Is a Gibson Les Paul, necessary when you own a good SG ?

[Pageburst]

I'd be willing to bet there are people out the with 5 or more Strats, Tele's etc... I have 3 SGs and wouldn't think twice about a 4th if it tickled that spot in my brain that makes me do financially irresponsible things. Bottom line, whether joking or trolling, nobody should worry about how many of anything anyone has. This guy might be new here but he isn't on the MLP forum and he showed up with a ridiculously clean '62 SG and a heavy Les Paul collection. I appreciate that. I also appreciate your Rics. They just all kinda look the same to me. What's that thing they say about different strokes and different folks or something?

Thanks, Chute, i appreciate that. And let me add if it was somehow ambiguous that I really like my SG. Imo, its clean tone is better than my 345 which has similar era pickups. And while the tele on steroids cliche gets thrown around a bit too much, i actually find it quite fitting here.

The SG is not some one dimensional rock guitar. Not at all. It has a distinctive feel and tone all its own and appears to be quite versatile. Like i said, i wish I had grabbed one years earlier. Sure there is overlap, but you could say the same with an ES or any humbucker equipped Gibson.

 

[cheshiergrin]

You obviously need a Les Paul and a double cut and 5 strats and 2 teles, it's what any sensible collection would have

 

[NMA]

"all right now"

Odd that you mention that song.

When I got my SG one of the first riffs I banged out was the intro to "All Right Now." I was in heaven because it sounded just like it. Then I went online and learned the guy used a Les Paul for that song.

My point is the SG can cover what a Les Paul does. Which brings us back to the purpose of this thread. No, a Les Paul isn't necessary when you own a good SG.

 

[NMA]

I'd be willing to bet there are people out the with 5 or more Strats, Tele's etc...

Five Strats or Teles I can understand. But five Les Pauls?
Heck, I bet even Les Paul didn't own five Les Pauls.

 

[NMA]

View attachment 41224

Beautiful.

By the way, what's the one in the middle with the Tele pickguard?

 

[cheshiergrin]

Beautiful.

By the way, what's the one in the middle with the Tele pickguard?

Thank you, it is a Charvel body that was a guitar I bought in a used guitar shop in 89' and has gone through some changes over the years and was a test / practice paint body for a few years and I actually gave it away twice in different configurations. It kept coming home so I stripped it and repainted it Gold Put a MIM neck I had on it. I am still not sure what bridge pickup will live in it permanently but I stuck a MIM ceramic tele pickup in there and it kind rocks pretty hard believe it or not. I will do something else for the pickup plate at some point, I have seen some chrome ones I like if I decide to keep the configuration.

 

[Pageburst]

Odd that you mention that song.

When I got my SG one of the first riffs I banged out was the intro to "All Right Now." I was in heaven because it sounded just like it. Then I went online and learned the guy used a Les Paul for that song.

My point is the SG can cover what a Les Paul does. Which brings us back to the purpose of this thread. No, a Les Paul isn't necessary when you own a good SG.

Necessary? A guitar isn’t necessary unless it’s how you earn a living.

And You better stay clear of the LPF if multiple Les Pauls triggers you. I doubt my collection would make it into the top 50 on that site. But if you love guitars, it’s a pretty cool place. One of the forum members who is a really good guy actually owns Kossoff’s Burst. I think he has another 50 or so Les Pauls so tread carefully.

Technically, You could get away with either an SG, ES335 or Les Paul to cover a variety of 60s and 70s classic rock humbucker tones. But, this isn’t the weddingbandforum its EverythingSG. Afaic, a guitar enthusiast forum is not about what’s necessary but the joy of chasing tone and the love of guitars and all their nuances.

I appreciated the insights I obtained from this site regarding various year heel joints, neck carves etc, and wanted to share as it seems like a very cool place.

Btw, I would never buy a Gretch. To me they are Country, Rockabilly guitars (Billy Duffy the exception) and not my thing, but i would never have a problem with someone posting a collection of white falcons. I’d actually enjoy seeing them.

Point is, my perspective is all guitars are good and the more the merrier. Therefore, your hostility to multiple Les Pauls seems completely bizarre to me. Lol.

 

[cheshiergrin]

Necessary? A guitar isn’t necessary unless it’s how you earn a living.
.

not to disagree but

 

[donepearce]

I bet my dad can beat up your dad.

 

[SG standard]

Point is, my perspective is all guitars are good and the more the merrier. Therefore, your hostility to multiple Les Pauls seems completely bizarre to me. Lol.

Odd isn't it? I'd consider myself as being as far from a fan of the Les Paul as you can get whilst still liking guitars, yet I can easily appreciate that someone else might want to own a dozen or more Les Pauls.

To lighten the mood of this thread, I'll share this story: I once sold an SG to a lovely old gentleman who'd driven a long way to personally collect the SG. We got chatting. Turned out he was now divorced, and lived in a house with over 200 guitars. (I didn't ask which came first, the divorce or the guitars, or if his ex-wife now lived in a house with 200 cats). But what blew my mind was that this was his first SG! Given the SGs position in the history of the solid body, how could anyone get to 200 guitars without an SG amongst them, yet still be interested enough to buy one and travel across the country to collect it?

I wonder how many sets of duplicates he must've owned? :)

 

[Robert Nunn]

I could turn it around and say is a SG necessary when you have a Les Paul?

 

[gball]

I could turn it around and say is a SG necessary when you have a Les Paul?

That's probably my first reaction as a lifelong Les Paul player. Took me many years to decide to add an SG to the stable, and now that I have a few I can't imagine not having them. But that's precisely because they are so different, not because they are simliar - there's some overlap to be sure but they are two wildly different beasts. Both essential.

 

[JesseXGibson]

I just come from a camp (being there myself not too long ago) where if you can’t afford to get both or you don’t see it as a necessity, you’ll be okay.

That being said, I believe the tonal differences between the two are different enough to justify buying both, if you want both.

Necessity is just a strong word. I mean, we can’t eat or drink these things right?

 

[NMA]

...I would never buy a Gretsch. To me they are Country, Rockabilly guitars (Billy Duffy the exception) and not my thing,

You say Gretsch guitars are country western/rockabilly guitars, yet I and others here could list hundreds of players and bands that used them not for those genres. One example: hands down the greatest Pete Townshend rock guitar tones are on the albums "Who's Next" and "Quadrophenia." Think "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Baba O'Riley," "The Real Me"... This is how Pete got that monster rock sound:

You say, "I would never buy a Gretsch." I suggest this: instead of five Les Pauls if you had four of those Les Pauls and one Gretsch you would be a happier fellow.

As for Billy Duffy, yes, you are correct, Duffy is a non-country western Gretsch user. I love my rockabilly and Chet Atkins stuff, but it was actually Billy Duffy's early Cult work that made me buy a Gretsch. I had to get his exact rig:

You seem to like collecting guitars. Do yourself a favor and add a big hollow bodied Gretsch to your arsenal. They are unique, beautiful instruments.

 

[Demon Dave]

With that Gretsch on stage, I could probably look as child who holds his father guitar.

 

[NMA]

With that Gretsch on stage, I could probably look as child who holds his father guitar.

This picture is real, not photo shopped. Malcolm from AC/DC with his White Falcon:

 

[Demon Dave]

Exactly what I could look like, a boy with his father’s guitar, not for me. Can’t imagine myself covering Black Sabbath with that white, huge instrument, trying to bring demons on stage. Ahahahaha

 

[cheshiergrin]

I use my Les Paul to play country and rockabilly, and my strats to play metal riffs.

 

[SG standard]

I use my Les Paul to play country and rockabilly, and my strats to play metal riffs.

Good! That's the kind of rebellious attitude guitarists had back in the 50s & 60s. These days they're all so conservative and conformist they tend to make bass players look exciting.

 

[Demon Dave]

I use my Les Paul to play country and rockabilly, and my strats to play metal riffs.

Strats are perfect for metal