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SG vs Les Paul Tone


colin4195

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It seems that 99% of people will that the Les Paul has a more refined, creamier sound and the SG has more "bite", whatever that means. I own an SG Standard and used to own a Les Paul Standard and I'm at my local guitar center probably once a week just playing around with what they have and am always picking up different SGs and LPs and honestly I have never agreed with everyone's comparison. Everyone is right, the LP has more sustain but the SG has nice sustain, especially considering its size and weight. But as far as tone goes I was never too drawn to my LP. It sounded a little...harsher...Than my SG I dare say. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there was just nothing about it that really drew me to it like the tone of my SG. They sound roughly the same when it comes to distorted riffs and power chords, but when your playing something acoustic sounding like ramble the SG just sounds so balanced and beautiful. I used the same strings on both (ernie ball 10's) and usually maintained them at the same time and they both had roughly the same set up. I don't know what it is.

 

Does anyone else know what I mean or feel the same way?

 

I understand how subjective sound is.

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Interesting post !!

 

This is why guitarists agonise over specs/PU's/woods/necks etc

 

For some reason personally I've never been drawn to the LP...although it is a great guitar [thumbup]

 

I have an SG copy and a few LP Junior copies

 

The SG is lighter and faster handling than the LP (IMO)...which influences the playing style and tones produced...

 

Keeps life interesting.... [biggrin]

 

V

 

:-({|=

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colin, I was so pleased that you asked this, and the forum is a great place where you can talk about this imo without stepping on LP owners wonderful instrument. (I actually would like one, but I don't think that is going to happen). That being said, the sg was first choice for me. Way more versatile in tones. Yes, like you said the les p is creamy sounding with good sustain, but the grit I get from the sg grinds with the best of all of them. Its pure rock tone when you want it, it can get very aggressive, but will come back to a crystal clear tone.

 

The Les Paul, I found heavy, unbalanced, single cutaway a real limiter if you like octaves. That alone did it for me. sg has access without distorting your wrist, arm ect. Double cutaways are not for everyone, but they really are easier for some, me included. Les Paul double cutaways that I have played are fabulous. They are a better buy too imo.

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I have two LP Standards, one has stock 490r/498t pickups, the other has a set of duncans. I have two SGs, a Standard with 490r/498t, the other with P90s. I've spent hours comparing these four Gibsons to identify and single out the tonal nuances of these instruments.

 

Of course, the SG comparison is going to widely vary due to the P90s in the Classic and the 490r/498t in the standard.

 

But, in this process, considerable time was indeed spent comparing the two guitars with the same pickups, (the LP Standard w/the same pickups as the SG Standard), in a variety of amps. (Marshall JTM60-2x12, Fender HR Deville 4x10, Gibson Goldtone GA30RVS (Class A 30watt 2x12 combo, VOX AD30VT, Fender Mustang III) Going from pristine clean, to high gain settings, and of course, the answer is no surprise. They sound NOTHING alike.

 

The SG has a more focused throaty tone with more of a mid-range punch.

 

The Les Paul has a bit more complex tonal center (to my ears that mid-range punch the SG has isn't quite as noticeable with the Les Paul) the LP a bit more top end snap, and a bit more aggressive in the bottom registers.

 

Overall the best way I can characterize this is that the SG has a more narrow voice, where the voice the Paul to me seems quite a bit wider. When i play with my Trio, (drummer is quite loud, bass player uses a 4x10 SVT) the SG tends to hold it's own in the mix more consistently than does the Les Paul for rhythm, for lead work, they both jump out, because I'm railing the volume on the axe to get over the chaos the bass+drums are tossing around.

 

Playing wise, the SG is very inviting, easy access to the upper registers, and it's light. I'm so used to my Les Paul tho, (been my #1 axe since 95) that I find both of them just a dream to play. I love the interplay between the two tones and feels, so I like to switch around a lot. If I had to part ways with either one tho, it would probably be the Paul that remained.

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I like the LP,,but a bit too heavy for 4hrs set in clubs at night,,plus I cant play up top the neck on LP as easy as SG. {double cutaway helps} AS far as tones,,The LP I think has justa bit more midrange tones to it,probably the denser wood construction. But,,I can dial in either one to sound like the other when recording,,just have to tweak the tone selections. Both are great,no matter which side of the fence your on.

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I have an SG Standard and a Les Paul Classic Custom. My LPCC with its Classic 57 pickups can give tones that are incredibly clean, bright, and crystal clear that my SG can't reach. However, my SG with its 490/498 pickups can give tones that really snarl and bite that my LPCC can't reach. Besides pickups and wood thickness the LP has a maple cap over the mahogany body and a maple fretboard where my SG has a mahogany body and rosewood fretboard. I love both guitars and would not want to be without either of them. With these two guitars I can get an incredible array of tones from one end of the spectrum to the other. Playability-wise, you can't beat an SG. It's light, very easy to handle, and great upper fret access, and for the price the SG is IMHO the better value of the two guitars.

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I have been playing for about 40 years now.....I used to be a die hard LP player....owned a 74 LP Standard.....about 15 years ago arthritis started to aggravate my fingers so I sold the Les Paul...and gave it up....but I got itchy. I saw my rheumatologist about 3 years ago, and he encouraged me to start again(he says playing the guitar is great therapy). Long story short, my friend let me use his LP for a while, but it just seemed awfully heavy and cumbersome to me, more than I remember. So I did some research, and came across a video on youtube with Angus Young explaining why he plays an SG. So I went to the music store and tried a few.....needless to say, I fell it love with the guitar....it was lightweight, and I think it has fantastic sustain, and IMO a little more versatile than the LP. About four months ago I purchased my first SG. It is a SG Standard (Ebony) with P90 pickups. It cost me less than half what my LP cost, and with the P90s, it is just a beast. It's the best purchase I ever made, hands down.

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  • 1 month later...

I have been playing for about 40 years now.....I used to be a die hard LP player....owned a 74 LP Standard.....about 15 years ago arthritis started to aggravate my fingers so I sold the Les Paul...and gave it up....but I got itchy. I saw my rheumatologist about 3 years ago, and he encouraged me to start again(he says playing the guitar is great therapy). Long story short, my friend let me use his LP for a while, but it just seemed awfully heavy and cumbersome to me, more than I remember. So I did some research, and came across a video on youtube with Angus Young explaining why he plays an SG. So I went to the music store and tried a few.....needless to say, I fell it love with the guitar....it was lightweight, and I think it has fantastic sustain, and IMO a little more versatile than the LP. About four months ago I purchased my first SG. It is a SG Standard (Ebony) with P90 pickups. It cost me less than half what my LP cost, and with the P90s, it is just a beast. It's the best purchase I ever made, hands down.

 

Yep, I agree with yah!...more for the money. My LP's are now hibernating in their cases. [thumbup]

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  • 2 years later...

This is an interesting topic. I have had 2 LPs and 1 SG for years. The SG didn't get much use because I love the LPs so much. Just last month I bought a 2014 SG 61 Standard, so I have been revisiting the SG again. I keep my older SG 61 Reissue tuned down to C#. The way I compare the 2 is this: The LP has more consistent sustain, but the SG can get more volume induced sustain. The SG is louder acoustically, therefore it will respond to a loud amp with more sustain, similar to an acoustic that is amplified. The louder that a guitar is acoustically means its acoustic energy is transferred more efficiently, so sound out will also mean sound in, which will give you volume induced feedback. But the louder a guitar is acoustically it will have less sustain unamplified because the loud guitar has more energy transfer which results in the string losing its energy faster. Think of a steel guitar, very quiet acoustically but very long sustain. As far as tone the LP is definitely brighter, which I guess makes the SG seem darker. As far as the neck the SG neck is fantastic for leads. On a similar note my ES-335 has the most sustain of them all, volume induced that is, it being very loud acoustically it will respond to volume induced feedback the most.

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Had both with 57 Classics, the LP definitely has more growl and sustain while the SG has more chime and a little more punch. For me, I find that at high-volume playing with the band, sustain is less of an issue then overall tone is. I'm not sure which guitar I find more versatile and I am currently playing a 2014 Traditional with the 59 Tributes in them that I find very versatile and chimey and comparable to an SG in some respects.

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I'm no connoisseur, but I started out with an Epi LP and a solid state amp and couldn't get the sound that I wanted. Then I switched to a tube amp and it was better but still not right. Since my heroes play SG's I switched to an Epi SG and viola! I was home.Then I started buying the Gibson Sg's. The way I describe it is that the SG just says what it has to say and the LP just goes on too much kinda like the wife. Whoops. Bless her heart though.:unsure:

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Well, personally, all things being equal (pickups, pots, caps, etc.), I think they

CAN sound remarkably the same, given the proper amp settings.

 

Everything that's been said, already, is true to a certain extent. I love both

models equally. But, my SG's seem to get more playing time, these days, due to

their weight, and awesome upper fret access. I like the "devilish" good looks,

too...now that Gibson (FINALLY) went back to early '60's spec's, on more SG models.

 

Just one example...Years-decades ago, before MTV videos, the Internet, and Youtube,

I was SURE, by the sound, and tone, that Mick Abrahams (Jethro Tull, Blodwyn Pig)

used a Les Paul! Found out, it was an SG Special with P-90's, more often than not.

LOL Clapton's "Wheels of Fire" "Crossroads" tone is an SG, as well. Even though

you can definitely get there, on a Les Paul, or ES-335, as well.

SO...??? [tongue]

CB

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I've heard it described as, "If Gibsons were dogs, the SG has more bark, and the Les Paul has more growl".

 

I like that. good description. I love all my guitars, but my SG, it looks great, sounds great & just feels right ... they just feel right.

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