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Les Paul DC Pro or DC Standard?

SlyStrat

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Nov 11, 2005
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Is one better than the other? Why?
Is the tone of the DCs a cross between a Les Paul and 335?
 

dmt

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Sep 20, 2002
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All I know is the Pro has 22 frets (like most other Les Pauls), the Standard 24. 24 frets give you, well, 2 more frets -- you can play 5 octaves in the key of E without bending strings or using a slide or whatever. However, on a 24 3/4" scale guitar, the wee frets get pretty, well, wee. 24 frets also moves the neck pickup away (bridgeward) from the 24th "fret" harmonic, a traditional sweet spot for a pickup. You lose the exact traditional neck pickup sound (which is already compromised compared to a traditional Les Paul via the double cutaways and the internal tone chambers). However, moving the neck pickup slightly will add slightly more treble and bite to the neck pickup sound, which some might prefer. Regardless, I've played guitars (own one currently) with the neck pickup out of the traditional position, and the difference is subtle -- it'll still basically sound like a neck pickup, in other words.

24 fretter might tend to be more neck heavy?

I haven't compared the two, and have only played the DC Standard very briefly in a shop. I am very intersted in the DC Pro though and would love to hear more about these guitars.

BTW, I often read that the CS-336 and -356 are a cross between an LP and a -335, so you might want to look into one of those if that is the kind of thing you're going for. I'm still holding out for a DC Pro with no tone chambers. I think that would be the guitar that I wished my old McCarty would have been (but wasn't).

But, I have almost no experience here -- I just responded to get the ball rollin'. I've also played a Hamer that was in a similar vein, but the neck didn't do it for me, and frankly it sounded bad plugged in. I'm definitely a Gibson guy, so I'm hoping they'll build the guitar I've been jonesing for.
 

SlyStrat

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Nov 11, 2005
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I like the upper fret access available on the DC. I don't really care if it has regular LP tone.
I'm back to playing a '61 Reissue SG, and this might be a nice guitar with different tone, but kinda the same playablity. Even has the slim taper neck.
If it leans a little toward 335 tone, all the better.
 

Shredrrr

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Oct 16, 2006
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DC pro looks and sounds better imo. Its closer to a normal lp with 22 frets so the neck pickup is in the right position. Its got burstbuckers instead of the 490's on standards and binding, can't go wrong with that. Only thing going against it are the "classic" piss yellow inlays. The difference between the two is something like $30 for better pickups and bidning which definitely sounds like a better deal to me.
 

davess23

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Sep 22, 2005
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Stuff people complain about with the DC's seems to be that they're neck heavy, they have 24 frets, and there are just single volume and tone knobs. Oh, yeah, and they're not traditional Les Pauls.

The Pro looks like a good guitar. My only experience is with the Standard, though. 24 vs. 22 frets is pretty much a non-issue to me. The neck pickup sounds quite good "out of position", nice definition in the bass but not muddy. The single volume and tone control aren't bad things for me...simpler the better, as far as I'm concerned. I have enough knobs to screw with on the amp and the pedals. All I ask of a guitar is to be able to do basic adjustments of volume and tone, and the DC can do this. I haven't noticed any neck heaviness on my particular guitar.

My DC is an amber flame '98, and I recently replaced the stock 490/498 set with 57 Classic/Classic +. Stock pickups were fine, this was just an experiment, but the Classics sound so good I'll probably keep them in. A little more old school, that's all. I love the neck, the guitar plays great, it's lighter than my R6, and it sounds excellent. No complaints.

I'd agree that the sound isn't pure old-school Lester, but it's a very nice Gibson sound that works for the stuff I play, which is mostly blues and backing up contemporary acoustic players.
 

karl1

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Nov 28, 2006
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My DC standard is 4 years old and I find it sound is in- between my SG Standard and My LP's that have the same pick-ups. At times it is brilliant and other times it is a bit on the 'nothing special' sound. Playability is wonderful as far as comfort goes.
 

m_rambler

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Jan 26, 2007
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My 98 dc standard is a little neck heavy but otherwise the most comfortable guitar I've played. The sound is like a brighter Les Paul or a thicker warmer SG with the standard 490 498 pups. Play both I guess and see which you like but in my opinion, I can't fault the standard on anything other than getting occasionally snobbed off by "real" Les Paul owners. Cranking it through a hot amp usually shuts THEM up though.
 

Ephlat

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Jan 9, 2007
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Just recently I had been comparing the two, and also to standards as a comparison. I was interested in them for the price (much better value than a std., IMO), and I also liked the fact that the neck joins the body higher than a standard. I had been used to playing an old Guild solid body that has very easy access all the way up the fretboard (like an SG), and with my short fingers, that is important to me.

There are a few interesting differences, though, besides the 2 extra frets. On the DC std., the neck is attached way up at the 22nd fret, which you would think would give the best access; the DC pro is at the 19th fret. (Regular Stds. are at the 16th fret.) However, notice that the body on the DC Std. meets the neck at a 90 degree angle, then turns somewhat abruptly. On the Pro, the cutout shape is closer to the regular standard - it meets the neck tangent to it and then gently curves around 180 degrees. This effectively increases the access to the higher frets. Also, I found that the space of the cutout on the DC Std. was quite tight - my hand would get caught in there and limited movement. I didn't have that problem on the Pro.

Soundwise, I liked both DC's, but ultimately liked the regular std. best of all. Maybe the extra weight, maybe that the neck attachment only being at the 16th fret increases sustain? I also liked having the double set of controls which adds tonal variety when using both pups. But if I were choosing only between the DC's, I'd go with the Pro.

Good luck!
 

dmt

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Sep 20, 2002
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Just recently I had been comparing the two, and also to standards as a comparison. I was interested in them for the price (much better value than a std., IMO), and I also liked the fact that the neck joins the body higher than a standard. I had been used to playing an old Guild solid body that has very easy access all the way up the fretboard (like an SG), and with my short fingers, that is important to me.

There are a few interesting differences, though, besides the 2 extra frets. On the DC std., the neck is attached way up at the 22nd fret, which you would think would give the best access; the DC pro is at the 19th fret. (Regular Stds. are at the 16th fret.) However, notice that the body on the DC Std. meets the neck at a 90 degree angle, then turns somewhat abruptly. On the Pro, the cutout shape is closer to the regular standard - it meets the neck tangent to it and then gently curves around 180 degrees. This effectively increases the access to the higher frets. Also, I found that the space of the cutout on the DC Std. was quite tight - my hand would get caught in there and limited movement. I didn't have that problem on the Pro.

Soundwise, I liked both DC's, but ultimately liked the regular std. best of all. Maybe the extra weight, maybe that the neck attachment only being at the 16th fret increases sustain? I also liked having the double set of controls which adds tonal variety when using both pups. But if I were choosing only between the DC's, I'd go with the Pro.

Good luck!

Good review, thanks!
 
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