Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Heavy Les Pauls?


Tim Plains

Recommended Posts

Just out of curiosity, how heavy do these suckers get? My BFG is 6.5 lbs, LP Standard is 9.1 lbs, and a LP Custom is 9.7 lbs!! The heavier the better, right? =P~

 

If I ever buy another one, I'm going for the heaviest one in the store.

 

First comes sound, than weight, than looks!

 

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I think the solid body LP will give you more of a traditional tone seeing how they are made the way the early originals were. But supposedly the new ones have a lot to offer in the way of weight relief and tonal differences. Here is a letter from Gibson explaining the new deal.

 

(The weight relief pattern has changed for 2007. We have modified the original swiss cheese hole pattern to something that has a purpose other than to lighten up the guitar. Originally, the holes were cut in a pattern that maximized the available space and did not take into consideration tone, balance, and sustain. So, we felt that a scientific approach was best if we were to change the pattern. We knew that we could now measure frequency output of the guitar and also determine positive or negative effects of any changes to the internal routing. So, we initially approached the project from the perspective of just improving the placement of the original holes. As we began testing, we noticed that when we moved the holes closer together, sound and sustain improved. We then decided to try moving the holes so close together that they actually created one big hole instead of several small ones. The area volume was the same but the improvement of sustain and output was greater. This drove us to start playing with the actual shape and size of a single large chamber and then to multiple chambers, strategically placed inside the guitar. We couldn’t do much with the control pockets and pickup pockets so we decided to focus on all of the mass and area around those routings. After several months of testing, the current sonic tuning pattern emerged. This pattern works in all Les Pauls and gives us a much better sounding instrument, sustain is improved, and as an added benefit, weight has been reduced by 20%-30%. Sustain can be improved two ways; by creating rigidity and by sound reverberation. While reducing weight further wasn’t our goal, it definitely should be received as a positive side affect to our real goal; giving reason to our original weight relief pattern of holes.

 

 

Best regards,

Jon Sutherland

Gibson Customer Service

1-800-4GIBSON

service@gibson.com)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

I think the solid body LP will give you more of a traditional tone seeing how they are made the way the early originals were. But supposedly the new ones have a lot to offer in the way of weight relief and tonal differences. Here is a letter from Gibson explaining the new deal.

 

(The weight relief pattern has changed for 2007. We have modified the original swiss cheese hole pattern to something that has a purpose other than to lighten up the guitar. Originally, the holes were cut in a pattern that maximized the available space and did not take into consideration tone, balance, and sustain. So, we felt that a scientific approach was best if we were to change the pattern. We knew that we could now measure frequency output of the guitar and also determine positive or negative effects of any changes to the internal routing. So, we initially approached the project from the perspective of just improving the placement of the original holes. As we began testing, we noticed that when we moved the holes closer together, sound and sustain improved. We then decided to try moving the holes so close together that they actually created one big hole instead of several small ones. The area volume was the same but the improvement of sustain and output was greater. This drove us to start playing with the actual shape and size of a single large chamber and then to multiple chambers, strategically placed inside the guitar. We couldn't do much with the control pockets and pickup pockets so we decided to focus on all of the mass and area around those routings. After several months of testing, the current sonic tuning pattern emerged. This pattern works in all Les Pauls and gives us a much better sounding instrument, sustain is improved, and as an added benefit, weight has been reduced by 20%-30%. Sustain can be improved two ways; by creating rigidity and by sound reverberation. While reducing weight further wasn't our goal, it definitely should be received as a positive side affect to our real goal; giving reason to our original weight relief pattern of holes.

 

 

Best regards,

Jon Sutherland

Gibson Customer Service

1-800-4GIBSON

service@gibson.com)

 

What a Bunch of Crap their Saying Now. I Dont care Im gone speak my mind. Its all about Money First they were doing the 8 or 9 holes without telling anyone and still selling it as a Soild body and started doing this in about 1987 I think.They said way back then it took extensive research for the placement of those holes and the guitar overall sounded better. All Crap for Money. They hurt the sound of their Classic Baby. Ever play a older Jap real soildbody that comes in at about 8.5lbs that dosent have any swiss chessing going on or complete gutting to the point it looks like a 335 under an airport X ray machine or Damn just about everything coming out of Korea these days They dont need to completely gutt their soild bodies like Gibson does because of the different wood thats used. They keep-em completely soild and they sound really good and come in at about the same weight as a gutted Gibson and dont get me going on why the hell uve got to spend upwards of 3 or more thousand dollars to even get a long tenion/better neck joint

 

Dont get me wrong I love Gibsons and have had-em for over 30yrs Just cant get with the newer stuff they have been putting out for a long while in the pual line-up I just love the SGs its still a Soild Guitar and my Fav the Explorers & Flying Vs. Why are they all soild through-out and just a little bit more that a SG i just cant get past the neck-throughs knock offs that are around 10lbs and sound and feel soo much better

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a Bunch of Crap their Saying Now. I Dont care Im gone speak my mind. Its all about Money First they were doing the 8 or 9 holes without telling anyone and still selling it as a Soild body and started doing this in about 1987 I think.They said way back then it took extensive research for the placement of those holes and the guitar overall sounded better. All Crap for Money. They hurt the sound of their Classic Baby. Ever play a older Jap real soildbody that comes in at about 8.5lbs that dosent have any swiss chessing going on or complete gutting to the point it looks like a 335 under an airport X ray machine or Damn just about everything coming out of Korea these days They dont need to completely gutt their soild bodies like Gibson does because of the different wood thats used. They keep-em completely soild and they sound really good and come in at about the same weight as a gutted Gibson and dont get me going on why the hell uve got to spend upwards of 3 or more thousand dollars to even get a long tenion/better neck joint

 

Dont get me wrong I love Gibsons and have had-em for over 30yrs Just cant get with the newer stuff they have been putting out for a long while in the pual line-up I just love the SGs its still a Soild Guitar and my Fav the Explorers & Flying Vs. Why are they all soild through-out and just a little bit more that a SG i just cant get past the neck-throughs knock offs that are around 10lbs and sound and feel soo much better

[lol]

 

What a load of absolute rubbish you write.

 

The 'Swiss Cheesing' isn't (all) about money; it's (mostly) about weight.

 

I've actually still got two '70s Japanese Les Paul copies. Believe me when I say the Gibson Les Pauls I have are better. By far.

 

Recently I've owned Les Paul-alike guitars from the far east. Believe me when I say the Gibson Les Pauls I have are better. By far.

 

Of my 4 Gibson Les Pauls two are solid and two are weight-relieved. I'd bet you anything you like you would not be able to pick out which is which in a blind test.

 

You are blinded by your foolish prejudices - nothing more.

 

IMHO, of course.

 

[smile]

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK Mr pippy. Its all about the Wood. The tone wood that costs money. The pre-mo lighter tone woods costs alot more, frick-in alot more and the cheeper heavier stuff that requires Gutting that sacrifices tone is cheeper.It seems to me stuff might just be drying up and what was around 30 to 50yrs ago is just gone and what used to be produced a nice mid heavy tone and was soild.Not so anymore with gutting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

....and my Fav the Explorers & Flying Vs. Why are they all soild through-out and just a little bit more that a SG...

 

Gibson-USA-Holy-Xplorer_zpsba9a6260.jpg

 

[scared]

 

[lol]

 

...It seems to me......what used to be produced a nice mid heavy tone and was soild. Not so anymore with gutting...

Just so as we all know how much credence we should attach to your comments can you expand on how much long-term experience you have where weight-relieved Les Pauls are concerned?

 

The reason I'd be so confident about winning the 'blind' test I mentioned earlier is that it's not a test I'd even be confident about winning myself - and these are my own guitars that I've had for years and play every day.

If I doubt my own ability to discern with 100% certainty which is which then someone unfamiliar with the guitars - such as yourself - wouldn't have a hope in Hell of saying which was which by listening to them.

Nor would you be able to tell by their weight. They vary by less than 3 ounces between the four of them.

 

Incidentally; outside my own instruments the best-sounding LP I've ever played, through an amp, was chambered.

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

O.K Mr Poppy Now U Say I Dont know what Im talking about. How did this get personal with u giving me personal shots.. One thing for sure If we met face to face. You/d change ur Tone.

 

Bottom line I perfer the tone of a 8.5 to 10 or 11 pound soild body Guitar. Not a 8.5 to 10 or 11 pound swiss cheesed or Gutted varaint but I do love my ES 335 Artist and other Hollow bodies with a good sized maple center block

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I consider u saying/Questioning the weight of my personal opinion by asking and Saying "

 

Just so as we all know how much credence we should attach to your comments can you expand on how much long-term experience you have where weight-relieved Les Pauls are concerned?

 

 

CREDENCE WTF?

 

 

I Have over 75 Guitars now. Maybe more lost track a few yrs ago. Have been playing about 35yrs and was just about raised in a bar in and around the Chicago Blues curcuit. In areas that u wood crap ur pants coming and going from at 2am.

 

 

I know my Gibsons. I Know guitars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...