Do new chambered Les Pauls sound different than older ones?

[lincoln40]

I have an older Gibson Les Paul built in 1995. I hear that the new ones they are putting out are chambered to make them lighter. From your experience do the new chambered ones sound different than the solid ones from the 90's? If so, what are the differences.

[MONGOOZ]

unfortunately the only LP i have at the moment is my Vintage Faded Mahogany....which is chambered.....i can't to a side by side....but i've owned LP's from every era....starting with a REAL 1958, 1968, 1971-72-73, 1980's, 1990's and the current one.....and IMO there's really not a lot of difference.....HOWEVER.....the VM's come with Burstbucker Pro's, which is a fantastic pickup.....so it may be difficult to really tell without really doing a side by side, with the same pups and thru the same amp.

 

i would like mine to have a pound or so MORE in the body, it's not neck heavy....but it feels like it wants to be at times.

[DaleH]

The chambered sound better than the old swiss cheese LPs.

[Mesa/Kramer]

I only own a chambered one, but on 2 different occasions I spent about 30 minuets comparing side by side a Chambered Standard against a Traditional pro.

 

To my ears, the chambered had a much better resonation, and fullness.

The Swiss cheese shounded kind of stiff and slightly sterle to my ears.

[ashasha]

I think that there is a huge difference. The chambered ones are obviously lighter (duhh), but they feel more lively to me. They've got a warmer more open tone while the old boat anchored solid ones have their own thing going on which is just as awesome if not more so. I can't really speak about the swiss cheese ones because I haven't tried out a bunch of them, but I do remember not being impressed a lot with LP's in that era.

[Spike Li]

In my mind, chambered LPs are pretty much semi hollows - hell you can even cut F-holes into them!

 

They seem to have a bit more bottom end and a nice acousticy cleans. Solid/swiss cheese LPs have a similar tone but a bit more snap to them. IMO...

[clay sails]

My best sounding LP was a no-name made of plywood. (True story.) Too bad the damn thing wouldn't stay in tune.

[Armitage]

 

The chambered sound better than the old swiss cheese LPs.

 

 

I think it's the other way around. My swiss cheese cheese ones still have that bottom end chunk, the chambered ones don't.

[deadbeat2010]

Where does the Les Paul Classic land in here? nevermind, I found it, it is chambered.

[fly_with_v]

They definately sound different, but then again the same. Chambered is more lively and resonant, non chambered (as in 50's style) is warmer. I love them both. Comparing chambered to swiss cheese, no contest chambered is better im my opinion. The chambering actually takes advantage of the weight loss and puts it to use. Swiss cheese basically just loses the mass of the 50's non-chambered and the hole don't do much for the sound.

 

For me, I like 57 Classics in my 50's non-chambered guitars, Burstbucker Pros in my chambered, 490-498 in my swiss cheesed (but I sold my swiss cheesed LP's after getting a chambered).

[lp_junkie]

Yes the chambereds sound a little different it's more "airy" and resonant, but my current #1 is a chambered 2008 Standard with my #2 and #3 being solids.

 

The sound difference is noticeable to me, but the audiences never know the difference, I know that my chambered weighs 6 lbs and is 2-3 lbs lighter than my others.

[Ital_Stal]

 

I think it's the other way around. My swiss cheese cheese ones still have that bottom end chunk, the chambered ones don't.

 

 

 

Ditto!

 

my 99 swiss has much more sustain and IMO a much better tone then my 03 chambered

[milosch]

[mcinku]

 

For me, I like 57 Classics in my 50's non-chambered guitars, Burstbucker Pros in my chambered, 490-498 in my swiss cheesed (but I sold my swiss cheesed LP's after getting a chambered).

 

 

How can you compare the body construction types and having different pups in these guitars... comparison like that has no credibility whatsoever in my opinion.

Even more I played two identical LPs... same construction and same pickups and I could hear/feel the difference.

 

IMHO construction has some impact to the tone but construction it self will not assure you have a good guitar. You just can't state based on construction that certain axe is better that the other... just impossible to say something like that.

[dughaze]

 

Do coated strings sound better?

 

Is this what hell is like?

[ΨWindingΨ]

Different? Yes. Better? Not necessarily.

[Dr Wanker]

And up until recently, haven't ALL Les Pauls been Swiss cheesed since the early '80s?

[ΨWindingΨ]

 

And up until recently, haven't ALL Les Pauls been Swiss cheesed since the early '80s?

 

 

Nope. Historics (unless CR model) and some other models are solid.

[dcooper830]

It depends on if it has a long neck tenon or not it also helps to have crystal lettuce in your amp.