Les Paul Tips and Tricks

[fazool]

a small mod Ilike:

I rotate the pickup selector switch 90 degrees so it goes forward for the neck pup and back for the bridge pup. Just makes so much more logical sense to me, rather than up, meaning forward and down meaning back.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by fazool

a small mod Ilike:

I rotate the pickup selector switch 90 degrees so it goes forward for the neck pup and back for the bridge pup. Just makes so much more logical sense to me, rather than up, meaning forward and down meaning back.

that makes sense, but after all these years of playing les pauls.. man that would just be pure torture for me.. I don't even think about it when I'm changing pups and / or tweaking controls.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by 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.

Great point. I've dropped my Les Paul before while at band practice a few years back. I caught it but not before the lower bout hit the floor and chipped part of the bottom. Fortunately that ding didn't bother me at all. I've got 3 sets of Schaller strap locks ready to be installed on my Les Pauls. I need to decide whether I want to use a toothpick or rout out the strap lock for that too small screw.

[jdmulli]

Originally Posted by 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.

I gigged with the LP this past weekend. I appreciate the tips, many of which I employed (setup suggestions and strap-locks), but I had one major problem -- the weight. My Les Paul is a '79 Custom. I loved the tone, sustain, and overall feel, but my back hurt so bad Sunday.

I'm not giving up. I think I'm going to try and trade this LP for a lighter one.

What the general consensus on the weight vs tone argument?

[Bob Womack]

Seventies Les Pauls were some of the heaviest. They aren't weight-relieved at all. They have their own sound, though. There's just about every weight point you can think of available in Les Pauls. I have an early 2000s weight-relieved Studio that doesn't seem to weigh any more than a typical Strat. Lots of note bloom but a certain airiness compared to others and a little less sustain.



My '74 Standard on the other hand is a heavy guitar. I don't play it all night anymore but I'm comfortable with it for sessions where I can sit or stand.

The 1957-61 LPs weren't typically too heavy and many of them ooze good sound. The bottom line on sustain is rigidity, and the heavy ones are often the most rigid. The trade-off is that a heavy 'Paul will often have less note bloom off the top of the note but longer sustain than a light one, but in that in-between weight range is plenty of middle ground that has lighter weight and a good note boom and sustain. For instance, I've got a recent inexpensive '60s LP Tribute Studio Faded that is of medium weight and has loads of sustain and a great tone.



Get your hands on as many as possible and see what you think.

Bob

[Dru Edwards]

Hey Bob, I too have a Les Paul Studio, the same wine red color with gold hardware that you have. Mine's a 2006 and it's the heaviest guitar I own, over 10 lbs (10.6 if I recall). Great guitar but a little heavy.

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Seventies Les Pauls were some of the heaviest. They aren't weight-relieved at all. They have their own sound, though. There's just about every weight point you can think of available in Les Pauls. I have an early 2000s weight-relieved Studio that doesn't seem to weigh any more than a typical Strat. Lots of note bloom but a certain airiness compared to others and a little less sustain.



<<snippet>>

[LSemmens]

When you complain about the weight if the instrument, how does it compare to, say, a Bass guitar? I've not yet found an electric to be any heavier than an electric bass.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by LSemmens

When you complain about the weight if the instrument, how does it compare to, say, a Bass guitar? I've not yet found an electric to be any heavier than an electric bass.

And as a bass player, I always wonder why everyone whines about the weight of a guitar.