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Tele, Les Paul, Strat, or SG...

xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
in Musicians and Gearheads
Which one has your preferred sound? Most versatile? Ease of soloing? Best feel? Obviously this is all opinion but it's something I often wonder about. In terms of the 4 options, I have a squier tele (with a Mexicans strat single coil in the bridge), a JBL tele copy (gift from my fiance's dad. His former bassist-who passed away, gave it to him and he passed it along to me). I have a Epiphone LP 100 (light enough that I can actually play it). My first guitar was a squier strat (now outfitted with an original Kalamazoo Gibson humbucker in the bridge). I've got an Epiphone SG Special (made incorrectly so the intonation is off) and an Epiphone G-400 Custom Shop.
Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
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Comments

  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance Posts: 23,302
    I want to play a proper American Strat someday. The ones that are over a thousand bucks. I had a Japanese Strat as my first guitar and I loved that it was so lightweight, and fretting action was easy and smooth.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    Les Pauls feel the best to me. Shorter scale, fat neck, but not wide at the nut. Although I don't own one myself, I do get a chance to play one anytime I want from a friend.

    Tone is my SG Junior with a single P 90 and wrap around tail piece. Nothing beats it for what I like in tone.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • BHealyBHealy Posts: 466
    I have an SG, a Les Paul, and a strat, and I love them all, but I think a strat is probably the most versatile, at least for me.
  • dankinddankind Posts: 20,839
    Gretsch Silver Jet ftw!

    image
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance Posts: 23,302
    All Those Yesterdays said:

    Les Pauls feel the best to me. Shorter scale, fat neck, but not wide at the nut. Although I don't own one myself, I do get a chance to play one anytime I want from a friend.

    Tone is my SG Junior with a single P 90 and wrap around tail piece. Nothing beats it for what I like in tone.

    Agreed about the LPs. My smaller hands like the set up. I can reach notes easier on that than any other guitar I've played.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    edited August 2015
    I'm a big fan of the Les Paul platform. Just so smooth and easy to play....almost effortless...and decoupling the controls opens up an endless amount of different tonal shades.

    I really like my Strat too. You can really fight it and sorta bang on it and it always comes back for more.

    My main guitar now is a Duesenberg Starplayer. It's got a lot going on thatqs like a Les Paul, but has a Strat scale so there's some fight with the strings.
    Post edited by DewieCox on
  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    DewieCox said:

    I'm a big fan of the Les Paul platform. Just so smooth and easy to play....almost effortless...and decoupling the controls opens up an endless amount of different tonal shades.

    I really like my Strat too. You can really fight it and sorta bang on it and it always comes back for more.

    My main guitar now is a Duesenberg Starplayer. It's got a lot going on thatqs like a Les Paul, but has a Strat scale so there's some fight with the strings.

    Decoupling?
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    edited August 2015
    Makes it where neither knob becomes a master when both pickups are selected so the blending is much more useable. Can't remember if that's 50s wiring or if it's a different mod. I changed all my LP's to this after trying it on one for awhile.
    Post edited by DewieCox on
  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    I'll have to look into it. I have an epiphone LP100
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    edited August 2015
    http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l516/FFXIhealer/Wiring Diagrams/WorkInProgress_zps15368d60.png


    Super easy. Just swapping a few solder points for each pickups' controla
    Post edited by DewieCox on
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    2-feign-reluctance said:

    All Those Yesterdays said:

    Les Pauls feel the best to me. Shorter scale, fat neck, but not wide at the nut. Although I don't own one myself, I do get a chance to play one anytime I want from a friend.

    Tone is my SG Junior with a single P 90 and wrap around tail piece. Nothing beats it for what I like in tone.

    Agreed about the LPs. My smaller hands like the set up. I can reach notes easier on that than any other guitar I've played.
    Same deal here, I have small hands. 50s teles aren't that bad. But the modern Teles and Strats are difficult for me to play
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • Stickman12Stickman12 Posts: 504
    Find the strat to be my personal favorite. very versatile and find the playability to be very comfortable. i dont solo at all so cant comment on that. In reality i would be happy with any of the options given.
  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    DewieCox said:

    http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l516/FFXIhealer/Wiring Diagrams/WorkInProgress_zps15368d60.png


    Super easy. Just swapping a few solder points for each pickups' controla

    Thank you! I gotta check out my Soul Vibe and then tackle this. Also need to switch the 5-way selector in my strat to see if that fixes my problem (selector won't engage the pickups it should).
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 Posts: 23,303
    i am a bigger dude so i like to play a guitar with some weight to it. as most of you guys know i am a huge les paul dude. i have 3 of them and a blue teal flip sg. i think my sg gives me better tone for heavier music, but i love my les pauls. always have, always will.

    this is a shock to me, but my absolutely favorite clean tone is my old gibson firebird with the pickup selector in the middle position going into a jcm 900. who would have ever thought of that?
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    dankind said:

    Gretsch Silver Jet ftw!

    image

    That would be amazing... I had a special Fender Telecaster called the TeleSonic which had those same pickups, and it was one of two guitars I regret selling the most. The Jets are great guitars, for sure.

    My preferred sound is the P-90 bridge pickup, so almost any guitar with that config will have the right sound for me.

    My most versatile guitar is a Strat with a bridge humbucker. If you add S-1 switching, you can get an enormous variety of tones (I have traditional wiring). I tend to recommend an HSS Strat to a lot of people who don't know what type of electric guitar to get, for just this reason.

    For ease of playing and soloing, I find the Fender necks to be very comfortable, mostly due to the slightly longer scale and fret spacing. I feel pretty good with a Les Paul, but I can't stand playing SGs due to their wider neck profile and string spacing.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,939
    My first two electrics were Les Paul's, but I love the Telecaster right now. Pretty easy to play and the tone is amazing. I was a pretty big Les Paul proponent too for a while.
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance Posts: 23,302
    bootlegger10 said:

    My first two electrics were Les Paul's, but I love the Telecaster right now. Pretty easy to play and the tone is amazing. I was a pretty big Les Paul proponent too for a while.

    Do Tele's play nicely for soloing/lead work?
    www.cluthelee.com
  • dudemandudeman Posts: 3,061
    I used to be a Gibson guy. I had an SG Standard,a Marauder and a Sonex-180 Deluxe. I sold them all when I became a full-time bass player.

    Once I decided that I missed having an electric guitar at my disposal, I picked up a Fender Blacktop Strat. I'm loving the longer scale length and string spacing and I can get the big, fat 'bucker tones that I was missing from the SG.

    I'm not a fan of the gloss finished neck, though. I'm either going to remove that finish and do a tung oil job on it or I'll try to find a different neck.

    Aside from that, I think it's about perfect for a guitar player that only has one guitar. Both pickups have coil taps so more traditional single coil tones are available too.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    2-feign-reluctance said:

    bootlegger10 said:

    My first two electrics were Les Paul's, but I love the Telecaster right now. Pretty easy to play and the tone is amazing. I was a pretty big Les Paul proponent too for a while.

    Do Tele's play nicely for soloing/lead work?
    All depends on the feel and pickups. My squier tele (Mexican Strat single coil in the bridge) has no sustain. My JBL Tele copy is the opposite. The intro to Stairway to Heaven is done on a tele.
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • mfc2006mfc2006 Posts: 37,440
    love my strat a ton & it plays really well. just took it in for a nice tune up & I think I may replace the pickups eventually.

    but my Gretsch Electromatic sounds & feels much better to me than my strat.
    I LOVE MUSIC.
    www.cluthelee.com
    www.cluthe.com
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance Posts: 23,302
    mfc2006 said:

    love my strat a ton & it plays really well. just took it in for a nice tune up & I think I may replace the pickups eventually.

    but my Gretsch Electromatic sounds & feels much better to me than my strat.

    Also helps when the man playing the Gretsch is AWESOME!
    www.cluthelee.com
  • mfc2006mfc2006 Posts: 37,440
    2-feign-reluctance said:

    mfc2006 said:

    love my strat a ton & it plays really well. just took it in for a nice tune up & I think I may replace the pickups eventually.

    but my Gretsch Electromatic sounds & feels much better to me than my strat.

    Also helps when the man playing the Gretsch is AWESOME!
    haha!

    I LOVE MUSIC.
    www.cluthelee.com
    www.cluthe.com
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,016
    I've had a few Les Paul's and wanted to be a Les Paul kind of guy but I'm not stocky enough any more (great post up there by the way, Gimme.) Have had a bunch of electrics (only three now) but after so many years, my favorite is an early 80's Squire Strat with dual humbuckers (the ones it came with but I'm not sure what the are- I never looked to see because I like the way they sound). It fits my hands and body great too.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • dudemandudeman Posts: 3,061
    edited September 2015
    I'm definitely a fan of dual 'bucker strats. The early Squier series were really good, too.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,016
    dudeman said:

    I'm definitely a fan of dual 'bucker strats. The early Squier series were really good, too.

    I'm SO lucky to have this guitar. My nephew wanted to learn to play so I helped him pick this one out in Seattle. I was actually quite envious of him having it but I wanted him to be happy with what he got. He never got into playing it and years later practically pleaded with me to buy it from him and I was glad to do so (we're still both very happy with the deal). I haven't seen very many of these out there and never another red one.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 Posts: 28,495
    for me: les paul, tele (have both), sg and then strat. not a big fan of the strat although I love the sg! I just don't own one so my playing on it has been very limited.
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance Posts: 23,302
    Can anyone upload a sample of themselves playing some leads on a Tele?
    www.cluthelee.com
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    edited September 2015
    Not me, although the guy's name is also David:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhVtNtDRQ9M

    Another pretty solid lead performance on a Tele:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7INsVaR-S-w
    Post edited by mccreadyisgod on
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • PJammer4lifePJammer4life Posts: 2,647
    That's what I like about Pearl Jam, Stone Gibson Les Paul, Mike Fender 59 Strat, Eddie Fender Telecaster. Well rounded sound.
    Bridge Benefit 1994, San Francisco 1995, San Diego 1995 1 & 2, Missoula 1998, Los Angeles 2000, San Diego 2000, Eddie Vedder/Beck 2/26/2002, Santa Barbara 2003, Irvine 2003, San Diego 2003, Vancouver 2005, Gorge 2005, San Diego 2006, Los Angeles 2006 1 & 2, Santa Barbara 2006, Eddie Vedder 4/10/08, Eddie Vedder 4/12/08, Eddie Vedder 4/15/08, 7/12/2008, SF 8/28/09, LA 9/30/09, LA 10/1/09, LA 10/06/09, LA 10/07/09, San Diego 10/09/09, Eddie Vedder 7/6/2011, Eddie Vedder 7/8/2011, PJ20 9/3/2011, PJ20 9/4/2011, Vancouver 9/25/2011, San Diego 11/21/13, LA 11/24/13, Ohana 9/25/21, Ohana 9/26/21, Ohana 10/1/21, EV 2/17/22, LA Forum 5/6/22, LA Forum 5/7/22, EV 10/1/22, EV 9/30/23
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,016
    PJammer4life said:

    That's what I like about Pearl Jam, Stone Gibson Les Paul, Mike Fender 59 Strat, Eddie Fender Telecaster. Well rounded sound.

    Good point!
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













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