Lester gas

llew

How much of a difference is there between the 50's neck profile and the 60's? I generally prefer a chunky neck but the guitar i'm currently drooling over has closer to a 60's neck

randella

p90fool said:

richardhomer said:

thomasross20;1012450" said:

What put you off? Just curious! I'm the same, on the whole..

Balance - particularly when seated, the overall geometry - the neck angle always feels to steep - even on ones which are correctly set, the toggle switch is in the most wrong of wrong places, controls too far away from the bridge - are too close together and the arch of the top makes them hard to see and reach, top end access is appalling, often their weight, a lack of dynamics compared to '335s and variants - otherwise, my perfect guitar....

Lol, fair enough, but other than the weight of some and top fret access those are all things you just get used to, rather like having switches and gears in different places in cars.

Of course you need to love the sound in order to persevere.

I'd agree with this - another lifelong Strat player, I eventually found the Les Paul for me after playing plenty.  Turns out it's a 'Supreme', and even in Les Paul terms, it's the furthest from a Strat as it's possible to get.  It's heavy, has sharp binding back and front, and has two maple caps (front and back) adding considerably to its perceived bulk as well as its weight.

I absolutely love it though.  It took me a good while to get used to it but now I wouldn't let it go, ever.

Nothing else sounds quite like - get yourself a wide, padded leather strap and some straplocks.  You'll be golden.

dindude

richardhomer said:

thomasross20;1012450" said:

What put you off? Just curious! I'm the same, on the whole..

Balance - particularly when seated, the overall geometry - the neck angle always feels too steep - even on ones which are correctly set, the toggle switch is in the most wrong of wrong places, controls too far away from the bridge - are too close together and the arch of the top makes them hard to see and reach, top end access is appalling, often their weight, a lack of dynamics compared to '335s and variants - otherwise, my perfect guitar....

You forgot that the body is too small so the neck sits too low when seated, and the neck is too far to the right so it feels cramped overall and you end up hunching over it. You also forgot the wooly sound that only comes to life when you plug it into a bright and brittle Marshall type affair, into a "good" amp it sounds dull and lifeless*

 

 

*Edit, I think I've managed to insult two guitar/amp legends in one hit!

TimmyO

dindude said:

richardhomer said:

thomasross20;1012450" said:

What put you off? Just curious! I'm the same, on the whole..

Balance - particularly when seated, the overall geometry - the neck angle always feels too steep - even on ones which are correctly set, the toggle switch is in the most wrong of wrong places, controls too far away from the bridge - are too close together and the arch of the top makes them hard to see and reach, top end access is appalling, often their weight, a lack of dynamics compared to '335s and variants - otherwise, my perfect guitar....

You forgot that the body is too small so the neck sits too low when seated, and the neck is too far to the right so it feels cramped overall and you end up hunching over it. You also forgot the wooly sound that only comes to life when you plug it into a bright and brittle Marshall type affair, into a "good" amp it sounds dull and lifeless*

 

 

*Edit, I think I've managed to insult two guitar/amp legends in one hit!

Other opinions are available. 

fretfinder

llew said:

How much of a difference is there between the 50's neck profile and the 60's? I generally prefer a chunky neck but the guitar i'm currently drooling over has closer to a 60's neck

Again it's personal but a huge difference in my experience - one is chunky, the other slim. Only the V1 neck on the R0s comes close to a 59 neck, I believe.

richardhomer

dindude;1012608" said:

You forgot that the body is too small so the neck sits too low when seated, and the neck is too far to the right so it feels cramped overall and you end up hunching over it.

Correct - I did forget those points - and I fully agree with you.

I think everything is covered by my earlier 'ergonomic nightmare' comment.

thomasross20

Agree with @richardhomer which is a shame as I think they look great and can sound great. 

sweepy

Scratched my itch with a 1990 Greco LP Custom, hell of a guitar, especially with the BG PAF's

stratman3142

I've played a Strat almost exclusively for about 40 years.

I scratched the itch about 20 months ago and got a 2014 Les Paul Standard, luckily before it all went wrong in 2015. The itch for a Les Paul is Paul Kossoff's fault.

A Strat is still my main guitar, but now I've got an itch for a Telecaster.

marantz1300

You still need one.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98/marantz1300/98a15035-90f2-498f-8a56-7412c87b89f7_zpsd62f6f83.jpg

or why not have both ?

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98/marantz1300/450a2efc-b726-4587-80db-bc56b2d1186e_zps38f1a34d.jpg

johnonguitar

richardhomer;1012472" said:

[quote="thomasross20;1012450"]What put you off? Just curious! I'm the same, on the whole..

Balance - particularly when seated, the overall geometry - the neck angle always feels too steep - even on ones which are correctly set, the toggle switch is in the most wrong of wrong places, controls too far away from the bridge - are too close together and the arch of the top makes them hard to see and reach, top end access is appalling, often their weight, a lack of dynamics compared to '335s and variants - otherwise, my perfect guitar....
[/quote]


Nearly every Les Paul I've ever tried is shit compared to the one I bought

i consider myself a strat player, I learned on a strat, I studied through uni on a strat. My body has a strat imprint moulded into it...

But the this Les Paul just made sense when I picked it up. It's heavy but feels light on a gig. The controls all feel in the right place.

I dunno man, keep trying more!

Sassafras

For me, guitars come in 2 categories: humbuckers and single coils. Everything else is cosmetic and I just can't get used to humbuckers.

andyoz

I couldn't own a Les Paul as my only guitar but when you're in the mood nothing beats them.

I've been playing my Tele and PRS for a few weeks and picking up the LP after a break is always a bit of a shock. The neck and controls feel utilitarian but then you hit that sound and it's all forgotten.

John_P

marantz1300 said:

You still need one.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98/marantz1300/98a15035-90f2-498f-8a56-7412c87b89f7_zpsd62f6f83.jpg

That custom looks very nice -   how old is it?   

marantz1300

John_P;1013313" said:

marantz1300 said:

You still need one.http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98/marantz1300/98a15035-90f2-498f-8a56-7412c87b89f7_zpsd62f6f83.jpg












That custom looks very nice -   how old is it?   

It'a 69.I love it.
The early 70's Les Pauls are excellent too

llew

Just bought @johnswiss old Les Paul lovely guitar so far I'm loving the real life Les Paul thing

thebreeze

I'm no mean player or anything but I've always considered myself a Strat man.  My first guitar was (and had to be) a Strat and many decades later I've now got myself some beautiful instruments, including a really nice CS 1958 Les Paul (which I bought off someone here).  However, a month or two ago I did a trade with @HoraceB and traded a CS 1963 Strat for his CS Les Paul 1956 Goldtop.  I can honestly say that this guitar has seriously changed my life.  I'm totally reappraising my whole gear thing to the point I may get rid of everything apart from this and, of course, a Strat.  I'm really beginning to understand that there are individual Les Pauls out there that speak to just one person.  I'm so surprised I feel like this because I coud never really get used to Les Pauls and always longed to be playing a Strat whenever I played one.

marantz1300

llew;1014192" said:

Just bought @johnswiss old Les Paul lovely guitar so far I'm loving the real life Les Paul thing

We need pics

llew

This is John's pic.

Hyster

llew said:

This is John's pic.

Nice catch mate, I'll bet that is going to be superb.