Bloody Les Pauls

thegummy

impmann said:

And 3TS is off again.

So the wood makes no difference in sound to an electric guitar (a nonsense, huh)?

Haven’t we been here before chum?

Its time to put you back on block...

I'm not necessarily saying he's correct but what he says does seem to make sense.

Maybe the mechanism for how the wood vibrations work is complex and no one has been able to explain it in layman's terms. Or at least not anywhere I've tried to find the info.

@Three-ColourSunburst - when you talk about the non wood options, there have been guitars made of other materials, right?

Do they sound as you expect? Sound good? Have no dead spots?

Revolting1

I started playing electric guitar in 1975

 I discovered dead spots quite quickly because the 'Lawsuit'-read cheap guitars had plenty of them.

  Always assumed it was a timber/ construction issue via a process of elimination.

    Have done setups/ guitar teching for small shops occasionally over the years

   I'd assume ICBM has alot more experience teching than me.

 I've only ever done it part time.

     I'm certainly no amp tech.

    I also assumed most guitarists would know about dead or deadish spots .

Voxman

Regardless of the guitar quality, brand, or shape, there will be those that find a particular guitar type/design to be a really comfortable fit ergonomically and a great fit for their style of play (physically & tonally), and those that for all their appreciation of a particular guitar design, simply can't get along with them. 

It's a very personal thing.  On the Fretboard there are regular discussions like this - those that love or can't get on with LP's, SG's Teles, Strats, PRS etc.  There's no right or wrong on this - we all like what we like and/or don't like (or just can't get on with) what we don't like.  

Speaking for myself, I like different guitars for different reasons and find that I can fairly easily adapt from Strats & Teles to LP's and SG's & PRS' etc.  Some folk can and others can't - that in no way suggests i'm superior in any way, it's just me.  But there are guitars I don't particularly like or get on with too - Gretsch & Rickenbacker are brands that comes to mind.  As pretty as some Gretsch's and Ricks can be I don't generally like their look, pick-ups, necks, or body shapes.  

I think it's partly mind-set, partly physical in how we all play a little differently, have different hands etc, partly how we think of the sound in our heads, and the type of music we love and play.  It's also to do with neck shape and what we each find comfortable (or not), and the guitar set-up.  Sometimes we might pick up a guitar that feels 'wrong' but another example might feel good simply because its set-up is a better fit.  There are a lot of intangibles here.  But its also possibly about spending serious time with a guitar and learning to adapt to a particular guitar's idiosyncrasies.  It's only when you've really lived with a guitar for a while that you really discover both its charms & shortfalls. and although I've played Ricks and Gretsch's, I've never 'lived' with one & if I did I might well grow to really like them.  But in my head (& I accept this is probably just me) I tend to think of Ricks and Gretsch's as more rhythm & country focussed rather than rock or blues Brilliant for jangly tones but not for Led Zep solos etc. But as I said before, mind-set is a factor!   

I can certainly understand that the upper fret access on a LP (and most single cuts) can be challenging if you play a lot at the dusky end  - I inadvertently developed a playing style to cope with that (a dropped thumb that is poor technique, but it works for me). If you have bigger hands with long fingers and your LP has a slim neck, you'll likely find it easier to play 'conventionally'  at the top end - but I have relatively small hands and my LP Custom neck whilst not being in baseball bat territory is also not a slim neck.  Because I love the guitar I learned a way to make it work for me.  I like its aesthetics, feel & tone but LP's aren't for everyone the same way that neither are Strats or Teles.  So this is a long way of just saying its 'horses for courses.   

TINMAN82

Agree with @Voxman.

The point about needing to “live with” a guitar for a while is spot on and it’s the reason I’ve flipped a few guitars at considerable loss after a few weeks or months.

I was convinced for a long time that I needed chunky neck guitars and built a collection to suit. Then came a Firebird and most recently a Jem, the Ibanez is all I’ve played for the few weeks since I got it. Totally addictive and the slim neck suits a certain style of playing.

Hydra19

I personally cannot pick my favorite guitar of all time, there is just the favorite guitar of the moment. I know that during the year I will have periods lasting a month or more where I mostly play Fenders, and get into music such as Surf where these guitars feature a lot. Eventually I know I will lean towards Les Paul sounds and harder rock. Nothing beats the sound of an overdriven Les Paul for me so I have a couple in my arsenal and love them. I also have a Jackson Soloist that I have been playing for the last 5 months, but in the last week, the Les Pauls took over again. So I have several models of guitars and I know that over a year I will use them all and one of them will be my favorite guitar, but all of my guitars have been a favorite at some time over the last 7 years