Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
- Thread starter Boogie Bill
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Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
Painted maple tops with an ebony fretboard makes the attack on the note a bit more percussive than the more resonant LP Std.
Plus, the guitar is more associated with 70's arena rock, which is closer in style to metal. Std's. always get associated with bluesier players. That's probably the cultural reason for the Custom being more popular for metal.
Painted maple tops with an ebony fretboard makes the attack on the note a bit more percussive than the more resonant LP Std.
Plus, the guitar is more associated with 70's arena rock, which is closer in style to metal. Std's. always get associated with bluesier players. That's probably the cultural reason for the Custom being more popular for metal.
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
I didn't really dig the "Custom" line until I got my SG Custom. I've always thought LP Customs were cool, but in the back of my mind, a mahogany body/maple cap with a mahogany neck/ebony fretboard would be too bright (I typically liked rosewood for that smoother topend). With the RI Customs nowadays, there is no maple cap, so the ebony fretboard acts like the maple cap in my mind and I dig the sound.
I didn't really dig the "Custom" line until I got my SG Custom. I've always thought LP Customs were cool, but in the back of my mind, a mahogany body/maple cap with a mahogany neck/ebony fretboard would be too bright (I typically liked rosewood for that smoother topend). With the RI Customs nowadays, there is no maple cap, so the ebony fretboard acts like the maple cap in my mind and I dig the sound.
fretburner
Well-known member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
Hhhhmmm... those fretboards don't seem to be dark enough to be ebony?
Monty-Jay said:Yep, but ya gotta wax pot them if you use a metal cover.
MJ
Hhhhmmm... those fretboards don't seem to be dark enough to be ebony?
jmh151
Active member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
Sometimes Ebony doesn't show up that black in pictures. Ebony isn't always jet black, sometimes it's a little lighter, like what you see in those pictures. Some manufacturers dye the ebony to ensure they have a jet black color. There's no grain showing on those pictures that would hint it's rosewood, so from my experience it's Ebony.
My suspicion is because ESP has made fake Les Pauls and Strats in the past. I have a 1986 Les Paul Custom that I refinished, and there's something not right about the purple headstock, particularly when I see inlay sets and Les Paul Custom headstock stickers popping up on e-bay. The Les Paul Custom headstock is difficult to refinish because of the black fibre, so if you do refinish, you leave the original laquer on the headstock which would yellow with time, as you see on the Black one. It's very odd to refinish a Les Paul with yellow "aged" binding" and see that the headstock inlays are not aged as well. I think the purple one is an ESP copy made for Hetfield.
Maybe I'm just being too suspicious
fretburner said:
Sometimes Ebony doesn't show up that black in pictures. Ebony isn't always jet black, sometimes it's a little lighter, like what you see in those pictures. Some manufacturers dye the ebony to ensure they have a jet black color. There's no grain showing on those pictures that would hint it's rosewood, so from my experience it's Ebony.
My suspicion is because ESP has made fake Les Pauls and Strats in the past. I have a 1986 Les Paul Custom that I refinished, and there's something not right about the purple headstock, particularly when I see inlay sets and Les Paul Custom headstock stickers popping up on e-bay. The Les Paul Custom headstock is difficult to refinish because of the black fibre, so if you do refinish, you leave the original laquer on the headstock which would yellow with time, as you see on the Black one. It's very odd to refinish a Les Paul with yellow "aged" binding" and see that the headstock inlays are not aged as well. I think the purple one is an ESP copy made for Hetfield.
Maybe I'm just being too suspicious
fretburner
Well-known member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
i don't know if this is ebony?
jmh151 said:
i don't know if this is ebony?
jmh151
Active member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
Two things. One, the wood is too grainy to be ebony. Ebony is SMOOTH. That looks like Rosewood that was stained to look like Ebony.
Second, that's not a Gibson. The inlays are not real pearl, they're plastic pearloid. It could be any imported copy- Edwards, Epiphone, Tokai, etc...
fretburner said:i don't know if this is ebony?
Two things. One, the wood is too grainy to be ebony. Ebony is SMOOTH. That looks like Rosewood that was stained to look like Ebony.
Second, that's not a Gibson. The inlays are not real pearl, they're plastic pearloid. It could be any imported copy- Edwards, Epiphone, Tokai, etc...
jmh151
Active member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
Oh- and third- the frets go OVER the binding. On a Gibson Les Paul Custom the frets go flush with the binding. I actually don't like this, I tend to get the high E string stuck between the fret and binding and would prefer the fret to go over the binding.
I played Epiphone's Goth Exploer's and V's in Guitar Center. They were supposed to have Ebony fingerboards, according to the specs and web site. They were ebony stained rosewood
jmh151 said:
Oh- and third- the frets go OVER the binding. On a Gibson Les Paul Custom the frets go flush with the binding. I actually don't like this, I tend to get the high E string stuck between the fret and binding and would prefer the fret to go over the binding.
I played Epiphone's Goth Exploer's and V's in Guitar Center. They were supposed to have Ebony fingerboards, according to the specs and web site. They were ebony stained rosewood
fretburner
Well-known member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
jmh151 said:
jmh151
Active member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
No, I don't think so. Standards and Classics have cream binding. Customs have always had the black and pure white multi layer binding. The Nitro laquer yellows with age, and what you're left with is the look of Hetfield Black Les Paul Custom.
That's also why a pure alpine white Les Paul Custom yellows into the antique white. The original Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Pauls were alpine white. Then the Epiphones came out Zakk wanted them to match the yellowed look of his original bullseye Les Paul, so the finish was yellowed. I've heard that the more recent Gibson Bullseye Les Pauls have been yellowed as well.
FretFire said:
No, I don't think so. Standards and Classics have cream binding. Customs have always had the black and pure white multi layer binding. The Nitro laquer yellows with age, and what you're left with is the look of Hetfield Black Les Paul Custom.
That's also why a pure alpine white Les Paul Custom yellows into the antique white. The original Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Pauls were alpine white. Then the Epiphones came out Zakk wanted them to match the yellowed look of his original bullseye Les Paul, so the finish was yellowed. I've heard that the more recent Gibson Bullseye Les Pauls have been yellowed as well.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
This is my 89 35th Anniversary 3 pickup 57 Black Beauty Custom. It's a pre Historic Custom Shop guitar, so the aged/antiquated look is actually from the factory, but now it's 17 yrs old, so it's also naturally yellowing too. Notice that it was one of the only Customs with Kluson tuners, which I like more anyway.
This is the best guitar I own. The playability and tone are second to none. C-5/59n/59n gold.
[edit] I just remembered, I need to go buy the proper switch tip. When I bought it a few years ago, it didn't have a switchtip, so I just used a cream one. I need the orangish one.
This is my 89 35th Anniversary 3 pickup 57 Black Beauty Custom. It's a pre Historic Custom Shop guitar, so the aged/antiquated look is actually from the factory, but now it's 17 yrs old, so it's also naturally yellowing too. Notice that it was one of the only Customs with Kluson tuners, which I like more anyway.
This is the best guitar I own. The playability and tone are second to none. C-5/59n/59n gold.
[edit] I just remembered, I need to go buy the proper switch tip. When I bought it a few years ago, it didn't have a switchtip, so I just used a cream one. I need the orangish one.
Last edited:
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
One of the secksiest guitars on the forum hands down :13:
Gearjoneser said:
One of the secksiest guitars on the forum hands down :13:
jmh151
Active member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
the "cream" on the Les Paul Standards is different from the aged yellow laquer over white binding on Customs. Gibson never used Cream binding on Customs, since they never had multi ply cream/black binding. I've even looked into getting a lutheir built me a Les paul custom with cream/black binding- it doesn't exists.
Ideally I'd like a flametop Les paul Custom with trapezoid peal inlays and cream/black binding. I'm still looking
FretFire said:
the "cream" on the Les Paul Standards is different from the aged yellow laquer over white binding on Customs. Gibson never used Cream binding on Customs, since they never had multi ply cream/black binding. I've even looked into getting a lutheir built me a Les paul custom with cream/black binding- it doesn't exists.
Ideally I'd like a flametop Les paul Custom with trapezoid peal inlays and cream/black binding. I'm still looking
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
I think because they're black...black finish...black fingerboard...BLACK.
I think because they're black...black finish...black fingerboard...BLACK.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Why Les Paul Customs for Metal???
Yeah, I was wondering if it was some kind of tonal thing, but I think I am going to attribute the choice of a Les Paul Custom for Metal to be based mostly on cosmetics.
No doubt they are a fine guitar, but there are a number of variations that made grosss generaliztions moot. While many had the micro-sized "Fretless Wonder" frets, modern Customs feature large frets. And there are several variations of neck and body woods: many of the '70s guitars had maple necks, and maple caps on mahogany bodies. Add in the mahogany on mahogany versions, and it can be a little hard to tell just what's under all that black.
In any case, when you think of BLACK guitars, the Les Paul Custom certainly remains as "King of the Metal Guitars".
Bill
Yeah, I was wondering if it was some kind of tonal thing, but I think I am going to attribute the choice of a Les Paul Custom for Metal to be based mostly on cosmetics.
No doubt they are a fine guitar, but there are a number of variations that made grosss generaliztions moot. While many had the micro-sized "Fretless Wonder" frets, modern Customs feature large frets. And there are several variations of neck and body woods: many of the '70s guitars had maple necks, and maple caps on mahogany bodies. Add in the mahogany on mahogany versions, and it can be a little hard to tell just what's under all that black.
In any case, when you think of BLACK guitars, the Les Paul Custom certainly remains as "King of the Metal Guitars".
Bill
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