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les Paul’s and Sg’s are very similar guitars. Hardware, wiring, scale length and bridge pickup position are identical. Tonal similarities are easy to explain. For tonal differences you have to consider the structure of the body and neck.
the biggest structural difference is the longer neck, followed by the thinner body and then the different neck join(but they vary a lot on SG’s).
You could also consider the neck pickup location. It will significantly affect the sound of that pickup just by being in a different place. Will moving a source of magnetic pull change the sound of the bridge pickup too
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They both had the same 498T/490R pickups and through the cranked up dirty channel my Orange amp I'd be lying if I said there was much difference.
The LP will be louder, drive the amp harder and will have a wider and arguably more balanced frequency range. More beef in the bottom end and more articulation on the treble side and overall a smoothness to it. The SG will sound thinner and more midrangey with less cut in the treble and a more aggressive character.
This is all relative of course, try the same with a strat and LP and the differences are of course much more marked.
The above is why I don’t really like LPs - they have so much push they can be hard to control. An SG is a nice middle ground between fender and LP, the mid focus is great when pushing an amp a bit and brings out a an aggressive character that is great for overdriven rock and blues. On the other hand, I find them too honky and a bit bland for true clean tones. YMMV.
For my taste a Les Paul with PAF style humbuckers and an SG with P90s are the best expressions of the respective models.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Hmm here’s something that’s for sale in Somerset. it ticks my “keep it simple stupid” box
used Les Paul double cut. I was never a fan of the TOM bridge but realise it’s part of the sound
<○> Big Norm Feedback
They do sound closer than anything else, but still different to a PRS. I've never played a PRS that I thought sounded close enough to a Gibson LP.
The number of times I took my fretting hand away from the neck was so few, neck dive wasn't really an issue.
But what may or may not be an issue is neck profile. Most SG's come with a 60's slim neck. If that slim neck doesn't do it for you, then you'll have to look harder for the few with rounded necks. Am I right in saying the SG faded's had rounded necks? I don't think SG Standards come with anything other than a 60's slim neck. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I also have a @WezV John Birch style SG, with neck through body construction and quite a few John Birch parts. It is a different experience to the Gibsons, but is great for Black Sabbath stuff (though it can do most things well, it also has sustain for days).
<○> Big Norm Feedback
SG Standards are great (I own two), but they're only really offering you the 'bling' of a bound fretboard, inlays, gloss finish, etc. An SG Special, or these Tributes, offer you a good hard working, no fuss SG at a more affordable price. From there it's your call, no right or wrong answer!
As for the LP v. SG thing: I suspect many people today are able to hear differences between them that guitarists like Clapton failed to notice in the mid-60s. Perhaps the amps got better...
[ducks for cover]
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself