1.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso...s/Gibson-2.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso...s/Gibson-3.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibso...s/Gibson-4.mp3

A few interesting points to note. First off, the Edwards was considerably lighter in weight and rang much more loudly when strummed acoustically. The body seemed to just resonate much more than the Gibson. To that point, when I bought the Gibson, it was after playing about 30 Les Pauls and this one was the lightest and most resonant of the bunch, so take that into consideration. The Gibson did feel more solid to the touch.....but dare I say it was like the "solid" you feel from late 70's and early 80's Les Pauls by comparison.....they're solid, but they don't sustain well acoustically. Point for Edwards.

The stock Burstbucker 1 & 2 pickups in the Gibson are clearly hotter than the Seymour Duncan Antiquities that are features in the Edwards, but I think that was certainly a plus for the Edwards (for my tastes), especially when the neck pickup was concerned. When plugged in, the Gibson appears to have more "ass" to the sound (i.e. low-end) which I found surprising, because I've found that guitar to sound much brighter and less "thick" than many other Les Pauls, and I have since been interested in finding a LP with more "ass." I had recently played a Warren Haynes model that had the same pickups as my VOS 1960 and it just sounded so much thicker.....still kicking myself for letting that one go.

From a playability standpoint, the action and set up on the Edwards (out of the box, actually) was fantastic. The fretboard radius on the Edwards appears to be flatter than that of the Gibson. As a result, I'd dare to say that the Edwards played better with lower action than the Gibson could. At first glance, one concern about the Edwards was that the tune-o-matic bridge was set up rather high. However, after close inspection, it appears as if the neck angle on the Edwards is considerably more steep that that of the Gibson VOS. Not sure what that means....just found it interesting. You can see examples regarding this in the pictures which will follow below.

Bottom line is that I would be impressed with the Edwards if it was as $2,000 guitar.....but its a $800 - $1,200 guitar and that's just fantastic. If anyone was hesitating to give these guitars a try, I don't see what could possibly be stopping you now. I wonder if they make a non-reverse all mahogany Firebird!

[marsos52]

great comparison very interesting thanks

marc

[jbbusybee]

I've picked up Les Pauls for years and none grabbed me, I just thought I wasn't a Les Paul type of player.

I bought an Edwards 130 on the advice of this forum (at that price I didn't think it was a big gamble) and I love it! It's an amazing guitar.

[ugacrow]

Guitars sound great, but the playing might sound even better. Nice touch!

[Disco Scottie]

Would have been interesting to not label which clips were from which guitar, and see what the initial response was. That said, I prefer the character of the Edwards clips. But it's possible you could put the same pups in the Gibby, and have it sound almost the same.

Hey, that's what you have to do now... swap the pups between guitars. It's the only way we'll know for sure.

[Jagsound]

Great comparison, and thanks for doing it!

I did notice that the G0 (?) is top wrapped, could that have had any effect? Also what year is it?

I was kind of split on the clips - half of them I preferred the Edwards and the other half I preferred the Gibson. If I had to choose which one to buy today, I would take the Edwards.

[electronpirate]

Okay bitches. Thank you very much I just bought an Edwards.

Review once it gets here from Aust.

[jowe]

I could not here the difference in the first three clips, the final clip there was a definite more low end on the Gibby.

Thanks for the comparisons!

[jbbusybee]

I was kind of split on the clips - half of them I preferred the Edwards and the other half I preferred the Gibson. If I had to choose which one to buy today, I would take the Edwards.[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with this comment and it's interesting to hear how other people 'hear' these things as well.

The point for me is neither were bad.

Great playing though I love the last one.

[Eric Thomas]

Wow, thanks for the comparison clips. I have been on the fence about buying an Edwards 130 for a couple of months. I'll definitely be picking one up now.

Like a couple of others, I'm also split on the clips. Two of them I liked the Edwards better, and two of them I liked the Gibson a little better. I do hear a tad more low end in the Gibson clips, but both sound great.

One question, what's the neck shape like on your Edwards 130?

[Jagsound]

Originally Posted by jbbusybee

The point for me is neither were bad.

Great playing though

Agree 100% and agree 100%!

[Michael T]

Good clips.

I think both demonstrated tones that could easily be pulled from most quality humbucker equipped guitars.

[shoe]

Thanks for all the kind words. The output of the Antiquities was much lower than that of the Burstbuckers, so I think that is a major player here. Acoustically, the Edwards sounded bigger and more resonant, but plugged in the Gibson sounded thicker....and I really think that comes from the pickups. Personally, I like that thickness in the bridge position, but its too much in the neck position.....I'm seriously thinking about something else for the neck pickup of the Gibson as a result.

The neck shape on the Edwards 130 was supposed to be their '59 profile IIRC, however it was actually a little thinner than that on my 1960 VOS. I'd compare the 1960 VOS to that of Suhr's even C-medium or Vintage C-medium. Very comfy with plenty to grip onto.

One other point is that the Gibson features the RS Guitarworks vintage upgrade wiring kit. To my ears, that fattens things up slightly and adds clarity when you roll down the volume pots to some extent.

Here's one more comparison of sorts for the two guitars recorded the same night. As some of you may know, Tom (Qatcat) and I have recently started playing together in a classic rock band. Here are two songs from last night's practice (which, incidentally, was the debut of the Edwards and these two songs).

Panned hard RIGHT, I'm playing the Gibson VOS 1960 Les Paul through a CAA OD100 Classic + and 2 1x12 CAA cabs loaded with Eminence Governors.

Panned hard LEFT is Qatcat playing the Edwards LP130 through a Line6 M13, EVH 5153 head and a Mesa Recto 2x12 with Celestian 30's.

http://www.petelacis.com/music.....hicago.mp3

http://www.petelacis.com/music.....20Room.mp3

[go7]

Thanks for the effort. I actually sold my Gibsons and Fenders. Bought an Edwards Strat in `05. Nice playing.

[jojo]

Great review.I had an Edwards Jimmy Page LP and it was awesome. I hope to get another Edwards LP for sure. They are great.Ilove the pick ups .I could care less how an electric guitar sounds not plugged in though.