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Les Paul vs. PRS Singlecut

58junior

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Sep 14, 2007
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Anyone own both and know the dimensions of both, particularly the body thickness on the edge (by the strap button) and the comparative difference in the Les Paul 59 neck (or standard 50's neck) and the PRS "wide fat"

Thanks.
 

tooncat

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Feb 5, 2004
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Anyone own both and know the dimensions of both, particularly the body thickness on the edge (by the strap button) and the comparative difference in the Les Paul 59 neck (or standard 50's neck) and the PRS "wide fat"

Thanks.

I have a SC245 and a 50's neck LP standard. I don't have specific dimensions info but I'm sure you can get that from the company sites or spec. sites on the web. From practical experience: the body thickness at the strap buttons is narrower on the 245, maybe by 1/2" but I would have to measure. The PRS neck on the 245 is not the widest PRS neck I've played; it is comparitive to the 50's. But the carve feels quite a bit different. The PRS is not as thick as the 50's but is not "thin" by any means. It is comfortable. But so is the LP neck. By the way, I had to change out those PRS pups. I can't stand that mid-rangy tone those things give. IMO they're OK until you put them in a band mix, then all the frequencies that make the guitar sound OK just disappear. I put on a set of Sheptones and it made all the difference in the world. I do not have any affiliation with Sheptone.
 

Soup's Uncle

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I am a previous owner of 2 PRS...Even though they cost more, they are nowhere near as nice as LPs...Just my opinion.

The wide fat neck isn't as thick as a 50's neck. Their wide thin neck is even thinner than the 60s neck.

I think the tone, no question is better with LPs...PRS's sounds like they are trying to be Gibson, but can't get it quite right.

No punchiness. I noticed after I bought my classic that the guitar sounded louder coming through my amp than my main PRS I had.

Gibson overall is just the cheaper, but better product. Having owned 2 PRS's and now 3 LPs, I think I can make that statement.

Now I have friends that will swear their PRS is a nicer guitar, but I guess it's a preference thing. I guess that's why I am on this forum and not some Paul Reed forum.
 

Mr. Clean

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Just my opinion, but personally I would take a PRS SC245 over any new Les Paul with the exception of the VOS models.
 

sonar

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I am a previous owner of 2 PRS...Even though they cost more, they are nowhere near as nice as LPs...Just my opinion.

The wide fat neck isn't as thick as a 50's neck. Their wide thin neck is even thinner than the 60s neck.

I think the tone, no question is better with LPs...PRS's sounds like they are trying to be Gibson, but can't get it quite right.

No punchiness. I noticed after I bought my classic that the guitar sounded louder coming through my amp than my main PRS I had.

Gibson overall is just the cheaper, but better product. Having owned 2 PRS's and now 3 LPs, I think I can make that statement.

Now I have friends that will swear their PRS is a nicer guitar, but I guess it's a preference thing. I guess that's why I am on this forum and not some Paul Reed forum.

Agreed. I recognize PRS to be very well built, but really lacking in tone and feel.

As for the neck profile if the new one's are similar to the pre-lawsuits ('89 to '02ish) the wide thin has significantly more shoulder than a Gibson 50's neck.
 

Wire and wood

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It's all in what you get used to I suppose but I just cannot adapt to the PRS. A buddy of mine owns a music store and he'd give me a great deal on a new single cut. He harangues me all the time for not using one, but each time I've taken one out for the weekend I just end up stashing it in the case and bringing it back to him. I can switch back and forth between my Gibsons and Fenders and get around fine but there is just something about the PRS that freaks my clumsy little fingers out.
That said, they are extremely well made and very beautiful to look at and obviously a lot of guys are making great music with them, I'm just not one of them. I am glad to see they finally offer an adjustable fixed bridge on them, I don't know how long they've been doing that but until recently I had only seen the ones with the fixed intonation and as someone who dinks around with stuff too much, I don every once in a while find myself altering the setups up on my guitars.
 

toxpert

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It's all in what you get used to I suppose but I just cannot adapt to the PRS. A buddy of mine owns a music store and he'd give me a great deal on a new single cut. He harangues me all the time for not using one, but each time I've taken one out for the weekend I just end up stashing it in the case and bringing it back to him. I can switch back and forth between my Gibsons and Fenders and get around fine but there is just something about the PRS that freaks my clumsy little fingers out.
.........


My sentiments as well. I can go back and forth between my Lesters, Tele and Strat..no problem. With a PRS McCarty I had...once I got above ~ 5th fret, my reference sense of 'home' got lost and I had to really work to keep from flubbing up. I can play my Gibsons and Fenders almost by feel and don't have to look at fretboard 'cept when I'm playing slide.

I tried a PRS Singlecut and McCarty out prior to purchasing the McCarty. The McCarty package performed better to my liking.

IMHO - The notes above about the sound disappearing in the mix are exactly my experience as well. Playing by myself, the guitar sounded nice...playing in the band mix...I could not hear my guitar's voice. I play with a couple of weekend warrier bands..so we have just basic PA equipment with simple floor-wedge monitors...nothing eleborate.
 

ant_riv

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Dec 20, 2006
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I have a '71 Deluxe (converted to full-size HBs) and an SC245 with wide/fat neck.

The necks are nothing alike. I don't suppose anyone would expect them to be though.

The neck of the SC245 does feel similar (to me) to a few LP R8s I've tried. Bigger and rounder than the '71.

Tonewise, they are two different guitars.

These are both my main guitars right now. They each do something special for me.

Tooncat, sorry to hear you don't like the SC245 pups, would you be interested in selling them to me?
 

MWR

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FWIW - I once heard it described of PRS guitars by some qualified individuals.....popular, beautifully crafted, good looking but lacking soul. I have tried to like them but I think there is something to the statement above. The Mira seems to be a step in the right direction. :)
 

Trailerparkeddie

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FWIW - I once heard it described of PRS guitars by some qualified individuals.....popular, beautifully crafted, good looking but lacking soul. I have tried to like them but I think there is something to the statement above. The Mira seems to be a step in the right direction. :)

Total bunk. Placebo effect or maybe Gibbo has mixed some peyote into the last few batches of laquer. Personally, I think a lot of people are a little brainwashed into thinking there's something wrong with Paul Reed Smith guitars. Lacking soul? That's crazy talk.

Sorry to say, compared feature to feature, spec to spec, an American made PRS Singlecut is a nicer guitar than a Gibson LP Standard, or Custom for that matter.

People need to open up their ears and their eyes. These days I play a Gibson LP to impress other people. I play a Paul Reed Smith to impress me. I bet most people on this forum that own a PRS will vouche for it's soul.
 

58junior

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Thanks for the feedback. I have jumped between PRS and Gibson for 20 years. Hate to remember all I have traded or sold that I wish I kept.

But back on topic, if anyone has both, can you measure the depth at the strap pin and compare body thickness in inches, and give a comparison of a les paul 50's neck vs PRS wide fat. I know PRS has a 10" radius vs a 12" on a les paul, but I need to know if a wide fat is like a modern "60's" les paul neck or more like a "50's"

Thanks.
 

MWR

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Total bunk. Placebo effect or maybe Gibbo has mixed some peyote into the last few batches of laquer. Personally, I think a lot of people are a little brainwashed into thinking there's something wrong with Paul Reed Smith guitars. Lacking soul? That's crazy talk.

Sorry to say, compared feature to feature, spec to spec, an American made PRS Singlecut is a nicer guitar than a Gibson LP Standard, or Custom for that matter.

People need to open up their ears and their eyes. These days I play a Gibson LP to impress other people. I play a Paul Reed Smith to impress me. I bet most people on this forum that own a PRS will vouche for it's soul.

To each his own....there is no doubt that PRSs are quality instruments but their tone stamp is generic....not really Gibson, not really Fender, not really Gretsch, not really etc not anything that historically is identified as a classic signature. It has nothing to do with cache and I do not play any particlar instrument to impress anyone...me personnally I choose a particular axe to get a specific tone across and the PRSs to me (this is just my opinion) do not have any identity. Once again if they make you happy...great. :ganz
 

Huc

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Jul 6, 2003
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I sound like me, It doesn't matter matter if I'm playing my Lester or Modern Eagle Singlecut PRS. Both are great tools..both sound great. The pups in both guitars do the job..they just are different flavors. Soul comes from the heart. Each guitar has it's own voice..it's how you play it that dictates "soul"..not the pups.
 

tooncat

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FWIW...I agree with MWR.

But I love my 245.....with the new pups.:pop:pop:pop
 

huw

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...compared feature to feature, spec to spec, an American made PRS Singlecut is a nicer guitar than a Gibson LP Standard, or Custom for that matter...

Well, comparing specs is OK, but when it comes down to it I buy a guitar for how it feels to me when I play it. And when I bought my LP it was because it spoke to me, and on that day the PRS's that I tried just didn't feel right. No amount of specs could have changed that.

Plus I had the ultimate "blind test" buyers aid with me: my non-musician wife, who, with no reason to prefer one or the other thought that the LP sounded really good, & that the PRS sounded nasty. She speaks, I listen... :hee
 

The Real MC

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I would also take a PRS SC245 over any non-VOS Les Paul. I have yet to find a production LP that doesn't suck.
 

Trailerparkeddie

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Nov 16, 2008
Messages
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Thanks for the feedback. I have jumped between PRS and Gibson for 20 years. Hate to remember all I have traded or sold that I wish I kept.

But back on topic, if anyone has both, can you measure the depth at the strap pin and compare body thickness in inches, and give a comparison of a les paul 50's neck vs PRS wide fat. I know PRS has a 10" radius vs a 12" on a les paul, but I need to know if a wide fat is like a modern "60's" les paul neck or more like a "50's"

Thanks.

50's all day. I can mic them both, but it's very simillar to the 50's. Matter of fact, I would say it's a ringer for a rounded '59 profile. Not quite as fat & round as a '57 or '58. I'll also try to measure the soul, too. It's hard because there's so much that it's spillingout all over the place!
 

Schtang

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Mar 19, 2005
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Sold my PRS and have never look back with my Standard and Classic - just no soul with the PRS (I think maybe Carlos took it all).
 

Huc

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Jul 6, 2003
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If there is a "nasty sounding PRS I haven't found it yet. But your right you better listen to your wife lol. Nasty to me is a is more the player and there are millions of really bad ones out there. The sad part is some of them really think they are great. Super nasty is that infernal contraption called "Guitar Hero"...god what have we done to our kids..a real guitar lesson would do wonders. Enjoy what we want.....life is just to darn short. :)
 
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