Aaargh, use of the dreaded 'Lester' word seems to be on the up...

Richardj

I use the term but see absolutely no problem with it  Les is after all just an abbreviation of Lester.  It is the man's name after all.  Why is it a problem?

If you can't respectfully mess a bit with the names of anything don't say Merc, Beemer, Scooby, Ibby, Strat, Tele etc etc.......

ICBM

Richardj said:

I use the term but see absolutely no problem with it  Les is after all just an abbreviation of Lester.  It is the man's name after all.  Why is it a problem?

He called himself Les Paul, not Lester Paul or even Lester Polsfuss, once he had the choice.

The guitar was never called a Lester. I don't find it as annoying as "she", "axe" or the butter references, but it's still pointless… it's not an abbreviation, since it's longer than the correct word.

If it makes any more sense I find "Beemer" and "Ibby" equally dickish.

bertie

Richardj said:

I use the term but see absolutely no problem with it  Les is after all just an abbreviation of Lester.  It is the man's name after all. 

hear hear

Richardj

Fair point, well made!   I'm still on my first cup of coffee.

usedtobe

Scooby.. *shudder*

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

Richardj said:

I use the term but see absolutely no problem with it  Les is after all just an abbreviation of Lester.  It is the man's name after all.  Why is it a problem?

He called himself Les Paul, not Lester Paul or even Lester Polsfuss, once he had the choice.

The guitar was never called a Lester. I don't find it as annoying as "she", "axe" or the butter references, but it's still pointless… it's not an abbreviation, since it's longer than the correct word.

If it makes any more sense I find "Beemer" and "Ibby" equally dickish.

The term Lester came originally from the album Les Paul made with Chet Atkins in 1976 with the Title Chester and Lester ... after it's release, guitar shops were full of people talking about Les Pauls as Lesters ....
jeez it's geeky that I should know that ...I know!

TimmyO

The one that makes me cringe is "Axe" 

ESchap

TheGuitarWeasel said:

ICBM said:

Richardj said:

I use the term but see absolutely no problem with it  Les is after all just an abbreviation of Lester.  It is the man's name after all.  Why is it a problem?

He called himself Les Paul, not Lester Paul or even Lester Polsfuss, once he had the choice.

The guitar was never called a Lester. I don't find it as annoying as "she", "axe" or the butter references, but it's still pointless… it's not an abbreviation, since it's longer than the correct word.

If it makes any more sense I find "Beemer" and "Ibby" equally dickish.

The term Lester came originally from the album Les Paul made with Chet Atkins in 1976 with the Title Chester and Lester ... after it's release, guitar shops were full of people talking about Les Pauls as Lesters ....
jeez it's geeky that I should know that ...I know!

I've still got that album on vinyl .... not the finest work of either guitarist! :-S

Rox

impmann said:

When I was a teenager and before someone corrected me I thought it was pronounced in the French way - ie (phonetically) Lay Paul...

Hey ho..

Don't worry - I still pronounce Epiphone "epiphany".  I actually think it sounds better than Eppy-phone.

57Deluxe

epi-phany sounds about right...

Rox

57Deluxe said:

epi-phany sounds about right...

When they've been running competitions and stuff on the radio, or even in guitar shops they always say Eppy-phone.  I was very surprised when I first heard it!

fretfinder

Richardj said:

I use the term but see absolutely no problem with it  Les is after all just an abbreviation of Lester.  It is the man's name after all.  Why is it a problem?

If you can't respectfully mess a bit with the names of anything don't say Merc, Beemer, Scooby, Ibby, Strat, Tele etc etc.......

Your examples are abbreviations (and one rhyming slang) and we all shorten words for convenience sometimes, but we don't generally lengthen them.

Do people talk about their 'Steven' or their 'Joseph' when referring to their Ibanez signatures? Of course they don't as they'd be regarded as utter tools! 

I don't really care if people want to refer to their LP as a Lest... (it's no good I can't bring myself to write it) I just personally think it's indescribably naff and started this thread to share that. It's only IMHO obviously. 

EdGrip

impmann said:

When I was a teenager and before someone corrected me I thought it was pronounced in the French way - ie (phonetically) Lay Paul...

Hey ho..

For a long time when I was lusting over guitars in my early-to-mid teens, I thought that "Epiphone" was pronounced "Epiphany". Because, you know, that would make more sense for a musical instrument.

frankus

fretfinder said:

Makes me cringe every time I read it. Maybe if there's an optional profanity filter introduced on here the words Lester, butter and buttah could be included?!

Woah there... you have crossed a line, what's wrong with Lester?

jellyroll

fretfinder said:

guitarfishbay said:

Les Paul's real name was Lester William Polsfuss. So that is why they sometimes get called Lesters.

No shit Sherlock...  

Actually this is an urban myth. Afficionados will know that the term "Lester" is a mis-spelling of the name of the hometown of 70's supergroup Showadywaddy who hail from Leicester in the United Kingdom of England. 

dchwhite

impmann said:

When I was a teenager and before someone corrected me I thought it was pronounced in the French way - ie (phonetically) Lay Paul...

Hey ho..

When I was a teenager, I had read (a number of times, in guitar magazines) about a track by Jimi Hendrix that I assumed to be a song devoted to a spicy foodstuff.

It was a few years later that I actually heard it and realised my error, and 'Voodoo Chile' was in fact not something you'd serve with rice.

frankus

I grew up thinking the The Overtone's song Groovin' - had the lyrics:

Life could be ecstasy,
You and me and Leslie..

martinw

Great. Another 'things I hate' thread.

Jalapeno

martinw said:

Great. Another 'things I hate' thread.

Yep, more misanthropic (look it up numpty) whining.

Pretty clear "Lester" is a term of endearment used by Les Paul guitar affcianados.

EdGrip

Yeah. Just like "Landie" is used by Land Rover aficionados, and "Splitty" is used by VW aficionados. Completely fine. Both make me cringe involuntarily, but fine.