Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

J

jayK

New member
I always feel comfortable whenever I play my strat, my '51 or even my Epi LP special II (flattop). They're just light & feel comfortable.

But when I pick up my fullblown LP archtop, it feels like I'm wrestling with a bear, I just cant get comfortable with it, its just so damn heavy and blocky.
And the heel is a big pain in the butt. I'm also starting to feel like the sound difference of an LP is a bit overblown also, the strat has plenty of bang & sustain in its own right.

Since I'm still a novice I'm hoping that I can adapt to the LP, but I'm starting to feel like I'm more of a "strat" guy.

I know there are a lot of "strat" guys out there, do you feel the same way about the LP's, just not worth wrestlin with, or just a matter of tone preference?
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Playing guitar is like swimming. Swimming is not fighting with water. Swimming is being one with water and letting the water do its part. Playing guitar is the same. If you struggle with your guitar, you are not letting the guitar do its part. Relax and try to be one with the guitar.

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

I played a Les Paul Standard for many, many years. Then one day I bought a mutt Charvel strat. Then I bought another super strat and another. These days I can't honestly play a Les Paul. They feel so unbalanced and awkard. I really can't play one sitting down.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I grew up playing cheap a Kramer strat in the 80's as a teen.... It was my first real guitar but still was a piece of poop.... After a few years of working after i left highschool i managed to bag, borrow, and steal enough to buy a used Les Paul Deluxe.. The model of my guitar hero Pete Townshend. When i got home and tried to learn how to use the thing it felt so weird! I mean really weird... I thought what the hell is this thing with the bridge feeling like it is way up in the air... It was a heavy LP!!!!!! i still have not found another LP that is as heavy as mine... it's a pile of bricks!!!

I had nothing but neck trouble with it since i bought it. Finally they had to remove the neck, make a new fingerboard and glue it all back together after they fixed the problem with the neck joint... The neck to body joint was not correct from the factory and they said it was causing stress on the fingerboard and it would warp every few years..... years of refrets made the fingerboard thin... so they did one hell of a repair job.

I found out the hard way that my hands do not like my LP's neck.... it is fat and the angle i hold my wrist on to play that guitar left me with some growths on my wrist muscles and tendons that i almost had to have it operated on.

I can never keep a Gibson in tune.. I guess from years of playing a Kramer with a Floyd and lock nut i got used to overbending strings and i find with any of my Gibson or Epi's i knock the G string out of tune all the time after a few tunes... I saw a guy at a club using a Les Paul Studio the other weekend and he was tuning every few songs as well.. mostly the G and B strings...

But i hang onto that old Les Paul because it is a Les Paul..... I'm a moddified strat and tele guy myself i guess... I love Les Pauls looks and sounds but they do not like me.. I prefer the Gibson Exployers, and SG's for playing comfort from the Gibson line.

LP's are not for everyone. I love them but i feel and play better on other guitars. I want a new red sunburst or gold top LP oneday so i still want them... but i don't need them...
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I'm the opposite. Gibsons are "home" to me. Whenever I buy a strat or a super strat or whatever I get frustrated after about a week...just not comfy for me..
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I would have to agree with JeffB on Gibsons. To me, nothing is more comfortable than a Les Paul. The tune-o-matic bridge is perfect, the 24 3/4 scale length is supple, Humbuckers with that carved top.... oh yeah.

Strats have always felt foreign. Maybe a Warmoth Strat with a Gibson scale and a Tuneomatic bridge would help.... or maybe I should just get an R9 Flametop or an R7 Goldtop and be done with it... LOL :)
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I also agree with JeffB. Big Gibson necks fit my hands perfectly. I could never use a trem effectively, the shorter scale length is easier for me to get around and a fat neck fills up my big hands. Small Fender Strat and Ernie Ball type necks kill my hands because they're just too narrow and thin to be able to get a really good grip on for playing.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I have a G&L Legacy and a Les Paul - I like the big necks, the legacy has a #4 neck and the '57 reissue is like a baseball bat, as for the comfort level - I really don't notice much difference, they're about the same weight, the legacy is contoured but I just don't notice any difference in comfort on the rib cage.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Well, Les Pauls are okay to me, but I don't really like Strats. I prefer the shorter scale length and tune-o-matic bridge. I really do not like where the volume knob is on a Strat, it's RIGHT where I place my pinky. It makes playing extremely awkward for me.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I'm like alot of other guys here, the Strat just feels wrong to me- give me Gibson or give me a PRS.
But I gotta add that my LP is a custom shop model, arch top, double cutaways, but an Explorer neck, so it doesn't feel as heavy as alot of LPs.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Pauls never felt comfy for me. My hands aren't that big and I tend to shred quite a lot so i like an a bit more narrow neck(no wizard shred-sticks). Also i need a trem and do a lot of work with it. The overall comfortability on pauls is nothing to a good strat imo the scale makes the strings feel loose and the neck joints are way to bulky to give high-fret-access in a comfortable way.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I've taken this journey and it has led me to where I began. I just love the tone and feel of a Les Paul. I started with a Les Paul clone a fewyears ago, went through lots of other guitars and end up just like LP's. I really have tried to love strats and teles, really tried, but theyjust don't do it for me.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I love the way les pauls sound, but I think the Gibson Les Paul is the biggest ergonomic nightmare out there.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I find them heavy and cumbersome, and could probably never own or play one for long because i simply don't like the feel.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

i think strats are one of the ergonomically worst guitars out there actually. i love LPs
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

Nah. He's a pretty good guy. It's Rob you have to worry about.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I must be one of the lucky ones. I love the feel and sound of both. I am a big man though, so the weight of the Les Paul doesn't bother me at all. Had one hanging around my neck for over eight hours once at a party, give and take a few breaks. A strat is like a holiday, lol--like a feather.

I seem to be able to adjust to any guitar. I'm lucky that way. Years ago my Kramer American Libery and Baretta gave me a little trouble getting used to the Floyd, but I adjusted well to them as well. That American Liberty was a GREAT guitar. I'm sorry I got rid of it but I did trade it for a 73 50 watt Marshall "stack" The slant cab was a Marshall that was done in orange tuck and roll, and the straight cab was a Sound City that didn't sound that good. :smoker:
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I love the tone and scale length of a Les Paul....it's not a struggle unless the neck is TOO thick. I also like my strats and guitars in between. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that can adjust to both. The only thing I dislike about a strat is the position of the middle pup. I have to keep it low, or I hit it while picking.
 
Re: Who gets frustrated wrestlin with "Les" ?

I havent played an LP much (well, I havent had time to bring one home for a couple days, only playing firends LP's) and the Strat feels right to me.
I can play and LP but it's just weird, ESPECIALLY having the strings 12 feet from the body, and he strat/ strat style guitars feel the most comfortable. Something about the Strat has always..I don't know, it jus.. I don't know!
And I mean a stratocaster for that part, I played an Ibanez RG and it felt ok, but then I picked up my strat and was like... mmm... home.
 
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