Need Help Picking A Guitar!

[BrokenRailGuitarist]

Hey everyone I guess I'll cut to the chase here I need some advice on a guitar that can cover multiple styles. I'm in a modern hard rock band (think Breaking Benjamin Three Days Grace etc genre wise ) and I've been using a Les Paul for our sound we play in C# While I love the rhythm tone of a Les Paul I love the creamy and more rounded lead tone of a Strat way better for guitar solos. Could anyone recommend a great guitar to cover my hard rock and blues rock needs in one guitar? Keep in mind while band is heavy we are not extreme metal or anything. Thanks guys!

 

[MojoMonster]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Have you tried coil cutting the humbuckers in your LP yet?

Also, you might want to include a budget and what amp/pedals you typically play through.

 

[BrokenRailGuitarist]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Thanks for the reply I've never tried a Paul with the coil split option don't know why I haven't thought of it lol I run through a dual rectifier in the band although I'm a Marshall guy and the only effects I really use are reverb delay and chorus. Budget wise I don't want to go over $2000

 

[AlexR]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

I wouldn't have thought a Strat style guitar would ever be more creamy or rounded than a LP, all things being equal. The LP tends to produce much more thick tone due to the scale length, the amount of wood and the lack of trem.

And doing a coil cut is going the wrong way. That gives you sharp and bitey. The absolute opposite of what you say you want.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

I'd also like to learn more about this creamy and rounded Strat lead tone. (What's more creamy and rounded than the neck position on a Les Paul?) Anyway, it seems to me an important part of the task here is to figure out what that sound is, and how to get it in (quite likely) an LP or LP-ish guitar.

The creamy, rounded Strat lead tone -- is that a sound you get yourself when you play a Strat, or is it something you've heard from other players? Both? Do you know if it's from the neck pickup, bridge, middle, or a combination? Is it from humbuckers? Single-coils? Single-coil-sized humbuckers?

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Get whichever moderate or low output 4 conductor pickups that float your boat, then either wire them up with push/pull volume pots to split the pickups or wire them up in a set of Duncan Triple Shot rings.

For what you're doing, I would look at the Alnico II Pro (not the Slash version, you can't split those), Pearly Gates (the PGn is my favorite neck pup), '59, or the Whole Lotta Humbucker.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

I wouldn't have thought a Strat style guitar would ever be more creamy or rounded than a LP, all things being equal. The LP tends to produce much more thick tone due to the scale length, the amount of wood and the lack of trem.

And doing a coil cut is going the wrong way. That gives you sharp and bitey. The absolute opposite of what you say you want.

+1. The OP has creamy and rounded now. Switching to a Strat means a brighter, thinner sound, 'the Fender sound.'

 

[BrokenRailGuitarist]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Haha sorry guys I guess my description is wrong I like that "glassy" sounding neck that only a Stratocaster can produce its hard to describe sound think David Gilmour wet heavy distorted leads it screams but not like a Les Paul screams if that makes sense lol

 

[Psykel]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

How about a P90 in the neck? Either for your current LP or in a new one.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

You could pick a guitar which is humbucker bridge/singlecoil neck. Its always going to be hard to balance the output, but careful choices can overcome most issues.

Another option is a p90 or minihumbucker in the neck. The BFG les paul has this combo as standard. A p90 with rod magnets for example is very close to strat tone.

 

[El Supremo]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Haha sorry guys I guess my description is wrong I like that "glassy" sounding neck that only a Stratocaster can produce its hard to describe sound think David Gilmour wet heavy distorted leads it screams but not like a Les Paul screams if that makes sense lol

Sounds more like you need a Fuzz like a Big Muff (Ram's Head flavour) or a Fuzz Face. Distortion pedals like the Rat and Distortion + can get fuzzy too.
Get on of those first for Gilmouresque tones (if you haven't already). After that you could try a split or some really bright neck humbuckers to approximate single coil clarity, like the Humbucker From Hell, EJ Custom, Jazz for instance.

If that doesn't get what you want, just get a Strat like a '57 reissue or Eric Johnson sig (for a flatter radius) or a Tele.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

G+L Fallout. It's got a JB in the bridge and a p90 in the neck. It's got a bolt on neck though, I'm not sure if you're into that.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Another option is a p90 or minihumbucker in the neck. The BFG les paul has this combo as standard. A p90 with rod magnets for example is very close to strat tone.

+1. Good suggestions.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Kinda Fender, kinda Gibson, huh?

G&L ASAT Special with the big ol' MFD single coils.

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Haha sorry guys I guess my description is wrong I like that "glassy" sounding neck that only a Stratocaster can produce its hard to describe sound think David Gilmour wet heavy distorted leads it screams but not like a Les Paul screams if that makes sense lol

I can tell you from experience that a Pearly Gates Neck will get you really close if not there when split in a Les Paul.

 

[Diego]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

My Alnico 2 Pro neck sounds very snappy when split.
It won't do a exact rendition of a Strat, but close enough.
Try adding coil splitting. it's a cheap modification that opens lots of tonal possibilities.

 

[Vajazzled]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

...While I love the rhythm tone of a Les Paul I love the creamy and more rounded lead tone of a Strat way better for guitar solos. Could anyone recommend a great guitar to cover my hard rock and blues rock needs in one guitar? Keep in mind while band is heavy we are not extreme metal or anything. Thanks guys!

PRS Guitars have a 25" scale, sort of the best of both worlds thing. Les Paul's got 24.75", Strats have 25.5".
So, 25" would give you beefy lows, snappy highs, and PRS is more comfortable than Gibby LP's anyway.
Then it is just a matter of pickups. Volume knob adjustment can provide lots'o'versatility too.

 

[Vajazzled]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

m75 super badass distortion

 

[Der Oberherr]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

Right, im no expert but why not try a HSS strat? Find a nice warm humbucker for the bridge and flip to the single coil in the neck or middle when you want that strat sound.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Need Help Picking A Guitar!

EQ pedal

*(Sent from my durned phone!)*