The two most common shaped electric guitars that you’ll come across are the Les Paul Shape and the Stratocaster shape. Almost all other electric guitars a follow the same shape and styles. The Les Paul guitar was designed and built by the Gibson Company in 1952 and has been around since then. So, is Les Paul a good guitar?
Les Paul Guitar is known for having excellent sustain because of its large heavy body and a warm tone thanks to the mid/low-output humbuckers that it comes with. It is also an excellent guitar for beginners as it has lower string tension and hence easier to play.
My Gibson Les Paul has always been my go to guitar with my Fender Mustang Amp whenever I am looking for a warm, smooth tone with just a little crunch to it. With a slightly shorter body, just 2 pickups and a 3 way toggle switch, I find my Les Paul more comfortable to play than my strat when I just want to relax and enjoy the guitar. Let’s dig deeper into the qualities of a Les Paul guitar and whether it is a good guitar, especially for beginners.
What are the distinct features of a Les Paul Guitar?
The Les Paul is quite different from a strat and although you’ll find various les paul shaped guitars in the market, other than the original Gibson Les Paul, a typical Les Paul has the following distinct features:
- A solid Mahagony, single cutaway body.
- 2 humbucker pickups.
- 4 knobs; 2 volume and tone knobs for each pickup.
- Stop tail bridge.
- Headstock with 3+3 nuts placements (3 on each side)
What genres are Les Pauls best for?
Les Paul Guitars are very versatile guitars that have been used in various genres of music such as Rock, Country, Blues, Pop, Jazz and even heavy metal.
Although Les Pauls are famous for their warm tones which is because of the humbucker pickups they come with, but you can also adjust the tone knobs to get a brighter tone and by mixing and matching the knobs for both the pickups, you can really get various different tones from your Les Paul that can make it suitable for any genre of music you like to play.
What makes a Les Paul guitar so great?
I don’t know about others, but there are certain distinct features that only a Les Paul has, that makes it so great for me. Let me list them down for you so that you can see why it’s so special for me:
Tone choices: As mentioned before, you can achieve various tones out of your Les Paul if you play a little with the pickup selection and the volume and tone knobs. I personally really admire the fact that Les Paul has separate tone and volume knobs for each pickup and that you have the option to select either or both at pickups at the same time.
I normally keep my selector in the middle, activating both pickups and then adjusting the volume knobs for each pickup to get a well-balanced tone that can either be warmer if I increase the volume for the neck pickup or brighter if i increase the volume for the bridge pickup.
Neck Length: Les Paul’s neck is slightly shorter than that of a Stratocaster but playing wise, it makes a whole lot of difference. With 10/46 strings in both guitars, the string tension on a Les Paul is slightly lesser than on a Strat that makes string bending and overall playing easier on a Les Paul.
More Tone options: A humbucker pickup is essentially made by combining 2 single coil pickups. Some Les Pauls also have coil splitting feature, that is the option to select just a single pickup out of the 2 pickups of the Humbucker with the help of either a toggle switch or a push-pull pots, making the humbucker work as a single coil pickup. This options opens up the doors for unlimited pickup choices and hence a lot more tone options.
As a beginner, you might not need to go into so much detail but it definitely is opens up the Tonal Pandora’s box for more advanced guitarists.
Tune-o-Matic Bridge: Les Paul comes with a Tune-o-Matic bridge that makes it easier to adjust the intonation for each string. So, you wont need to run to a luthier to fix the intonation for your guitar all the time.
Which is better Strat or Les Paul?
Although this is a subjective question and everyone has their own preferences, but I personally find Les Pauls better than Strats. This is mainly because of the humbucker pickups that Les Pauls come with that gives it the distinct tone, but also because of the shorter neck length, I find Les Pauls easier and better to play as compared to Les Pauls.
Moreover, now that modern Les Pauls come with a toggle switch to convert a humbucker pickup to a single coil pickup, you can also achieve the bright, snappy tone from your Les Paul that was once the trademark tone of a Fender Stratocaster.
Which is better Telecaster or Les Paul?
The Fender Telecaster is another popular guitar that a lot of guitarists prefer, however it’s more popular for having a bright, crisp tone, suitable for genres such as country or blues. Les Pauls are famous for a rich, fuller tone that covers mostly the metal and rock music. Other than that, It’s entirely up to you which guitar you’d prefer. I personally like my Les Paul more.
Are Les Pauls hard to play?
Not at all, in fact Les Pauls are quite easier to play than Stratocasters. This is because of the neck profile of a Les Paul. Les Pauls have a shorter scale length, this makes is easy for you reach more frets as the frests are closer to each other, and at the same time, it also eases the tension on the strings, that make them easier on the fingers to play and bend. For beginner guitarists whose finger calluses arent developed yet, they will find it easier to play a Les Paul than a Stratocaster.
What famous guitarists play a Les Paul?
Although the Les Paul guitar failed when it was launched, it gradually pickup up pace and became one of the most famous guitars, preferred by some of the best guitarists we know. It’s still a popular choice for a lot of guitarists but there are a few who have actually made it famous.
Here’s a list of famous guitarists who play a Les Paul guitar:
- Jimmy Page: Jimmy Page of the band Led Zeppelin is an ardant user of the Les Paul guitar.
- Slash: If you love the band Guns N’ Roses and their popular songs like Sweet Child O’ Mine, all their heavy riffs are created on a Les Paul by their famous guitarist, Slash.
- Zakk Wylde.
- Pete Townshend
Did Eric Clapton use a Les Paul?
If you are an Eric Clapton fan, you must be familiar with his passion for Fender Stratocasters and his collection of strats, Blacky among the most famous of them. But during his time with the bands The Yardbirds and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton was famous for using Les Paul Guitars that also helped shape some of his solo music too.
While guitar selection is subjective and really depends on your own preferences, you should try out all the different guitars that you can to identify your own unique identity and which guitar you’re more comfortable with. Do try out Les Paul Guitars as well as they are a great option having some unique features and tones that you may not be able to get from other types of guitars. The best part is, because you’ll now find several Les Paul guitar brands at a cheaper price, you can really try out different options without making a huge investment.