Clean Tones: Les Paul vs Strat

jaymenon

Played through a clean Fender style amplifier I am always able to get nice clean sounds out of any Stratocaster type guitar (not necessarily an expensive one) - and that too, without having to tweak the controls very much.

Not so however, with a Les Paul. The clean sounds are rather uninspiring - though the instrument of course comes into its own when (even a mild degree of) overdrive is applied.

I remember an old Burny Fernandes Les Paul copy with a pair of 57 Classics sounding lovely even clean - but that might be a rather inaccurate memory...

I'd be most interested to hear about your own experiences...?

meltedbuzzbox

I always prefer single coils to humbuckers. Especially clean. 

robgilmo

He might not be everyones taste but he does know his stuff and thats some good advice right there.

robgilmo

guitarmangler

A good les paul will give great clean tones all day long. Even on the bridge pickup. You can also get great high gain rock tones out of single coils. It’s when you play the les paul into the same rig as the strat without changing anything on the amp/pedals that it gets a bit harder.

robgilmo

You know Ive never watched anything by this guy let alone his music. But he does talk some sense! 


Sorry, wont hijack the thread anymore!

gringopig

.

thegummy

I love cleans on a Les Paul.

I think the problem is when people expect the same clean sound that a Strat gives, then it sounds dull by comparison and they try to make it sound more like a Strat.

I just like it for what it is.

thegummy

Bonamassa reminds me of that shermanator guy from American pie - like a total nerd trying to look cool with sunglasses

Blaendulais

hes a total nerd who is cool as fuck!

robgilmo

Im not a fan but he does talk sense and he's a bloody good musician, and he probably is a guitar geek, but if I wanted to watch someone based on how they look and not how they play or what they have to say id be looking at me in a mirror all day long!

HandwrittenHero

Just been running my Les Paul through the tweed champ and it can do a bright and jangly enough clean - amp volume all the way up, tone dimed on neck pickup or a shade back on bridge and volume rolled way down followed by playing with a thick enough plectrum (coin gives best results, jazz III still fine) and enough attack so it just breaks up now and then. Not sterile clean, but clean enough with personality and gets some nice harmonics on top. Obviously needs reasonable quality electronics in there - if your pots don’t have a good range then it won’t work so well. 50s style wiring also helps since it means rolling the volume back drops volume more but keeps the highs better.

You won’t get the bell like tone and real snappiness of a good strat, but that’s why I own a strat as well. Play to the Les Paul’s strengths and you get a nice and full sound. Good muting to play staccato helps as well.

monquixote

Les Paul always had a pretty good clean sound...

Danielsguitars

I think the clean tones of a les paul are so underrated, some of the best I've heard are from customs 

StefB

monquixote said:

Les Paul always had a pretty good clean sound...

He played a Strat though. 

monquixote

StefB said:

monquixote said:

Les Paul always had a pretty good clean sound...

He played a Strat though. 

In the studio he mostly used a BC Rich Warlock with EMGs

Th4fonz

I really enjoy the les paul cleans buuuuuuuut, I find it one dimensional and a strat would always be my main choice.  Still nice to throw a les paul in the mix every now and then though 

richardhomer

They are so different for me. Strats are almost acoustic-like - every playing nuance comes out of the amp. A Les Paul is more compressed and lacking in ‘snap’ - which requires a very different approach. Yes - they can be played ‘clean’ - but not in a way that is remotely similar to a Strat.

crunchman

robgilmo said:

Most things sound good through a Lazy J.

It does help having a good Les Paul with vintage output pickups and 50's wiring.

gringopig

.

ICBM

A good Les Paul with fairly low-wound alnico pickups sounds fantastic clean, not compressed or muddy in the slightest - fuller and more even than a Strat and not in any way worse. You don’t even need 50s wiring, although it doesn’t hurt.

You will need to set the amp a bit differently from how you would with a Strat. It is possible that with some modern amps that you won’t be able to because the *amp* is too compressed and muddy, but that’s a fault with the amp not the guitar...