Do i really need/want a Les Paul?

adampeter

To answer a few questions/comments
I've bought both unseen and tried before buy
I love the way they look, far more than fenders (which i get on with far better)
I own or have own a prs tremonti... not for me, its a Gibson LP that floats my boat
I had to drink a lot of whiskey and smoke a lot of fags before i liked them 
I guess if i really want an LP i will just have to play the hell out of one until i get used to it 
 

Philly_Q

sweepy said:

I can confirm how light @John_A  ‘s Les Paul faded is, lovely guitar and getting very scarce on the s/h market. Les Paul hunting is always a frustrating experience 

They are indeed getting scarce.  They were relatively common on eBay a year or two ago but it looks like they've all found stable homes.  The only ones I've seen on eBay recently have been 2005 ones which aren't chambered.

I've got a chambered R8, weighs about 7lbs, so that solves one of my LP "issues".  It also has a good neck angle so the bridge and tailpiece sit low on the body, which I like.  Still feels bulky around the neck joint though, and I find the sheer thickness of LP bodies a bit offputting.

SteveF

I have also had quite a few LPs over the years, with varying levels of satisfaction.  In truth, none of them have had any QC issues but rather the varying specs have suited me more or less with each model.  I still want another.  My current LP GAS might have more to do with the fact that I don't currently have one though. 

Philly_Q

I've found myself looking at the LP equivalents from the likes of Knaggs and Patrick James Eggle recently.

Big money and I've no real intention of buying (cough), but they do seem to solve quite a few of the ergonomic issues, in their different ways.

And of course there's our friend Feline....

Jalapeno

fwiw - I was a Strat man for 20+yrs, I found the transition to LP hard (until then it was either/or as I was boracic so I didn't change).

the 24.75 vs 25.5 scale change can be a wrench initially especially if you swap guitars in sessions

In the end, as suggested ^^^^^ I went to Andertons to get a bargain 2012 spec Goldtop in 2013 and tried all 6 they had to find the one for me.

60s vs 50s style necks is the big one for me - much more of a 60s neck lover.

sixwheeltyrrel

adampeter said:

I guess if i really want an LP i will just have to play the hell out of one until i get used to it 
 

Yes I reckon that's not far off the mark.

Could it be that chopping and changing between guitars is exacerbating the problem? I know that I don't instantly adapt to a different scale length/neck profile like others seem to. 

tralfamadan

If I was going to drop serious money on one (i'm not) I would consider the Feline's first as Philly_Q suggests. Or I would look at MiJ Tokai Love Rocks; they seem much better value for money. I struggled to find one without a huge neck heel when I was looking at them before.

SteveF

Jalapeno said:

the 24.75 vs 25.5 scale change can be a wrench initially especially if you swap guitars in sessions

See, I only find that difficult when going to the longer scale length from playing a shorter one for a while.  The string tension, probably. 

Maynehead

Have you tried a Les Paul Axcess? Should be much better in the ergonomics department.

Bridgehouse

Yes, but more accurately, no.

FelineGuitars

Feline Lion all access neck joint

adampeter

I've made my mind up....im going to buy the LP i have my eye on as long as its as described, NGD monday if all good....maybe this will be the one

adampeter

Bridgehouse said:

Yes, but more accurately, no.

Cryptic

p90fool

I put all my other guitars away for a month when I bought my Les Paul just to try and get used to it after 30 years of Fenders. 

It's funny though how players can swap between Strats and acoustic guitars without batting an eyelid, but say Les Pauls feel too deep, with sharp edges and no upper fret access. I include myself in that, it really did feel quite alien for a couple of weeks. 

adampeter

p90fool said:

I put all my other guitars away for a month when I bought my Les Paul just to try and get used to it after 30 years of Fenders. 

It's funny though how players can swap between Strats and acoustic guitars without batting an eyelid, but say Les Pauls feel too deep, with sharp edges and no upper fret access. I include myself in that, it really did feel quite alien for a couple of weeks. 

Good idea that.....may do the same

Teyeplayer

Definitely been down this journey recently and I’d seriously recommend you nip over and see @ellwood. I found doing so almost gave me a checklist of what I was after and equally what I didn’t like. So cheers @ellwood owe you a beer buddy.

As a result I hunted with a very specific mindset and (dare I say) set of fingertip based criteria. I’ve ended up with a (controversial) Eastman SB59, (yeah I know ngd long overdue). For me it ticked my set of boxes and the devaluation or country of origin argument ultimately didn’t change that. Obviously you will have a different criteria to mine but that is what will ensure a proper hunt for the right lester-type for you -I wouldn’t write it off quite yet. 

For what it’s worth I also have an awesome les Paul special from the mid 90s that is just amazing...but heavily modified, so i’d also advise that you don’t be too precious about it being right first time if that headstock name is what will ultimately sway you.

Hope that ramble of mine helps dude.

gibby

If you're after "thinner at nut" and generally smaller necks,you need to go for LP Classics. However, just buying one randomly is not the way to go. They all have what is termed a 60's profile (thinner than the 50's) but that profile varies from year to year and over the decades.I've owned quite a few Classics from early 90's up to a 2011 and each one had a different profile, but they were definitely smaller than any of my 50's necks.

Les Paul "STD" 60's necks are also smaller (of course!), but again I have experienced variation in those as well, from flatish to more rounded profile.I've just sold my '97 STD and I'd say the neck profile was mid way between 60's and 50's; before Christmas I sold my 95 Goldtop, which had the thinnest neck I've ever played on a LP(which is why I sold it to a mate, who thinks its the best guitar he owns..and he has a few!!)..so much variation!!! That's half the fun of trying out lots of Les Pauls..you never know what you're gonna get!!! Personally, I go for the larger 50's profile; however my "No1" is a 95 Classic for THE best tone ever! My best neck is on a 1990 Std 50's, followed by a 98 Custom(big 50's)..Perfection doesn't exist, that's why they invented G.A.S!!!

Fishboy7

You probably don't need it... but if you want it that's reason enough to have it right? 

jeztone2

adampeter said:

Once again i'm very close to pulling the trigger on yet another Les Paul, in the vain hope that this could be "the one!"
After close around 10 LPs from standards to CS reissues should i really give up and concede that i'm just not suited to LPs?
Trouble is i so want to be a LP guy,
Anyone else been on this journey?  

Oh Yes!

Bought my First LP Classic in 2003 from Coda. I had gotten a small windfall. So at the time had about £1400 to spend.  The one I chose was the best in the shop in terms of fit and finish. It was heavier than a lorry & the tuning was never that stable. I was sole guitarist in a band at that point, then I joined a 2 guitar band and bought a Telecaster. When money was tight I sold it on. 

Then in 2011 I bought my brothers 1990’s Standard off him. This one was like the ones Dan Hawkins from the Darkness plays. Not as cosmetically clean as my first one. But it stayed in tune. Then my brother realised that the guitar had been a 40th birthday present off his wife. So after sheepishly asking me. I sold it him back. I wanted to buy a posh camera at the time so it was a win win. 

Fast forward to 2013, after getting some back pay I blew it on a Traditional Pro II from Guitar Guitar. These were a special run for Guitar Centre in the US. It had a lovely top. But the guitar always felt cheap and nasty and didn’t sound very good. So I chopped it for a PRS.

Then a year ago I had a meeting in London for work. It finished early. Ended up in GuitarGuitar Camden. Tried a 2016 Standard and didn’t like it. Then the assistant suggested a 2017 Classic. I was a bit cynical. But the modern slim taper neck is actually quite beefy. The fit and finish were superb. Had a great hour playing it...took the train home. Went on the website and bought one.

When it arrived the one I got had a much darker fingerboard than the guitars in the shop. Weight was slightly heavier. But still lighter than my 2003 Classic. Only thing I’ve done is to change the pickups. I’ve put a set of Lollar Imperials in and the guitar has a beautiful sweet tone. Especially on cleans. I’m finally hearing the bloom in the note. Whereas on the other guitars I don’t think the pickups were quite as dynamic. 

adampeter

Thanks for all the good advice, and the stories.
I'm glad i'm not the only one.
I think when/if i get my next one i'm going to put all my other guitars away and really try and bond with it.
I'm still amazed how much 1-2mm at the nut and a little more on the neck can make so much difference, amazing that you can even feel it