Ok, let's face it guys....the Les Paul is the KING of TONE!

[RSRD]

Les Pauls are king of tone if you like that meat. There are better guitars out there for comfort and ease of play/ tonal options. But when it comes down to pure tone. I agree with what the OP is saying.

Now if you raise the bar and say historic LPs then you can kill the thread. Ive never played a bad historic over the past 15 years or so.

 

[exbest182]

I used to be a Les Paul guy, but recently started playing EVH brand everything... their EVH Wolfgang Custom, built pretty much to be their answer to the LP in my opinion is a really good alternative, the price tag is pretty hefty though... I prefer the playability and tone of it to any of the LP's I've owned.. which has only been a handful, but I dig it a lot... it's also the heaviest thing i've ever played...

 

[Zachman]

I like singlecut style guitars but they DON'T have to say Gibson on the headstock.

 

[metalmaniac93]

I agree!!!

 

[skoora]

I agree that if you want a Les Paul sound and have played enough of them to get a consensus/amalgamation of that kind of tonal response, no other design will make it. It doesn't need to be Gibson per se but it needs to be that design. No PRS, Anderson or any other single cut I've tried comes close. Granted I've never heard a PRS without PRS pickups and would be curious to hear a SC PRS with 57 Classic's for e.g. But for now I'll stick with Gibson's because when they're setup they play like absolute butter.

 

[ibenhad]

Have to say i'll stick with the real deal. Love all the others too but that is my GAS disorder. Nothing else is a Les Paul....

Plus I just sent an ebony classic to get a custom finish and also bought a beautiful sparkle one from a real good guy on here. They may way a ton but they get the job done.

 

[grooveHT]

Mega MEGA Lester fanboi here, but not just the run-of-the-mill Lesters, gents... No way. They have to be cherry picked for this cat

Anyway - I'll let you in on a lil' secret about a lil' guitar that sounds incredibly similar to a Lester, maybe almost indecipherably the same as a Lester... I am not kidding. Don't let the used market prices fool you either. These things have got a SICK following all of their own. Check 'em out... I have one, have had one for nearly 20 years (bought it new), and it is an AMAZING player, gorgeous resonant woods, beautiful craftsmanship, great feel, sustain for days, stays in tune, excellent frets, smooth pots, you name it. Only thing I did to mine was plunk a set of Riff Raffs into it - and one of the most notorious guitar techs this side of Canada has said it along with about 90% of the cats who pick it up in my session space....

"Holy shit this thing plays WICKED man!!! And the SOUND!!!!!! "... I'm not kidding:



Hamer Archtop Studio or Studio Deluxe. You can by the simple wrap around tailpiece non-deluxe variety for about $700.00 used, and they're simply killer gits.

Mo

I have one that I acquired in a trade; beat up, used, and sounds friggin' awesome! The top is not quite as nice as yours, but still killer.

 

[joepete77]

For a great sounding , playing and looking lp that won't cost u 5k try finding a used lp classic or classic plus from early 90's to 2002 about. They can be had for cheap considering all are one piece bodies , nickel hardware with abr bridge etc.

 

[skoora]

For a great sounding , playing and looking lp that won't cost u 5k try finding a used lp classic or classic plus from early 90's to 2002 about. They can be had for cheap considering all are one piece bodies , nickel hardware with abr bridge etc.

You better like a seriously skinny neck though. Those 90's ones have a skinnier, or I should say a little flatter in the back than the 60's profile they use now. Makes my hand cramp up just thinking about it