Members billybilly Posted June 11, 2014 Members Share Posted June 11, 2014 Don't get me wrong, I still love my strats but that meaty goodness that a Les Paul produces I've only experienced playing one. PRS's..... no, Thick mahogany tele's... no, etc... Does it something to do with the pitch of the neck? Help me undestand as I'm new to owning one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 11, 2014 Members Share Posted June 11, 2014 Pitch of the neck, No, its the entire build, wood type, Bridge, pickups etc. that gives it its signature tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted June 11, 2014 Members Share Posted June 11, 2014 If I am going to play my strat I have to go stright to it, and its great.If I play my LP first then switch to the strat it just sounds , well, wrong. Until I aclimatise to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 Not sure what it is. People say wood, build and pups/etc...but my Epi LP plays great sounds like a LP. It's even a bolt on. I guess just enjoy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 No two guitars sound exactly alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 I'm a firm believer that a guitar, amp, pedal, or any piece of gear should have more than one function. Last week I had an old Harmony guitar that I ended up trading because it was only good for rhythm. It sounded good and got several different tones, but the playability didn't allow for easy lead playing. I've had my Les Paul for eight months, and I am more than pleased. It doesn't just sound like a Les Paul, because it gets great jazz, rock, metal, blues, and country tones. Sometimes it's a little too heavy for a mix and I have to record with another guitar, which is unfortunate, but I don't record a song based on what I would like to use. You can find LP tones in other guitars, but if you want the full package, you have to get a LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FrankenTelly Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 ...but that meaty goodness that a Les Paul produces I've only experienced playing one. PRS's..... no' date=' Thick mahogany tele's... no, etc... [/quote'] I'd say the maple cap on top of the mahogany body is the first reason (if you have an LP with a maple cap. like a Standard) followed closely by PAF humbuckers. After that, the TOM bridge screwed into that maple cap is certainly a contributor. The 24.75 scale length has some influence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 Don't get me wrong, I still love my strats but that meaty goodness that a Les Paul produces I've only experienced playing one. PRS's..... no, Thick mahogany tele's... no, etc... Does it something to do with the pitch of the neck? Help me undestand as I'm new to owning one I'd have to say that my Hamers can get just as heavy as my Gibson can and they have that same piano wire clarity played clean. Still, I agree that there is something to say for a proper Les Paul. My Gibby (2000 Studio Lite - custom order?) is the only electric I've ever owned that gave me no reason to change out the stock plastic nut. It sustains for days and is just so fun to play legato singing leads on. Mine not only has great note to note balance and clarity but actually gives me the kind of neck position jangle I always associated with Fender. The other thing I've always said about Gibson is that the low end has a characteristic sound like thumping on a hollow log or something. Hamer has some pretty special qualities as well - my HB Special is my warmest sounding guitar (no maple cap Honduran mahogany) and my Hamer Mirage II has the heaviest bass. Still, I think I'd rather solo on a Strat than anything - love the way the notes bloom, the glassy bell tones and the trem option. But for that grungy thing, yeah LP alikes all the way. I like the variety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 at the low end has a characteristic sound like thumping on a hollow log or something. /QUOTE] You could probably get away with playing a bass line on a LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 True dat Bucks. Good to have you back in the fold amigo. Now if somebody could just track down my old buddy Danhedonia. Dude used to tell the best damn stories about the record industry, plus I dug his musical sensibilities. But seriously, real happy to see everyone coexisting around here, knock on wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 Dan was the man. A sexy man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted June 12, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 At Wankdelplank... I don't differentiate the sound of a Hamer from a Les Paul, at least the ones I've heard. I just hate the head-stock shape. Stupid, I know, but I really hate the head-stock, it looks like a canoe paddle or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 I have a guitar that really sounds like crap but sometimes a crappy sound is actually good. At other times it just sounds like crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted June 12, 2014 Moderators Share Posted June 12, 2014 The question is how many Les Pauls are there? 1. 54 - P90s and stoptail bridge2. 56 - P90s and TOM3. 57 - Black Beauty with TOM and Seth's new "Humbucker" aka PAF, ebony gingerboard the above 3 are in the main all mahogany 4. 58 - PAF with TOM with maple cap and fat neck5. 59 - Al II, II IV and V PAFS and slightly rounder less fat neck6 . 60 Generally Al V slightly hotter PAF and thinnest neck until next iteration7 . 68 Custom Al V PAF maple cap, ebony fingerboard8. 70s LP Deluxes9. 70s-80s LP with T-Top10 80s LPs with Tim Shaw PAFs11. 90s LP with 49xT&R and 500 pickups12. 90s LP with the new Burstbucker13. Chambered LPs And there's numerous variations, in the last 14 years that fit some or none of the above And many non Gibson guitars with the construction that WRGKMC mentions will sound like a LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 The guitar sounds more unique to the player then the listener. The player not only hears the guitar but he feels the vibration in his hands and chest. If you take away the feel factor, and use a blind listening test between several different Gibson models, and generic Les Pauls, the chances of guessing which is which by just using your ears, especially when the guitars are gained up can be nearly impossible to determine. I do allot of recording and have built several guitars using TOM bridges and Mini Humbuckers. I often switch between those and My Les Paul and If I were asked which guitar was used on a particular recording I would have a hard time knowing by listening. I can make them out a bit better if the tones were cleaner and could hear the overtones, but once they are gained up and the peaks are flattened, you loose all those identifiers. Even run clean, I can model a couple of my builds to sound similar enough to a Paul where you'd likely guess wrong. Its easier to tell a Fender with single coils from a Gibson with HB's and the maple neck does add to the single coils brightness, But again, with the right gain and EQ added you can be fooled into thinking the guitar sounds different then it is. I've often heard Tele's I thought were Strats or vice versa when they are played clean. If you can make out the brand by just listening, you likely have better ears then most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surrealistic Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 I think my Yamaha SG1000 does a pretty good LP impression if you dial in the appropriate settings. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison but I've played plenty of Les Pauls and I was hard pushed to tell the difference when I picked up the Yammy for the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted June 12, 2014 Moderators Share Posted June 12, 2014 I think my Yamaha SG1000 does a pretty good LP impression if you dial in the appropriate settings. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison but I've played plenty of Les Pauls and I was hard pushed to tell the difference when I picked up the Yammy for the first time. Yup, plenty of LP players will agree with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 At Wankdelplank... I don't differentiate the sound of a Hamer from a Les Paul' date=' at least the ones I've heard. I just hate the head-stock shape. Stupid, I know, but I really hate the head-stock, it looks like a canoe paddle or something.[/quote'] Really? Doesn't look a whole lot different than a Gibson to me, flares in a little as opposed to out. I think where Hamer really messed up was making their imports look almost identical to their American line. The only identifier between the top tier budgets and the US line was a very small "Made in USA" on the Americans. Hamer should have been PRS if they'd only played their cards right, instead they're out of business and undervalued. Paul Reed Smith once said in response to design patent infringement that he modeled his guitars after Hamer not Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted June 12, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 Really? Doesn't look a whole lot different than a Gibson to me, flares in a little as opposed to out. I think where Hamer really messed up was making their imports look almost identical to their American line. The only identifier between the top tier budgets and the US line was a very small "Made in USA" on the Americans. Hamer should have been PRS if they'd only played their cards right, instead they're out of business and undervalued. Paul Reed Smith once said in response to design patent infringement that he modeled his guitars after Hamer not Gibson. Okay, you've talked me into it, I'm now searching for a nice USA made Hamer. ... And I recall a few weeks ago claiming my gas was gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 Okay, you've talked me into it, I'm now searching for a nice USA made Hamer. ... And I recall a few weeks ago claiming my gas was gone. Ha! We've all made that claim at some point, but like a weed it always pops up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monstermaker Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 I think the neck connection and body shape give it that sustain but in the end it's always the sum of the parts and the amp you plug into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted June 13, 2014 Moderators Share Posted June 13, 2014 Okay, you've talked me into it, I'm now searching for a nice USA made Hamer. ... And I recall a few weeks ago claiming my gas was gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted June 13, 2014 Members Share Posted June 13, 2014 Mostly it's the humbucking pickups, their position along the scale length of the strings, and the wiring with 4 pots and a 3 way switch) All that crap about the wood and the bridge and the glued-in neck not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 13, 2014 Members Share Posted June 13, 2014 ^^^ Well, you can play a Paul with P90's P100's Mini Humbuckers, and Full sized HB's and when you're playing the instrument you definitely get that LP vibe.. And if that analogy was true, Why wouldn't all guitars with HB's including Fenders sound like LP's. Guitar tones are complex and its the sum of "all" parts that constitute their sound. Some may influence the sound more then others, but oversimplifying the reasons why one sounds different then another is a matter of degrees. I always though a Firebird sounded allot like a Paul when I heard them on albums. I was a big Johnny Winter fan when I first started playing and he did use a Paul in the beginning that had identical tones to his Firebirds he later used. After I owned each and has a chance to explore their tones I did find I could dial up different tones on each even though both had Mini Humbuckers. Gained up with the same amp settings I couldn't tell you which was which however. All traces of uniqueness diminish when you flatten the overtones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted June 13, 2014 Members Share Posted June 13, 2014 Once its recorded and mixed nobody can say with any degree of certainty what guitar was used. A few will pop up and say they have super ears and can tell, but they cant really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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