casey_vee Posted September 7, 2014 Posted September 7, 2014 When you see someone walk on stage with a Jackson V, RR, Kelly, Dinky, Soloist, Charvel strat... Or Ibanez, etc etc, you expect you're gonna see some shred... The best thing about the LP is the element of surprise. You can walk on stage with a LP and just about any genre can be played on it. Even, or especially, rock, metal, shred. I don't know why I love that so much. Catch people of guard with some "whammy tricks" you don't expect on a hardtail.
ErickC Posted September 7, 2014 Posted September 7, 2014 I don't understand what you're trying to say. I use my King V primarily for Bob Mould ripoff pop rock, the same as my other guitars.
Aymara Posted September 7, 2014 Posted September 7, 2014 Sorry, but I see absolutely no element of surprise, when someone walks on stage with a Les Paul, because LPs and Strats are the most played guitars. But it's right, that a LP especially when it has 57 Classics is one of the most versatile guitars, I can think of.
Jimi Mac Posted September 7, 2014 Posted September 7, 2014 I suppose it depends upon the venues you frequent and the circles you associate in... Not that I have anything to do with them, but I've seen circles where vintage Les Pauls are highly sought-after for dark metal and very heavy speed or even grunge metal... (Shredding) In these places a guy walks on stage for a sound I simply don't want to hear even if I dig his axe... In fact the exact axe I now covet; a '53-'57 original fretless wonder; (reissue in my case) Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, is a very desired axe for this type of speed-metal arpeggio-run laden music because of the ease of playing with the ultra low frets... I expect shred is just as likely from a guy that walks on-stage with a Les Paul as any axe... Even if I hope it's not what he's got in mind... I actually expect a guy who walks on stage with a Strat to be just as likely to play blues due to the vast numbers and over-proliferation of those guitars. Fender has marketed and sold themselves well in this regard even if I'm simply sick of them... Funny, 'cause I was once a Fender Strat guy and that's all I ever cared about in a guitar and thought everything else was inferior... Then I grew up. I do know what you're saying though... Those other axes just don't seem to have the depth of tone for the sweet sounds of blues and classic rock that I and those in my own circles covet... I think those axes appeal more to folks that are trying to achieve a certain look when on-stage, more-so than a sound or tone... I think they generally speak to attitude more than tone.
casey_vee Posted September 7, 2014 Author Posted September 7, 2014 The element of surprise c_v speaks of has nothing to do with a band's appearance or anything else. The fact that he likes heavy music on a LP also has no bearing on what he is saying in OP. That is simply his preference in LP sound. All he is really saying is that (nearly) any genre of music can be played on a LP and that, it can indeed be a surprise to some folks; nothing wrong with that, IMO. Plus, I know what he means by 'whammy tricks' and the first time I saw someone do those, I was surprised. Lol perfect example is Doug Aldrich. Great player, great résumé. When you see him live you're like holy sh*t, you can do THAT on a Les Paul?!? This is what I mean.
capmaster Posted September 7, 2014 Posted September 7, 2014 Sorry, but I see absolutely no element of surprise, when someone walks on stage with a Les Paul, because LPs and Strats are the most played guitars. But it's right, that a LP especially when it has 57 Classics is one of the most versatile guitars, I can think of. So the only surprise left will be the music, just as stated by C_V.
rct Posted September 7, 2014 Posted September 7, 2014 In fact the exact axe I now covet; a '53-'57 original fretless wonder; (reissue in my case) Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, is a very desired axe for this type of speed-metal arpeggio-run laden music because of the ease of playing with the ultra low frets... My experience with my Les Pauls in my life has been that the ultra low frets are not at all easy to play. The two "fretless wonders" I had in the mid-70's were actually quite difficult to get around on for a Gibson. rct
Aymara Posted September 8, 2014 Posted September 8, 2014 So the only surprise left will be the music, just as stated by C_V. Well, when I see, that many non LP players and listeners have the prejudice, that the LP sounds muddy, the versatility of a good LP might be a surprise, yes. It also seems to be a surprise for some people, that some virtuosos have no problems with the highest registers. I thought, all this should be well known nowadays, but it seems to be less well known as I thought. I sometimes forget, that the LP was my favorite guitar over 30 years ;-)
Jimi Mac Posted September 9, 2014 Posted September 9, 2014 My experience with my Les Pauls in my life has been that the ultra low frets are not at all easy to play. The two "fretless wonders" I had in the mid-70's were actually quite difficult to get around on for a Gibson. rct I will keep that in mind... When I covet something, it's not always the best thing for me to want. I could end up disappointing myself... I get a notion in my head and my brain seems to turn it into what is perfect and that's not always the real case... My better bet would be to see about some P90 reissue and find one of those AlNiCo-5 single coils to try out in it to see if I like it... I also covet an LP Custom and I think the combination spoke to me covering the bases of my many guitar desires... Sorry, no thread hijack intended!
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