Getting A Great Woody Tone on a Les Paul

**Alder Statesman** · 02-24-2022, 12:50 AM

My Epiphone Les Paul Custom with D”Addario flat wound 11 chromes. Dead stock except I rewired the pots to 50’s wiring rather than modern wiring being mid 50’s vintage myself.

**whiskey02** · 02-25-2022, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Alder Statesman

My Epiphone Les Paul Custom with D”Addario flat wound 11 chromes. Dead stock except I rewired the pots to 50’s wiring rather than modern wiring being mid 50’s vintage myself.

Does 50's wiring change in any way the taper of the tone pot? I understand its effect ( lack of effect) when rolling down the volume pot. The stock pots on my LP traditional are great; smooth continuous taper through out their entire range of sweep. Would I lose that with 50's wiring?

**tnelson** · 02-25-2022, 11:56 AM

Don Mock playing Round Midnight finger style on Les Paul. Admittedly not super "woody," and it's straight into the board without an amp. Nice sound, though!

**Woody Sound** · 02-25-2022, 12:16 PM

FWIW, I don't think GB's tone there is particularly rich and woody. Sounds like another electric guitar to me with the tone turned down. Mellow yes, but rich and woody, no. JMO.

**citizenk74** · 02-25-2022, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by tnelson

Don Mock playing Round Midnight finger style on Les Paul. Admittedly not super "woody," and it's straight into the board without an amp. Nice sound, though!

**bluejaybill** · 02-25-2022, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by Woody Sound

FWIW, I don't think GB's tone there is particularly rich and woody. Sounds like another electric guitar to me with the tone turned down. Mellow yes, but rich and woody, no. JMO.

Yes, I was going to say that, I agree. Not a bad sound but not a hollow body. Needless to say Benson's tone improved mightily when he went over to (I think) a Johnnie Smith.

I have a really nice Gibson R8 with real PAF's in it and it sounds great, I have used it for jazz, but it's still a solid body. And as someone said, George is using a grail '59-'60 burst LP there, which is as good as it's going to get. For us with more limited means, maybe not so much.

**Alder Statesman** · 02-25-2022, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Does 50's wiring change in any way the taper of the tone pot? I understand its effect ( lack of effect) when rolling down the volume pot. The stock pots on my LP traditional are great; smooth continuous taper through out their entire range of sweep. Would I lose that with 50's wiring?

Getting A Great Woody Tone on a Les Paul-4a0cd7f1-9f22-4adf-91ec-37a060989096-jpeg

Apologies if the photo is copyrighted.

The 50’s wiring does change the taper and and is a bit finicky, but once dialed in it can be mellower (my idea of woody) or more bite on the other extreme.

**bluejaybill** · 02-25-2022, 09:39 PM

I don't know about changing the taper when you go with '50's wiring. The main benefit is that as you turn down the volume, you don't lose your highs. If you have played Gibsons for a long time you know what it's like to turn down your volume two clicks and lose your top end.

On the down side, when you turn down the tone pot, you lose volume. Not as big a problem IMHO.

**Alder Statesman** · 02-25-2022, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by bluejaybill

I don't know about changing the taper when you go with '50's wiring. The main benefit is that as you turn down the volume, you don't lose your highs. If you have played Gibsons for a long time you know what it's like to turn down your volume two clicks and lose your top end.

On the down side, when you turn down the tone pot, you lose volume. Not as big a problem IMHO.

A far better explanation than my clumsy “finicky” description.

**Degranulator** · 03-03-2022, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by VanEpsInDeChirico

I CAN get the high, ugly, metallic strings to sound descent by rolling off a considerable amount of treble. But then the beautiful nuance in the bassy strings gets lost. I've experimented with lowering the pickups on the high end as well, to make those stings a bit quieter. Helps a little.

Not sure if this has been mentioned because I haven't read the entire thread. But another thing you may find helpful might seem counterintuitive. Make use of your bridge pickup. Try turning down the Bpup tone pot to anywhere from 0 to 2, and the volume at around 2 +/- . Keep the Neck pickup near max and brighter on the tone pot. Experiment with that mix, just my suggestions for starters. This assumes your pickups are not out of phase. I use this a lot with any 2 pickup guitar hollow or solid to tighten up the tone, by using the bridge pickup to darken the brighter neck position. The bridge pup isn't obvious when you find the sweet spot. Perhaps this will help tame the upper strings without losing the nuance you want. Worth experimenting, you might find something new!
Good luck!

**2bornot2bop** · 03-03-2022, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Gitfiddler

Benson was using a Fender Bassman amp on that 1964 gig with Jack McDuff. (I like the first few seconds where Benson tunes to McDuff's organ).

The amp and Benson's fingers did more for his sweet jazz tone than the Les Paul or its strings.

Say it again. It’s obvious the tone is in Bensons fingers!

**citizenk74** · 03-03-2022, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Degranulator

Not sure if this has been mentioned because I haven't read the entire thread. But another thing you may find helpful might seem counterintuitive. Make use of your bridge pickup. Try turning down the Bpup tone pot to anywhere from 0 to 2, and the volume at around 2 +/- . Keep the Neck pickup near max and brighter on the tone pot. Experiment with that mix, just my suggestions for starters. This assumes your pickups are not out of phase. I use this a lot with any 2 pickup guitar hollow or solid to tighten up the tone, by using the bridge pickup to darken the brighter neck position. The bridge pup isn't obvious when you find the sweet spot. Perhaps this will help tame the upper strings without losing the nuance you want. Worth experimenting, you might find something new!
Good luck!

I am a proponent of using both pickups, as well. Mix to taste.

**Eck** · 03-05-2022, 08:13 AM

Just on the topic of a wooden bridge
Is all wood a good idea, or better tune-o-rosewood?

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**Woody Sound** · 03-05-2022, 08:47 AM

Found this. Pretty basic stuff, but it might help.

The Les Paul Guitar Can Play Jazz (Here’s Why!) – Tone Topics

**sgosnell** · 03-05-2022, 11:02 AM

I bought one of those bridges, from the first photo. It's on a shelf. It sounds horrible on every guitar I've tried it on. I don't know why, but I don't like the sound of it at all. I bought it for the intonation ability, but I prefer imprecise intonation over the sound of that one. YMMV.

**Eck** · 03-05-2022, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I bought one of those bridges, from the first photo. It's on a shelf. It sounds horrible on every guitar I've tried it on. I don't know why, but I don't like the sound of it at all. I bought it for the intonation ability, but I prefer imprecise intonation over the sound of that one. YMMV.

Thanks so much. Saved me quite some investigations!

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