Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

[DreX]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Every blues player, white and black, has stolen from the original blues players, so that charge has no validity at all. That's the genre, they all do it. Even back in the hey day they were all copying from each other. Electric blues players go back a lot farther than 20 or 30 years; most of those guys were already dead of of old age 20 or 30 years ago. I didn't say Page was the 'greatest', just that he was one of the fastest. You're as strong on reading comprehension as you are on basic blues knowledge.

Just as thousands of metal shredders have copied each other by playing high-speed scales and arpeggios, tapping, and palm muting. Talk about 'stealing' from each other! And how many wear black clothes and are covered in tattoos? How many have 'doom and gloom'/morbid band names and song titles? It's like those guys are produced in a factory.

Being that it's all entertainment, the real value is how originally we perceive them to be, not how original any of them are. Sometimes artists are obviously derivative, and other times you don't notice the resemblance until someone files a lawsuit for plagiarism.

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Getting back on track, I'm with OP about not wanting a Gib/Epi LP. I hear the thick tones associated with them but expect I can get it with a single cut mahogany 24.75 guitar with humbuckers with a little electronics massage. I'd rather have something that doesn't represent the LP so specifically.
I'd really like to get my hands on some of the single cut screwballs out there like the Nighthawk and Vox SSC.

My "Favorite Guitar That's Not A G&L Or Gibson" is a pretty rare IBANEZ that was my "Les Paul" before I had a Les Paul.

It is a Ghostrider GR-520, and I actually have two of them, one in the Vintage Sunburst and the other is the Orange Sunburst. They were MIK, either by Cort or Samick. They have a short body with a deep, symmetrical double cutaway and a slim neck, very close to the Gibson 1960 "Slim Taper". Pickups are the Ibanez INF-1 and INF-2 combo with just a single volume and tone. The late Shawn Lane is known for using the Ghostrider. They also produced a model with twin P-90s, the GR-220; and the GR-320 which has a HB pickup in a tele-style bridge, rather than the stop-tail and tune-o-matic bridges on the 520 and 220.

One other quirky thing about the Ghostriders is that there are two different control placement schemes. Maybe somebody flipped the routing template? I dunno...

They don't sell for a ton of money, but compared to a Les Paul, they are as rare as hen's teeth. The guitars are a great match for my Mark Series amps--I can't see why I would ever need to change pickups in them.

Here's one in Orange Sunburst that I sold--it has the "backwards" controls.












Ibanez does make a few guitars that are attractive alternatives to the Les Paul at bargain prices.

Bill

[hydro]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Bill that's a purty gee-tar! I always appreciated Ibanez, great quality for the price on many of those. I have a friend with an Ibanez semihollow 335 style and man that thing sounds SO amazing!

Regarding "shredding", my own picking speed alternates between "glacial" and "orangutan on quaaludes". With solos I am kind of a straight up, blues box rock & roll guy. Truthfully the ES-335 is probably the best fit for me as far as a lead guitar goes. Les Pauls are beautiful, but I am not sure how much I'd really end up using it.

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Thanks!

Ain't nothing wrong with a 335...I LOVE mine.

Bill

[Jermo3178]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Also about jimmy page being the greatest, i personally consider him a very average blues player who stole music from people who lived 20-30 years back.

DUM - DUM - DUMMMMMMMM.....

[Archer250]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

comparing sykes to yngwie is a blasphemy .... Sykes played "ok", and fast. But he was in the same realm as most of good guitarists, typical early 80s staff. Yngwie was from another planet....

Sykes : playing 2 or more picks per note. alternate picking of average accuracy :

Sykes definitely wast *NOT* just typical 80s. Sure, he wasn't as innovative or technical as Ol' Yngwie, but he is leagues ahead of his contemporaries. Songwriting alone, he is far ahead of Jake E Lee, George Lynch or Viv Campbell. Sykes is a monster on guitar, piano and vocals (granted, Yngwie isn't a bad singer, either). Yes he doesn't sweep as fast as Yngwie or as classically influenced (he does sweep in Out of Love); yes he doesn't improv as well as Yngwie; he is still a phenomenal player whose vibrato is as good as Yngwie.

[garryspicer]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

I agree musicians have been stealing licks from each other since the dawn of time. They take a lick, build upon it and make it their own......someone takes that lick, builds upon it and makes it their own....the cycle goes on and on.

On the subject of Page. I found that live, he tended to be a little on the sloppy side, but who cares! its rock n roll! In the studio though, the man was/is a damn genius

Saw Led Zepplin after they had released their 4th album. Yes, live he was a bit on the sloppy side but overall they were amazing. Heartbreaker, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love plus the accoustic set, great memories. I would have forgiven him anything after hearing Good Times Bad Times for the first time when I was 17, it made the hair stand up on my arms & neck (still a good indication). I'm sure there are endless comparisons about who's better, faster but yeah it's rock and roll. I like stuff that makes some people shake their heads and they probably think, "Well he's obviously musically challenged". I don't really care, old music rekindles memories. Gloria by Them still brings a lump to my throat - my first 3 chords and a plinkety plink solo after the chorus, Oh Well Part 1 - Fleetwood Mack - my first serious 'blisters on my fingers' moment. I'm sure everyone has those kinds of memories. So back on topic, Les Pauls, if you dig them, cool. If you don't, the world ain't gonna end because of it either.

[Chazzy]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

they really suck so no worries, u can always just get one and change pups but imo there overpriced so the ltd eclipse is better.

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Every LP I've owned (3) has been super finicky with things like staying in tune and pickup height and set ups. I use nut sauce on my les paul's nut when I change strings and that takes care of 99.9% of the tuning problems. My custom has been super touchy about pickup height and tone, so I'm constantly adjusting pickup height.

[hydro]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

Maybe that's why I love my 70s SGs, they are the LEAST finicky guitars I have ever used. Warhorses. Tonally they may not quite get where my semi-hollow Gibsons go but man, spill beer on 'em, pound on 'em, knock 'em around and they just want more. They built those sons of b1tches to rock.

[DreX]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

The main reason I don't play the Les Paul I have is because the G string wouldn't stay in tune for God himself. I'm astonished to hear that this is a common problem which people somehow tolerate. I have fewer issues with vintage trems on my strats.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

A guy called Lester Polfus was the best LP player.

And a Les Paul player called Paul Kossoff proved that speed has nothing to do with moving the listener.

Personal sloppiness is the basis of one's own musical identity. If everyone was metronomically correct it could become difficult to know who the player was unless you could actually see them.

Sheesh. If you've played a few LPs, or a few of any type of guitar, and find you don't get along with them, simply try something else. It's about finding the best ways to make yourself happy and comfortable and making music, don't waste time trying to analyse why you don't like something because ultimately it won't change anything. Just accept that some things are not for you and move on to more positive and productive territory.

[Rockstar216]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

The main reason I don't play the Les Paul I have is because the G string wouldn't stay in tune for God himself. I'm astonished to hear that this is a common problem which people somehow tolerate. I have fewer issues with vintage trems on my strats.

Than don't pick up a Tele neither.

But really the G-string issue is from not using a wound G-string.

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

The main reason I don't play the Les Paul I have is because the G string wouldn't stay in tune for God himself. I'm astonished to hear that this is a common problem which people somehow tolerate. I have fewer issues with vintage trems on my strats.

like I said, nut sauce takes care of the tuning issues.
down sloping angle of the head stock + the outward break angle of the strings from the nut to the tuners = friction = out of tune

[greekdude]

Re: Why can't I dig on Les Pauls?

The main reason I don't play the Les Paul I have is because the G string wouldn't stay in tune for God himself. I'm astonished to hear that this is a common problem which people somehow tolerate. I have fewer issues with vintage trems on my strats.

That goes along with the design i guess. My Ibanez ARZ800 also has this problem, but it doesn't have any fancy locking tuners either. But when i say problem, i mean, e.g. going slightly off tune after one day or so, and then bringing this to pitch has this weird effect of jumping a little sharper than it should even with the slightest turn of the tuner. But its definitely tolerable.