Is it me or my Les Paul??

[Ventura]

I had a good night of playing tonight... I played on all 4 of my Lesters just to get a sense of each of them. As much as I think one is more a go-to axe than the other, when I line 'em all up and play 'em each for an hour or so, they all feel awesome - and different in their own unique ways... I'd be torn if I had to give one of them up let alone keep only one.

So it goes.

 

[Superunknown]

My Les Paul Customs are my #1 go to guitars. When properly set up, like any guitar, you should be able to shred all day long. No probs here.

+1.....

 

[parntz145]

The best thing I ever did was to take my R9 and get the tone pro bridge and locking studs put on it. I wrap the strings over the tailpiece and have the tailpiece real low to the body. I also had the nut done and had the frets dressed. Its a ripper now. I also went from 11 to 10 gauge strings.

 

[Anonymous]

What makes it almost bearable? Less relief in the neck, and cranking the stop tail as low as it can go without the strings hitting the bridge edges. Action at 1/16th on the treble side, 5/64ths on the bass.

there's some great advice in this quote here, and this thread in general!!!!!!!

most of mine are setup to exactly this save for one that likes the tailpiece out a tad, and the bridge a hair lower than the others. it takes some familiarization with each individual guitar, but once you get it though, it doesn't require much deviation for each, just seasonal tune ups to the neck/action (unless u change string gauges - i use 10-46 on mine, cept for the looser one, i use 10-52's). i've never had to mess with any of my frets, but, used LP's may need extra attn in this area just because you don't know what's been done to them and can only guess.

 

[Anonymous]

This has as much of an affect in that you can make 10's, with the tail piece raised off the body, feel like 9's with the tail piece as low as it will go on the same guitar.

Any negative drawbacks to lowering the tail piece so low the strings are touching the back of the bridge ?

you can string them through the front of the TP, and OVER the bridge, that avoids that contact....mine have been all done this way for about 20 years, and to me the feel is a bit springier compared to the other way, it almost feels like 9's. i truly think there's more sustain too due to the extra string contact on the TP after the wrap around.. only thing about it is if you have gold hardware, the strings will wear that away on the TP where they contact.

try it, you may just get the desired result that u were seeking from the original post.
other things you can do, put some graph tech saddle savers in the bridge...you'll thank yourself later! a worn or badly slotted nut will kill any guitar's sustain and tone, esp a LP, so make sure you have someone look that over too.

 

[rockstah]

Maybe I'll give raising the tailpiece a try. That might make the tone less bright and make the guitar easier to play.

Edit: I raised the tailpiece, and, just like Mark said, I got a much easier to play LP! Spongier, and it sounds better. I guess it's true there is a sweet spot for the tailpiece! Thanks for the suggestion and photo Mark! Here's how mine looks now:

Very cool!
Mark

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

Something overlooked, on Les Paul's and their ability to be dialed in, is the height of the tail piece. Raise that sucker up to get some good spongy feel, lower it to the body if you need it "tightened" up.

This has as much of an affect in that you can make 10's, with the tail piece raised off the body, feel like 9's with the tail piece as low as it will go on the same guitar.

I think Billy Gibbons would wrap his strings around the tail piece claiming it gave more sustain but overlooked is that now that guitar plays differently compared to having the strings go through the tail piece. Think about what angle the strings now come in at to the bridge with them wrapped around the tail piece.

Food for thought!
Mark

I finally got to give this a shot. Worked like a magic trick! The legatto is back in the pocket. I don't think it's quite as pretty with the tail piece jacked up in the air, but man it plays SO much better/easier. Thank you, Mark!

 

[rockstah]

glad it helped out!
Mark

 

[Meathead]

Maybe I'll give raising the tailpiece a try. That might make the tone less bright and make the guitar easier to play.

Edit: I raised the tailpiece, and, just like Mark said, I got a much easier to play LP! Spongier, and it sounds better. I guess it's true there is a sweet spot for the tailpiece! Thanks for the suggestion and photo Mark! Here's how mine looks now:

Very cool!
Mark

Never thought of that making much of a difference, I'll try that with my Black Beauty. Thanks.

 

[reverymike]

I love the look of Les Paul Customs but most of them haven't been a "go to" lead guitar for me. I get around way faster on a Standard...the 89's being my absolute fave! Those ones are shredders.

My '89 Standard, jumbo frets, Aldrich bridge pup. Shredder indeed.

 

[SFW]

The break angle across the bridge makes a huge difference in the way a Les Paul plays. Too steep of an angle will increase the likeliness that stings will break. You do not want the strings to touch the back of the bridge.

 

[The Hoff]

I recommend trying some 11s on your LP. I tried it once-will never go back to 10s.

 

[Audioholic]

I like a little extra tension on the strings, helps me play a little better on the LP.

 

[AndyK]

I love the look of Les Paul Customs but most of them haven't been a "go to" lead guitar for me. I get around way faster on a Standard...the 89's being my absolute fave! Those ones are shredders.

My '89 Standard, jumbo frets, Aldrich bridge pup. Shredder indeed.

Nice, I really need jumbo or medium jumbo frets on my R8! I hate the low, squared edge Gibson frets.

 

[chumbucket]

This has as much of an affect in that you can make 10's, with the tail piece raised off the body, feel like 9's with the tail piece as low as it will go on the same guitar.

Any negative drawbacks to lowering the tail piece so low the strings are touching the back of the bridge ?

you can string them through the front of the TP, and OVER the bridge, that avoids that contact....mine have been all done this way for about 20 years, and to me the feel is a bit springier compared to the other way, it almost feels like 9's. i truly think there's more sustain too due to the extra string contact on the TP after the wrap around.. only thing about it is if you have gold hardware, the strings will wear that away on the TP where they contact.

try it, you may just get the desired result that u were seeking from the original post.
other things you can do, put some graph tech saddle savers in the bridge...you'll thank yourself later! a worn or badly slotted nut will kill any guitar's sustain and tone, esp a LP, so make sure you have someone look that over too.

Yeah I think this way is better than raising the tailpiece. I like to tighten the TP all the way down to the body and topwrap the strings. They'll be at a similar angle to the raised TP but there is more transference between the strings and body. More contact, better sustain.