The Truth About Who a Les Paul (is Really) For!

So what is your favorite thing about a Les Paul?

I've been thinking of changing my humbuckers to p90 on my epiphone for a while

for me!

I learned guitar just to have an excuse to buy a Gibson lespaul custom one day, still learning!

I want to play jazz and soft clean tones....but I got a les paul because i love how it looked. Strats look so damn boring.

The Les Paul was made midgets who wanted a large jazz guitar with solid body no just kidding the Les Paul was made for studio and live musicians that wanted versatile tones.

When I started out 20 years ago, for my first guitar I stood at the counter looking hard at a Les Paul and at a Strat.... For a single moment I just thought ¨Voodoo Child.¨ and that was it. Ive never looked back from my strats. They are just way more ergonomic, more radical. Les Pauls are way more stiff. I did build an explorer look alike from scratch recently, and I love it because I built it, and an explorer is so rad. In the end, Superstrats are the ultimate guitars.... IMHO

I've played GTR and have owned a lot of brands in my time, but never owned a Gibson. Part of that reason is because I played mostly country music, and Fenders were KING, and still are. BUT I recently joined a Vets Jam Band and they do a variety of Genre's. AND I saw a SALE ad by Gtr Center, and wound up buying an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Lmtd Edition, Black Back model at a nice discount. Picked it up yesterday! so far, so good. Impressed by its slimline neck, Ebony fret board, Grover tuners.

Just ordered a Gibson 60s with p90s so excited to play my dream guitar since I was a teenager

11 guage? Why you workin so hard?

I'm sorry but "weight" being a con...give me a break. 10 vs 8 lbs is a non issue. If it is, the con isn't in the guitar. Jesus Christ people.

Les Paul is as Les Paul does, doesn't do it for me but to each there own, put a hummbucker on a strat bridge position and you have the best of both worlds, larger scale wider neck and the awesome tone of the single coil neck pickup, done.

I was genuinely surprised at how small a Les Paul was the first time I played one (disclaimer, I have enormous hands) but oh my lord they feel so good to play, and being able to skip like 8 frets no problem is fun 😁. Out of all my guitars I play it the most by far.

only thing is, there's no tremolo, so I always feel that it's half a guitar for twice the price. Call me cooky call me wacky buts 2-3-4 thousand and no trem? like realy?

I have Fenders, Epiphone, Martin, and Gibson! My favorite and constant player is my Les Paul, I dearly love it! The clean, clear sound, the controls out of the way, the shorter scale, etc., You just can't beat it, love it!!!!!!!

Les Pauls are for boomers/gen x'ers that have the money to scratch that nostalgia itch. I really don't see too many newer bands playing them live.

Fully agree on looks being the first thing.
I started on a LP copy and still the scale length feels like home.

Pickup wise you can swap from humbucker to p94
Having only 2 pickups is reason to buy another LP.

There are even conversionsrings so a single coil will fit.

Lots of options for tinkering.

The first time I switched from 25.5 scale with 10 cal. Strings to 24.75 with the same gauge of strings, I founded it more difficult,😂

What pickups are in yours?

Love my gibson trad pro

Don't know that "it is a huge advantage that you can use heavier gauge strings" really checks out. Do a search for videos comparing different string gauges on the same guitar... arguably lighter gauge has a better tone. Either way, it isn't a reason to pick a guitar. Certainly not a "huge" reason.

Love Strats, but a good Les Paul is difficult to put down. That thick, fat sound is iconic. I always struggle a little with the distance of the volume knobs from the strings, but it's not a deal breaker as far as I am concerned. The weight isn't an issue, I actually enjoy feeling that solid slab of wood, it's reassuring. Never had any tuning issues with a Les Paul, if you want to look for tuning stability issues, check out the traditional tremolo equipped Stratocaster! And I notice that I do play very differently on a Les Paul than I do on a Strat. It just brings out something different in me with each guitar. And that's a good thing!

The sound is just unmatched if you have a good one. I also like the shorter scale length. What is do like least is the weight, although mine is still ok with about 8.8 pounds. I don't like the tuning stability especially on the D and G string.

Blend knob on a strat,, one tone, two volumes.. huge amount of tonal options on a 5 way switch.. still love my ‘75 Ibanez Law Suit

I like the look of a LP, I prefer the single coil sound. I play an AM Std strat with a SD Everything Axe loaded pickguard from the 920 D shop. Perfect for me

great playin' 😎😎 could you tell me what amp setup you were using for the gold top?

Sustain. The sheer mass of the thing pushes its resonant frequency way up beyond what other guitars soak up. You can barely feel it ringing through the back (especially on the late Norlin stuff like the KM Robert is playing). My 1980 clocks in at a svelte 12 lbs.
It's also a natural blonde. Eat your heart out, Madonna. Oh, wait - she played an LP live on "Ray of Light".
LPs are also very easy to play when set up correctly, and because they are very stable, they need very little maintenance. Rock solid.

I'd like to know which Les Paul guitars came with the four push/pull volume/tone knobs?

The neck shape on lps and sgs are the best.

Telecasters are the best

Loooove my LP

If you want to do volume swells on a les Paul use a volume pedal problem solved

A les Paul is for anyone who wants one and is willing to put up with the weight and killer tones from it.

The LP IS easier to play than longer scale guitars. The looks and sound are my favorite things about it. I dont mind the weight of the LPs.
The LP Standard Gold Top with Humbuckers and the 59 neck is my fave, too.

I love the way it looks, it sounds, it plays, and something else I love is that I don't accidentally knock the pickup selector like I do on the fender.

I had to add, my old Les Paul I had which got stolen many years ago had this problem with tuning on D and G strings, but I was a lot younger, I didn't know how to maintain a guitar when I was a kid, and that lazy maintenance approach lasted way into my 20s with it. Then it got stolen, had to save up for another, but was never really happy and didn't find one which was right, then few years ago I got another, and because of the tuning issues these seem to have, I decided to also get a string butler, but I have never used it, because my Les Paul I waited years for has never had tuning issues, but I have also learned that guitar maintenance is very important if you want tuning stability. I set up my own guitars, and even this one, I liked how it played, liked how it looked, it felt right, but the string height I knew I was going to lower slightly.

They are for me!

I hate the upper fret access on a Les Paul. Good luck if you want to do anything difficult at the 17th fret or higher. Even 15 gets kind of awkward depending on what you're playing.

If you think a Les Paul is heavy ( I have an Epiphone Les Paul) have you tried a Peavey T60 with the ash body? In comparison the Les Paul is light weight. Although the T60 is an amazingly versatile guitar, you can go from humbucker to single coil on each of the pickups as the turn of their tone knobs.

The pickup layout can look limiting but there's really so much versatility in there. Bonamassa's videos showing how much the tone changes by using the tone and volume knobs are great. Plus Gibson sells them with coil taps, out of phase in the middle position, and 3 humbuckers are also available.

Favourite thing is the sound it makes - hate the weight though

Do u have any videos about the "devil's chord?"

I'd love to be able to play one but I'm a sucka for the Strat scale length!

The worst thing about an LP is its heavy and the neck is fat and the tone is heavy handed and nasty.

The best thing about a LP is its heavy and the neck is fat and the tone is heavy handed and nasty.

Sound and looks, thats it. Mostly sound. Only LP sounds like an LP, if you want that rock tone you really cant go anywhere else.

Always used 12 guage strings on my LP. But wouldn't think of 12's on a strat.
Also never had a tuning problem on my LP either.

your tone is incredible, what is your gear setup. I love it

I am building my Les Paul even as I speak.

Looks are important. I love mine and everytime i look at her i need to pick it up and play something.