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Ernie Ball Luke vs. Gibson Les Paul Studio

vandiar

By vandiar
in The Gibson Lounge

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vandiar

vandiar

Posted
Posted

Here is the dilemma. I have a friend selling an Ernie Ball Luke for 800 dollars. I have someone else that is willing to sell their Gibson Les Paul Studio (Wine Red Chrome) for 775. Both are in great condition. I know this is a Gibson forum, but please do not be biased. I need some honest opinions here. Thanks!

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Shnate McDuanus

Shnate McDuanus

Posted
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Ok...this here all really depends on what sort of specs you want, but they're both really very good guitars.

 

The Gibson LP Studio has a mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutaway, a fixed bridge and stop tailpiece, two passive humbucking pickups and a volume and tone knob for each pickup, and three available switch positions, one for the neck pickup, one for the bridge pickup, and one for both pickups together. Tonally, it's very, very versatile--it can be thick and warm, or articulate and almost-twangy (with some judicious use of the tone knobs and bridge pickup, and it helps to pick near the bridge for brighter sounds,) and anywhere in-between. 22 frets, nitro finish, rosewood board with a 24 3/4" scale.

 

The Luke has an alder body with a high-gloss poly finish, a tremolo bridge, one active humbucker and two active single-coils, and one volume and one tone knob, with a 5-way selector switch. I can't comment on the tone from first-hand experience, but from demo videos I think it's a pretty versatile guitar--you can get single-coil tones with the neck and middle pickups, but they're different from passive single-coil tones, and the bridge humbucker is good for both thicker rhythm tones and brighter lead tones. 22 frets, rosewood board, 25 1/2" scale.

 

The main things that I think you should consider, then, are the bridge (the fixed bridge is functionally and tonally different from the tremolo bridge,) the scale length (the Luke has a longer neck than the Les Paul) the pickup arrangement (the Luke and Les Paul both have different pickup arrangements, and offer different tones,) the pickup type (active pickups require batteries, and generally have a more balanced tonal response,) and the control layout. They both have the same fretboard radius, and the difference in woods will also result in a difference in tone, but that is debatable.

 

I also don't know what other guitars you may already own. I think you should go and try both of them out and see which one works for you--but if I were buying, I'd go for the Luke because I already own a mahogany guitar with a set neck, two humbuckers and a fixed bridge (a Gibson SG Special Faded,) but you may, on the other hand, prefer to go for the Les Paul for one reason or another. Ultimately, they're both pretty good guitars, and it will ultimately come down to what you prefer.

 

Oh, and don't listen to dem00n...he's got an anti-EMG bias. [flapper]

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Sinner 13

Sinner 13

Posted
Posted

Ok...this here all really depends on what sort of specs you want, but they're both really very good guitars.

 

The Gibson LP Studio has a mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutaway, a fixed bridge and stop tailpiece, two passive humbucking pickups and a volume and tone knob for each pickup, and three available switch positions, one for the neck pickup, one for the bridge pickup, and one for both pickups together. Tonally, it's very, very versatile--it can be thick and warm, or articulate and almost-twangy (with some judicious use of the tone knobs and bridge pickup, and it helps to pick near the bridge for brighter sounds,) and anywhere in-between. 22 frets, nitro finish, rosewood board with a 24 3/4" scale.

 

The Luke has an alder body with a high-gloss poly finish, a tremolo bridge, one active humbucker and two active single-coils, and one volume and one tone knob, with a 5-way selector switch. I can't comment on the tone from first-hand experience, but from demo videos I think it's a pretty versatile guitar--you can get single-coil tones with the neck and middle pickups, but they're different from passive single-coil tones, and the bridge humbucker is good for both thicker rhythm tones and brighter lead tones. 22 frets, rosewood board, 25 1/2" scale.

 

The main things that I think you should consider, then, are the bridge (the fixed bridge is functionally and tonally different from the tremolo bridge,) the scale length (the Luke has a longer neck than the Les Paul) the pickup arrangement (the Luke and Les Paul both have different pickup arrangements, and offer different tones,) the pickup type (active pickups require batteries, and generally have a more balanced tonal response,) and the control layout. They both have the same fretboard radius, and the difference in woods will also result in a difference in tone, but that is debatable.

 

I also don't know what other guitars you may already own. I think you should go and try both of them out and see which one works for you--but if I were buying, I'd go for the Luke because I already own a mahogany guitar with a set neck, two humbuckers and a fixed bridge (a Gibson SG Special Faded,) but you may, on the other hand, prefer to go for the Les Paul for one reason or another. Ultimately, they're both pretty good guitars, and it will ultimately come down to what you prefer.

 

Oh, and don't listen to dem00n...he's got an anti-EMG bias. [flapper]

Not to mention that LP's are SO not ugly. sheesh where are these kids going to design school these days.

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