A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

[Funkfingers]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Gonna keep this short.

I have spent thirty five years, tweaking guitars, attempting to coax multifarious sounds through hardware and electronic trickery. My school friend and bandmate from my teens and early twenties bought a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul. (He still has them. These are the only electric guitars that he has ever owned.)

He won!

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Les Paul body : Humbucker [bridge] / sincle coil [mid] / single coil [neck]

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

I second PRS. I have read that it was Paul Reed Smith's objective to capture the best qualities of Strats and Les Pauls in his early guitars. Unlike more recent models, the early ones had the 5 way rotary knob that probably gave some coil tapped, Stratly tones. Today, the 408, with the proprietary pickups, is said to have convincing single coil tones when the humbuckers are tapped.

Other companies like Zion, Robin and Hamer build or used to build guitars that combined qualities of Strats and Les Pauls, and with attention to quality and tone, rather than just flashy finishes, that you're looking for.

 

[ansil]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

I have a Brian Moore with a Strat scale, but it has 2 HBs, a chambered mahogany body with a maple top. Maple/Rosewood neck. The HBs can be split. It has about 85% of a Strat sound, and about 85% of an LP.

View attachment 40027

i was just going to say that. i have the same guitar with a jb in the bridge and a jazz neck with my cap mod in the neck. and i rewired the pickup selector to give me piezo in the middle pos with the coil cuts yeah its about as stratty as i need and without its as lp as i need. i just wish the neck was a bit wider

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Like this?

Dirtbagg owns one of these. It still sounds like a Strat but it's a very dark, smooth sounding Strat. Great guitar!

Well there's my advice down the drain.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

I second PRS. I have read that it was Paul Reed Smith's objective to capture the best qualities of Strats and Les Pauls in his early guitars. Unlike more recent models, the early ones had the 5 way rotary knob that probably gave some coil tapped, Stratty tones.

Read schmead!

Bro, I have a 1993 PRS Custom. I love this guitar but I will be the first to admit that it sounds like NEITHER a Les Paul NOR a Stratocaster. With the tone control at 10, the Inside Coils, In Parallel, In Phase combination is too thin. It is necessary to roll the tone pot off a fair amount to take away the excess glassiness. On the earliest PRS Custom models, you'd flip the Sweet Switch.

The change from the five-way rotary pickup selector to a conventional toggle was pretty much an admission that two of the five sounds were not much cop. Also, except on very early examples, the rotary selector does not offer both humbuckers together.

Controls set to 6, 5, 9. Valve amp set crunchy. Close but no Lewinsky.

 

[jmh151]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Read schmead!

Bro, I have a 1993 PRS Custom. I love this guitar but I will be the first to admit that it sounds like NEITHER a Les Paul NOR a Stratocaster. With the tone control at 10, the Inside Coils, In Parallel, In Phase combination is too thin. It is necessary to roll the tone pot off a fair amount to take away the excess glassiness. On the earliest PRS Custom models, you'd flip the Sweet Switch.

The change from the five-way rotary pickup selector to a conventional toggle was pretty much an admission that two of the five sounds were not much cop. Also, except on very early examples, the rotary selector does not offer both humbuckers together.

Controls set to 6, 5, 9. Valve amp set crunchy. Close but no Lewinsky.

PRS didn't exactly give up the 5 way rotary pickups. Players complained for years that it was too hard to use quickly in a live setting, so many players switched over, or requested the McCarty control setup, which is the volume, tone push/pull coil tap and 3 way. Recently PRS began using a 5 way strat style knife switch to get the tone recently offered with the 5 way rotary.

I have Les Pauls and Strats, and the PRS is neither, it's in between with its own tone, even has a tone similar to a Rickenbacker in there.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Les Paul body : Humbucker [bridge] / sincle coil [mid] / single coil [neck]

I prefer my vision :33:

 

[lNllClK]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Hagstrom Super Swede Tremar, strat scale, option to split humbuckers, les paul s haped body, tremolo bridge.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

This debate, and attempts to 'solve' it, has been going on since the 1970s (I know because i was there). As i mentioned before, the Ovation Breadwinner attempted to achieve this, and ended up with a guitar that did neither thing to much effect, although they were reasonable-sounding guitars in their own rights. Nothing has changed, and it's not likely to considering the two types of guitar in question are virtual polar opposites in guitar terms.

If you want a Strat sound, play a Strat. If you want a LP sound, play a LP. If you want both, own both a Strat and a LP. The compromise path is exactly that ... a compromise on all levels. Any time i've ever heard a PRS being used in a band setting, the sound is non-descript ... not like a Strat, a LP or anything else, and their own voice is not distinct or immediately recogniseable.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Hagstrom Super Swede Tremar, strat scale, option to split humbuckers, les paul s haped body, tremolo bridge.

 

[foogiefoogie]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

I've got an Ibanez SZ320EX that melds the Strat/LP thing pretty well. It's got the Strat shape, but with glue-on neck and Gibson-style appointments (humbuckers, mahogany body, tune-o-matic and 25" scale).

 

[Inkstained]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Uhmm, didn't that start years ago with EVH?

Why, yes. Yes, I think it did.

 

[Tor]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Thanks all for your input!

As for my current arsenal, I've got a Thinline 72 RI (Japan) I'm very happy with, and a G&L Legact (Strat) I'm sorta happy with, but it keeps me wanting for more.

Hardtail Strat or tremolo block? The block makes a huge difference.

You mean blocking the tremolo, or changing the block? I've recently changed the block to a KGC brass block and it does do some nice things.

I have a Brian Moore with a Strat scale, but it has 2 HBs, a chambered mahogany body with a maple top. Maple/Rosewood neck. The HBs can be split. It has about 85% of a Strat sound, and about 85% of an LP.

Interesting!

Sounds like you really don't know what you want at the moment cos you are speaking in very general terms. You might as well just say "im looking for a good guitar". There are differences in the feel and sound of scale lengths, wood types and guitar construction - big ones. I think you should go out a play a boatload of axes and see what sounds and feels best to you personally. It will be a good journey of exploration.

Well, yes and no.. I really don't know what I want - only that I want something that's kinda in the ballpark of both camps. "I'm looking for a good guitar", just not a full on Les Paul, nor a full on Strat, because both of those leave me wanting for more. I'm not a purist at all, so I'm perfectly fine with a compromise. Actually, I owned a Parker Nitefly (mahogany, 2HB with split) for some years, and it produced a great mix of tones. I guess I'm wanting to try something similar (other than Parker).

How has Music Man not been mentioned? I played a Reflex once and along with the spectacular quality that comes with every EBMM I've played came a wonderful hybrid of Gibson and Fender.

That has went under my radar, thanks, looks intriguing!

If you want a Strat sound, play a Strat. If you want a LP sound, play a LP. If you want both, own both a Strat and a LP. The compromise path is exactly that ... a compromise on all levels. Any time i've ever heard a PRS being used in a band setting, the sound is non-descript ... not like a Strat, a LP or anything else, and their own voice is not distinct or immediately recogniseable.

Again, I'm not a purist. I can really appreciate the use of Strats and Lesters in music, but I'm not feeling quite at home with one of the "extremes" myself.

Hagstrom Super Swede Tremar, strat scale, option to split humbuckers, les paul s haped body, tremolo bridge.

That has went under my radar as well, cool!

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

Hardtail Strat or tremolo block? The block makes a huge difference.

A mahogany Tele can do it, or a PRS, but once the trem block comes into play things get difficult.

I'd love to hear your thoughts/experience on this.

Uhmm, didn't that start years ago with EVH?

I like HBers in strat bridge positions for their own thing rather than trying to fake a LP

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

It's a few years ago since I owned one, but the Gibson MIII was a pretty good compromise guitar. While not perfect, there was enough Strat spank, and enough Les Paul grunt to cover most scenarios...Even a Les Paul Lite with the MIII wiring would probably get you close.

 

[Ascension]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

PRS Custom 24. I bought one a little over a year ago and haven't played a single gig since without it being on stage.
Live the tones kill from fat thick bucker tones to nice "quack" on the fly with just a flick of the wrist on the 5 way rotary!
My more tradition guitars are now all gathering dust!
For me this is no compromise instrument I LOVE the tones period!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

A hardtail Wolfgang/Axis style guitar would be a workable compromise.

Somebody already suggested a Mahogany HH Telecaster. I would go further and suggest a HSH Tele or a G&L ASAT with three MFD pickups.

 

[richard parker]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

I have a Gibson Firebird Studio with Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell buckers. I've just had the tone pots replaced with push/pull coil splitters. The split sounds are so good I have no further use for my Strat.

 

[phil_104]

Re: A cross between a Les Paul and a Strat?

I picked one up this week that might be a contender (depending on what pickups your LP would have, I suppose). Not trying to show off the picture one more time (maybe just a bit), but this guitar really has features of both. Mahogany body with a maple cap, set maple neck, rosewood fretboard, 3 pickups with a 5 way switch.... it's something...