Danish Pete's new Les Paul

RandallFlagg

Don't recall seeing if this was discussed before but in this Anderton's video Danish Pete shows of his new Tom Murphy aged Custom Shop Les Paul and they compare it to Lee’s 2014 R8.

Pete’s does sound better with more high end definition but they don’t discuss what I believe is the main reason for this. It's the difference between the unpotted Custombuckers in the new guitar vs the potted Custombuckers in Lee's.

https://youtu.be/Ck0mPO4oQNA

Emiel

They mention briefly that Pete's is much lighter and has a thinner neck. I had two identical Les Pauls except for the weight (3.8 vs 4.2 kg) and neck, and the lighter one with the thinner neck was much more resonant with less (boomy) low end. That's what I'm hearing in the video too.

Brize

Emiel said:

They mention briefly that Pete's is much lighter and has a thinner neck. I had two identical Les Pauls except for the weight (3.8 vs 4.2 kg) and neck, and the lighter one with the thinner neck was much more resonant with less (boomy) low end. That's what I'm hearing in the video too.

I've had Les Pauls that indicated the opposite. The sound of a particular guitar is a strange alchemy and can't be reduced to specs and weight.

soma1975

RandallFlagg said:

Don't recall seeing if this was discussed before but in this Anderton's video Danish Pete shows of his new Tom Murphy aged Custom Shop Les Paul and they compare it to Lee’s 2014 R8.

Pete’s does sound better with more high end definition but they don’t discuss what I believe is the main reason for this. It's the difference between the unpotted Custombuckers in the new guitar vs the potted Custombuckers in Lee's.

https://youtu.be/Ck0mPO4oQNA

Huge difference for me going from potted to unpotted pickups in my last LP.

dindude

At least it’s not fucking purple, that shtick is wearing a little thin. 

tomajoha

dindude said:

At least it’s not fucking purple, that shtick is wearing a little thin. 

Agreed: I keep expecting to see a Danish Pete Special Edition Purple Dualit Toaster. I avoid YT guitar videos generally but I cant seem to escape Danish Pete's latest purple marketing exploit

RandallFlagg

They get caught up in the emotional Tom Murphy hyperbole in the video. Both guitars are pretty much built to the same standards on the custom shop line and then Tom Murphy does his work which is predominantly going to affect how the guitar looks and feels in the hands.

The tone difference is mostly pickups and maybe a little natural variation in woods, 95% or more is pickups though. I have used the new unpotted burstbuckers and compared them to the potted ones in Gibson Custom Shop Les Pauls myself and the unpotted are noticeably brighter and lively. This is great for clean and low gain bluesy stuff like Pete Honore plays but for classic rock and higher gain then the pootted pickups may work slightly better with that top end smoothed off a touch.

RaymondLin

Correct me if i am wrong, Tom Murphy doesn't actually build the guitar, he merely put dings on it right?  So any idea that it sounds better just because it's Tom Murphy aged would be illogical. 

Musicman20

I don't know why but I am not a big fan of how Gibson's are aged, no matter who does it in their company. I don't mind the light relic but something about how they do the more aged guitars doesn't work for me, whereas on a Fender it normally, for me, looks more natural. The whole Tom Murphy thing doesn't appeal to me, thankfully, because I can't afford it anyway.

digitalkettle

soma1975 said:

Huge difference for me going from potted to unpotted pickups in my last LP.

Yep....squeeeeeeeal!

guitars4you

RaymondLin said:

Correct me if i am wrong, Tom Murphy doesn't actually build the guitar, he merely put dings on it right?  So any idea that it sounds better just because it's Tom Murphy aged would be illogical. 

Correct - I'm not so sure about the whole procedure now as he puts his name to so many guitars - But stories from the past indicate that he would age and put his name to the ones he'd selected, so the best of the best so to speak - Maybe they are less 'exclusive' now following 20 years of continual production and association with Gibson 

LPManic

Prefer Lee's finish over Danish Pete's.

ThorpyFX

ive played that guitar, pete was kind enough to bring it over last week. the thing is bloody incredible, really enjoyed playing it and in petes hands it was just sublime.

fretmeister

Both would be massively improved with EMGs.

monoamine

I do believe that Les Pauls can sound very different with only apparently minimal differences between them.
I don't believe that such nuances can be heard via compressed Youtube audio.
Always better to listen in person

RaymondLin

guitars4you said:

RaymondLin said:

Correct me if i am wrong, Tom Murphy doesn't actually build the guitar, he merely put dings on it right?  So any idea that it sounds better just because it's Tom Murphy aged would be illogical. 

Correct - I'm not so sure about the whole procedure now as he puts his name to so many guitars - But stories from the past indicate that he would age and put his name to the ones he'd selected, so the best of the best so to speak - Maybe they are less 'exclusive' now following 20 years of continual production and association with Gibson 

I guess he goes over all the production from the CS and picks ones he thinks are the best.  Given his experience, the guitar would be just as good if he just pick them without any relic work and then Gibson can just call it "Tom Murphy Choice" and charge £1k more.  

People will buy that!

RandallFlagg

ThorpyFX said:

ive played that guitar, pete was kind enough to bring it over last week. the thing is bloody incredible, really enjoyed playing it and in petes hands it was just sublime.

That one he has certainly sounds perfect his his lighter overdrive style of playing, between that and his purple Tele Pete has a couple fo great sounding guitars that he clearly really enjoys playing, and at the end of the day I guess that's all we're all looking for, to find those special ones that work for us.

That quest can take some time...I can testify to that.

lustycourtier

guitars4you said:

RaymondLin said:

Correct me if i am wrong, Tom Murphy doesn't actually build the guitar, he merely put dings on it right?  So any idea that it sounds better just because it's Tom Murphy aged would be illogical. 

Correct - I'm not so sure about the whole procedure now as he puts his name to so many guitars - But stories from the past indicate that he would age and put his name to the ones he'd selected, so the best of the best so to speak - Maybe they are less 'exclusive' now following 20 years of continual production and association with Gibson 

Tom has worked for Gibson for decades. My 1993 R7 was painted by Tom

DLM

fretmeister said:

Both would be massively improved with EMGs.

Always wiz the (pre-beard) Wylde!

\m/

Whitecat

guitars4you said:

RaymondLin said:

Correct me if i am wrong, Tom Murphy doesn't actually build the guitar, he merely put dings on it right?  So any idea that it sounds better just because it's Tom Murphy aged would be illogical. 

Correct - I'm not so sure about the whole procedure now as he puts his name to so many guitars - But stories from the past indicate that he would age and put his name to the ones he'd selected, so the best of the best so to speak - Maybe they are less 'exclusive' now following 20 years of continual production and association with Gibson 

Tom's work is so profitable he's been given his own division entirely now. A sort of ultra-Custom Shop dedicated to relics, if you will...

https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/gibson-murphy-lab-new-custom-shop-head/
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/gibson-previews-first-murphy-lab-models-with-sneak-peek-at-new-artificially-aged-les-pauls

Philly_Q

tomajoha said:

dindude said:

At least it’s not fucking purple, that shtick is wearing a little thin. 

Agreed: I keep expecting to see a Danish Pete Special Edition Purple Dualit Toaster. I avoid YT guitar videos generally but I cant seem to escape Danish Pete's latest purple marketing exploit

I like the purple.  This LP would be a lot more interesting if it was purple instead of one of the 4,999 variations on vintage sunburst.