Should I be looking for a Les Paul or a semi-hollow?

WezV

CloudNine said:

Also, with a solid body, I would suggest that weight and density are a much bigger influence on the tone, than stiffness. 

try separating out those variables, they almost always go hand in hand so i wouldn't be as definite as you seem to be

I have discussed this previously when talking about weight relief.   The gibson 9-hole swiss cheese method can alter weight and density quite noticeably, but has very little impact on the stiffness of a body.   It changes the tone much less than full chambers which alter weight density AND stiffness

CloudNine

Not sure how many times I can say it, or why I am still discussing it. You can't pick out the 'best sounding' guitars by looking at the grain of the wood. Phil said you could, I say you can't. Nothing further to say from me. 

@Bucket   For clarity, the answer to your original question, is Telecaster.

With Bigsby.

WezV

I agree with that bit.  

However, if you want to build great sounding guitars then a bit of knowledge of grain direction and wood structure can go a long way.


i am not interested in a better/worse type of debate

CloudNine

Phil_aka_Pip said:
IMO you're better off with natural because they have to use decent wood for it whereas you can hide any old crap under a paint job and you'll get a better tone.

Agreed Wez, but it was the 'better/worse' debate that started it, as above.

Phil_aka_Pip

CloudNine said:

Completely disagree that more attack and sustain is necessarily better tone. As you have said, you need everything to come together and produce the right tone, with the right balance of things, that is what makes a great sounding guitar.

I thought I'd made it clear that I was not saying that attack+sustain = better tone, rather subjectively a better sound subject to frequency mix. I probably implied that in previous posts by poor choice of words.

EDIT saw your quote above, so yes I did say that and shouldn't have put it like that

Luxxman

Personally I think a Blues Hawk would be a good compromise - neat like a Les Paul, light and resonant like a 345 and has the rotary tone control and special P90s giving tones to die for - And they don’t cost an arm and a leg!!

Bucket

Luxxman said:

Personally I think a Blues Hawk would be a good compromise - neat like a Les Paul, light and resonant like a 345 and has the rotary tone control and special P90s giving tones to die for - And they don’t cost an arm and a leg!!

And they look like a Les Paul in a funfair hall of mirrors.

Luxxman

Guess I must look like a clown playing mine!

Bucket

Played a good 335 today.

I think we have a winner... now to save up £3k+...

Winny_Pooh

@CloudNine part of the reason you and others may not have liked the Collings is due to the pickups. I'm not a fan of Lollars and I think he takes underwinding too far into "underwhelming". 

p90fool

Bucket said:

Played a good 335 today.

I think we have a winner... now to save up £3k+...

Make sure you buy that one then, nothing is more variable than 335s in my experience.
A good one is unbeatable though.  

TTBZ

Black Les Paul Custom with p90s... perfection. 335s are surprisingly comfortable and sound great but there's just something about a nice LPC. Especially with p90s. 

I've always associated large body semi hollows with people like Noel Gallagher and other britpop dullards for some reason, so that makes them incredibly uncool to me.