Quencho092
New member
A good friend of mine who is a cardiologist by day, guitar collector/enthusiast by night has lent me 2 les paul customs so I could set them up! One is a 1997 Mahogany Carved top LP Custom (wine red or w/e the color is called), the other is an 89 Tobacco Burst I think.
I recorded some takes and will post them very soon along with pictures. I made some observations.
1- Both have a very pleasing core tone. It is hard to get intensely ice picky sounds, or anything remotely harsh.
2- Both have excellent top end. Something I have noticed about Les Pauls is how defined and sweet the top end is.
3-Middle position on the pickup switch is fantastic for all sorts of rhythm and lead work. The guitars absolutely wail.
4-The 1997 LP Custom plays and sounds better than the 89.
Negatives, not many. I intonated them as perfectly as possible, set the action so notes ring out and there's no buzz. I compared them to my strat with seth in the neck, and believe it or not, I think my strat does the Les Paul sound better than these two Customs. After comparing takes with the same mic, same preamp settings, my strat is more articulate, slightly more musical, and I can force a broader dynamic range out of it than the LP's. I have to REALLY REALLY listen closely to be able to tell a difference at all between the tracks though, they all sound like the same guitar with extremely minute differences in treble frequency response and attack.
What I LOVE about the LP's is that when you dig in more, it doesn't necessarily attack harder and harder, it tends to sustain and sing longer instead. They seem to be much more user friendly than my strat, more effortless to play, the ebony feels incredible under my finger tips, fretwork is fantastic, bends are easier (it could also be the 10's on there, but the shorter scale probably helps).
In terms of the recorded sound, this experience has extinguished my LP GAS instead of setting it aflame as they fail to set themselves apart from my strat. I can 'feel' the difference more than I can 'hear' the difference, the end product is way too close to tell. The LP's certainly don't sound like they're worth 2000 dollars more than my strat, and is a lesson for me. It's more for cosmetics and player comfort/pleasure, and if I had disposable income I'd own one AFTER I've purchased a 335, a 175 or L5 copy ala Heritage, and a proper Tele. Clips and photos coming soon!
I recorded some takes and will post them very soon along with pictures. I made some observations.
1- Both have a very pleasing core tone. It is hard to get intensely ice picky sounds, or anything remotely harsh.
2- Both have excellent top end. Something I have noticed about Les Pauls is how defined and sweet the top end is.
3-Middle position on the pickup switch is fantastic for all sorts of rhythm and lead work. The guitars absolutely wail.
4-The 1997 LP Custom plays and sounds better than the 89.
Negatives, not many. I intonated them as perfectly as possible, set the action so notes ring out and there's no buzz. I compared them to my strat with seth in the neck, and believe it or not, I think my strat does the Les Paul sound better than these two Customs. After comparing takes with the same mic, same preamp settings, my strat is more articulate, slightly more musical, and I can force a broader dynamic range out of it than the LP's. I have to REALLY REALLY listen closely to be able to tell a difference at all between the tracks though, they all sound like the same guitar with extremely minute differences in treble frequency response and attack.
What I LOVE about the LP's is that when you dig in more, it doesn't necessarily attack harder and harder, it tends to sustain and sing longer instead. They seem to be much more user friendly than my strat, more effortless to play, the ebony feels incredible under my finger tips, fretwork is fantastic, bends are easier (it could also be the 10's on there, but the shorter scale probably helps).
In terms of the recorded sound, this experience has extinguished my LP GAS instead of setting it aflame as they fail to set themselves apart from my strat. I can 'feel' the difference more than I can 'hear' the difference, the end product is way too close to tell. The LP's certainly don't sound like they're worth 2000 dollars more than my strat, and is a lesson for me. It's more for cosmetics and player comfort/pleasure, and if I had disposable income I'd own one AFTER I've purchased a 335, a 175 or L5 copy ala Heritage, and a proper Tele. Clips and photos coming soon!
