Humbucking great! (Les Paul Standard)

Member Name: wicked_witch

Product:	Les Paul Standard
Date:	13/10/02 (3169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful warm sound, Easy to play, Buy a genuine and you'll make at least ten new mates

Disadvantages: heavy to wear, some people dislike the sound, very expensive (albeit worth it)

I had a wee read through the Les Paul ops and I thought, why has no-one written one more than about fifteen lines long?

I am quite possibly the worlds most novice guitar player, and I even I can see the greatness of a Les Paul, its probably one of the most revered sold-bodied electric guitars. If you’re a non-guitar playing person, the guitar you'll have most likely heard of is the Fender Strat, with good reasons. The Stratocaster is a single coil pickup instrument, which gives it a sharper, jangly sound. Championed by Eric Clapton AND Jimmy Hendrix, a good Strat is an amazing guitar.

However, in the guitar world, the Les Paul is probably just as famous, and a genuine (Epiphone do cheaper versions in the same way Squier do cheaper Fenders) Les Paul is a highly coveted instrument, which will set you back at least somewhere in the region of £600-800 smackers, and you can buy (or theoretically, your likely not to have quite enough hundred pound notes floating about) a top-f-the-range (probably vintage) Les Paul for a mere £3300. The Les Paul is a favourite of Jimmy Page, Steven Craddock of Ocean Colour Scene, James Dean Bradfield and Slash.

The Les Paul has a 'fat', warm sound when compared to the sharp jangliness (is that a word?) of the Strat. This is due to the humbuckers, or double coil pickups. A les Paul is often the favourite for those who think louder is better, such as metallers. The great sustain of this guitar (sustain is the length of time a note rings after playing) is another reason it is prized by metal players.

However, when played softly, the Les Paul performs just as well, with a nice jazzy, rounded tone.

While in any guitar shop, your likely to take note of many different copies of the Stratocaster shape and features, in everything from spangly purple to traditional black and white, a Les Paul is a classier looking instrument not copied quite as often. The bottom of the guitar is fairly
wide, and in general the guitar has a beautiful curvy shape. The attractive cap on the surface layer of the guitar adds more to its already considerable sustain.

The sound

Players of harder types of rock music, as I have mentioned, revere the Les Paul’s distinctive heavy sound. Whether or not you like it is a matter of opinion. Some prefer the sharper sound of a single pickup electric guitar; others love the thick, warm sound of this guitar. Personally, I can go either way (lol, don't take that the wrong way), and when pushed, most guitarists love having a play on a Les Paul, even if they have no desire to own one. The sound is extremely powerful and carries well in big places, although clearly the power of the amp also plays a part in this. For these reasons, perhaps the Les Paul is better for a player in a band who get a lot of gigs in slightly more open places, as a Les Paul played loud in a practice room or small club can make your ears ring better than sticking your head in a bass drum with Dave Grohl's foot on the pedal. However, if you can bear to stop annoying the neighbours with that beautiful sound, a Les Paul played low still sounds beautiful, if somewhat stifled. And as I've mentioned, the guitar sustains beautifully due to the pickups and cap finish. It also gives great distortion with the right equipment, but then most good guitars do!

The ease of playing

A mate of mine who is a Strat devotee, often says, "Anyone can play a Les Paul". While it’s beyond me as to why ANYONE would purposely make guitar playing more difficult than it need be (probably because I suck), the Les Paul is a remarkably easy guitar to play. The action (the height of the strings from the fretboard) is extremely easy, and therefore a little softer on the fingers, and the neck is thin, which is great for small-handed players. When you have long fingers, like me, Les Paul playing is a little more challenging, and
if you use the technique of hooking your thumb around the top of the neck, then you also might find yourself in treacherous waters. The wide frets are a good move for more studious players and the intonation is very consistent. The Les Paul works well with string bends and solos and is a very reliable stage guitar.

The look

I've often heard this guitar described as "orgasmic" and seen many a player drown in drool when they spot one in a shop. The guitars smooth curves and lines can only be described as sexy, and the cap finish on the standard, while it serves a more functional purpose, gives the surface an attractive swell and gleam. It does resemble an arch-top semi-acoustic, but the golden finish sets it apart from anything on the guitar market, a Les Paul is as instantly recognizable as a Strat. The inlaid fret markers make it more distinctive and attractive still. Cherry Sunburst Les Pauls are probably the most highly prized of all, they look (and are) extremely expensive.

Prices

I haven't done any checking on the prices of Epiphone Les Paul guitars; I suspect they're around the same price range as Fender Squier Strats (£190-£400ish). Genuine Les Pauls are enough to break the bank balance. A Les Paul junior will cost around £600, a Les Paul studio around £800, a Les Paul classic around £1200, and a standard £1500 at least. Do you think bank loans cover this kind of thing?

Disadvantages

There are few disadvantages associated with a guitar of this class, and the main one might be price. You can pick up a genuine Strat for maybe £500, whereas a genuine Les Paul starts around £600. Even Epiphone Les Pauls are more expensive, and where a top of the range strat rarely goes over £1100, a Les Paul can reach far more. However, the quality of the guitar makes its price worth it, and no guitarist would begrudge the money for one.

The other disadvantage associated with the Les Paul is its
weight. It is a very heavy guitar, and larger and slightly less easy to wear than the Strat. This is fine while sitting down and practicing, but standing and playing, the weight can get to be too much. Clearly, the way to remedy this is to practice standing up and sitting so your shoulder and back muscles develop to take its weight.

The last disadvantage is a matter of opinion, and is, simply that some people don't like rich, high output sound. This is fair enough, and if you prefer sharp jangly noises, then clearly a single coil pickup guitar is your demographic. But for rich, powerful sounds, ease of playing and pure beauty, the Les Paul stills remains at the top of the double pickup guitars. I'm off to add one to my Christmas list now. Most of you will probably hear my mother screaming when she sees the price.

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