Les Paul Tips and Tricks

[jdmulli]

After the recent passing of Butch Trucks, I revisited The Allman Brothers catalog and I got to thinking... I've never been one to chase the tone of specific artists/bands, but I decided to do just that -- to a certain extent.

Long story short, I traded for a Les Paul (1980 Custom). I love the feel of the guitar, but I'm still getting acclimated to it. Up until this point, I've only ever gigged a Stratocaster (mostly), a Gretsch 6119 (sometimes), and a Gibson Les Paul Junior with a single P90 (sporadically).

Please, tell me what I need to know about gigging/playing a Les Paul including (but not limited to) setup tips, live sound, dealing with the weight, Les Paul friendly pedals, etc.

Thanks

[Bob Womack]

Let's start with setup. Joe teaches you everything you need to know about pickup setup here but the series covers the whole of setup:



If you don't physically set the pickups, the neck pickup is just about always muddle and overpowers the bridge pickup.

Next, when the pickups are properly set and the amp is set for a good sound on both pickups, I find that the bridge pickup is a bit bright. I'll run the neck pickup tone control wide open and the bridge pickup tone control backed off to make them match better.

Next, blending in the middle position: Where bridge and neck provide one sound, the middle position allows you to blend infinitely between them. '70s and '80s LPs tended to be fitted with volume pots that got dark really fast when you wound them back due to their impedance. However, that gave rise to a little trick: If you open up both volumes, flip to the center position, and close the neck volume pot, you can do interesting "trumpet-like" volume swells by picking the string and lifting the neck volume with your pinkie. I did it enough to wear out two neck volume pots. If it is too sharp sounding for you, back off the other volume control a little.

Guitar position: elevate the neck. The lower bout will pretty much demand it. Wear a strap all the time, even when sitting. The guitar really wants it. Straps? '70s and '80s LPs were a tad heavy. A 3" or 4" will preserve your shoulder. I now use a 3" on my '74 Kalamazoo Small-Script Standard:


A few years and pounds ago.

Oh, and vibrato? After playing Fenders you'll find that an LP does vibrato best with wrist rotation. Many Fender guys develop the habit of shaking the whole neck. The LP's shorter scale will give you a smooth vibrato with wrist rotation only. Bends are less demanding as well. Learn and love!

Well there's a start.

Bob

[jdmulli]

Thanks, Bob!

One question that just occurred to me: do you wrap the strings around the tail piece?

[muscmp]

thanks to bob, i think he pretty much covered it all.

if you mean wrap the strings over the top, then it is your choice. either way works. if any difference in sound, it is quite subtle.

i hear so many people that will play only one type of guitar so it is great to hear someone willing to try a different one.

play music!

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by jdmulli

Thanks, Bob!
One question that just occurred to me: do you wrap the strings around the tail piece?

My pleasure. I've never top-wrapped. I use a pretty slinky string gauge, .009, and have heard that top-wrapping makes the guitar feel slinkier. Perhaps I should try it some time just to say I did!

Bob

[Bob Womack]

Oh, and a nice pedal with the LP is Joe's Double Classic from Analog Alien. It's a compressor and an amp in a can, if you will. It simply make a nice amp sound... um... nicer!



It IS as gaudy as all get out. More and clips, HERE in my review.

Bob

[fazool]

OK the big unspoken design flaw in *ALL* les pauls -

The front strap button on an LP is positioned such that it pulls the strap hole open and falls to the floor. That's why there are so many broken-neck LP's out there.

It's an incredibly stupid design that they stubbornly won't fix. Especially with a very heavy guitar, this gets worse.

So. Get yourself a Schaller (or similar)strap lock. Never, ever own a less paul without some sort of strap keeper.

It will fall out of the strap at some point.

[redir]

The only tip I have is to practice yoga before and after each gig because your back will thank you

[Scotso]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUvxRjYqjEQ

If you are looking for the Duane honky Les Paul sound you are going to be on the bridge pup.

[Steve DeRosa]

Bob covered just about everything of major importance, so I'll just add a few minor points based on my own experience:

• Make sure the bridge saddles follow the radius of the fingerboard - I've heard a couple stories where the wrong bridge was fitted and it was impossible to properly set the action...
• When you set/balance the pickups as per Bob's instructions, it helps if you do so with the amp(s) you're going to use most/all of the time, at something close to the level at which you'll be playing - IME it results in a more useful final result, one which tends to hold up when you back off the volume and/or you're forced to use unfamiliar equipment - and take as much time as you need (I took a few weeks) until you achieve the sound you want...
• Over/under-wrapping and/or tailpiece height does make a real difference in string feel as well as tone, particularly if your preference runs to heavier-gauge strings - don't be afraid to experiment...
• Although it has come to be forever associated with the "classic rock" genre and its offshoots, when properly set up (flatwound 12's/ultra-low action) an LP boasts some serious jazz credentials; if your repertoire sometimes crosses over into laid-back chord soloing, flights of bop virtuosity, "American Songbook" standards, and/or backing up a smoky-voiced singer in a red sequin gown on some cellar-dive stage , take this into consideration as you finalize your setup - your instrument is far more versatile at heart for you to lock yourself into a single genre, even if it takes a certain amount of adjustment on your part as a player...

[clintj]

Don't crank the tailpiece all the way down to the body unless the bridge is really low as well. I've had to order replacement Tune-O-Matic bridges for two Les Pauls that had collapsed bridges from too much downforce on the bridge from an extreme break angle. If the strings hit the back edge of the bridge, it's too low.

Another fun trick is roll one volume all the way off, then use the selector as a kill switch. I ride my controls a lot, too. Not as much as Dickey Betts, but still a lot.

As far as pickup height, I follow the advice I found online. Get the bridge to sound the way you want, then adjust the neck to even the output levels. I also go through and tweak the pole pieces to even out string volumes.

Last, Joe Bonamassa on the myriad of sounds you can coax from a Lester:

https://youtu.be/ZkGCvLstPrE

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[BTF]

If you really want to get into Paul mojo, check out the blender wiring featured on early Pauls. On some models of the Pauls, if you select the middle position and turn one volume control down, it mutes both pickups. If you have the blender wiring, the pickups will bleed into each other. At "0" volume one or the other pickup will still work.

Also, the great Peter Green had one pickup "wired backwards". I think that probably what happened is that he had the Paul in the shop and they for some reason turned a pickup magnet upside down. Other reports are that the pickup's orientation was simply reversed (yields a bit thicker tone). The combined tone (and blends) seemed a bit dramatic for just an orientation swap. Whatever the reason, for many of us his is the Paul tone to seek:



Good Luck!

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by BTF

If you really want to get into Paul mojo, check out the blender wiring featured on early Pauls. On some models of the Pauls, if you select the middle position and turn one volume control down, it mutes both pickups.

This is the as-delivered wiring on '70s and '80s LPs that I referred to that allows the trumpet volume swell sound.

Bob

[clintj]

My favorite Gibson wiring mod is what's been named "fifties style" or "vintage style". It alters the layout of the tone/volume controls so that rolling off volume doesn't bleed off treble. The trade off is that lowering the tone knob drops a touch of volume, and it makes the volume and tone controls for each pickup interact more strongly. I like that it lets me explore a wider range of sounds, but it can be a little less predictable.

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[jdmulli]

Thanks to everyone for all of the advice.

I don't have any gigs this weekend, but I have three next weekend. I think I'm going to be comfortable enough to use the Les Paul.