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October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | I have heard this instrument both praised and cursed here on OFC. I have had both bad and good experiences. My double cut was a flop for me. My gold top is heaven. I put it above my Viper, a guitar I have played for 27 years. My Viper has always defined what a guitar should be. Its action is non-resistent. The LP is better. The cut away and weight of the Viper made it fit against my body just right. The LP is better. The double humbuckers stomp the single coils, though on my stack there is plenty of volume.
Tones on the LP are also tops.
I just got threw with a 3 hour practice on my Les Paul and had to sing its praises. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My only complaint with the LP's has been the weight. They are heavy MFer's, A good one can have a tone from heaven. |
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October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | The weight is its blessing from heaven. It adds to the feel for me and it stays were I put it while playing. That is one of the standards my Viper set for me. The Les Paul passes the standard. I suspose there is a weight too heavy for everyone. The Les paul seems to fit me to a tee. |
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October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | In fact the lack of the Les Paul weight due to a chambered body, is the main reason my Les Paul double cut was a flop with me. Gibson is starting to chamber all of its Les Pauls. They have a wide range of weights now. It is like no two weigh the same. Actually I think the difference is perhaps 3 pounds between the heaviest and lightest. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 33
Location: vienna, west virginia | I have had my 69 gold top deluxe since 1975, my junior year in high school. purchased it from a teacher for a whopping $150.00... originally used it as a back up for my Breadwinner until the electrics went south in the Ovation and I had trouble with the dealer getting it fixed. yes, it is heavy, nasty green spots in the gold finish and the chrome has seen better days but she sings like no other. I have played several of the older model les pauls and there are good and bad... doesnt seem that any two are the same. I just plain lucked out with this one, plugged into my old marshall plexi 50 or my 56 gibson lancer, those little mini humbuckers have just the right balance of crunch for my tastes... I still have the Breadwinner and currently it's under re-construction... looking forward to having to choose which one to use on the next tune once more... |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 403
Location: Thailand | I have 1965 Gibson Les Paul Custom maple neck # 250600 in excellent condition. NOT OVER 3-4 times for using since I bought it in 1976,too heavy!Please see my gallery.
povation |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I used to have an Epi Les Paul Standard Plus and liked it. I just recently bought a Fender Stratocaster, but the Epi Les Paul Ultra was a strong contender. The Ultra is a lightweight chambered model with a slim and narrow neck, very nice for playing standing up. I found it to have its own unique pleasant tone.
Roger |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Generally speaking, now adays, weight is the enemy. I seem to recall that in the seventies, people wanting guitars with some heft, both acoustic and electric.
I have to side with the new trend, weight is bad. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Les Pauls do have a certain sound and it's a major one in today's music. There have been literally millions of them made so there are all flavors of them out there. The plus side is that big fat tone, minus is the weight. After a while the fat tone might sound muddy to you but that's just the other side of the same coin. Bright sounds thin and that's the other coin. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | back in 71 or 72 I lusted over a cherry sunburst Les Paul just like Duane Allman. I wanted one bad. Saved up my paper route money only had $150 needed $319 including tax, case, picks, strap, cable, and extra set of strings.
I would get my dad to take me to the music store every couple of months just to look at the instruments. This one time they had a cherry sunburst les paul deluxe and I fell in love with it. I played the 3 riffs I knew from alvin lee's "I'm goin' Home" (the extended woodstock version) and politely handed the guitar back to the salesman explaining that I only had half the money. He suggested I put it on lay away and well I told him it took me 2 years to save up that much (I was in 9th grade) and we ended it at that. I walked out of the store expected my dad to follow me. Instead he stayed in the store made the deal for the guitar and we were to pick it up 2 days later. To this day I have no clue where my old man got the money to pay for it, he certainly did not have it nor did my mom. I think he borrowed it from his best friend, but I am not sure.
I played the hell out of that guitar until about 1985 at that time the frets were so worn the guitar was unplayable from the 1st to about the 9th frets. Then I started playing a travis bean and later Hamers. About 2 years ago, I put found the guitar just laying under the bed, and got a friend to refret it. Now I can play that old friend again and again. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | That's a great story, Al. There's something really special about having a guitar with that kind of personal history behind it. Thanks for sharing it. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Good Story |
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March 2005
Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | Great story, Al. Maybe you could rerun it on Father's day. Nothing like a parent's love for his or her kid. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
Great story, Al. Maybe you could rerun it on Father's day. Nothing like a parent's love for his or her kid. only if I can counter it with a story or two about how he kicked my a$$. |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | You had me with the LP story, Al, but throwing in the reality (of the a$$ kicking) to back it up just makes it that much better.
Just put the part about him kicking your a$$ in at the beginning, then in the middle you have the story about the LP, then at the end you say something like, 'And then when we got home he kicked my a$$ again, just in case I thought he went soft or something.'
;)
Seriously, great story; glad to hear you got it refretted and are playing it again. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4827
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Always loved the Les Pauls to death.
Unfortunately, playing it all night at a gig usually meant a trip to the chiropractor the next day. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | Originally posted by fillhixx:
Always loved the Les Pauls to death.
Unfortunately, playing it all night at a gig usually meant a trip to the chiropractor the next day. try 4 sets with a travis bean. love the guitar but I think I started at 6ft 5" now 6ft |
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Joined:
March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | Bought a 1974 20th aniversary LP custom about 10
years ago used for $500. Never really play electric that much but it was a heavy mother that had absolutely the best fingering I have ever seen on a guitar. Now I seen these guitars going on ebay for $2000.00 all the time. Probably the best guitar investment I have made. Just wish I played electric more.
Steve |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | Wanno know the best thing about a Les Paul? Simple. Its when your little brother the cardiologist buys one because he decides to learn to play guitar. Then he has the thing sitting on a stand in his house, more or less ignored. Then you go over to visit, and all your kids (and his) demand that he plays a song. So he struggles to pluck out the chorus to "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore". Then, you politely take the guitar, crank the amp, and then spend the next three minutes shredding out some devistating blues riffs.
I could kick his ass 35 years ago, and I still can! :cool:
That's the best thing about Les Pauls. Well, that and the fact that they are pretty nice guitars.
Jeff |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | About seven months ago I bought a new Les Paul Standard Special Edition. Like Al, I had always wanted one just like Duane Allman's.
When I started college in the late 70's my roomate had a mid-sixties gold top that I just loved. But I could only afford a used Strat. He also had a used Ovation Balladeer but I was more interested in electric back then. Several years later when I became more interested in acoustic I bought a cheap Alvarez that was just a fantastic guitar. Those were my only two guitars until several years ago when the Alvarez got irrepairably damaged. I replaced it with a really cheap Takamine, but it just wasn't near the guitar the Alvarez was.
I began thinking about that old Balladeer my friend had and I ended up buying an S771, which is without a doubt what I play the most these days. But I still wanted a Les Paul, and so one day I went to a local store and sat down and played every Standard they had in stock unplugged and found this Special Edition which had the best sustain and projection unplugged, as well as the easiest fingering and playability of any guitar I've ever played. But it wasn't a cherry burst or an Iced Tea finish and I didn't like the white as opposed to cream binding. But I did like the ebony fretboard and bound headstock and it had a pretty nicely flamed top and the color of the Sierra Sunrise finish matched the mahogany back and neck nicely.
I hadn't really planned on buying anything that day, but after playing that one some more and haggling with the owner for half an hour, I walked out with it.
I play just as a hobby, so I never really play standing up. The weight didn't bother me although this one is just over 10 lb.s, but the balance of the guitar in my lap took a long time to get used to. But the playability and tone of this guitar is just amazing. I use a Fender Blues Jr. with a Keeley Compressor. With the Blues Jr. master set at 12 (yes, it goes to 12) and the gain set at 3 1/2 or so, and the compressor sustain at zero or just slightly above, I use the compressor output level to control overall volume and preamp overdrive.
For a 15 watt tube amp, it's amazing the tone it produces. I can go from very clean to just the right amount of crunch just by using the volume controls on the guitar this way, without much change in overall volume of the amp.
Other than an intonation adjustment for the heavier strings I use on it, I don't think I could have found a better guitar. Maybe an equal but not any better as far as I'm concerned. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | Sounds like there is some real love for Les Pauls here. Great story Al. The part that made me cry was when you said the frets were worn to where it was unplayable. Sad to think this is what the future holds for my LP. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Do what Duane did and play slide. The frets will last longer. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4827
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by OldLiverJones:
...made me cry....the frets were worn...unplayable. Sad to think this is what the future holds for my LP. No worrys! Just like your liver, they're replaceable! |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | 1/2 page story in USA Today today about Gibson. Talks about the quality turnaround (?) and how raising prices increased sales (I have been telling O to do the same for some time). Gibson plans to have full digital guitar and interface box by end of this year. Not sure what all that means. Dave |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | I saw an artical on the digital LP. It has strings. You play it like any other guitar. However it can be processed digitally. This means you can program any sound you want from it. You can do any with the sound after you make it. In theory, you don't have to even tune it. I will save such new things for the next generation. |
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Who else plays a Les Paul?
