RE: Looking for a good Les Paul now

[PinkStrat]

Hi everyone,

I am in the mode of looking for a good Les Paul Standard (as a result of listening to Bjorn's demonstration of both the Mad Professor amplifier and the TubeWonder amps) I play Strats and Teles and of course, as most of you know, an L-5 archtop as one of my main axes. Please discuss the differences and nuances between singlecoil equipped and humbucker equipped instruments (especially Les Pauls). I am getting very hungry for a real Paul!:)

[Tonebeast]

You are going to have to change your handle to Jay Jay French ( he played a Pink LP didn't he?)

All joking aside, you should look at as many as possible until the "one" calls your name. I can't tell you how pretty it will be, whether it will be a gold top, a plain top or a monster top. But, if you play with your ears you will find a great guitar. You should also play some P90 equipped guitars, check out some R4's and R6's and then decide which route you want to go.

[No Code 5]

I second the idea to check out P90 LPs... they offer a special something beyond the traditional hb config...

[JofZ]

I second the idea to check out P90 LPs... they offer a special something beyond the traditional hb config...

Did you buy that Reeves?

[No Code 5]

Did you buy that Reeves?

No sir, I couldn't justify it to myself... Now, the SG Custom I played today, that's another story. In this case, it cost too much. LOL

If only I hadn't bought that LP Special... I would have the bank roll.

[PinkStrat]

Yes, I don't have any particular parameters other than it being a humbucking equipped Les Paul Standard with a big chunky neck on it. Like many of my other instruments, they have thick necks & they transmit the vibration all the way from top to bottom. I played Nickcha's Les Paul goldtop with J. M. Rolph Pretender humbuckers on it and there was this incredible connection between my fingers playing the guitar on a much deeper level with this uncanny "singing" coming straight through the amplifiers! I think with some help from my Chicago brothers I'll find the one soon....:)

[No Code 5]

there was a really nice R7 "Black Top" at Make n Music last week... really great feel, lightweight... and it definitely sang.

I know what you mean about that feeling and connection... it lets you put your soul into the sound.

[JofZ]

No worries on Reeves, that Ferrari is more your style :)

Dean, check out some R8's bigger neck and the price drops. I have seen some really nice VOS ones in the last 3 months.

[No Code 5]

http://www.oldkr.co.uk/Images/guitars/LespaulSGcustom.jpg

Speaking of Les Pauls... does this one count?

a new VOS version of this guitar may or may not be sitting next to my desk... :D LOL

It has almost a 59 profile to the neck... beautiful break in/"relic" job... and tons of SOUL...

[JTM100]

Dean,

We will have to hunting for one for you. I got the Rolph's yesterday. The '59's are in the R9 and I cant believe the difference. It sounds like a REAL '59 Les Paul now! I have the '62's in the Strat but I havent strung it up yet.

[BJF]

Hi

Hm, well Pinkstrat, I can say I have mostly liked Les Pauls with medium output humbuckers. Standard Gibsons, 490 or what they are, are usually just fine.

I asked Teddy of Make'n'Music to pick the Les Paul from his wall that he liked the most himself.......oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Oh well one of these days ;)

Les Pauls have about twice the power of a strat, sometimes it's just so nice to have that power.
I also think this type of instrument suggests something and I hope you get a nice one.

Take care
BJ

[PinkStrat]

Well, we found what we were looking for on Sunday afternoon. Again, this was a case of being (yet once again) the very first one to be placed in my hands. Turns out to be a special run of Guitar Center 60 Historic "Plain Top" Les Pauls (with aged pickup covers and a very lemon yellow to ice tea sunburst finish on the top).

The sound is like Eric Clapton's later stolen sunburst Les Paul that he used for the John Mayall Bluesbreaker's "Beano" album & Cream's debut "Fresh Cream" album. This one is a real KILLER and it has everything that I wanted or needed in a Les Paul. I didn't particularly care about if it had flame or not I was looking for a great sounding Les Paul that played incredibly good. This is apparently the fifth one made in this series. I am absolutely stunned at just how great this LP actually is bone stock! Amazing really. I'm a happy camper for sure. I have already nicknamed this guitar the "Found Burst":D

[MikeyG]

You're lucky, Dean. I find I go through a bunch of LPs before finding 'the one'.

[No Code 5]

Well, we found what we were looking for on Sunday afternoon. Again, this was a case of being (yet once again) the very first one to be placed in my hands. Turns out to be a special run of Guitar Center 60 Historic "Plain Top" Les Pauls (with aged pickup covers and a very lemon yellow to ice tea sunburst finish on the top).

The sound is like Eric Clapton's later stolen sunburst Les Paul that he used for the John Mayall Bluesbreaker's "Beano" album & Cream's debut "Fresh Cream" album. This one is a real KILLER and it has everything that I wanted or needed in a Les Paul. I didn't particularly care about if it had flame or not I was looking for a great sounding Les Paul that played incredibly good. This is apparently the fifth one made in this series. I am absolutely stunned at just how great this LP actually is bone stock! Amazing really. I'm a happy camper for sure. I have already nicknamed this guitar the "Found Burst":D


Those GC Les Pauls are great... there is one near me that really stands out from any of the other lps in the store... Glad you found a winner.

[PinkStrat]

You know come to think of it counting this year backwards from last May of 2005 I had scored an incredible sounding used 1990 '52 Reissue Telecaster, then a few weeks later a stupidly good American 57 Reissue Precision bass (the honey blonde kind with the light blue stripes highlighting the grain) which sports a maple fingerboard and neck and anodized gold P/G. Next up (a few months later) I found another 57' RI honey blonde Stratocaster from 1997 that just KILLED! Now, if this isn't enough Patrick Robinson and I were over at Kent's store Legends Guitars in Tampa shopping for Martins when I happened to spy a Tacoma-built sunburst Guild F-50 (with maple sides and back) that was yet again fantastic beyond words.

Now, the GC Les Paul that is tremendously insane...I do not know what makes these GC models better but we went through 15 or so LPs and this one kept on killing the competition. An eight pounder (on the nose) to boot! I'm not changing anything on this one except the strings. Even Patrick feels that it should remain stock. If it ain't broke don't fix it, you know? The pickups read 8.3K (bridge) and 7.83K (neck). I think these are Classic 57 pickups in this axe (not Burstbuckers) but they sound really, REALLY right in this particular instrument!

[mutley]

Dean, you and I will have to A/B the one you just picked up and my '95 R8 that I scored a few months back. Mine is 9lb. (on the nose) also w/'57 Classics and faded Tea top. It's plain Jane looking, but oooh-la-la sounding for sure. I look forward to you visiting.

[OscrDGrch]

there was a really nice R7 "Black Top" at Make n Music last week... really great feel, lightweight... and it definitely sang.

I have one of the R7 Blacktops. By a wide margin it is the best reissue LP I've played. It has the RS electronics and PigTail hardware but I still haven't settled on the right pickup (leaning towards Holmes). By the time my name comes up on the Timbucker waiting list, I will have lost too much of my hearing to care.

[PinkStrat]

I found out today that my LP has alnico 2 "Burstbuckers" in it. These are supposedly the newest generation of Burstbuckers/ PAFs from Gibson and these sound very different from Classic 57s. They sound like real "PAFs" and have that magical connection between your fingers and amplifier too. We also heard that these special run 60's Custom Shop "GC Historic Plaintop models" have been all sold (for the most part anyway). We called a bunch of GCs all over the country and none of them were showing any more coming in. Gee, how lucky can you get?:D :eek:

[mailman]

You landed a good'un, Dean! Congrats!;)

[Rumbling_Groover]

Hi Dean,

Thanks for recommending this forum to me. Those G0s as they are known sound like fantatsic instruments, basically a plain top R0, I think the pots and caps may differ. The only tweak I would recommend is change the tail studs to the RS ones. They fit better and improve sustain, they worked wonders on my R0 and my Pink class 5 (Does that make me Pink Les Paul)

Best,

Paul

[PinkStrat]

Hi Paul,

I'm not changing even a screw on this one Les Paul. Sounds TOO GREAT as is. However, I can certainly check out the RS studs for my other instruments.

Best regards,
Dean

[PinkStrat]

My GC 60 has an aluminum stop tailpiece on it already so I will not have to worry about that little detail either. Man is this luck or what? (laughs):D

[OscrDGrch]

You got a good one! I think the bridge and tailpiece make a huge difference in the LP tone. I attribute it to enhancing those nice raw highs in the Treble position, chime in the middle, and clarity in the Rhythm position. To me, that high-end sets apart a good LP from the herd.

[PinkStrat]

You got a good one! I think the bridge and tailpiece make a huge difference in the LP tone. I attribute it to enhancing those nice raw highs in the Treble position, chime in the middle, and clarity in the Rhythm position. To me, that high-end sets apart a good LP from the herd.

This Les Paul has a nice authoritative low end roar combined with superlative string to string separation (and also how they blend together when all strings are struck in a big FAT E5 power chord). Furthermore, this instrument also sounds AMAZING in the middle position (two pickups on at once).

I've found very few Les Pauls that sound incredible in this setting...myriads of different tones abound from simple variations on volume/tone control changes. Now I know why Jimmy Page loved this setting so much. This indeed has a rawness in the high end that is heavenly thick and bold without being shrill at all. This one may take me from my Strats for a LONG time!

[OscrDGrch]

Fantastic! There's always room for an LP in a Strat stable and vice versa.

Do you prefer the Original Nickel or Rock Formula on the LP? I continue to go back and forth. I like the feel and character of the pure nickel but the brightness of the alloy. For my singlecoils it's only pure nickel.

[PinkStrat]

My GC 60 Les Paul (and JTM100's GC 60 LP as it turned out) both liked the SOB Original Nickels. Mine was restrung with Original Nickels before it even left the store (as I did a quick set-up on it there on the spot). In the other case of Patrick's GC 60, he had to go home and grab a set of Snake Oil Strings (Original Nickels also) to install on his prospective guitar before he bought it. And, in fact, the SOB strings indeed turned out to be what made the guitar sound RIGHT. After restringing it, his instrument came alive & he took it away right then and there!:eek: I use the Rock Formulas for my two Explorers. They like them better. It's all in the wood! BTW, I use the ONs on everything else I own (except my Guild F-50 and Martin 000C-16 acoustics which like the acoustic formula #2 and #1 respectively)

Best,
Dean