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Guitar Dilema Les Paul, Strat, Flying V

Mickey GMickey G Posts: 1
edited August 2007 in Musicians and Gearheads
Right now I own a Fender Stratocaster, but I was interested in buying an Epiphone Les Paul or a Epiphone 1958 Korina Flying-V. Don't know which is a better guitar, or whether it would be a step up from the friends>


Thnx
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Comments

  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    Les Paul.
    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
  • louichicklouichick Posts: 13
    Personnally id go 4 the les paul.What i started on.
    Havnt got the nerve for a V!
    Just seems to make a big statement somehow.
    Id feel alot better about it if i'd sold a few million albums though!
    Wouldnt care about it then
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  • MLC2006MLC2006 Posts: 861
    never played a V, but if you're torn between a Strat and a Les Paul, that shouldn't be any dilemma at all. in most applications, a Strat can't hold a Les Paul's jockstrap. unless you like blues or "lighter" music, but even that's questionable. I own both, but since I got my Gibson last December, my Strat of 10 years has been pretty well neglected.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 Posts: 23,303
    les paul all the way. i have a v and a nice strat and those are just dust collectors. i used to gig the v alot but something about the v just implies that the player is a hot dog. i am not a flashy player at all so the v didn't fit my style as a player. seriously, get the les paul.
    "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."
  • StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
    i have a gibson les paul standard and a gibson faded flying v.......the les paul is the real deal, the flying v is cool but basically a stinkier version of the les paul.....then again my v is the cheaper "faded" model......but in general i'd say there's no question les pauls are just plain superior to v's

    one obvious difference - the les paul weighs a ton and the v is light as a feather

    here's me playing the les paul:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bj6mdN5mPvE

    and the flying v:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=CYZGsN23ewU
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    Well, I'm as biased toward LP's as anyone gets.
    I recently bought a Strat to round out my tone table, and it lsted about 3 weeks, then I sold it. LP's just have a chunk to the tone that is unbeatable, and they will take your amp to places a strat won't go.
    On the weight issue, new Gibson Les Pauls's are chambered to reduce weight, and they have very good tone to boot. I'm not sure about the Epiphone's, if they are doing it or not.
    Weight may not bother you anyway.
    I'm with all these other peeps who are saying that a Flying V is making a big statement that you will then have to match, or look like a major wannabe.
    Mind you, that's a modern perception. I have seen pics of Freddie King in a lounge suit playing blues in the 50's.
    Music is not a competetion.
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    MLC2006 wrote:
    never played a V, but if you're torn between a Strat and a Les Paul, that shouldn't be any dilemma at all. in most applications, a Strat can't hold a Les Paul's jockstrap. unless you like blues or "lighter" music, but even that's questionable. I own both, but since I got my Gibson last December, my Strat of 10 years has been pretty well neglected.
    I disagree. I'm a big strat fan, but also a big LP fan. A gibson of some sort is coming my way eventually, but Strats can do some things LPs can't. If I was playing JUST hard rock, I'd go LP, but the Strat is good for cleans/moderate overdrive, and does the heavily distorted thing well.

    Strats and Les Pauls are like apples and oranges. I like a good apple, but sometimes a good orange is the ticket:p
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • run_into_the_rainrun_into_the_rain Posts: 93
    There both very different. I would say lp's tone is a lot heavier of course because of the humbuckers. And a Strats arn't. There more smooth single coil. I'd say its all about your taste. You might want to go to a shop and play them side by side.



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  • StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
    i prefer LPs, but the one major thing i like about strats is when you are palm muting power chords.......i like the way it sounds better on a strat, more crisp, it sounds too chunky on a les paul.......and fenders have a certain "snarl" to their sound, its badass - i don't know how to describe it
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
    sometimes i'll listen to tapes of me playing with my friends and it is obvious if i'm playing my strat or LP, there's sounds are so distinct.....but others times i've listened to tapes and i'll be like "wow, that LP sounds awesome" - and then i'll realize its the strat!

    so depending on what you're playing or your settings or effects you can get similar sounds out of both, or you can make them sounds worlds apart
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • NovawindNovawind Posts: 836
    I've got a Fender MIM Strat and an Epi LP quilt top. I'm also for the apples/oranges argument, it just depends on what you're looking for. To answer your question though, I'd go with the LP over the V. Between my two guitars I can get most of the sounds that I'm after. Only think I might be missing is a really hard metal distortion sound and a hollowbody-piezo type sound, which I think I'll eventually either get a Schecter or PRS for.
    If idle hands are the devil's workshop, he must not be very productive.

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  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    Don't forget to look at other brands of Les Paul style guitars. ESP/ltd, Michael Kelly, G&L Luthiers, Schecter and plenty more all do very good guitars or better for the price of an Epi.
    Music is not a competetion.
  • MLC2006MLC2006 Posts: 861
    keeponrockin wrote:
    I disagree. I'm a big strat fan, but also a big LP fan. A gibson of some sort is coming my way eventually, but Strats can do some things LPs can't. If I was playing JUST hard rock, I'd go LP, but the Strat is good for cleans/moderate overdrive, and does the heavily distorted thing well.

    Strats and Les Pauls are like apples and oranges. I like a good apple, but sometimes a good orange is the ticket:p

    I like Strats fine. if it's something that calls for thick and heavy bends or needs stretched out fingerings, a strat is great. and Strats are great for blues. but I've not found much that a Strat can do that a Les Paul can't. and the Les Paul can go A LOT of places that a Strat can't. the sound is thicker and warmer and the LP will sustain all damn day if you want it to. a Strat just won't, they aren't even designed to. a Strat can't do clean as sparkly as a Les Paul can and also can't get nearly as dirty and heavy as a LP. yeah, they are apples and oranges. and I like Strats (hell, I've owned one for a decade). but like I said, in most applications, a Strat just is not in the same league as a Les Paul.
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    Ya, I pretty much agree with all that.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i couldn't choose at gunpoint between a strat and a les paul. i've really gotten back into the LP thing lately but could never be without a strat.

    Vs are cool but they need a certain degree of either confidence, don'tgiveafuckness or whatever to play in public. i'd imagine they sound closer to an SG than a paul.
  • ianvomsaalianvomsaal Posts: 1,224
    It really depends on the music you're playing . . .
    I'd tell you to save and get a real deal Gibson Les Paul if you wanna go Les Paul (the Epiphone LP doesn't compare).
    You can get a really really good Strat for half the cost of a Gibson Les Paul Standard (which is where I'd tell you to
    start if you're gonna go with the Les Paul -- start with a standard, then work your way up).
    BUT remember . . . you can always replace the pickguard on a strat to accept humbuckers, and then coil tap
    the humbuckers for the strat sound -- then you can (economically) have the best of both.
    I own a few of each, and like each individually (depending on what I'm playing) -- Screw the V, it's not worth it!!

    I've recently gone with a coil tapped Hollowbody, which I honestly like even better than my Strats or Les Pauls.
    I can get either tone with that, plus I can get big throaty tones and fat hollowbody tones, all with controlled feedback
    (whenever I want). To me it's the most versatile solution of the bunch. You can ask the folks on here about my playing.
    (I play everything from Hard Rock to Alternative Rock to Blues-Rock to Fusion to straight Blues to clean Jazz. My
    semihollow guitar sets-up everything with really great tone - I suggest a look (especially since you were considering
    buying a V - there's absolutely no comparison).    .
    Cheers . . .

    - Ian C.T. vom Saal
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