-
I love Les Pauls, but to me where they falter for clean jazz tones is on the high strings. Without the airiness if a hollow guitar they can sound thin. You can compensate with reverb and/or a bit of amp compression.
-
10-10-2015 01:01 AM
-
Recently picked up a 90 Greco mint collection Les Paul Custom. I have to say, I think I like it better than the real thing I had a few years back. It is hard for me to make a direct comparison because my Gibson was set up with 9's for rock, while my Greco has TI flats and is set up for jazz. However, something about the Greco neck shape feels more comfortable. Beyond that, it is as heavy as the real thing, great fit/finish, etc. perhaps the pickups could be a little higher output, but they sound great for jazz.
If you run into an old Greco, give it a try. I literally don't think about it any differently than if it were a Gibson, it's just my Les Paul.
Cool little trick for two pickup guitars. Turn bridge tone to zero, and the volume about half way. This will soften the attack in the middle position, and can be set a little quieter if you want to use the neck to solo with and have a little boost in volume.
Overall, I think lp's are great for jazz, especially loud settings where feedback may be an issue.
-
I have to disagree, I have found just the opposite of this to be true. What gauge strings are you using? I use D' .12 and it's thick as molasses.
Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
-
Out of morbid curiosity, I've been trying jazz on a Les Paul. My body fits a LP very well. Neck and body in the right place for me. Muddy Les Paul humbuckers scared me away in the past, but always missed the LP.
Recently I picked up an Epiphone '56 Goldtop Les Paul reissue with P-90's, mainly for vintage rock. But then I got brave and tried out straight-ahead jazz, and was blown away by the P-90 tone. Felt like I was channeling Barney Kessel. It's a sound I don't get on any other guitar. I feel like I'm back in the '50's. Beatnik jazz is the best way I can describe the tone.
Not even my D'Angelico EXL-1 reissue gives me this sound (and it plays and sounds like a dream). The EXL-1 gives me a "mature" jazz tone. The LP with P-90's give me a tone with a rebellious streak to it.
Never thought I'd be able to play jazz on a LP! P-90's seem to be the solution.
-
Humbuckers or P90s is just a matter of taste, they're both great in a Les Paul. Personally I love the '54 Custom (reissue or clone) with the all mahogany construction, ebony board and the Alnico V staple pickup in the neck position best. Unfortunately, the Les Paul is too small and heavy for me to play comfortably. You can consider yourself lucky that it fits you like a glove.
-
I learnt what jazz I know on my old 73 DeLuxe. The minihumbuckers --low winds, low output -- were great for jazz even if the top wasn't dancing. Being Norlin-era, it was a bit heavy (never weighed it, but if I had to guess, around nine pounds).
My Ibby semi- is almost as heavy, and for a guy like me who's preferred SGs, just goddamned huge, a battleship. I love it, but when bout-to-bout goes armpit to pelvis, it feels like so much guitar.
-
The Les Paul was created for jazz musicians...
-
Like every solid body I guess, Fender Esquire included and odd models from Gibson. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
I said it but I'm not pretty sure of that.
-
Yeah, like others said the LP was created at a time that Jazz was mainstream and LP himself was a "jazz, pop" musician, either way he wasn't playing Guns & Roses stuff. BK played a single coil pickup known a s the Charlie Christian, but it has some "low fi" characteristics that can be similar to a P90. The original humbuckers were not muddy. The were bright and open sounding. Muddy humbuckers are typically higher output and meant for heavier rock styles. You can use most guitars for jazz, you can use a violin or a banjo. It's the approach more than the instrument. There is a particular "guitar sound" associated with jazz and some guitars can get that naturally and others are more unorthodox.
-
Both my Lester and SG benefit from having their 490R neck pup set lower into the ring and I get a very descent jazzy tone without too much mud.
-
I've seen CC pickups on Teles, but can't recall seeing one on a Les Paul. I'm wondering how that might sound...
-
This nerdy guy thought an LP with P90s sounded pretty good too. What a hack...
-
I think LP's sound fantastic for jazz.
However, I do not get along well with the body style,
so I'm living an LP free lifestyle
-
Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
This nerdy guy thought an LP with P90s sounded pretty good too. What a hack...
Single AlNiCo V "Staple" pickup at the neck, single P-90 at the bridge. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Seth Lover developed it for Gibson so that Les Paul would stop using a Dearmond 2000 "Dynasonic" pickup on his goldtop Les Paul. The AlNiCo V "Staple" pickup is a direct copy of the Dearmond 2000 "Dynasonic" pickup. It differs only in the use of rectangular magnets as opposed to cylindrical magnets.
My guess is that Gibson introduced the pickup because it wasn't too happy with their most famous endorser using a competitor's product on his eponymous guitar. The AlNiCo V "Staple" pickup was introduced with the new Custom model in '53 and used until '57, when it was replaced by the humbucking pickup. Les Paul's reaction was to develop his low-impedance pickups and use those on his Les Paul guitars.Last edited by Hammertone; 07-17-2016 at 01:50 PM.
-
Pfff we don't know how he sounds... And he is a perfect unknown without his mustache ! Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
This nerdy guy thought an LP with P90s sounded pretty good too. What a hack...
Let me guess... His name is Jim... Jim Hall ? I think it's Jim Hall !
-
I used to have a les paul traditional with classic 57s. It had a warm and big tone, a great jazz sound. But it was too heavy for me so I sold it and bought a tele instead which also has a great sound so no regrets there.
-
Les Paul guitars and CC pickups. John Lennon had a CC in the neck position of his Les Paul Special. Here he is at Madison Square Garden:
-
P90's are it for clean, full tones. I played a gig with just a bass and vocalist on Fri using my Guild Aristocrat -- Franz p90 type pickups -- through a Fender Princeton RI and it worked perfectly for swing rhythm, comping, single line soloing and more chord style soloing. No problems with buzzing.
They're the perfect pickup for clean single-line playing, with clarity, thickness and punch throughout the entire range of the guitar.
-
Franz pickups! FANTASTIC!
-
My Aristrocrat is a new Korean made model. It's very nice, spotless construction. My understanding is that the Franz pups are basically an underwound p90. I've had several guitars with various types of p90 and that's what I hear. They're a little lighter in the mids than most p90's I've played, but only by a very small amount. I can't speak from any experience about the vintage models, but my understanding is the new one's from Guild are a better made clone of the originals.
-
and of course, jim hall traded that lp to howard roberts..for his (soon to be iconic) es-175
backstory- quote from http://utstat.utoronto.ca/mikevans/h...s/guitars.html
with my annotation *
an interesting anecdote about the history of the black Les Paul comes from Ron Benson. * (who later went on to create benson amps...which howard roberts helped design-it all goes round & round)
I bought that black Les Paul new that you mentioned in Equipment, from Tiny Timbrell ( good guitar player ) who worked at Fife and Nichols music store in Hollywood sometime in the fifties. I had a hard time playing it as the frets were too low and it felt stiff with heavy strings. I brought it back to Tiny after a few months and said I needed something else. Jim Hall was in the store at the time and we showed the guitar to him. He bought it and the rest is history.
fave jh pic
cheers
-
Although Jim did use a Les Paul Custom with the Chico Hamilton Quartet, he didn't like it--in an interview he said he was trying to cure feedback problems and was too inexperienced to come up with a solution that didn't involve playing a solidbody, but that he felt it "was awfully cold."
Danny W.
-
If the weight is not a bother, a Les Paul is a great jazz guitar. Flatwounds and a jazz amp make it all work great. Sustain like a horn and zero feedback. Playing with a super loud drummer? A Les Paul is the answer.
-
I used to play that 54 Custom reissue and it sounded great for jazz. It was hell on my spine though. That was the only real disadvantage of the LP. Otherwise it played great.
-
I like Les Pauls.
Had a 1979 Custom in natural finish, always stringed with D'Addario chromes 011s, beautiful jazz tone. Years after a sunburst LP Standard, stringed with D'Addario chromes 013s, and in 2006 a LP wine red Studio, usually stringed with TIs 012. All of them were excellent guitars.
You should watch Ulf Wakenius. He plays a LP type guitar. He accompanied Oscar Peterson touring BA years ago. Great player, great tone.
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos