Tell me why (or why not) you own a Les Paul

Title says it all. Discuss.

[Glennwillow]

Tell me why (or why not) you own a Les Paul...

I own a Les Paul, a very nice American Standard with a AAA flamed top in heritage cherry sunburst. It's a beautiful guitar, but I have never taken to it. It doesn't really fit the way I play very well. I find my ES-335 fits my style of play so much better.

I should really sell this guitar.

- Glenn

[mr. beaumont]

Nothing that small should be that heavy.

[rmp]

I currently have two USA made Standards

A '95 that was purchased new in August of the same year,

A 2002 that I wound up with in trade for a custom shop Time Machine 57 Strat in 2004. (I couldn't abide with the vintage frets and heavy lacquered maple board)

They just fit my style of playing. I also love Marhsall amps, and have three of those, (2 combo's and a JVM 50w head with 2 2x12 cabs)

The LP/Marshall marriage IS the sound in my head.

I don't mind the weight, which is a turn off for many. My '95 is a beast, at close to 12lbs. (the Bigsby / Vibramate I added a few year ago didn't make it any lighter I guess.)

[jricc]

For me, in high school, a Les Paul was THE guitar. Couldn't afford one so I had a pretty nice Penco LP copy. Played it, loved it for a long while, and then...I just couldn't get on with a LP anymore. I totally went away from the LP humbucker tone to this day. Got a Tele and never looked back.

They are great iconic guitars, just not my bag.

[KevWind]

When I decided to get back into electric 4 years ago (after being acoustic only since 1971)
First thing I did did was try to determine if I wished to start with an LP or a Fender I played a number of LP's but did not really click with any .
After about 4 months of playing (back in the time before covid or TBC ) I happened to pick up and play a PRS CE 24 and that was it.. Sold body flamed maple over mahogany , and humbucker's with splits .

Since that guitar I have not really thought about an LP and don't see me getting one

Instead I did acquire a nice Limited Edition Fender Tele with P90's
So now I think probably a Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster will in fact complete my electric guitar collection, and journey

[Bob Womack]

My first good electric was a '74 Les Paul that I bought used in '77 and it was my main squeeze for years. I still have it and use it on sessions.





I've since added another one that is lighter (7.8 lbs) as well.



When you need a full-bodied sound, the Les Paul is just it. I've tried a bunch of others, but there is a certain girth that a Les Paul has naturally.

Each guitar has its thing - the Tele is great for brighter, articulate work, as is the SG, the Strat adds the ability to wiggle a chord with the tailpiece, the ES-335 is sweeter and more plaintive as a lead instrument, but the LP has a certain gut and power to it. You just have to figure it out.

Bob

[Jdogblues]

Been debating getting rid of mine after deciding to focus on acoustic. IMG_1654877532.042074.jpgIMG_1654877550.482380.jpg

[raysachs]

Nope, and it’s all about seated comfort. I played an Ibanez knockoff of a Les Paul when I was young. I played standing most of the time and I was skinny as a rail, so no problems playing it seated either. Hadn’t played in many years when I got back into playing in the last six years. I’ve kind of stopped liking humbuckers, but I love P90s and nothing sounds better than a Les Paul with P90s.

But I play seated now, I have a bit more of a belly, and I can’t comfortably play a Les Paul seated for more than about 5-10 minutes. Has to do with where the leg cut is, and it’s farther to the left (on a righty guitar) than anything else I’ve played. Pushes the guitar to the right in your lap such that access to the upper frets requires all sorts of twisting and turning and if you have a gut, that makes it worse. Also caused me to pick over the neck pickup, rather than between them, and I always found myself hitting the pickup. People recommended I just play classical style, but I’m an old dog and that’s a new trick I don’t want to learn.

So I play an SG with P90s instead. It’s got the leg cut so far to the right, it takes me a minute to adapt to where stuff is on the fretboard. But it’s as comfortable as anything I’ve ever played. I’m a strat guy, so any other electric is gonna be a distant second to my strat. But Les Pauls don’t work for me.

-Ray

[29er]

I love the sound of the Les Paul and the Allman Brothers band is the LP tone that I think of when I think LP, a bit cleaner w/o too much overdrive to muck things up. It's also a beautiful guitar. But I've never owned one because of the smallness of it and the weight.

[Rick Jones]

I had a standard with a lovely flame maple top, and I opened the case one day after driving to band practice with it in the boot (trunk) of my car to find the headstock had broken off, and I still can’t explain or guess why.

I traded it, still unrepaired, for a 30watt Hughes and Kettner combo amp.

[DanR]

I have a Les Paul Special with P90 pickups. It became my main gigging guitar. I love the tone and it's playability is great. I've never owned a Les Paul Standard as my '67 ES335 covers the humbucking thing. I know it (the 335) doesn't have the same girth as a LP Standard but it's close enough for me.

[jseth]

First off: I LOVE Les Paul! His playing and his contributions to "electrified" music of all genres are simply wonderful!

For those reasons alone, I REALLY wanted to love Les Paul model electric guitars.

But I don't. I've never found a way to play them/hold them that feels "right" or comfortable, and I'm not sure why that is. I've tried raising or lowering the strap but that didn't do it for me.

Plus, at 71 with frequent "back drama", they just weigh WAY TOO MUCH - like Mr. Beaumont said, "Nothing that small should weigh so much"!!!

[Ian111]

I’ve owned Gibson LP Tribute and Studio models and didn’t care for their tone (muddy), Actually preferred Epiphones (muddy but better replicating the LP tone to my ears. Got my current LP Special with Burstbuckers and got the thick LP tone and clarity. 8 lbs flat just like my Mexi Strat which is my max in terms of weight. It may not have a carved top but it sounds great. Thought about buying a Classic or Standard but get cold feet when I’m reminded they’re 9 lbs and up. No fun. I really understand why Billy Gibbons moved to SG’s as he got older.

[Tahitijack]

I owned a Gibson Les Paul Standard with Koa top. Loved that guitar, but it was just a tad too heavy and I never quite adapted to the neck, which everyone liked but me. So it is gone from the tribe.