Looking for the guitar that sounds like a les paul without the Gibson Bridge

Dicus

Enthusiastic Member
I'm in a band with this guitar player who is looking for the exact dark and rough sound of a Les Paul Guitar but can't get used to the Gibson bridge, it's in the way while strumming it wounds his hand while palm muting.
I'm officially the drummer, but usually the guy who does all the technique stuff including guitar sounds. So I promised him to look for his perfect guitar.

The guy in the guitar store could come up with a suggestion. The problem is, he said, that the gibson bridge creates the sustain because it transfers the vibration to the wood, also the neck is glued in stead of screwed on which helps with the vibration of the wood. Thanks to this bridge the sound of the gibson gets big and dark while a fender with humbuckers never gets the same rough low sound.

Wondering if anyone has an idea what guitar might be the solution.
 
There are about a million options out there for a humbucker sound. I'd say keep it real and go for a LP Special or JR with a wrap-around bridge/tailpiece, but they can be tricky to find with humbuckers. Many of them have P-90s.

I'd also suggest, just my opinion, your guy work on his technique. I don't think a bridge should be shredding anyone's hand.
 
There are about a million options out there for a humbucker sound. I'd say keep it real and go for a LP Special or JR with a wrap-around bridge/tailpiece, but they can be tricky to find with humbuckers. Many of them have P-90s.

I'd also suggest, just my opinion, your guy work on his technique. I don't think a bridge should be shredding anyone's hand.
Some of the cheaper tone o matics can be a bit spikey. I mainly play fender type guitars, so I am used to just resting my hand on a smooth comfy block saddles. You're right though, shouldn't be a problem really. My new guitar is gonna be tune o matic style, but a really high quality one.
 
Sounds like his problem is with the tune-o-matic bridge. I've never had a problem, but I can see how those blade-shaped saddles could be annoying depending on your technique. That lets out pretty much any Gibson, AFAIK. If he could adjust his palm muting technique, he wouldn't have to avoid some of the greatest guitars ever made.
 
it's in the way while strumming it wounds his hand while palm muting.

It's not the bridge that's in the way, it's that his hand is in the wrong place. He needs to adjust his playing technique for that particular guitar.
 
Some of the cheaper tone o matics can be a bit spikey. I mainly play fender type guitars, so I am used to just resting my hand on a smooth comfy block saddles. You're right though, shouldn't be a problem really. My new guitar is gonna be tune o matic style, but a really high quality one.

Some fenders have those shitty stamped saddles with the height adjustment studs sticking right up, which are more uncomfortable IMO than tune-o-matics or fenders blocks.
 
I can't believe the laziness in the Internet age.
You, the drummer, are on a mission to find the guitar player a guitar that sounds like an lp but won't hurt his delicate hands.

Tell him to get off his lazy ass and go find a guitar that he likes the feel of and has the sound.

Its not that hard. Just go to a store and play different ones till he finds one that he likes.

If online research is needed, he should be doing it, not you.
 
Some fenders have those shitty stamped saddles with the height adjustment studs sticking right up, which are more uncomfortable IMO than tune-o-matics or fenders blocks.
^^^This^^^

As almost everyone else has said already, it's a technique issue. No way, unless you just get completely out of control, that a T-O-M bridge should injure your hand, I don't care how pointy the saddles are. I've actually worn a raw spot on the side of my hand on the studs poking out of the saddles on a fender bridge but that was years ago before I figured out how to play without damaging myself.
 
Mine. Mahogany fender with two great humbuckers and a glued in neck
That sounds awesome, we'll try to find a guitarshop who has one of those...

I'll pass on that he should work on his technique, for me it is also hard to imagine it not being possible to get used to such a common type of bridge as the Gibson bridge. I like both guitars a lot for their different sounds...

The bridge he uses now is the Tremolo bridge that comes with Fender Stratocasters.

I tell him he should be researching this himself. But well, I like looking up gear and playing different guitars, so I'm having fun ;-).

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Mine. Mahogany fender with two great humbuckers and a glued in neck

What kind of fender is that. Cause we tried a telecaster (don't know the wood) with humbuckers and a strat (dont know the wood) with one humbucker at the bridge and a single coil and both missed the warm deep sound, both sounded a bit more punchy/spiky, if you know what I mean...
 
I love telecasters looking forward to playing a mahogany telecaster, that's the good thing about shopping guitars for someone else I get to play some as well :p
 
Reading all of your reactions I figured I had best get on here myself to join the discussion. I am the guitarist mentioned above. To clear a couple of things up: 1) I am looking for a guitar and myself actively involved in this endeavor. I'm just not as much of a gear geek as our drummer, which is why he dropped the question here. I'm glad he did, judging by all of the usefull feedback we've had thus far, but I hope no one gets the impression that I commanded our drummer to find me a guitar while I sit back and do nothing. 2) I used to hurt myself a bit when I started playing a Les Paul about 10 years ago (when I was 15). I had to get used to the Les Paul, which I eventually did. I however still don't like the way the guitar plays. I guess everyone has his/her preferences when it comes to playing, and this is mine. The types of guitars I loved playing the most were the Strat for rythm and Ibanez and PRS for lead guitar. I simply find that I grab one of these instead of the Les Paul, mostly because of the position of the bridge. After three years I still don't like it much. Of the three guitars I used the most over the years (Strat, Les Paul & Ibanez 7-string) I however loved the sound of the Les Paul most. So, adding all of this together, I want to see if I can find a guitar that combines my favourite features of the guitars I have played on. I have played guitar for 20 years, but am only now starting to get into gear a bit. I like the Telecaster suggestion, and would very much like to try out a telecaster with a neck humbucker also. Somehow the teles with humbuckers always have it at the bridge position, while I generally use the neck position. I however don't like the way most teles play, I'm more into metal guitars, with a neck much thinner than the tele.
 
Reading all of your reactions I figured I had best get on here myself to join the discussion. I am the guitarist mentioned above. To clear a couple of things up: 1) I am looking for a guitar and myself actively involved in this endeavor. I'm just not as much of a gear geek as our drummer, which is why he dropped the question here. I'm glad he did, judging by all of the usefull feedback we've had thus far, but I hope no one gets the impression that I commanded our drummer to find me a guitar while I sit back and do nothing. 2) I used to hurt myself a bit when I started playing a Les Paul about 10 years ago (when I was 15). I had to get used to the Les Paul, which I eventually did. I however still don't like the way the guitar plays. I guess everyone has his/her preferences when it comes to playing, and this is mine. The types of guitars I loved playing the most were the Strat for rythm and Ibanez and PRS for lead guitar. I simply find that I grab one of these instead of the Les Paul, mostly because of the position of the bridge. After three years I still don't like it much. Of the three guitars I used the most over the years (Strat, Les Paul & Ibanez 7-string) I however loved the sound of the Les Paul most. So, adding all of this together, I want to see if I can find a guitar that combines my favourite features of the guitars I have played on. I have played guitar for 20 years, but am only now starting to get into gear a bit. I like the Telecaster suggestion, and would very much like to try out a telecaster with a neck humbucker also. Somehow the teles with humbuckers always have it at the bridge position, while I generally use the neck position. I however don't like the way most teles play, I'm more into metal guitars, with a neck much thinner than the tele.
Mate, I used to play a lot of metal and also have an Ibanex (RG570) as well as a Les Paul Style guitar but without the tuneomatic bridge. It's called a Washburn Hawk. Also mahogany with a pair of humbuckers. The tele FMT HH (look it up) has two Duncan humbuckers and is made of mahogany. Hey, if you're in the UK you're welcome to buy the Washburn or even the ibanez. Just not both.
 
It's amazing that a 25 year old guy, who has been playing since he was 5, has trouble damaging his hand on a less Paul bridge but not on a strat bridge.
I play less Paul's and strats and just can't get my mind around this.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top