Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I'm a Gibson Les Paul lovin' kinda guy.

I find there to be more wrestlin' goin on with a Telecaster than with a LP. And I love them both.

If I play a Strat for a while I kinda get used to it, but I'd still rather have a LP in my hands.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

as you probably can see diffrent guitars are for diffrent people if strats are your thing thats fine if you are more a Gibson user thats fine too. taste in guitars is like your taste in ice cream, there are many diffrent flavors, some you will like, some you will hate just go for your favorite and make shure to keep in mind that others havediffrent favorites for a variety of reasons
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

This is not a good thread to be starting now ... my Warmoth LP will be shipping this week! :)
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I've always loved the tone of the LP, I just can't get comfortable with the shape & the bulk. It was the first guitar I went out & bought when I started (I got it because I love Neil Young's sound & of course that's basically all he plays).

I've been considering trading it in towards another strat at the shop I originally bought it from. I originally paid $300 for it (its along the lines of an Agile in quality) but I'm probably lucky if I can fetch $150 if I trade it back, so I'll see what the owner is willing to do with me.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I hope this doesn't get me flammed as I say it with complete respect and an owner of 2 LPs over the years-

But they have always hit me as one trick ponies- The trick is sustain.

When you think about it, with the wide variety of pups out there you can get almost any timbre out of practically any guitar- Obviously an ash strat isnt going to get you an LP sound, but put hums on a mahgoney strat and it's pretty darn close- Put a maple cap on it and you can fool practically anybody..except for the sustain-

My LPs and explorer were the most sustained guitars I have ever owned. But 98% of the time need vairety more than sustain as you can manufacture quite a bit of sustain in the styles I play with controled feedback.

I saw Les Paul himself about 15 years ago when he had a weekly gig at Fat Tuesdays- Of course his pups are completly different, and he plays completely clean, but the sustain was incredible- I've sense moved on to 25.5 only, but that summed it up for me- I can get a great LPish tone off my PRS 24ce- But if I had to have the sustain and the snap of a maple cap, there arent many guitars that can match an good old heavy LP-

Just my 2 cents
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I'm thinking of selling off the Les for an SG myself. The SGs are just so light...and I have fond memories of how my old Squire tele FELT (even though it sounded like crap).
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I have a love hate relationship with them. I love the look, I love the sound.


But the neck is my nemesis. I've tried the 50's neck and the 1960 Slim Taper style necks on the Gibson's, and I can't stand it. Don't get me started on the Epi Les Paul necks either.

Try as I might every time I play a Les Paul I'm constantly forcing myself to play it. I've tried, I've tried, I've tried ... I just feel absolutely uncomfortable playing on those necks

It's so bad that the neck shape is the only thing stopping me from buying one.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Strats and Teles fit me best. I hate the arched top on les pauls. it feels so uncomfortable to me. the scale also feels tubby. I like explorers and firebirds a lot though.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I do love the sound of them, but the feel turns me off playing them completely, Strats feel great to me but 3 single coils just isnt me. SO i play strats with humbuckers. I've found a compromise, And i happen to like the sound of a strat with a bucker even if it isnt a les paul sound.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

A LP can be a difficult guitar to play for any length of time mainly due to the weight. Gibson has attempted to battle the weight by using different types of wood, and chambering the body to reduce some of the weight. The LP Supreme is a beautiful guitar that is much lighter than a standard or a Custom, but I think the chambers affect the sound to some degree. When I play my Les Pauls I find it to be essential to have a wide heavy duty strap the displaces the weight better. I also always bring a 2nd guitar. Generally I have one with HB and one with SC to accomodate the material we play. I am not wearing a LP all night. Many players have chosen a 335 instead of a Lp because they sound similar and are easier on your back. But IMO if you want the sound of a LP nothing else will do it as well. I love my 335.... more than any other HB guitar I have, but for certain things the LP is really a better choice.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

It took me a long time to get used to my Les Paul after starting on a super strat, moving to a telecaster, and then picking up a real strat. Playing the les paul definitely requires a different touch and I have to think differently about how I approach it. With the strat I can just hit it, slap it, twist it, pull it, push it and do all sorts of nightmarish things to it and the tone still comes out just right. The Les Paul requires a bit more finesse to really handle properly. I have to be a bit more proper on it and not so violent :)
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

have u tried playing it classical style? my LP style guitar wasnt comfy to me and after asking around in this forum i tried classical style sitting position and it works very well. apparently Les Paul plays it that way too. have a try.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

CapoFirstFret said:
With the strat I can just hit it, slap it, twist it, pull it, push it and do all sorts of nightmarish things to it and the tone still comes out just right. The Les Paul requires a bit more finesse to really handle properly. I have to be a bit more proper on it and not so violent :)
Click to expand...

Too funny!..cos I feel EXACTLY the opposite :D

I have to *****foot my way around a Fender. My technique has to be better, I have to be "on" all the time with one...it's not a "forgiving" guitar for me.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

TheProphet said:
I have a love hate relationship with them. I love the look, I love the sound.


But the neck is my nemesis. I've tried the 50's neck and the 1960 Slim Taper style necks on the Gibson's, and I can't stand it. Don't get me started on the Epi Les Paul necks either.

Try as I might every time I play a Les Paul I'm constantly forcing myself to play it. I've tried, I've tried, I've tried ... I just feel absolutely uncomfortable playing on those necks

It's so bad that the neck shape is the only thing stopping me from buying one.
Click to expand...

I can't stand the neck shape of my 70's Deluxe either.. I've played other years and my 76 is thicker for some reason.. baseball bat.... I often wanted to do the Pete Townshend trick of shaving the neck down and repainting the neck... He did that in the later 70's to all his LP Deluxes... But if i did i'd be wrecking and old guitar even more then it already is....

I found the 59 neck on my buddies reissue was kind of nice. But i think i enjoy the 60 shaoe the standards come with.. My Epi LP Standard has a very thin neck! Half as thick as my 76 lp deluxe... My Epi's Exployer has a way thicker neck then my Epi LP

WhoFan
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

JeffB said:
Too funny!..cos I feel EXACTLY the opposite :D

I have to *****foot my way around a Fender. My technique has to be better, I have to be "on" all the time with one...it's not a "forgiving" guitar for me.
Click to expand...

Me too!!! It took me almost a year before I felt comfortable playing a Strat!! I love Em now though!!
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

The biggest problem i have had with guitars is finding them with big enough necks. I have big hands...some have said huge....I should off been a bass player. But I can rarely sit down with something off the shelf and feel comfortable with it.

My Clapton Strat is the worst offender. Between that and my 73' Strat I feel like I'm playing on a blade of grass mounted to the body. A MIM with an oddly-shaped fat neck is as best I've found short of the Jeff Beck Strat necks for my hands.

All three of my Les Pauls (a 73' Deluxe and two clones) just fit me like a glove. They're all heavy beasts too, but since I stopped bringing outrageously large amps to rehearsals and gigs I don't notice the weight nearly as much.

But inherently it comes down to the sound. They're different beasts and I tend to play differently on either one.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I may only own 1 Les Paul, but I only need the one. Musically, it’s far more versatile than any other guitar I own.

In regards to the “wrestling” part, I have an easy time playing the LP, both standing and sitting. The balance is more favorable and I like the bulk of it, as it tends to keep it from flying all over the place. My strats don’t seem to stay put when I play, and I’m constantly diverting attention to keeping them in a playable position.

Playing a strat is like taking a vacation: it’s fun for a couple days, but at the end of it all, you are relieved to be back home (playing a Les Paul).
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

i find LP's easier to play.....but i don't like how i can't slam on the low strings........on my Tele, there is more tension so i can get a really tight stinging clear sound on the low string and it sounds good.......with the LP, the tension is less and it gets flubby sound on the low strings
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Two guitars I love to feel... Telecasters and Les Pauls. They're just big pieces of wood I can really wrap my arms around. Strats? I cannot handle forearm and tummy cuts.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I think that Les Pauls are the best looking guitars ever, mirror black finish with gold hardware being my favorite setup (I love black guitars) the tone is great. If you are have trouble with pulling the strings out of tune get a tonepros bridge and locking tuners, my buddy did that to his epi les paul and I love that guitar now. I am comfortable with both, I learned on steel string acoustic and have been playing my Alverez with medium strings at least an hour a day for years so any type of electric seems like a vacation. I love strats and pauls both, I think i slightly prefer pauls though, right now I want an SG though.
 
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