Better than Les Paul

[Monkey]

If you're thinking about buying a Gibson Les Paul (as I was), and if one of the reasons is because you like the way they look (as opposed to the way a Fender Squire or something looks), check out the Gibson Blues Hawk. It is shaped like a Les Paul but it is hollow bodied. It sounds great, plays well, and it won't break your back. Mine weighs about the same as my Fender acoustic guitar, whereas the Les Paul is about as totable as a wheelbarrow full of bricks. Avoid hernias.

 

[Fishmed]

I like the Les Paul because of the way it sounds. The Blues Hawk is a nice guitar, but it is not a Les Paul.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Must be a lot of little guys out there. Why is it that I'm the only one who actually likes the weight of the Les Paul? It feels good....everything else I pick up feels kinda fake.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[Lorddiagram]

I own an old Epiphone Genesis. It is sweet - just like a Les Paul but it is double cut away using the same cut that the Les Paul's cutaway has.

I agree with Slack - I like the heavy guitar - Nice sweet sustain.
But I do love my American Stratocaster alot - I think that the rosewood fretboard on my strat takes away the "fake" feel you speak of Slackmaster. (but I know what you're talking about)

[This message has been edited by Lorddiagram (edited 12-21-1999).]

 

[Slackmaster2K]

I really prefer the ebony fretboard on my Les Paul over rosewood. I think that only the Custom LP's have the ebony where the standards and studios have rosewood.

The only thing I could do without on my LP is the painted neck...I really don't like the feel of it as much as natural wood (glazed or treated however they do it).

I really like to *feel* a guitar (get your mind out of the gutter). I like heavy strings, heavy necks, and heavy bodies. Though sometimes I still break out my old Ibanez for fun. The thing weighs maybe 5 pounds and has a really thin wizard neck. Man, I'm used to doing neck bends on my les paul....with that Ibanez it's hilarious...one of these times I'm going to snap the sucker off. Plus I string it with .09's or .10's which is a blast for speed!

Slackmaster 2000

 

[Viking]

Yeah, I was a fender man for along time!
I have several sweet strats. I finally bought a LP standard. I love it. Through my Carvin head it sings for days. I'm not a big guy, but I'm stout so the weight doesn't bother me. As for the painted neck it gave me hang-ups at first but I just clean it with Gibson guitar polish before I play. It makes it super fast. Still love the strats for clean and blues. Can't beat the neck pick-up sound of a strat....

Viking_______________________________________

 

[drstawl]

I have to disagree. I love the fact that my SG '62 reissue has about half the weight of my old SG. And I don't believe that the difference in the sound is related to the mass of these two axes. Electronics were better on the old one. I've gotta lift heavy stuff all day long, so when I pick up my guitar to relax, I don't need a boat anchor.

 

[Cooperman]

While we are on the subject of what makes a guitar sound good - what can anyone tell me about the difference between bolt-on necks and "neck-thru" necks. I've read that neck-thru's give you more tone and I guess it makes sense that they might but yet I still see heaps of my fav guitarists using bolt-ons!!!

 

[Brad]

I was never bothered by the weight of my Les Paul until I played a Les Paul Custom Lite. It has all of the tone and sustain ("you can go out and have a bite and still be hearin' that one..." ) that my old Black Beauty had, with half the weight. The Gibson Luths knew what they were doing when they made that baby. I wonder why they were discontinued???

 

[Fishmed]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but one of the big difference between neck-through and bolt-ons in addition to tone is sustain. The obvious reason for both of these qualities to be better on a neck through is that the vibrations are broken short on bolt-on's where the body meets the neck. On neck-through's, vibrations are able to conitnue throughout the guitar.

 

[Buck62]

You are correct, sir! You get more natural sustain with a neck-through... BUT ... bolt-ons are the choice of most musicians, since you can easily change the neck if you have any major problems like warping or if the frets need to be re-crowned for a second time. It's also easier to raise the action on a bolt-on, since you can remove the neck and place a shim under it with relative ease. Besides that, most musicians rely on thier amp and/or effects for more sustain, so it's not that big of an issue with most players. The 72' Telecaster Thinline that I play has a 3-bolt neck, but the notes on that guitar hang forever. Same with my Godin Acousticaster. In my humble opinion, the benefits of a bolt-on outweigh those of a neck-through.

 

[crazyhorse]

For looks, I'd go with an SG everytime. Mine's got a black metal-flake paintjob with two white supersport stripes and a truss rod cover that says SGSS. Yes, I am a heretic.

For sound, my Ibanez Artist is a LP copy that has out Pauled every LP that I've played, and that's a few.