Best LP 'copy'

Danielsguitars

ICBM said:

Gibson Les Paul Custom, 1975-1981.

With a maple neck. They don’t break even if you drop them directly onto the back of the head... I have tested it .

They have the slight disadvantages of usually weighing about half a ton, most have a rather ugly sharper cutaway horn shape and flatter top, and you need the Custom because they made the headstock on all of them the same large size which only looks right with the binding...

But they are also some of the ones that don’t sound exactly like a lot of people expect a Les Paul to, as TheGuitarWeasel said - although for me they're some of the very best.

Someones just sent me a maple neck to make a LP custom body for it, that should be interesting and i can control body weight so it's under half a ton, win win

Be good to test against a mahogany one after

CloudNine

Best LP style have owned or played personally is a McInturff Carolina. Have had a few nice historics, and they can be great guitars, also had Huber and Collings versions (definitely prefer the Gibsons), but really the Carolina kicks all their arses. Solves pretty much all the LP shortcomings and loses none of the LP tone/vibe in the process. Nothing else I have played has come close to achieving that.

OilCityPickups

I think a fascinating exercise ... though it would take some organising ... would be for forum members with LPs ... both 'Gibson' and copies to record their best LP signature tone ... through whatever gear they normally use. Clean, crunch and full drive. Then see who could identify the Gibsons from sound of the anonymous files. I think we might end up with some surprises both in a lack of consensus in what equates to a Les Paul tone ... and how good some copies can actually sound.

richardhomer

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I think a fascinating exercise ... though it would take some organising ... would be for forum members with LPs ... both 'Gibson' and copies to record their best LP signature tone ... through whatever gear they normally use. Clean, crunch and full drive. Then see who could identify the Gibsons from sound of the anonymous files. I think we might end up with some surprises both in a lack of consensus in what equates to a Les Paul tone ... and how good some copies can actually sound.

Very good idea! 

fftc

CloudNine said:

Best LP style have owned or played personally is a McInturff Carolina. Have had a few nice historics, and they can be great guitars, also had Huber and Collings versions (definitely prefer the Gibsons), but really the Carolina kicks all their arses. Solves pretty much all the LP shortcomings and loses none of the LP tone/vibe in the process. Nothing else I have played has come close to achieving that.

To be a Les Paul copy does it not have to look like a Les Paul?

ICBM

customkits said:

Someones just sent me a maple neck to make a LP custom body for it, that should be interesting and i can control body weight so it's under half a ton, win win

Be good to test against a mahogany one after

That will certainly be interesting. My 'perfect' Les Paul would be a '54-style Custom with an all-mahogany body and 2-piece maple neck, like they put on all the higher-end guitars at the time - the Custom is an anomaly because it has a mahogany one.

CloudNine

fftc said:

CloudNine said:

Best LP style have owned or played personally is a McInturff Carolina. Have had a few nice historics, and they can be great guitars, also had Huber and Collings versions (definitely prefer the Gibsons), but really the Carolina kicks all their arses. Solves pretty much all the LP shortcomings and loses none of the LP tone/vibe in the process. Nothing else I have played has come close to achieving that.

To be a Les Paul copy does it not have to look like a Les Paul?

Try reading the post. OP stated he was interested in an 'LP Style Guitar', and I think the Carolina fits the bill. Have a read about them, despite modern twists, the main intention of them was to closely recreate a vintage LP tone.

fftc

CloudNine said:

fftc said:

CloudNine said:

Best LP style have owned or played personally is a McInturff Carolina. Have had a few nice historics, and they can be great guitars, also had Huber and Collings versions (definitely prefer the Gibsons), but really the Carolina kicks all their arses. Solves pretty much all the LP shortcomings and loses none of the LP tone/vibe in the process. Nothing else I have played has come close to achieving that.

To be a Les Paul copy does it not have to look like a Les Paul?

Try reading the post. OP stated he was interested in an 'LP Style Guitar', and I think the Carolina fits the bill. Have a read about them, despite modern twists, the main intention of them was to closely recreate a vintage LP tone.

Try reading the title. Says LP 'copy'. As delightful as I am sure the Carolina is, it doesn't look much like a Les Paul IMHO.

If a mahogany body with a maple cap fits the bill regardless of shape then all sorts could be in the running.

CloudNine

fftc said:

CloudNine said:

fftc said:

CloudNine said:

Best LP style have owned or played personally is a McInturff Carolina. Have had a few nice historics, and they can be great guitars, also had Huber and Collings versions (definitely prefer the Gibsons), but really the Carolina kicks all their arses. Solves pretty much all the LP shortcomings and loses none of the LP tone/vibe in the process. Nothing else I have played has come close to achieving that.

To be a Les Paul copy does it not have to look like a Les Paul?

Try reading the post. OP stated he was interested in an 'LP Style Guitar', and I think the Carolina fits the bill. Have a read about them, despite modern twists, the main intention of them was to closely recreate a vintage LP tone.

Try reading the title. Says LP 'copy'. As delightful as I am sure the Carolina is, it doesn't look much like a Les Paul IMHO.

If a mahogany body with a maple cap fits the bill regardless of shape then all sorts could be in the running.

Yeah, I think you only read the title mate, that's the problem. He also mentions Trussart in his post, not exactly classic Les Paul look generally either. The Carolina has a slightly different body shape, but in all key respects it is the classic LP recipe.

Blueingreen

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I would tend to say that there are many Gibson Les Pauls out there that 'don't sound like Gibson Les Pauls either ... at least to some players expectations.

Exactly.  What you need is a mythical Les Paul.  I'm not having a go actual Les Pauls, many are fine instruments and play and sound great, especially if you find a good one, but they don't sound like a Les Paul.

OilCityPickups

Blueingreen said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I would tend to say that there are many Gibson Les Pauls out there that 'don't sound like Gibson Les Pauls either ... at least to some players expectations.

Exactly.  What you need is a mythical Les Paul.  I'm not having a go actual Les Pauls, many are fine instruments and play and sound great, especially if you find a good one, but they don't sound like a Les Paul.

Precisely ... we all have a mythical Les Paul in our head (whoops I knew I needed therapy).  

designerseye88

Greco super real with Dry-z's

thegummy

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I think a fascinating exercise ... though it would take some organising ... would be for forum members with LPs ... both 'Gibson' and copies to record their best LP signature tone ... through whatever gear they normally use. Clean, crunch and full drive. Then see who could identify the Gibsons from sound of the anonymous files. I think we might end up with some surprises both in a lack of consensus in what equates to a Les Paul tone ... and how good some copies can actually sound.

I went through an obsession of "Only a Gibson will sound like a proper LP", in large part due to reading a lot of forum posts where people state that.

Now that I have both a Gibson and a clone, I don't believe it to be true at all.

In a weird way I don't regret buying the Gibson for that reason though; if I didn't I would forever be wondering if I should have.

Jock68

If you want the Label on the Headstock then it must be Gibson, if not then there are many choices. My limited experience is that if it is not a clone then it will not sound the same. I have Japanese Momose clones and they are superior build and the best of materials used compared with any Gibson.   Spend time before you spend your money.

OilCityPickups

Of course then we run upon the curious fact that one of the defining Les Pauls ... one that arguably made playing a LP cool again ... the Slash AFD instrument was a Les paul copy! This gave rise to the hilarious situation of Gibson copying a Gibson  copy to make an artist model!
Like or loathe slash's tone ... it's a defining LP one ... so is that the 'real' sound of a Les Paul? Or is Gary Moore's tone, or that of Les paul himself? 
It's like trying to nail smoke to a jelly!

kswilson89

Jock68 said: hi

If you want the Label on the Headstock then it must be Gibson, if not then there are many choices. My limited experience is that if it is not a clone then it will not sound the same. I have Japanese Momose clones and they are superior build and the best of materials used compared with any Gibson.   Spend time before you spend your money.

I've had momose on my radar for a while now. They seem quite difficult to come across. Where did you purchase yours?

Jonathanthomas83

I'm in the 'get a Gibson' camp. I've tried a Collings, Nik Huber, PRS and a Feline and they are fantastic. I loved them all for different reasons but I kept coming back to Gibson. My standard is the perfect hard rock guitar, tight and defined, and my R8 is my dream classic rock/blues guitar. Both play absurdly well, as well as the others mentioned above. Once setup correctly, the Standard felt awesome. The R8 needs very little messing with it, a slight tweak of the intonation, possibly. Yes, for the price it shouldn't need it, but it is the guitar and realistically, it's no big deal to make those tweaks.

rlw

Philly_Q

I don't know how good they are and I don't expect I'll ever get the chance to find out, but I really like the look of the Springer Seraph and Spartan:

OilCityPickups

Philly_Q said:

I don't know how good they are and I don't expect I'll ever get the chance to find out, but I really like the look of the Springer Seraph and Spartan:

Appreciate the workmanship ... but damn those are ugly!