Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

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Chistopher

malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
We have recently had a thread circulating about how a Tele is the only guitar you'll ever need, and a new one just got dug up about how Les Pauls are the best and most versatile guitars out there. This got me thinking, which of these bare bones, non-ergonomic, single cutaway, double pickup guitars would you chose if it were the only guitar you could ever play?

If you think about it, they're really opposite sides of the same coin.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

id take a tele anyday. id mod it a little but ive done that to every guitar ive owned, i even swapped a pup on my first guitar a squier ii. i have a nice lp and i like it, but ill always be a fender guy at heart
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Les Paul:
- Looks beautiful, especially in flame top
- Upper fret access is worse
- PAF in the neck can sound great
- Bridge does rock well
- Flatter radius neck is better for playing lead and bending
- Don't like the short scale
- Frets are traditionally larger

Telecaster
- Looks like a failed high school shop project
- Slightly better upper fret access
- Neck pickup is very me
- Bridge does rock well
- Neck traditionally has a small radius which is harder to bend with
- Scale length is more comfortable for me
- Frets are traditionally smaller




Eh . . . neither are my first choice. Or second choice. I'd give the edge to the Les Paul if forced to pick one.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Les Paul. It's not even close for me: I prefer humbuckers, flatter fretboard, mahogany and the shorter scale length. The controls are also better.

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Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

jeremy said:
id take a tele anyday. id mod it a little but ive done that to every guitar ive owned, i even swapped a pup on my first guitar a squier ii. i have a nice lp and i like it, but ill always be a fender guy at heart
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Come on man. No mods what would you take?

I will jump on the Les Paul team real quick.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

A Tele if I could mod it. I'd pick an LP if I couldn't.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Today it would be a Paul

Next month I may move more Tele

Right now a chambered Paul with a JB/JAZZ set is my jam

But I could go Tele with JB/JAZZ just as well

I have an RG hardtail with a JB/JAZZ set

Several LP style
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

...as far as I'm concerned they both sound great & look pretty bad :lmao:

I'd take a decent superstrat over either...or a pointy. But of the two the LP wins 'cause it's tone has the edge (looks a bit better too) :bigthumb:
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

History suggests I'd mod either, but I'd prefer the Tele for two reasons. Weight is a big issue for me, and I'm a fanatic about my preference for a straight run of strings from the bridge to the tuning pegs. Obviously the angles have to break down over the nut, but I can't stand them angling off to the sides.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Securb said:
Come on man. No mods what would you take?

I will jump on the Les Paul team real quick.
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'52 tele or '52 lp? tele. '59 tele or '59 lp? lp. '66 tele or '66 lp? tele. '72 tele or '72 lp? tele. '79 tele or '79 lp? canoe oar. '86 tele or '86 lp? tele.

i own one real lp, one very lp influenced guitar, three other sorta gibsony guitars, and like twenty-something fender or fendery guitars. i could make a lp work but id be more comfortable on a tele
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Between just those two, a Les Paul. They balance better for me. A Tele just doesn't balance right on the strap for my comfort.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Tele. Esquire, actually.

But Les Paul JUNIOR is right behind.

I love carved-top Pauls, but they don't even rate on my top ten list of favorite guitar models. They are behind (in no order) the Tele, Esquire, LP Special, LP Junior, SG, Strat, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, 335/345/355 styles, 330 styles, Guild thinline fully hollows, and any number of Gibson non-thinline hollow bodies.
 
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Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

I would pick a Tele just off the middle position alone.

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Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

I like both. But will tell you, the day i got my first lp was the best day of my life. Was always my dream guitar. My brother and i woke up early and he drove me to 2 or 3 dif shops, all on the opposite ends of town to make sure i was getting the "best" one. Still gives me chills every time i see and play it.
 
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Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

Apples and oranges. I’ve owned both. Les Pauls always sound like Les Pauls. Which is fine, but I think I like the longer scale length of Fenders since you get more harmonics and snap.

Currently all my guitars are 25.5” scales with humbuckers (full size or otherwise).

One thing I did to my ‘81 LP Standard at the time was rewire it for two volumes, master tone, and a 6-position Varitone. That allowed me to notch the mids and get more Strat like tones.


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Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

I don't think I could possibly choose. I do like Les Pauls more, and probably would gravitate toward them as they are a bit more forgiving to play. But a good tele with that early broadcaster style pickup in is hard to beat too.
 
Re: Tele or Les Paul? (No Rob Option)

I don't really Love LP's but I can't stand Teles.... So I vote LP.
They sound good and they look good.

I'd take an explorer or a V any day over an LP.
 
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