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Hatsubai « The most popular Les Paul »
Published on 05/02/11 at 15:34The Gibson Les Paul has been one of the most iconic guitars ever released, and when people generally think of Les Pauls, they imagine this model. It features everything you'd find on a regular Les Paul guitar -- a mahogany body with maple top, set mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, TOM bridge, pickguard, binding, two volumes, two tones, a three way switch and vintage-looking tuners.
UTILIZATION
The LP is, despite its problems, a pretty nice guitar. For me, I have a few issues with the guitar such that the guitar is back heavy (meaning the body is very heavy in relation to the neck), the heel can get in the way of soloing and the tuners absolutely suck. Aside from that, they're really good guitars. I especially like the 12'' radius which helps with both action and bending.
SOUNDS
I've never been a huge fan of stock Gibson pickups in Les Pauls. Some people love them, but they're not for me. Once they're replaced, I find that Les Pauls tend to sound absolutely huge. However, I also like to go one step further and replace the electronics. These guitars tend to have 330k pots, and I find humbuckers sound best with 500k pots instead. Once that's done, this thing really opens up and breathes fire. The two volume knobs and two tone knobs add tons of versatility, and while the standard three way switch isn't the most versatile in terms of options, it's the most practical in terms of what most people use all the time. These things can really do everything from blues to death metal, and plugging one of these into a Marshall amp is pure bliss.
OVERALL OPINION
Quality control on Gibson guitars has been slipping, so I highly recommend playing a bunch until you find the one you like. However, once you find that special one, hold onto it forever as I guarantee it'll sound huge and destroy most of the competition out there. When looking for a Les Paul, pay particular attention to tuning stability and fretwork as those tend to be the two biggest problems.
UTILIZATION
The LP is, despite its problems, a pretty nice guitar. For me, I have a few issues with the guitar such that the guitar is back heavy (meaning the body is very heavy in relation to the neck), the heel can get in the way of soloing and the tuners absolutely suck. Aside from that, they're really good guitars. I especially like the 12'' radius which helps with both action and bending.
SOUNDS
I've never been a huge fan of stock Gibson pickups in Les Pauls. Some people love them, but they're not for me. Once they're replaced, I find that Les Pauls tend to sound absolutely huge. However, I also like to go one step further and replace the electronics. These guitars tend to have 330k pots, and I find humbuckers sound best with 500k pots instead. Once that's done, this thing really opens up and breathes fire. The two volume knobs and two tone knobs add tons of versatility, and while the standard three way switch isn't the most versatile in terms of options, it's the most practical in terms of what most people use all the time. These things can really do everything from blues to death metal, and plugging one of these into a Marshall amp is pure bliss.
OVERALL OPINION
Quality control on Gibson guitars has been slipping, so I highly recommend playing a bunch until you find the one you like. However, once you find that special one, hold onto it forever as I guarantee it'll sound huge and destroy most of the competition out there. When looking for a Les Paul, pay particular attention to tuning stability and fretwork as those tend to be the two biggest problems.