# 4 Les Pauls - Which do you like best?



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I had 4 les pauls on hand so I made a quick recording of each pickup position to see what they each sounded like compared to one another.

Guitars:
2007 Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 pickups
1982 Tokai Love Rock with JS Moore Ultimate Rock pickups
2010 Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute with Gibson P90 pickups
2002 Epiphone Les Paul with JS Moore V59 pickups

All guitars went direct into a Marshall JTM45 into a 1936 cab with a v30 speaker mic'd with an SM57. Mic went into an M-Audio 410, then into Sonar. Added a little reverb and compression and that's that.

The guitars are in the same order every time (I'll post the order later) and I'm whipping through The Cult's Love Removal Machine (Bridge pickup), Pearl Jam's Alive (Neck pickup) and Dire Straits' Money for Nothing (Middle position, neck tone rolled off). Please ignore my sloppy play, I was kinda whipping through this to get it done. I was more interested in how the guitars sounded than how nicely I played them 

Which do you think sounds best and what's you best guess at the order of the guitars? The P90 50's Studio Tribute should be fairly easy to pick out 

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10056673


----------



## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

Maybe I'm just missing it... but where's the link to the recordings?


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

sivs said:


> Maybe I'm just missing it... but where's the link to the recordings?


I originally forgot it, but then edited it to be at the bottom. Should be there now.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I voted for #2. My guess would be the JS Moore V59's but then I'm useless at this kinda thing  P90's are #4 though 

Order: 2007, 2002, 1982, 2010


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

davetcan said:


> I voted for #2. My guess would be the JS Moore V59's but then I'm useless at this kinda thing  P90's are #4 though
> 
> Order: 2007, 2002, 1982, 2010


I'm pretty sure you're right with at least one of those. Can't tell ya which, though


----------



## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

I found the first 3 all sound the same on mid and neck position. But I prefer the first one for the bridge pickup sound.

number 4 sounds like the p90s =noisy


----------



## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

My preference:

#3
#4
#2
#1

#3 and #4 both sounded good. #2 sounded a bit cheezy to my ears, and #1 sounded a bit harsh to my ears - I came to these conclusions before paying attention to which guitar was which. My thoughs surprised me because I'm actually quite the gear snob.


----------



## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

I liked #3 the best, seemed to bite a bit more than the others. (I'll guess that's the Tokai)
did not like the bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz of #4 (cured me of my mild desire for a P90, assuming that was the Studio)
#1 sounded kind of muddy. on pure snobbery, i'd guess that's the Epi. 
Leaving #2 as my 2nd fave, I'll guess that's the 2007 LP


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

vds5000 said:


> My preference:
> 
> #3
> #4
> ...


I actually haven't posted which is which yet. The order they are listed in in the first post is NOT the order they are in for the clips.

Interesting that you didn't like the first two, since they are currently in the lead for voting.


----------



## washburned (Oct 13, 2006)

Liked #2 best, #1 a bit too fat and aggresssive for my taste, #3 just the opposite, # 4 good but weak and the hum (P90, i'd guess) kills it for me in a recording situation. myguess is 82, 02, 07, 10


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

washburned said:


> Liked #2 best, #1 a bit too fat and aggresssive for my taste, #3 just the opposite, # 4 good but weak and the hum (P90, i'd guess) kills it for me in a recording situation. myguess is 82, 02, 07, 10


You've got 2 of them right.

I'll wait til New Year's Day to post the actual order of the guitars. This thread has actually been a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. The first 3 guitars are all getting a lot of votes, which is pretty surprising considering how different they are in terms of electronics and bodies (and price points, for that matter!).

I'm guessing the hum really killed the 50's GT's chances of getting more votes. I didn't have a gate handy and by the time I thought of using a VST gate, I'd already done the recording. Maybe for the New Year, I'll do another clip and use a gate so I can hide the P90s more easily. That should make it really interesting.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

All of those sound really noisy to me, and I couldn't sit through the whole thing mostly due to that issue alone. I actually preferred the P90's the most, they sounded the clearest - the hum was a nuisance in between playing but tonewise, that's what I dig. #1 sounded like it would sit in a mix pretty well.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Budda said:


> All of those sound really noisy to me, and I couldn't sit through the whole thing mostly due to that issue alone. I actually preferred the P90's the most, they sounded the clearest - the hum was a nuisance in between playing but tonewise, that's what I dig. #1 sounded like it would sit in a mix pretty well.


Well, they were all going through a JTM45 with the channels jumpered, treble channel at 8.5 and normal at 10, but it wasn't the amp so much that was noisy. We have electric heat in my apartment, so when it's on, it introduces an awful lot of noise on the power lines. Also, I'm pretty sure I was doing laundry at the same time and I think you can hear the dryer tumbling around in the back. I wasn't too concerned about getting the recording environment perfect, because it was just something I threw together, but I think I'm going to redo this and maybe use some different levels of gain and show off some clean sounds while I'm at all and try to get a really nice quality recording. And definitely hide the P90s with a gate


----------



## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

number 2 for me. sounded the fullest. I am actually betting its the Tokai


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

TDeneka said:


> number 2 for me. sounded the fullest. I am actually betting its the Tokai


I was leaning towards the Tokai for that at first also, changed my mind to the V59's at the last minute


----------



## Drazden (Oct 26, 2007)

Guitars are noisy. That's what they're made to do. I've never worried about the hum from P90's. Stuff sounds better when it feels like it's about to explode.

Anyway, I probably got them all wrong. But here's my guesses anyway

#1: Lots of crunch... *'82 Tokai w/JSM Ultimate Rocks*
#2: A little fuller/creamier than the other 3... I'm going to guess *'07 Standard w/Alnico 2's*
#3: Just a hair thinner than #1... I'm going to put that to the pickups. *Epi w/V59's*
#4: Lots of bite, lots of hum; a really snarly sort of sound. I think this one had the most character. *50's Tribute*


----------



## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

I thought they soubnded best to worst... #2, #3, #4, #1.

#4 was the P90's... havent a clue otherwise. #1 was a little harsh/scratchy. 

AJC


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

So, lots of good and interesting guesses. At the moment #1 and 4 each have 4 votes, #3 has 6 and #2 is so far the winner with 8 votes. It was a bit closer in the early running, but the cream has definitely risen to the top as the voting went on. The actual order is this:

#1 - 2002 Korean Epiphone w/ JS Moore V59s
#2 - 1982 Tokai LS-50 w/ JS Moore Ultimate Rock Set
#3 - 2007 Gibson Les Paul Standard w/ SD Alnico II
#4 - 2010 Gibson 50's Studio Tribute w/ P90s

What I found interesting was that VDS5000 thought #2 sounded cheezy, but Drazden and TDeneka both though it was very full-sounding. It's actually my favourite as well. Amazing how much tonal preferences can differ. Also interesting is that some people thought #1 and 3 were very close and others thought they sounded totally different. 

I'm definitely going to do another one of these soon and try to be a little more professional in my recording to really bring out the characteristics of the guitars. And I'll definitely put some clean stuff in there too.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

That is VERY interesting. I thought 1 and 3 sounded pretty similar also and definitely preferred 2. The Ultimate Rock set vs V59 is a big surprise to me. Hmmm....


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

davetcan said:


> That is VERY interesting. I thought 1 and 3 sounded pretty similar also and definitely preferred 2. The Ultimate Rock set vs V59 is a big surprise to me. Hmmm....


I was really pleasantly surprised with the Ultimate Rock set. I was expecting some like like a SD JB or Dimarzio Super Distortion for the bridge pickup, but instead it's like a vintage-voiced pickup that just hits the amp harder and has a "woody" tone that I don't normally associate with higher output pickups. The neck is also really vintage-sounding and fat as hell. I didn't record either in parallel mode, where they're much more like single-coils, but trust me, they work phenomenally well that way as well. The Tokai with the JS Moore and the push-pulls is really a do-it-all axe that can be used all night for 3 sets and 40+ songs and convincingly recreate the feel of each one.

But really, I don't think there's a loser per-se in this shoot-out. I think all 4 guitars have very convincing Les Paul tones that are a little different, but are all very usable.


----------



## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

davetcan said:


> That is VERY interesting. I thought 1 and 3 sounded pretty similar also and definitely preferred 2. The Ultimate Rock set vs V59 is a big surprise to me. Hmmm....


I toooold you


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

TDeneka said:


> I toooold you


You did didn't you, LOL.


----------



## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> The actual order is this:
> 
> #1 - 2002 Korean Epiphone w/ JS Moore V59s
> #2 - 1982 Tokai LS-50 w/ JS Moore Ultimate Rock Set
> ...


oooh, so close. I just mixed up the Tokai and the LP Standard.
I'll call that a ringing endorsement for Tokai


----------



## SuperFlyinMonke (Jul 27, 2009)

Am I the only one that thought #2 was out of tune? I definitely preferred #3 with #2 a close second. I want a LP Custom, myself. Just a studio that needs a set-up in my basement for now.


----------



## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

I voted for #1 which I expected to be the 2007 LP Standard. I thought it sounded best, with #3 a close second. I thought #2 was too dark and didn't like #4 at all. I guess I'm not a P90 guy.

By the way, I own a 2007 LP Standard (w/ the stock BurstBucker Pro pickups) and love it.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

puckhead said:


> oooh, so close. I just mixed up the Tokai and the LP Standard.
> I'll call that a ringing endorsement for Tokai


It really is a fantastic instrument. For less than half the price of a nice used LP, that Tokai can definitely hang with the big boys and hold its own. AND, it's the entry-level Tokai for it's generation! Makes me wonder what the nicer ones are like 



SuperFlyinMonke said:


> Am I the only one that thought #2 was out of tune? I definitely preferred #3 with #2 a close second. I want a LP Custom, myself. Just a studio that needs a set-up in my basement for now.


If it was, then I apologize. I didn't bother to check the tuning other than a quick strum of a G chord before I started. I might have heard a slight issue and figured it was "close enough for rock and roll." Next time I'll use that tuner doo-hickey 



pattste said:


> I voted for #1 which I expected to be the 2007 LP Standard. I thought it sounded best, with #3 a close second. I thought #2 was too dark and didn't like #4 at all. I guess I'm not a P90 guy.
> 
> By the way, I own a 2007 LP Standard (w/ the stock BurstBucker Pro pickups) and love it.


I'm really happy with how that Epi turned out. Some people complained that it sounded too harsh, but I prefer to call it "biting." Plus the neck pickup sounds really good too. And the fact that, to my ears (and to some of yours), the Epi and Gibby sounded very similar to one another makes me think that my father-in-law is going to love this guitar when he gets it. BTW - I sent him the clip too and he liked the Gibby Standard best, but thought the Epi was 2nd best.


----------



## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I preferred 2 and 3 but one of them was out of tune (can't recall...) that may have swayed your poll!


----------



## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> ...
> 
> #1 - 2002 Korean Epiphone w/ JS Moore V59s
> #2 - 1982 Tokai LS-50 w/ JS Moore Ultimate Rock Set
> ...


Another interesting thing is that my ranking (3, 4, 2, 1) was in line with the market value of each guitar - further proof that I am a gear snob!


----------



## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

I notice in the "gear breakdown" you didn't mention what tuner you used. Then I heard the clips...

Nothing turns me off more than an out of tune guitar.


----------

