Went to GC to A/B my Suhr to some Les Pauls

[WizardSouth-JP]

I've had several Suhr guitars and probably even more Les Paul's - they are quite different but both very good guitars. Suhr can spend more time in setup and fit and finish than Gibson USA can (Gibson Custom even). My R8 is a killer guitar and I like it as much as I like my Suhr - which is my favorite guitar I've ever owned. They will both serve their purpose.

FWIW - a Les Paul has a mojo about it that most other guitars just don't have.

Yes, for some reason Gibson guitars have a soul to them. Their acoustics are the same way. They aren't always built perfect but there are some that sound amazing.

yup, Gibson Custom is what I'm referring to (and their Acoustics too - more personality than a Taylor, although setup and playability on Taylor are awesome) but a good VOS LP or Custom is just a joy to behold

 

[Marshall Freak]

I mostly play Les Pauls, I love the way they play, feel and sound. I also love a good Strat/Super Strat. There are differences in the way the sound and play that make it great to have both available.

For you guys with Les Paul traditionals, pull out that horrible resistor on the pots and put in a quality one and it makes a huge difference. My main guitar is an '02 R8 that I bought in 02, I've worn a lot the paint off it and the frets need replaced but it's amazing. I bought a Traditional a while back and was really suffering tone wise (With the same pickups) until I changed out that POS stock cap. I Didn't think it would make that much of a difference.

While I agree that Gibson is charging too much, I also feel that 3k for a bolt together guitar is a bit ludicrous as well.

 

[russellconner]

Oh boy, here we go.

...its the "justification of an expensive bolt-on" debate...

I'm a LP player, but have enjoyed guitars with different builds and prices. Comes down to different strokes, I think.

 

[James Lugo]

Exactly. Every time I play a Suhr guitar it feels so weird to me, action to low, everything to flat, like an 80s shred gtr. PRS feel weird to me too.

 

[Jdguitar]

Exactly. Every time I play a Suhr guitar it feels so weird to me, action to low, everything to flat, like an 80s shrewd gtr. PRS feel weird to me too.

PRS does to me too. I thought it was just me.

 

[jsp]

I've never played a Suhr before. But I'd like to. But I really don't like trems. So that's sort of a deal breaker for me.

http://willcuttguitars.com/suhr-guitars ... -burst-587

Holy shit.

 

[glip22]

I've never played a Suhr before. But I'd like to. But I really don't like trems. So that's sort of a deal breaker for me.

http://willcuttguitars.com/suhr-guitars ... -burst-587

Holy shit.

That finished roasted neck I didn't love a nice as it looked. I had the same neck on a Suhr set neck limited. The roasted 3a neck I owned was much better. The ultimate is a 3a roasted neck, basswood body, maple top on a standard body.

 

[lespaul6]

The les paul with 24.75 scale length is less "produced" sounding than a 25.5" inch scale length guitar.. I like paul reed smiths but I prefer my GMP's over all others.

 

[yngzaklynch]

Don't know what my next guitar will be. Gibsons offer a unique sound and that keeps them in contention for my next guitar purchase. But holy shit... For the money i expect a high level of attention to detail and build quality. If i do buy a Gibby i sure hope i can adjust and actually enjoy playing it. At this point i would buy one just to get a nice tone different from what my current guitars offer

 

[fretout]

I like Les Paul Customs, but I also have giant hands, so they're super thick necks work well for me.

I also love a good super Strat, but after about 7 years of playing thin necks, my hands started to hurt, and I couldn't play as much. After I finally saved up to get an actual Gibson LPC, thick necks were the only guitars I could play for a whole show and not hurt.

Don't go looking for a Gibson thinking "these are going to be worth $____", because you'll be disappointed with the quality on the majority of Gibsons. Instead, search for a Gibson by finding "the one" that plays better than any other guitar you've played.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Don't know what my next guitar will be. Gibsons offer a unique sound and that keeps them in contention for my next guitar purchase. But holy shit... For the money i expect a high level of attention to detail and build quality. If i do buy a Gibby i sure hope i can adjust and actually enjoy playing it. At this point i would buy one just to get a nice tone different from what my current guitars offer

The past couple of years i was on a hunt for THE Les Paul........I wound up with a PRS Stripped 58. I did have 1 LP that tonewise was THE one but it had neck issues that I couldn't deal with, a fret level still didn't fix the buzzing and dead spots. I went through other used LP's and ALL of them had fucked up necks, no wonder they were all on the market. You see tricks out there that people do to pass them off. For example, one LP I tried had the action lowered ALL the way down as low as it could go. I thought that was strange until I noticed the neck had a huge sag or underbow to it. You know what will happen, you'll bring that guitar home, raise the action, then the fucking neck won't straighten out. I bought a few like that from Sam Ash and GC and they said "sure bring it home and adjust it and bring it back if you don't like it" Well I did that about 4 times with LP's that I couldn't fix. And Sam Ash gave me shit about returning until I pointed at their return policy.

But that one LP had the tone and the Stripped 58 PRS I have now gets me closer to that one LP than all the other LP's I had. When I hear people say, " Your PRS SC won't sound like a LP" I say sure, it sounds BETTER than most of them! And the neck is perfect, there's not 1 flaw on it anywhere, it's not chambered, long neck tenon, and I got it for $1700. If I want t Gibson LP that beats it I'm going to have to spend 3k - 4K.

 

[dfrattaroli]

My 2 Suhrs are the best guitars I've ever owned, in every way. I got a Les Paul Signature T about 6 months ago. These guitars are supposed to be Plek'ed. It's a really nice guitar and while I don't compare it to my Suhrs because they're super-strats and this is a Les Paul, the LP just does not have the finish quality and playability the Suhrs do. I still love it but as far as build, appearance and tone is concerned, the Suhrs are better by a whole bunch.

I'm sure I could get the LP close in terms of playability but the Suhrs came out of the box that way. I never even have to tune them or adjust the necks. Really amazing.

To be specific about the LP, the action is really good but I get a little extra buzz on the B around the 10th fret. A level will probably fix that. But the guitar was supposed to be Plek'ed.

 

[lespaul6]

Ive seen that situation regarding neck underbow...that can actually happen to any guitar despite the manufacturer. Important to note that it can be fixed using clamps by an experienced tech/luthier. Happens all the time!

Here is the info on what needs to be done if anyone has an underbow issue:

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.y ... opic/94583

 

[dfrattaroli]

Oh boy, here we go.

...its the "justification of an expensive bolt-on" debate...

Or the justification of having to pay 4k for a Les Paul that's as good as a Suhr or Anderson?

 

[dfrattaroli]

Ive seen that situation regarding neck underbow...that can actually happen to any guitar despite the manufacturer. Important to note that it can be fixed using clamps by an experienced tech/luthier. Happens all the time!

Here is the info on what needs to be done if anyone has an underbow issue:

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.y ... opic/94583

But that article addresses fixing the issue on vintage guitars. It should NEVER be necessary on a new guitar.

 

[lespaul6]

That process works for any guitar with respect to the problem. Now the problem occurs in varying degrees, vintage instruments needing the most intrusive work. My point was to show the process that works with old guitars in really bad condition to illustrate what's possible with a new guitar that should never need that level of heating etc.


check out this "non vintage" explanation of why this issue occurs in guitars and how to fix it.

http://www.ariaguitars.com/english/aria ... t_neck.php

 

[thiswaythatway]

That process works for any guitar with respect to the problem. Now the problem occurs in varying degrees, vintage instruments needing the most intrusive work. My point was to show the process that works with old guitars in really bad condition to illustrate what's possible with a new guitar that should never need that level of heating etc.


check out this "non vintage" explanation of why this issue occurs in guitars and how to fix it.

http://www.ariaguitars.com/english/aria ... t_neck.php

I had a white LP Custom 57 Reissue and it had this hump around the 10th fret that I couldn't get out. A 98 that I had the fret level on the neck started straight then went down sharply at the 3th fret and came back up around the 6th, a level couldn't help it and anything between those frets was buzzy. I had another standard from the 90's that had a bow and turning the truss rod all the way until it was almost spinning loose didn't do anything. Don't know if I had bad luck but there's a ton of shitty LP's out there. Yes, there are some great one's to be had as well.

 

[RG955TT]

You can always go mahogany Suhr with mahogany neck, best of both worlds...at least for me. Has chime and girth. Really well balanced, Mahogany body, Maple cap, Mahogany neck rosewood board HSH.

 

[lespaul6]

That process works for any guitar with respect to the problem. Now the problem occurs in varying degrees, vintage instruments needing the most intrusive work. My point was to show the process that works with old guitars in really bad condition to illustrate what's possible with a new guitar that should never need that level of heating etc.


check out this "non vintage" explanation of why this issue occurs in guitars and how to fix it.

http://www.ariaguitars.com/english/aria ... t_neck.php

I had a white LP Custom 57 Reissue and it had this hump around the 10th fret that I couldn't get out. A 98 that I had the fret level on the neck started straight then went down sharply at the 3th fret and came back up around the 6th, a level couldn't help it and anything between those frets was buzzy. I had another standard from the 90's that had a bow and turning the truss rod all the way until it was almost spinning loose didn't do anything. Don't know if I had bad luck but there's a ton of shitty LP's out there. Yes, there are some great one's to be had as well.

..yeah, you've had a lot of problems... I would just stick with the suhr then

 

[Racerxrated]

Ok LP guys....honest opinion. I have a pretty beat LP custom, had it for years. I mostly play my Charvel Custom when I gig....how bad/questionable are the LP Studios? Thinking about a purchase...thanks in advance.