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gibson es les paul


jmill1948

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hello everyone i know everybody has a favorite gibson have several a nice studio 2016 1997 hummingbird and now im looking for a goldtop es les paul i played one a while back and it was like butter in my hand what do you folks think????? anyone have an idea where to find a good used one

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CME has some listed here.

 

For those who have an ES Les Paul, I'm curious how the sound differs from an ES 336? I would think they would be very similar, assuming the same pickups and wiring in both.

 

EG

 

An ES Les Paul, an ES 335, and an ES 339 all are made from the maple/poplar/maple multi ply woods for the back, rims, and top and all have a maple center block. So they should all sound somewhat similar, but the different body sizes result less air moving around inside.

 

A solid Les Paul is of course a solid mahogany back (except for weight relief) with a carved maple top (no multi-ply anywhere) and a 336 is similar in that it starts out as a solid block of mahogany. It is carved and routed leaving it's center block, back and rims all from one piece of wood. Then a carved maple top is fitted - again no multi-ply anywhere and the "center block" is not an added block of wood, but remains from the original piece of mahogany. So the 336's tonewoods are the same as a solid body Les Paul, but there are hollowed out bouts and f-holes. A 336 can sound very close to a solid body Les Paul, but a bit more airy, not as tight sounding. But, to my ear, a 336 has a deeper richer mid-range due to the tonewoods and construction as opposed to a 335. I also hear a little more sustain in a 336 over a 335, or 339, but that is subjective as we each have our own ears and interpretation of sound.

 

Due to the tonewoods and construction an ES Les Paul should sound different from a solid Les Paul or a 336. But ChristopherJ has a couple ES LPs and he thinks they sound like solid LPs. I don't have an ES LP, but I do have couple solid LPs and a CS356 (a 336 with fancier appointments) and owned a 336 for 15 years. I would imagine that an ES LP would sound close to a 336, but hopefully each model discussed has a somewhat different tone characteristic or there would be no point in making the different models. [confused]

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An ES Les Paul, an ES 335, and an ES 339 all are made from the maple/poplar/maple multi ply woods for the back, rims, and top and all have a maple center block. So they should all sound somewhat similar, but the different body sizes result less air moving around inside.

 

An ES Les Paul has a mahogany center block, which should give it more characteristics of a Les Paul than one of the ES 335's etc.....

 

You can just make it out in this photo......

 

IcpJ2Pch.jpg

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The MHS Pickups are a great addition to the ES Les Paul's. Their Sound is amazingly good.

 

My ES Les Paul sounds more clear than my ES335 with MHS Pickups but every bit as good. My Solid Top Les Paul Std Plus has 490R & 498T & has great LP Sound. Although I think my ES Les Paul has all the same Sound qualities I think it Sounds closer to Original PAF's..

 

I really that it weighs 7 lbs. With a Bigsby!

 

Lars

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hello everyone i know everybody has a favorite gibson have several a nice studio 2016 1997 hummingbird and now im looking for a goldtop es les paul i played one a while back and it was like butter in my hand what do you folks think????? anyone have an idea where to find a good used one

 

mill 1948 Keep checking Reverb and Ebay.

eroc144

"For those who have an ES Les Paul, I'm curious how the sound differs from an ES 336? I would think they would be very similar, assuming the same pickups and wiring in both."

 

 

Gibson's specs on their semis are elusive but from what I've pieced together, the construction of the LP-ES is not like (AFAIK) the 336. The 336 top is carved the back and sides are one piece mahogany and it has 57's while the ES-LP is Laminate top and back with MHS pups, and is more hollow, no center block in a conventional sense. See pic below, but my on my ES if I shine a light into the F hole towards the lower strap button, I get the bottom end lit. So the bracing in the pic I attached must have some clearances in the back end.

 

I have two ES-LP's one (a flat top LP-ES Special II) with 57's the other lemon burst archtop with MHS. They both have more of an acoustic influence on the sound than my Vegas, Pat Martino or Midtown (all more similar in construction to a 336 but with laminated tops) or 335. Actually, the closest git I own to the LP-ES is my Eastman T165 MX (15" mostly hollow with a single cut like a LP) with Lindy Fralin pups.

 

I don't play with anything but a bit of reverb at sedate volume levels, and I don't think the LP-ES sounds anything like a LP I have or have had.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a gold top ES-Les Paul with P90's and I really like it. It sounds different than my Les Paul, but it has Humbuckers, so it should! It's great, so light I love the neck and it sounds amazing! I don't know how it would compare to a 336 as I have never played one, but they are a cool guitar. If you search Reverb, there are still a few deals reaming from the great CME blow out!

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My ES Les Paul Goldtop is a rock roll machine! And weighs less than 6 pounds!

 

Sounds like a Les Paul with P90's.

 

x5KzqFA.jpg

 

My other ES LP sounds like a LP with humbuckers! (and reminds me of a 59 when playing, except it's weight)

 

DTK7EFd.jpg

I've got Weber Speakers in a few of my amps, but what is that Weber Box?

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