Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

A couple years ago I was test driving Strats in a store. The store owner commented that I sounded like I should be playing a Les Paul (said store didn't sell Les Paul's and said comment should have cost him a lost sale).

I already owned a couple Les Paul's and I really wanted a Strat to round out my collection. I bought the best sounding one I played, got it home and wound up hating it, rarely played it, then finally gave it away to someone who'd actually get some use out of it.

What's the moral of this story? Some dudes can mange to play a wide variety of guitars and get all of them to sound great. I'm not one of those dudes and coming to that realization has saved me considerable money.

Years ago, I had a chance to play with my guitar teacher after I didn't study with him for more than a year. He listened to me playing on my Gibson, and said "you know, it seems like a nice Strat will fit you better". I shrugged, didn't think about it a lot, but now that I'm selling my Gibson I realize that he knew exactly what he was talking about....
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

I play a little erratically. I've seen plenty of Strats with pick marks on the upper horns so I know I'm not the only one. (Granted I don't let the pick touch the body, but my hand could hit the switch.)

You're not the only one. I play right up at the neck joint to the point that I have finish wear on the edge of the fretboard. My Tele Custom drives me nuts having that pickup switch on the upper bout like a Gibson.
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

Everybody loves a P90; some of you just haven't realized it yet.

There should be more P-90 guitars, but it's not a total mystery why so few guitars come with them. Some guys love them, and it's a hard core following. They are passionate. But many players don't like them, and the noise factor is what usually kills it for them. Plus some Fender-type single coil guys find the sound too thick, too much like a HB. When a manufacturer introduces a P-90 guitar, he's targeting a small segment of the market, and many of them are middle-aged and older players, who usually aren't playing genres that are currently the most popular.

That being said, I think if every player tried a P-90 guitar for a while, they would definitely be more popular than they are now. It's a great sound for blues, jazz, and classic rock. But it's certainly not ideal for metal, so there's going to be a lot of hold outs. You're not going to win them over.
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

I work for GC so I see and sell a lot of these. I wouldn't get it because it's a les Paul. I would only get that if you really wanted something with p90s. My theory with les pauls is that you really can't get close to that classic les Paul feel and tone unless you're spending around 2G's and up. The Trad Pros can be really nice, but having said that, I've seen just as many duds as gems.

It just costs more to make a Les Paul. Which is why I'm a fender guy. You can have a fender of the same, if not better, quality as a gibson standard for literally half the price.



Guitar->pedals->amp
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

if you really want to be talked out out of it:
the scale length is too short
the neck is too narrow
you'll always lust after other LPs with pickguards, thicker tops, binding, and ebony fingerboards
the angle between the neck and the body will cramp your style
the pickup selector switch being up there makes it difficult to do the kill-switch thing, which you will want to do
it's relatively expensive for a guitar that looks so affordable
almost every guitarist in the world just bought one, so it won't help you distinguish yourself
thin nitro finishes are fragile
they're heavy
gibson are evil

and of course, the headstock will pop off if someone (TLD?) looks at it a certain way.
:fing2:
 
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Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

what about an adkins thinline or a PRS SE with P90s?
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

One advice i can give from experience: Always play it first before buying. Spend time with it. Take your time. Try it with your amp if possible, with your effects. Many times we fall in love with a picture (which: that one looks delicious, by the way). But make sure it sounds and plays sweet. I love the look of that paul personally.

From my experience strats are simply more versatile. You can always get dirtier (100 ways to do so). But you can not get cleaner....
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

You don't have to own everything that you can appreciate. If you'll ever be Eric Clapton or Joe Bonamassa, play a hundred shows a year and spend a lot of time in the studio - then yes, you can own every guitar you want to try. If you're not - how about focusing on the guitars you know you will play a lot?

One of the best posts I've seen here.
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

:hypnosis:

You don't like Les Pauls





































get a 2 x P-90 Dbl Cut Jr,Special,whatever

TV Yellow
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

There should be more P-90 guitars, but it's not a total mystery why so few guitars come with them. Some guys love them, and it's a hard core following. They are passionate. But many players don't like them, and the noise factor is what usually kills it for them. Plus some Fender-type single coil guys find the sound too thick, too much like a HB. When a manufacturer introduces a P-90 guitar, he's targeting a small segment of the market, and many of them are middle-aged and older players, who usually aren't playing genres that are currently the most popular.

That being said, I think if every player tried a P-90 guitar for a while, they would definitely be more popular than they are now. It's a great sound for blues, jazz, and classic rock. But it's certainly not ideal for metal, so there's going to be a lot of hold outs. You're not going to win them over.

I've got a Jr and I love the tone of the P90. The only thing that drives me nuts is how LOUD the P90 is in comparison to everything else. I'm not talking noise, I'm talking output. It's just irritating when switching guitars in a live situation. Here I am, playing along all set perfect, then I switch to my Jr and suddenly the balance is off and I'm way louder than my other guitarist.

But yeah, it sounds great!
 
Re: Convince me I don't like Les Pauls....

I've got a Jr and I love the tone of the P90. The only thing that drives me nuts is how LOUD the P90 is in comparison to everything else... It's just irritating when switching guitars in a live situation. Here I am, playing along all set perfect, then I switch to my Jr and suddenly the balance is off and I'm way louder than my other guitarist.

Apparently it would seem that your other guitars don't have HB's in them. Depending on how good the other guitarist is, it may not be all bad if you drown him out once in a while. Or maybe he needs to get a P-90 guitar.
 
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