(Gibson?) Les Paul

[nw-productions]

Hi,

again and again im hearing that all of the Bands/Producers i like uses Les Pauls in Studio. Because i dont want to play 7 Strings on my new Project i have to buy a good 6 string. The two guitars i would buy are not available in white at the moment (and the guitar MUST be white this time // For live purposes).

So i thought i buy a Les Paul and use it also for the Studio Part. But if im searching for Les Pauls there are several models - all absolutly different.

Wich Les Paul is the one "standard" one. Which Humbuckers do the "most used" one has? Is there something like that? Which PUs? (I Thought P.A.F but there are non)

 

[guitarfishbay]

Where do you live? Are you near a big box store Gibson dealer? If you are, just go and try out everything they have. It is too much of a minefield to pick from specs online IMO if you don't know where to start.

Before you pick a model you'll need to establish the neck size you like. There are two key families of neck shape, 50s (thick and wide) and 60s (thin and wide), and IMO the difference in size is significant. I personally can not enjoy playing on a neck the size of a 50s to the extent where I would not buy one. The 60s necks on the other hand feel great to me. The difference is not subtle and if you don't know your preference I would not even start to narrow down your choices until you know which neck you prefer, since some models only come in one neck size.

 

[nw-productions]

Where do you live? Are you near a big box store Gibson dealer? If you are, just go and try out everything they have. It is too much of a minefield to pick from specs online IMO if you don't know where to start.

Before you pick a model you'll need to establish the neck size you like. There are two key families of neck shape, 50s (thick and wide) and 60s (thin and wide), and IMO the difference in size is significant. I personally can not enjoy playing on a neck the size of a 50s to the extent where I would not buy one. The 60s necks on the other hand feel great to me. The difference is not subtle and if you don't know your preference I would not even start to narrow down your choices until you know which neck you prefer, since some models only come in one neck size.

Hi thx for that. No i come from germany but ill check them out at thomann. my question just goes to the SOUND fraction. So PUs, Body material and so on. That i have to check them out if they feel good in my hand is plain to me. But thx anyway didnt knew that thing about the 60/50

 

[FIXXXER]

here are all white LP's offered at thomann:

http://www.thomann.de/de/search.html?KF=on&gk=gieglp&oa=ala&bn=&pr=&wgfid1=170&wgf170=Wei%DF&wgfid2=2396&wgf2396=&wgfid3=2397&wgf2397=&wgfid4=172&wgf172=&wgfid5=2399&wgf2399=&wgfid6=171&wgf171=&wgfid7=2405&wgf2405=&wgfid8=2407&wgf2407=&wgfid9=2408&wgf2408=

 

[nw-productions]

here are all white LP's offered at thomann:

http://www.thomann.de/de/search.html?KF=on&gk=gieglp&oa=ala&bn=&pr=&wgfid1=170&wgf170=Wei%DF&wgfid2=2396&wgf2396=&wgfid3=2397&wgf2397=&wgfid4=172&wgf172=&wgfid5=2399&wgf2399=&wgfid6=171&wgf171=&wgfid7=2405&wgf2405=&wgfid8=2407&wgf2407=&wgfid9=2408&wgf2408=

Hi yes thought about the eclipse too but it has emg 81. I think i didnt explained it right.

The most modern Metal Guitars have EMG81 and mostly mahagoni body as far as i know.

Im searching for the Standard Les Paul PU and body material that has aproved many times in studio. The Problem is those producers i like just speak about "Les Paul" they dont mention which type and there are so much various Les Pauls out there.

 

[kev]

Watch out for the necks. The ESP eclipses have very thin necks, almost Ibanez like, whereas a Gibson 50s or 60's are very chunky which makes it much harder to play fast on. Also watch out for Les Pauls post 2002, they are weight relieved which may not be your bag if this is a studio guitar you're after.

The other downer on these guitars is tuning Especially Gibson's as they have more headstock angle, and are more likely to come with botched nuts. I haven't played a les paul yet that will stay in tune for longer than 10 minutes (ok slight exaggeration ), but we all suffer it because of their rock tone is about as good as it gets.

I have a 2002 Gibson LP Standard, ESP eclipse II, Epiphone Slash Appetite and my pal has a 2008 cheesehole edition studio if you have any questions about them specifically.

 

[nw-productions]

do anybody see which Les Paul this is and which PUs?

 

[kev]

It looks like a black beauty.

 

[guitarfishbay]

Hi thx for that. No i come from germany but ill check them out at thomann. my question just goes to the SOUND fraction. So PUs, Body material and so on. That i have to check them out if they feel good in my hand is plain to me. But thx anyway didnt knew that thing about the 60/50

I prefer the alnico lower output stuff from Gibson. The 57 classic set with the 57+ in the bridge or the Burstbucker 3 as a bridge pickup (only if potted) are my favourites. They are essentially hotter PAFs, but low output compared to most metal pickups.

For high output the 498T (alnico) and 500T (ceramic) sound good if you like higher output and like Gibson pickups.

You'll find a real split of opinion with regards to Gibson pickups. Some people think they all suck and some people like them. IME a Gibson pickup has a more grainy sound under gain compared to something like a Duncan which is usually a bit smoother sounding. Personally I prefer the Gibson sound.

There are probably several A/B comparisons on the net with Gibson pickups VS aftermarket replacement if you want to research examples, one got posted on here recently. http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...n-les-paul-emg-81-vs-gibson-classic-57-a.html

 

[RiF]

These are the main models (putting various signature and reissues aside):

Les Paul Studio: A stripped down version (cheaper). The main differences are visually (bindings, inlays, etc.). The pickups are called "Modern Classics", but I never heard of them.

Les Paul Standard: Well... the name says it all. It's the standard LP model. It comes with "Burstbucker Pro" pickups. I have one of those (2006 model) and it's not build too good (detunes within minutes), but sounds great for all kinds of music including heavier downtuned metal. I went for the 50's neck although I like thinner necks. It just felt right to me. Try both neck types! Although it has weight-relief chambers in the body, it's heavy and does sound ultra-solid played dry.

Les Paul Traditional: It does not have the weight-relief holes in the body, thus should be even heavier than the already quite heavy Standard, plus some other things that are different. "'57 Classic" pickups.

Les Paul Custom: Standard non-jumbo frets, gold hardware (yuck), inlay between 0 and 1 st fret. 490R/498T pickups.

I'd call the Standard THE Les Paul model, while others might name the Traditional, but I don't know too much about it. When I first plugged it into my JCM800, I immediately thought "this is the well-familiar sound of 50+ years of Rock'n'Roll"!
In my opinion, most of the famous Les Paul sound comes from the guitar itself and not so much from the pickups. My Les Paul sounds like a Les Paul and pretty different to all my other guitars) when played dry already and that tone doesn't change too much when amplified through whatever pickups, amp and cabs.

But get your expectations right. The Les Paul delivers sound wise, I'd say, but when it comes to quality vs price, I had been quite disappointed. Mine still needs to go to a luthier to make it tuneable...

And I went to the shop and played 5 Les Paul Standards (only the finish and neck shape differed) and all sounded and felt a little different to me. Even in the weight there seemed to be a little difference. So I highly advise to not order it online but go to a shop and buy a guitar that you could compare and play for yourself, even if you have to drive 200 km.

 

[greyskull]

Les Paul traditionalis are the best sounding new les Paul's, and TRUST ME I have recorded a lot of em.