For you Les Paul/SG is only good for distortion. Yes or No

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by EZYPIKINS

Oh no. For me to like any electric guitar, it has to sound good clean.

Which is why I don't play a PRS. Never heard one sound good clean.

Have bought Les Paul's on looks. Only to find out, when they arrive. that I .

A few years back, I got a 1998 Custom 22 PRS in a trade deal, and when it got to me, I HATED the sound of the pickups. The bridge pickup was way too hot, and the neck too muddy. I just didn't get how they were voiced. But I had very good luck with some custom Wolfetone pickups that I installed in another guitar, so I ordered a set for the PRS. I ordered a Dr Vintage for the neck, and a Marshallhead for the bridge. I got them in a 4 wire configuration so that I could use them with the PRS rotary selector.

The Wolfetones turned the PRS into a very versatile guitar with both good clean and dirty tones...

[L50EF15]

One of the great underrated Prog players, Andrew Latimer, shows off both mildly overdriven and clean tones on an LP (humbucker) Standard here:

https://youtu.be/Zq3yDOq_WjI?si=_qHBRXIBBGc7ORtw

And another, Phil Lee, does so with a minihumbucker equipped LP Deluxe here:

https://youtu.be/jRxmSDc_xDg?si=BTB27SHqxsHRISOu

and here:

https://youtu.be/MGaCNjyDPAE?si=hvrG4QKjAIbLE4Uh

with Julian Lage showing just how great the P90 LP is as a clean jazz instrument:

https://youtu.be/Y10ZbXSW1Go?si=04YlltQ8kOIXeXpc

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by L50EF15

One of the great underrated Prog players, Andrew Latimer, shows off both mildly overdriven and clean tones on an LP (humbucker) Standard here:

I love Andrew and Camel. His tones are impeccable. He's been an influence on me for decades. The link didn't go through for me so I offer this:



Bob

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I love Andrew and Camel. His tones are impeccable. He's been an influence on me for decades.

Hadn't personally cared for Camel, but really enjoyed this one you posted. I was actually listening while searching for something else and when it got to the solo, both the phrasing and his tonality made me stop what I was doing and listen to it over again a couple more times. Very nice indeed.

[j3ffr0]

Just chiming in to echo that I get plenty of great clean tones out of mine. Bob has offered some really good tips in this thread for anyone who struggles to get clean tones out of a Les Paul.

I'll also add that they aren't inherently jangle-twang sounding like Fenders, but they can be made to do a passable jangle-twang when equipped with pickups with coil taps (as many modern Les Pauls are).

[s2y]

Originally Posted by j3ffr0

Just chiming in to echo that I get plenty of great clean tones out of mine. Bob has offered some really good tips in this thread for anyone who struggles to get clean tones out of a Les Paul.

I'll also add that they aren't inherently jangle-twang sounding like Fenders, but they can be made to do a passable jangle-twang when equipped with pickups with coil taps (as many modern Les Pauls are).

Perhaps there's a magic pickup out there somewhere. PAF pickups tend to be a little too low output to have much of a sound in single coil mode. Parallel is ok and probably more useful than running split. I'd guestimate that true single coils 250k probably won't sound like a "true" Fender when you factor in the Gibson specs of 24.75" scale length, mahogany, set neck, etc. The same can be said about putting humbuckers in a Strat and not nailing the Les Paul sound.

I have a guitar with Wolfetone Dr Vintage pickups and it's pure sweetness in clean channel mode.