Les Pauls....

[rocker]

I have both a '79 LP Custom and a PRS Singlecut. I find that the PRS is a little bit easier to play because of the wider fretboard radius and slightly longer scale-length. I play different types of music on each one since they don't sound the same. The Les Paul is much better for a mid-heavy, raw, meaty tone. The PRS is better for singing, smooth leads and a glassy, chime-like clean tone or a modern type of overdrive and riffing. They each do something the other one can't. There's no use comparing them.

If I HAD to choose between the two, for example which one to save in a fire or something? I'd take the Gibson.

I have both too and agree with you 100%, but between the two I would choose the PRS.

 

[blackba]

Also, it seems that a lot of PRS guys won't play anything after 1991 when they moved to the production factory. Hard core PRS guys have told me that the guitars produced in the factory are nowhere near the older ones. That is something I hear quite a lot.

+1 I have heard that as well. They guy I used to play with is very proud of his old PRS...

 

[nbarts]

The only problem I have with les pauls is the weight. I already have a weak back & I just can't take having that thing no my neck for more than 20 minutes.

 

[thiswaythatway]

same thing man.. compared to at least a prs for the same price.. im pretty sure the prs beats most of the LPs in terms of build quality looks and playabilty.. i already own a lp custom which i wont sell cause it sounds killer but i tend to find myself looking at new R0's from time to time

Sorry, man, but this is ridiculous.

9 times outta 10 PRS kicks Gibson's ass for build quality and playability. Tone is always subjective and Gibson lovers will swear till they're blue in the face about how great their LP sounds.....even if it doesn't.



NOW, I'm going to get shit for this from some of you...*cough cough* Digijams, Chubtone, *cough* But I've been playing my Anderson Drop Top and Suhr S4 and recently found a LP i thought i liked, guess what? My Anderson and Suhr play so great i couldn't get used to the LP. I felt like i was fighting it all the time. I guess it's not fair comparing Gibson playability to an Anderson or Suhr though

But if i want to "get close" to LP tone I might go with an Anderson Cobra or PRS McCarty. They're close enough tonewise where nobody in a crowd or recording would be able to tell anyway. I'm starting to put comfort and playability ahead of tone for my needs from the guitar, then for tone i can always tweak my amp, pedals, etc to get the sound i need.

Yes Scott...suck it.

I agree with you 110% on this one. The top tier Les Paul knockoffs at http://www.rondomusic.com beat the hell out of any Gibson's I have ever played (I own one, mind you). I've had the priviledge of playing Customs, Supremes, 80's Customs, Standards, Studios, Historics... you name it. None of them really feel like well made guitars. They have intonation issues, they are more inclined to break at the headstock joint than any guitar in production. It's really ridiculous.

I tried an amp the other day in GC and the guy asked me what guitar i wanted to use. I said 2 buckers so make it an LP. He grabs one which completely sucked balls, action an inch off the fretboard and it sounded like any other guitar. I tried another one, put it back, another one same thing. After 4 or 5 guitars i gave up and grabbed a PRS. It sounded ok but it played a million times better than what the Gibsons offered.

 

[thiswaythatway]

And isn't it funny how PRS gets dragged into every LP discussion. But someone should tell Opeth they're playing sterile sounding guitars.

And this has got to be one of my favorite live lead tones I've heard. And i don't currently own a PRS.

 

[killertone]

same thing man.. compared to at least a prs for the same price.. im pretty sure the prs beats most of the LPs in terms of build quality looks and playabilty.. i already own a lp custom which i wont sell cause it sounds killer but i tend to find myself looking at new R0's from time to time

Sorry, man, but this is ridiculous.

9 times outta 10 PRS kicks Gibson's ass for build quality and playability. Tone is always subjective and Gibson lovers will swear till they're blue in the face about how great their LP sounds.....even if it doesn't.



NOW, I'm going to get shit for this from some of you...*cough cough* Digijams, Chubtone, *cough* But I've been playing my Anderson Drop Top and Suhr S4 and recently found a LP i thought i liked, guess what? My Anderson and Suhr play so great i couldn't get used to the LP. I felt like i was fighting it all the time. I guess it's not fair comparing Gibson playability to an Anderson or Suhr though

But if i want to "get close" to LP tone I might go with an Anderson Cobra or PRS McCarty. They're close enough tonewise where nobody in a crowd or recording would be able to tell anyway. I'm starting to put comfort and playability ahead of tone for my needs from the guitar, then for tone i can always tweak my amp, pedals, etc to get the sound i need.

Yes Scott...suck it.

I agree with you 110% on this one. The top tier Les Paul knockoffs at http://www.rondomusic.com beat the hell out of any Gibson's I have ever played (I own one, mind you). I've had the priviledge of playing Customs, Supremes, 80's Customs, Standards, Studios, Historics... you name it. None of them really feel like well made guitars. They have intonation issues, they are more inclined to break at the headstock joint than any guitar in production. It's really ridiculous.

I tried an amp the other day in GC and the guy asked me what guitar i wanted to use. I said 2 buckers so make it an LP. He grabs one which completely sucked balls, action an inch off the fretboard and it sounded like any other guitar. I tried another one, put it back, another one same thing. After 4 or 5 guitars i gave up and grabbed a PRS. It sounded ok but it played a million times better than what the Gibsons offered.

Oh, one of those guitar-off-the-wall-at-GC references. Come on, man...most guitars off the wall at GC play like complete shit.

 

[glpg80]

the second my hand touched an ESP i knew i was missing out. i had to get one -action high and everything. i knew the potential of that model and the wood quality was bar-none.

i agree with danyeo - never felt like that with any gibson or epiphone guitar. you can tell when the quality is terrible, or when a guitar sounds good - price involved or not.

 

[van hellion]

Silverbursts ROCK mate

this!! i want a silverburst custom so bad i cant stand it!!!!

A Wood

 

[killertone]

the second my hand touched an ESP i knew i was missing out. i had to get one -action high and everything. i knew the potential of that model and the wood quality was bar-none.

i agree with danyeo - never felt like that with any gibson or epiphone guitar. you can tell when the quality is terrible, or when a guitar sounds good - price involved or not.

Ok, I am clearly on my own on this one which is totally fine.

However, I played a ton of custom shop ESPs over the last 10 days and not one of them came close to my '89 LPC. Not even in the same ballpark. And these were at the ESP custom shop and selling for $5K. They had a '74 LPC that destroyed everything in their shop. An ass whipping of tone if you will. A guitar (the ESP) with that much polyurethane on it can not compete. The finishes are very thick. I say all of this as a huge ESP fan, shit I just bought one 2 days ago!

 

[ke2]

I'm in the same boat, the Edwards LP I had was an incredible guitar that really sounded great but the neck was so fat I couldn't play shit on it FWIW I'm used to floyds and the muting angle seems to be a lot different to me on a fixed bridge, seems like it's something that I can't get used to

I`m the same, but look at the way his strings are put on:

I did the same to my ESP, and it made a LOT of difference. This way, I have something to rest my palm on, and like I said, it made a world of difference to me. Give it a go if you haven`t, it doesn`t cost more than a set of strings

 

[ke2]

You can see it better here. A buddy`s Custom. It has a slightly different bridge, because his usedto have fine tuners, but the principal is the same.

 

[PeteLaramee]

Love the way they look, love the way they sound, can't play them worth a shit.

Someone please tell me why the hell I'm looking at them.....again......

I know I'll probably just sell the f'ing thing, but I'm seriously considering buying one

I have issues.....anyone else?

I don't like the way they look or the way they feel. I just don't understand what all the fuss is about.

If you can't play them don't bother. That's a chunk of whore change growing in your pocket.

 

[blackba]

I`m the same, but look at the way his strings are put on:



I did the same to my ESP, and it made a LOT of difference. This way, I have something to rest my palm on, and like I said, it made a world of difference to me. Give it a go if you haven`t, it doesn`t cost more than a set of strings

I keep meaning to string my LP that way. Maybe I will give it a go tonight. What benefit did you notice?

 

[stratotone]

Hard core PRS guys have told me that the guitars produced in the factory are nowhere near the older ones. That is something I hear quite a lot.

I've owned a 'pre factory' and several 'post factory' PRS guitars, kept a post one and sold the pre. It's hype. The 'huge neck heel' thing imho probably improves tone, and doesn't make for a hard to play guitar. I can play a new Cu22 or 24 a lot easier up high on the neck than any new LP (other than the axcess models).

Pete

 

[ke2]

I`m the same, but look at the way his strings are put on:



I did the same to my ESP, and it made a LOT of difference. This way, I have something to rest my palm on, and like I said, it made a world of difference to me. Give it a go if you haven`t, it doesn`t cost more than a set of strings

I keep meaning to string my LP that way. Maybe I will give it a go tonight. What benefit did you notice?

The biggest was that the steep angle under my right palm is gone. I now rest my palm on the strings, like the support you get from a lo-profile Floyd, or a Strat or Tele bridge. It is marginal, but the small margin made a big difference

 

[Les Zombie]

the second my hand touched an ESP i knew i was missing out. i had to get one -action high and everything. i knew the potential of that model and the wood quality was bar-none.

i agree with danyeo - never felt like that with any gibson or epiphone guitar. you can tell when the quality is terrible, or when a guitar sounds good - price involved or not.

Ok, I am clearly on my own on this one which is totally fine.

However, I played a ton of custom shop ESPs over the last 10 days and not one of them came close to my '89 LPC. Not even in the same ballpark. And these were at the ESP custom shop and selling for $5K. They had a '74 LPC that destroyed everything in their shop. An ass whipping of tone if you will. A guitar (the ESP) with that much polyurethane on it can not compete. The finishes are very thick. I say all of this as a huge ESP fan, shit I just bought one 2 days ago!

I own multiple prs,esp and gibsons and i think my gibsons sound better than the other 2, if i could only keep one brand it would be my gibsons, it took me a while but i found some that i really liked and bonded with, they have a certain sound i havent found in esp and prs.

 

[thiswaythatway]

the second my hand touched an ESP i knew i was missing out. i had to get one -action high and everything. i knew the potential of that model and the wood quality was bar-none.

i agree with danyeo - never felt like that with any gibson or epiphone guitar. you can tell when the quality is terrible, or when a guitar sounds good - price involved or not.

Ok, I am clearly on my own on this one which is totally fine.

However, I played a ton of custom shop ESPs over the last 10 days and not one of them came close to my '89 LPC. Not even in the same ballpark. And these were at the ESP custom shop and selling for $5K. They had a '74 LPC that destroyed everything in their shop. An ass whipping of tone if you will. A guitar (the ESP) with that much polyurethane on it can not compete. The finishes are very thick. I say all of this as a huge ESP fan, shit I just bought one 2 days ago!

I like the LP shape and design, i just takes a little to get used to it if you're comfortable playing superstrats. But to me it doesn't have to say Gibson on the headstock. I'm sure Heatley or McNaught can easily make a LP that if Gibson tried to match it, they'd charge 10k for it.

 

[Ventura]

This is the way I see it... For the most part, Les Pauls are historical guitars - their DNA is that harking back to the 50's. That's the same feel of a Les Paul today, it's probably very similar to one of a half plus century ago. Now, in comes Suhr and PRS and ESP and Vigier and so forth, but let's look at when they started - they all took what "was" there, and worked "with it" to, hopefully and inevitably, better what was already there... So, for me - a big fan of Lesters and owner of many - I love the fact I'm holding some history in my hands. I also love the fact that they really DO have their own unique tones... You can't mistake a Lester - there are others that sound like a Lester, but ya never say a Lester sounds like something else, know what I mean? Having said this, I find my Hamers and ESPs sometimes, many times, easier to play upon first picking them up. However, they've "evolved" from the Lester - with good ol' Les staying as a thick bodied, heavier, solid, woody beast. So in short, I've gotten used to playing them, I love them, and albeit they're not the easiest to play or maintain on a shoulder strap for any given length of time, they're worth every second of pure tone that comes from them once ya get used to them

Peace,
V.