Members mbengs1 Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 not all gibson les pauls are sound fat. like some of the les paul custom sound kinda thin like those with ebony necks (i may be wrong here). everything else lives up to the title though like the standards, studios, and classics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 The short scale and humbuckers -mMMaaybe the mahogany neck too all contubute to a base sound that is darker than Strats and Teles. I listened to the fakewood les paul demos and they do sound clangier than the traditional Gibson tone. It's not possible to discern from a video just what is producing the extra clang. Coil taps, higher than 500K pots, brite amp etc will all emphsize the high end in that manner. Regardless, it's probably modern rock that demanded a Les Paul that would shine through saturated amps instead of mudding out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 Its a matter of perspective. My first guitars were Gibson's and always saw them as normal. Other guitars were either thinner or darker in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members epi56ebony Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 Because Humbuckers are 2 pickups stuck together giving them a thicker sound Fenders use one pickup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdsmithtx Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 Because Humbuckers are 2 pickups stuck together giving them a thicker sound Fenders use one pickup The Strat's 2 and 4 "notch" positions would like a word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 A mahogany bodied, maple capped guitar with humbuckers is most likely going to sound fat regardless of brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 I own quite a few LPs and would say that for the most part they do sound "phat". I recently purchased a LP Recording model, and woah, that guy really sounds phat. The bridge p'up will be my primary selection and the neck will be more for jazzy tones. But I do know what you're saying because I've got some LPs that are definitely brighter sounding, but the "iconic" concept of a Les Paul Standard or Custom has that thick mahogany body with a big dept of tone which accentuates the phat tones out of the humbuckers. And with colors or woods, it more that your see or hear the frequencies that aren't being absorbed. Take for example an SG. If you play a Les Paul and an SG side by side with the same pickups, you'll more likely than not hear a brighter more vibey sound from the thinner bodied SG. For me personally, I'll gravitate towards an LP for looks, but if I were a blind man, I'd be much more devoted to SGs. To me they sort of split the difference somewhere between Gibson and Fender tone. But heck, I can remember when I didn't even like the looks of an SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RGfretter Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 Some do, but not for those reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RGfretter Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 They are not going to give you a free lp! Are they? not all gibson les pauls are sound fat. like some of the les paul custom sound kinda thin like those with ebony necks (i may be wrong here). everything else lives up to the title though like the standards' date=' studios, and classics.[/quote'] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 Solid argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 The Strat's 2 and 4 "notch" positions would like a word. The standard humbucker has the two coils wired in series while the single coils pickups on a strat are usually combined in parallel and sound quite different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pomegranite Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 FREE-L-P FREE-L-P FREE-L-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 Its a matter of perspective. My first guitars were Gibson's and always saw them as normal. Other guitars were either thinner or darker in comparison. In no more than 3 sentences, please tell me which guitars you've owned sounded fatter than a les paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RGfretter Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 Sufficient, I would say. You didn't back up your claim, or argument if you prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 Of course any guitar sound can be fattened up with a little overdrive, distortion or fuzz. As far as fat cleans though, as a longtime blues aficionado, I always associated fat with BB King and his Lucille more than any LP. Nothing like the sound of a semi or full hollow body with some reverb - fat and juicy. Along those lines, I've come to believe from personal experience that a chambered LP gives a fatter sound than one that is not chambered (my current LP is and it's fatter sounding than my Hamer Special which is not chambered). I have four Strats all with vintage style pickups and the fattest sounding one is my 89 American. It is the only Strat I own that has a swimming pool route (chambered). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 In no more than 3 sentences, please tell me which guitars you've owned sounded fatter than a les paul. I had a Vintage 60's SG similar to the Derek Trucks model with a longer 25.5" scale neck which was just downright massive for fat tones, fatter then any Paul I've played since (It nailed the tones from the Humble Pie Fillmore stuff I was playing live back then) The early 70's gold top deluxe and 67 Epiphone Rivera I owned at the same time both had mini Humbuckers (which I even swapped out between the two and made no difference) and I'd say the Epi could match the Paul's bridge and produce deeper neck tones. The vintage Firebird I had was amazingly similar to the 70's Paul for sustain and note tones, maybe a tad darker. As a 4th sentence I'll add, I used a Vintage Fender tube amp with Altecs with no effects besides the driven amp so my assessment is limited to that specific amp, not by how those guitars might sound with todays amps or effects boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 Cheers. Not many though and very esoteric, that is, few and far between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 My swimming pool route strat was my fattest sounding too, must be something to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 You didn't back up your claim, or argument if you prefer. Are you being serious? Most of the sound of any guitar comes from the body material and pickups. The traditional Les Paul design is made of mahogany with a maple cap and has two humbuckers. If you make a guitar with those attributes, chances are it will sound fat like a Les Paul. There are other things that contribute to the sound of a guitar, but most of it stems from the body and pickups. Yes, the scale, glued in neck, and neck material are apart of the design, but I've yet to hear a guitar with mahogany, a maple cap, and humbuckers not sound fat like a Les Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RGfretter Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 Yes I am serious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sammyreynolds01 Posted April 17, 2015 Members Share Posted April 17, 2015 Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Temple of Light Posted April 17, 2015 Members Share Posted April 17, 2015 Also the fact that Gibson was almost always associated with Marshall amplification, which is THE sound that gave birth to Rock and Roll as we know it, the patent applied for humbucker, and Marshall stacks essentially created the "phat" sound. Later all that changed with Fender, single coils and Twin Reverb's. As time went on, tonefreaks discovered more electronic means of tone shaping, hence the effects pedal evolution, rack processing and digital manipulation of every aspect of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted April 17, 2015 Members Share Posted April 17, 2015 To answer the question, they're known for fat sound because they have fat sound. Have you every heard anybody mention their buttery Tele? Short scale and Mahogany neck = high end roll off. Fat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6down1togo Posted April 18, 2015 Members Share Posted April 18, 2015 Why are Fender Telecasters associated with a spanky tone? Why are Fender Stratocasters associated with a glassy (or quacky) tone? Why are Gretsch guitars associated with a twangy tone? Because of the way they were designed and their tone signature, the tone they uniquely possess and are most recognizable for. Yeah, I know Les Paul designed his signature guitar as a jazz guitar, but who looks at a Les Paul and says "Now that's a jazz guitar."? It was flop and discontinued by Gibson. In the mid 60's it got a second life when it was found the Les Paul created a characteristic fat, creamy sound through an overdriven amp and became a favorite of blues/rock (now considered classic rock) guitarists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RGfretter Posted April 18, 2015 Members Share Posted April 18, 2015 Hamburgers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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