It was a gift, and I guess that post was just emo about losing the G&L that I spent so much time with. I still love guitar and would hate selling something like that. You might have a point if I owned 10 guitars of varying value. But a single electric guitar is no biggie in my opinion. I could just add a drum kit if I could make it work (although I tried to do rock band on PS3 for this lol).
It depends on which “Model” of Les Paul.
The sustain is great because it’s a set neck (rather than a bolt on neck). Folks have preferences (I prefer set - but I’ve loved a few bolt on neck guitars as well). For example, if you break a set/through neck (or the head), you’re kinda boned - can be repaired but probably wont sound/feel the same way. With a bolt on guitar, just unbolt and bolt on a new piece.
The wood of the body really colors the sound too. I LOVE mahogany bodied guitars. It’s just a “darker”/“deeper” sound. (the Les Paul has a Mahogany body - with Maple top). I’ve had Ash/Alder bodied guitars (both with single coil pickups as well as humbuckers) and they just sound too bright for what I like.
For Mahagony wood tone, think of the great Gibson guitar players - Angus Young of AC/DC, Jimmy Paige, Slash, etc. For Ash/Alder, think of the Fender players - Jimi Hendrix, SRV, Ritchie Blackmore, etc. It’s not to say one is more suited than the other for various types of music, it’s just preference.
Beyond that, pick ups and amp dictate the sound (both are very much replaceable - less so than body/neck type).
Then there’s the play-ability aspect of it. The Les Paul can be pig heavy. There’s actually three body types. One is the “Solid” which would be crazy heavy - but have the best tone. Then there’s the “Traditional Weight Relieved” that’s commonly known as the cheese holed ones (there’s 9 holes routed into the body). My LP is Traditional weight relieved. Then there’s the modern routed one which is essentially like a semi-hollow with a solid maple top (which a lot of traditionalists scoff at). But it’s an effort to keep things light.
Their Custom Shop Les Paul get’s first dibs on wood choices. They’re typically solid bodied, but are light weight (lighter than the traditional weight relieved ones as well as the routed ones). But you pay for the guitars. 
I went with Traditional Weight relieved (9 cheese holes) because I wanted the heft for sustain/tone. I was actually fortunate too because my guitar was less than 10lbs. Typically, they’re heavier.
The nice thing with Gibson guitars is that they have a Nitro Cellulose finish vs a Poly finish that pretty much everyone else uses. It’s thinner and smoother to feel and let’s the wood breathe. But again, preference. One thing I don’t like about the Les Paul is that it’s hard to play (for me at least) when you get high up in the frets (15-17 onwards). lol that’s when you start doing the thing Slash does by playing the guitar vertically.
http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/loudwire.com/files/2011/09/slash1.jpg
Check out some of the Ibanez Prestige guitars. They’re made in Japan. Specifically, check out the RGA (RG shape with a contoured from) or the “S” series. They’re both Mahogany bodies (regular RG isn’t). Very comfortable body. Neck is super thin (if you don’t like the baseball bat contours). Sounds great (stock pick ups are junk - kinda a joke with Ibanez, swap em out for something else). Great price for what you get.
I had a REALLY nice RGA Prestige that I sold to fund my Les Paul mods. I regret selling that guitar so much…
I swapped out the pickups for some good Seymour Duncans (I had the one that Van Halen used to use in the bridge, and a really nice sounding one for the neck).
Yea a lot of shredders play Ibanez guitars, always need those extra couple frets lol. Satch, Steve Vai. I always hated floyd rose setups though, never really liked to dive bomb like van halen and they are a PITA to do alternate tunings. Any of you guys like to play slide, I have an extra old ibanez with a nasville style bridge that I had as a dedicated slide guitar.
I’ve had two floating bridge guitars. A Fender US Standard Stratocaster and a Ibanez RG Prestige (I had two prestiges at one point). The Ibanez one was superior because of the locking nut. But yeah, retuning was a pain. And changing tuning would then upset the balance of the bridge - adjust one string = adjust all strings.
I’ve been eyeballing ESP LTD Eclipse guitars lately. EC1000 is pretty excellent HOWEVER they are RIDDLED with abalone. Most of them. A couple models aren’t but they’re hard to find. It’s like something a rapper would own…or an old lady festooned in jewels. And many of them have gold hardware…WTF were they thinking there.
The EC401/500 are same hardware other than tuners (1000 has locking ESP tuners, 401/500 has grover…no big deal)
Both guitars are same pickups, same mahogany body, same rosewood fretboard (although one of the versions…the vintage black…has an ebony fretboard)
They both have EMG 81/60 pickups which I’m looking for. I was actually thinking of upgrading the pickups in another guitar, but with labour, we’re at like 300 bucks, so I may as well buy another guitar (great justification).
They are the same shape as a Les Paul, but contoured on the back and a bit lighter (by the way…I do have a bruise from playing the LP the other day ;D). I like em. They’re a modern take on the classic, most of the changes the Gibson people and community would freak out about. I think stuff like that is funny. IT’s a guitar. Make it look cool, make it sound great, and quit worrying about tradition and bullshit.
ESP LTD EC-1000 Flamed Maple top (nice one without the gaudy shit). They’re mahogany body/neck.
http://cdn.growassets.net/user_files/esp/product_images/000/016/154/xlarge.png
ESP LTD EC-1000S Straight Black
http://cdn.growassets.net/user_files/esp/product_images/000/010/162/xlarge.png?1389980851
ESP LTD EC-1000 (yikes!)
http://cdn.growassets.net/user_files/esp/product_images/000/010/128/xlarge.png?1389980690
Then there’s the 401/500 which as I mentioned…I can’t really see the big delta pricewise. There’s flamed maple options and all sorts. I am partial to the white, or the black flamed maple.
ESP LTD EC-401
http://cdn.growassets.net/user_files/esp/product_images/000/010/218/xlarge.png?1389981127
ESP LTD EC-401FM
http://cdn.growassets.net/user_files/esp/product_images/000/010/230/xlarge.png?1389981185
p.s. we own this thread now. THis is the guitar thread now.
What I prefer to do on a strat is remove the backplate and completely screw in the anchor so the bridge doesn’t float but instead sits on the body. This way, all you get is ability to lower pitch, but you can still do nice vibrato, think ‘lenny’ by srv. Also, I got to the point where I was playing like .13-.56mm strings, so you needed to do that unless you wanted the action like 2" off the neck lol. But I like to play blues so the guitar is constantly getting our of tune… being able to stay in tune by ear is part of the necessary skill. A must for me is locking tuners, these came on the g&l and I would never go back. Pretty much the reason it was American Standard deluxe or bust.
But I love having a floating bridge, just too much of a hallmark among the guys I like. Maybe Clapton is the only strat guy who doesn’t use it, prob cause he used to play Gibson’s (my favorite Clapton playing is on John mayall’s album - great guitar album).
Of the five ECs pictured above I like the straight black best as it most resembles the Les Paul custom. Thick white border around the body. Gorgeous.
It’s funny the only guitars I give any kind of a fuck about are ESP and Gibson. And oddly despite all the money I’ve forked over for guitars over the years I’ve never bought an SG.
I heard once that the SG is called so because Gibson wanted people to know it’s the Same Guitar as the Les Paul but easier to manage. That’s odd to me… Isn’t that like saying the corvette and the suburban are the same because they’re both cars by Chevrolet?
I thought it stood for solid guitar.
Aka not hollow.
I’m not gonna lie… I am now looking at those ESP LTD guitars now too… LOL!
I need a “workhorse” guitar that I don’t mind having on my lap when I’m looking up tabs on the computer and won’t mind it getting banged up a little bit. My Les Paul is my precious… lol
Yeah the 401 and 1000 are great for that. Retail they’re 800-1200 but you can find used ones for a song. Lots of metallica lovers buy them and think they’re going to play guitar. Then they realise it’s as hard as golf and you need to practice, so they lose interest lol.
Then you can get them for 350-450 for the 401 and 600-700 for the 1000
Yeah, I think it’s Solid Guitar.
I know Gibson made it as an update to the LP but Les Paul hated it so they had to change the names.
My brother has an SG. I much prefer the LP.
The other Gibson I’ve owned was a Explorer. Totally bad ass and great sound. Just heavy and unwieldy lol.
I’ll go too ;D
John Mayer playing some Hendrix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy7ZM3L4W5Y
SRV Voodoo child 8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEJh2FFUUoU
Jeff Beck with some tasty finger playing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC02wGj5gPw
Kind of cliche, but my favorite Gilmour solo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w36v0b_eUzw
Awesome Trey solo (can see if you don’t like the song, but solo starting at 3 min rips) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZlnmDeR178
someone wake me up when someone posts metal videos
Classic (with Ozzy stoned out of his mind):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcoweoZ6jpM
Or how about switching it up, one of my favorite metal guitarists (Adam D of Killswitch Engage) on The Price is Right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eQU54gefKY
saw them live with Alice in Chains in 2009. They were solid. I fucking love the opening of this song. His water geyser really lit up in the stage lights. It was pretty funny.