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"Les Paul Guy"

John Vasco

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Joined
Jun 23, 2002
Messages
2,064
This is really interesting because back in the day, before they made decent Les Pauls again, I would have never used a Les Paul myself, because the ones you could buy were so far away from what a good Les Paul should be.

What do you actually base the above on? You see, 'back in the day' (what day is that exactly?), from '73 onwards, I gigged only Les Pauls, and heard others playing them, and could not hang the criticism you have outlined above against any of them.

See my previous post about good and bad Gibsons being made in every era...
 

Bob Womack

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Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
2,191
I'll admit that as a teen I wanted to be a Les Paul/Marshall guy because and I finally got one when I was twenty. Due to my ignorance, I thought most of the guys I heard using the Strats were playing wimpy music. I was drawn to bands like the Allman Brothers and Wishbone Ash and other guitar-driven bands. But then I learned a complete heresy: The entire first album by the Allman Brothers was played with Strats and Fender amps. The dreamy leads on "Dreams" was played on a Strat. Many of the leads I loved from Wishbone Ash were played by Ted Turner on his Strat. There is something very plaintive and beautiful about the sound Ted got on the short solo he wrote for "Blowin' Free," for instance. They just don't sound the same on an LP. And then I encountered David Gilmour and his Strats.

Now, I will also admit that many of the Strat sounds I identify with are so gained-up, full, and sustained that they sound very much like a Les Paul Sound. But I've grown up and moved on from being motivated by the image that used to surround LP players. For heaven's sake, country bands are now using LPs! I've allowed myself to use other guitars and discovered that I really identify with, take for instance, the ES-335. So now I play what I need to get the sound I want.

Bob
 
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yeti

Guest
What do you actually base the above on? You see, 'back in the day' (what day is that exactly?), from '73 onwards, I gigged only Les Pauls, and heard others playing them, and could not hang the criticism you have outlined above against any of them.

See my previous post about good and bad Gibsons being made in every era...

I can only report from my own experiences growing up during the 70's and getting my hand on every guitar I could. Les Paul Customs were plentiful among players, even in my small hometown and surrounding areas. Every guitarist wanted one. My conflict between what a Gibson Les Paul was during the 70's and 80's vs what it should be came from listening to all those great recordings but never being able to duplicate that tone even remotely. the Les Pauls I grew up with were dull, lifeless, 10+ pound boat anchors ( sorry for that cliche but it really was like that...to me at least). A LPC cost 2,800 DM when I was a kid, a Fender Strat was about 1,400 DM, a set-neck Ibanez LP copy was around 850 DM and was ten times the guitar that a Gibson was at that particular time. I didn't know anything about older Gibsons but every single "newer" Gibson I played until the early nineties ranged from terrible to barely adequate. That's MY experience and reference point, yours may be different and I do believe that Gibson made good guitars during the Norlin years, I've just NEVER seen one in person, never. I've seen many great post-CBS Fenders, though. My first "golden era" Gibson encounters happened in the early 80's with early 60's juniors and SGs, 335,s, Goldtops and Bursts were soon to follow and those guitars redefined what a Gibson actually is, in person, to me. Too bad I didn't have the money to buy one.

If you had the chance to test half a dozen LP's in a well stocked guitar store during the 70's and picked a "good one" then your perception of them will differ from those of us who lived in rural areas and had usually choice of ONE example in the store if any.
I'm not trying to "dump" on Norlin era Gibsons, just saying that for me they were never of interest at all. The same is not true for Gibsons' more recent offerings. I should add that my favorite "set-neck solidbody with humbuckers" is an Indonesian made Hamer sunburst with FireSound PAF clones so you can see that I'm not your typical vintage Gibson advocate
 
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yeti

Guest
I would much rather be called a Les Paul Guy than a Strat Guy.Most of the guys i know hooked on strats all play like SRV clones and most of them sound the same to me.IMO call me a Les Paul Guy all you want.Mike B.

Exactly! This is so funny because it used to be the other way around, the LP guys (not the iconic ones but the regular players) all sounded the same and the Strat guys were identifiable. I remember guys like Richie Blackmore totally dissing Les Pauls because they are too easy to play and encourage sloppy playing, etc, or Brian Setzer stating that the typical "LP through a marshall sound" was never his thing because it was everywhere and generic. Now it's the Strat with that stupid lisp sound that you can't get away from. I do like SRV but I can't listen to anybody with a strat anymore unless it's Dick Dale.:2zone
 
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yeti

Guest
The Les Paul stalinists ...

What a great name for a band!:dude:

...Les Paul guy, Strat guy, Tele guy doesn't have any particular meaning for me, all are great instruments and can sound fantastic. It's much more the player than the gear.

"Tele guy" used to be a badge of honor until recently, not so much anymore, I blame all those instructional "how to make your Tele sound like a friggin banjo" videos.
 

Kris Ford

New member
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
4,003
I would much rather be called a Les Paul Guy than a Strat Guy.Most of the guys i know hooked on strats all play like SRV clones and most of them sound the same to me.IMO call me a Les Paul Guy all you want.Mike B.

Say that!!!! Strats just sound...well, generic...oh, and if you've ever played one while using a Uni-vibe (or one of it's clones) EVERY GOD DAMN THING you play, even tuning up, sounds like Robin Trower... The strat has such a distinct sound, thta i'd almost say its impossible to forge your own "voice" in one, without sounding like someone else...(Hendrix, SRV, Trower, Blackmore...etc) On a LP, the sky's the limit!
 

Pat Boyack

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Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
4,510
Les Paul guy, Strat guy, Tele guy doesn't have any particular meaning for me, all are great instruments and can sound fantastic. It's much more the player than the gear.

What if that player prefers a Les Paul? Then maybe, just maybe.....he's a Les Paul "guy". In fact, I think YOUR attitude is a little bit "Stalinist"; All guitars are equal as well as all workers and countrymen.

But seriously, everybody has a preference, like say...... forums. THIS is a forum about LES PAULS.......so expect a lot Les Paul "guys".
 

Hetfieldinn

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2004
Messages
1,234
Say that!!!! Strats just sound...well, generic...oh, and if you've ever played one while using a Uni-vibe (or one of it's clones) EVERY GOD DAMN THING you play, even tuning up, sounds like Robin Trower... The strat has such a distinct sound, thta i'd almost say its impossible to forge your own "voice" in one, without sounding like someone else...(Hendrix, SRV, Trower, Blackmore...etc) On a LP, the sky's the limit!

Possibly the most ridiculous thing ever posted on this forum.:lol Each of the 'Strat slingers' you meniton have their own, very distinctive, and very different sound. If you find it impossible to find a different sound than one of those incredible players with a Strat, you probably need to take up stamp collecting.:ganz

I'm not a Les Paul guy, or a Strat guy, or an Ibanez guy, or a PRS guy. Whatever guitar I feel like grabbing at the moment, that's what kind of guy I am.
 

DHBucker

Active member
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
2,367
Rubbish! Gibson produced good guitars in every era, and likewise produced 'dogs' in every era also.

I'd put this Norlin '69 LP Custom up against anything in the last 20 years or so:


and my '76 Deluxe against anything on cleans:


Unfortunately you appear to be one of those who toss out glib put-downs on all Norlin era Gibsons...

John,
I tried to like a Les paul during the Norlin years and they just didn't suit me. They were different in build quality to the 54 junior I had and they just didn't do it for me. I can go there with you when you say there are dogs in every era. I agree, but every Norlin I tried didn't tickle me at all and at that age I was LUSTING for a new Gibson. There was a big difference in build quality after Norlin was gone IMHO. I'm not throwing out the "just because it was Norlin" bashing. It's just my opinion and it isn't worth one pence in the end other than to me. :)
 

Kris Ford

New member
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Jan 6, 2007
Messages
4,003
"Possibly the most ridiculous thing ever posted on this forum"....
Hmmm...not too sure about that...so...a strat thru a univibe DOESN'T sound like Robin Trower??? Interesting...
 

les strat

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Aug 22, 2004
Messages
5,194
I love Les Pauls, but could not live without a strat either. I do not cop SRV licks, but play like me on both. YMMV.
 

sonar

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
I thought we were talking about LP's?

Once again, different tools for different things. I get the "I sound the same..." blah blah, but try playing a Rickenbacker to cop the tone off Tres Hombres.
 

TommyTouch

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Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
1,050
The majority of the time I choose to play the Les Paul. You can call me a "Les Paul Guy", I've been called much worse. Reality is, like all of you, I'm a "Guitar Guy".
 

John Vasco

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Joined
Jun 23, 2002
Messages
2,064
yeti,
You cannot compare the sound of a Les Paul live with that of a recorded one. The processes that are gone through in the recording studio are miles away from the live sound in a pub/club/larger venue. You are comparing the proverbial 'chalk & cheese'!
 
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yeti

Guest
yeti,
You cannot compare the sound of a Les Paul live with that of a recorded one. The processes that are gone through in the recording studio are miles away from the live sound in a pub/club/larger venue. You are comparing the proverbial 'chalk & cheese'!

I'm not sure how to respond to that, are you saying that trying to emulate tones heard on studio recordings is pointless? In a nutshell, the 70's era LPs I've played over the last 35 years didn't have it going on in the upper frequencies, both acoustically and amplified. The Deluxe with minihumbuckers was the best of the bunch, IMO but compared to a good really old one or a more recent Historic they all sounded like they were best suited for a certain midrangey Rocksound, played through a MV marshall a la Slash, not my cup of tea at all, but many great recordings have been made with that setup as well.
 

StaticNoise

New member
Joined
Aug 20, 2010
Messages
37
I think I know what you mean. Where I live there is a tradition of blues bands (mostly older guys though) with a festival and other concerts every now and then. It's a small place but there are quite a few musicians there. Almost everyone play strats.

With me being "the young guy" in that scene, I sometimes got comments on how I was not "traditional" because I didn't play strat through twin reverb. It used to make me bitter, and I always felt I had to proove my worth just because I didn't play Albert King riffs or whatever.

I can concur with this. But I have to say for myself a "Les Paul Guy" that for the blues the Strat w/single coils really cuts through the mix. When I've seen the occasional LP on a blues stage it always seemed less distinct. LP's w/P90's are a different story, but the humbuckers are so smooth, less bell-like, they tend to blend in rather than stand out. Just an observation... For me, when I am doing a bluesy number I'd rather have my Strat with the selector on the neck pickup.
 
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