Forgot how good a Les Paul sounds

[cardinal]

I have an LP, but I prefer having a trem so I almost always play a superstrat of some sort. But whipped out the LP for a bit today, and man my superstrats don't sound like that. Even with the same pickups and compared to mahogany body/maple top superstrats I have, the LP just sounds bigger and beefier and the notes sustain for significantly longer. But the superstrats sounded a bit snappier and quicker, though. And the LP can't dive bomb. Eh.

 

[mooncobra]

dude, les pauls totally rule! most of the time while playing for fun, I use a super strat, but if I am recording, I break out the les paul for all rhythm tracks. they are so thick, beefy, yet defined and articulate.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

I have been play mostly LP's since 2012, LP-->cable-->amp selector switch-->amp, they just have some magic to them. I still have an ass-load of floyded super strats, they don't get a lot of playing time but they're fun to play after not playing them for a few weeks. I have a couple bound mahogany maple topped pieces that sound close to a LP but a bit different.

 

[Badronald]

I was just listening to an old live show today. I was using my old Les Paul Custom.
Man, the tone was killer.

I'm a Stratocaster guy through and through, but Les Pauls get love from me. Great tones.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Yup...been playing around in 7 and 8 string land for a while, had a couple shots the other night and did a riff I'd been working on with my GT in drop D and it sounded heavy as fuck. It's easy to forget how much fun they are to play and how good they sound.

 

[nigelpkay]

I have a few LPs, and yeah the sound is great, but compared to my Strats and Super Strats, they never sound like they are in tune. I don't know what it is, the shorter scale messing with my head, the break angle on the headstock, etc.. but it never sounds intonated properly no matter what I do. Even with Tusq nuts, they never seem to hold their tuning. Drives me insane.

I grab a strat, tune her up, and they sound perfect. I love the look and sound of the LPs, but I've had them a few years now, I just haven't bonded with them. Always an Adrian Smith, never a Slash ;P

 

[JohnSykes]

I have a few LPs, and yeah the sound is great, but compared to my Strats and Super Strats, they never sound like they are in tune. I don't know what it is, the shorter scale messing with my head, the break angle on the headstock, etc.. but it never sounds intonated properly no matter what I do. Even with Tusq nuts, they never seem to hold their tuning. Drives me insane.

I grab a strat, tune her up, and they sound perfect. I love the look and sound of the LPs, but I've had them a few years now, I just haven't bonded with them. Always an Adrian Smith, never a Slash ;P

I know what you mean, you have to be more subtle while playing a LP. I got used to, but it was weird at first cause i used to "punish" my Strat to get the sound i wanted. The Les Paul is so delicate, it just sings, but you have to be in control!

 

[UltraGary]

We're having the same re-revelation..

I've been using my Strat & hollow body most of this year. I pulled out the LesPaul last month ('96 Standard)...and Whoa! I've used it all night on 2 of the last 3 shows....which has me playing what I consider 'Strat songs' on it. (you know what I'm talking about) It just sounds so good compared to other guitars!

 

[Bato]

I have an LP, but I prefer having a trem so I almost always play a superstrat of some sort. But whipped out the LP for a bit today, and man my superstrats don't sound like that. Even with the same pickups and compared to mahogany body/maple top superstrats I have, the LP just sounds bigger and beefier and the notes sustain for significantly longer. But the superstrats sounded a bit snappier and quicker, though. And the LP can't dive bomb. Eh.

If you want the best of both worlds go for a Peavey Wolfgang. It can do everything.

 

[rcm78]

I'll second the Wolfgang comment. I have two Peavey Stop Tail Wolfgangs. I played in a band next to a guy with les pauls for a few years. My Wolfs were far more consistent. Tuning stability on them is great. The les pauls were always going out of tune. It got so bad we told the guy to stop playing them. He never had a tuning issue with his strat.

Full disclosure, His lespauls were really nice guitars. Out of frustration I took them home, restrung, set intonation, checked nut and bridge, and found no issues with either of them. After an hour of playtime both guitars were in tune and I had no issues with chords sounding out.

Brought them back to reheasal and he immediately had tuning issues. I tried to identify the issue with his playing (He used to much pressure on the strings) but the guy wasnt hearing it. Very frustrating. He didnt have any issues with a 25.5" strat so maybe theres something to the Les Pauls are more sensative theory...

I'm not in that band anymore...

 

[cardinal]

If you want the best of both worlds go for a Peavey Wolfgang. It can do everything.

Lots of guitars sound great doing a variety of things. Wolfgangs. Tom Andersons. Ibanez J-Customs. Suhrs. Etc. But sometimes the one-trick-pony is just does that trick too damn good. Really, the OP goes for Strats, too. I'm typically playing superstrats for the Floyd and the humbucker options, but when I break out a real Strat with true single coils, I'm always blown away by how good it sounds. The superstrat/Wolfgang/etc. sounds much more like a Les Paul than a Strat ever could and simultaneously sounds much more like a Strat than an LP can, but it's still a bit of a compromise.

I've searched and searched for an "Excalibur" guitar that could be the one guitar that I'm always happy with, and whenever I think I've found it, I realize it's not as straty as a Strat or as LP as a Les Paul.

EDIT: Never had tuning trouble with an LP... I was just doing some behind-the-nut bends with mine yesterday to make up for the lack of any trem, and it came back to tune after each time. Cords sound great. But I don't have a death grip. Tore up my left wrist years ago, and a lighter touch is one of the adjustments I've had to make.

 

[Bato]

I adore Paula's. It was years my preferred guitar. But I always had a problem with the neck joints and the higher frets.
And of course there are derivatives like PRS and in Germany Nik Huber, but the sound different of course. Also a Wolfgang.
But the older I get the more I do prefer Strats. So for me a Wlfgang is a Paula style guitar with a Floyd. And it's body is thicker than the Les Paul with FR. So Wolfgang is more a Les Paul with a Floyd than the Les Paul itself. I can't remember the name yet.

 

[nigelpkay]

You know I think you're right about the whole lighter touch thing. I'm pretty heavy handed with the Strats, although one of them is scalloped and I don't get too many problems with that.

Must be technique as I'm on the strats like 90% of the time, so switching to the LP just ends up all ham-handed and fretting too hard.

With Gibson's going through the roof price-wise, I want to hang on to them, but not if I don't play them.

 

[Badronald]

I never had tuning problems with my old Les Paul.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

I never had tuning problems with my old Les Paul.

I have 3 LP's and no tuning issues. I did have intermittent G string issues on a Traditional but a TUSQ-XL nut solved that. Any tuning issue is typically the nut or the saddle and an easy fix.