Sustain as a criteria in assessing a vintage Les Paul

Black58 · Sep 9, 2018

marshall1987 said:
Black....do you honestly think that with all the financial resources and vintage guitars available to Gary Rossington, he would settle on a mediocre vintage Les Paul? I find that hard to believe.

You are thinking after the fact; After the fact. They didn't really have shit when he got that fiddle. .. I believe, the way band members and other folks talked about it, that he was lucky to have found one, did whatever he had to do to pay for it, and then just remained loyal to it because of that.

marshall1987 · Sep 9, 2018

Black58 said:
You are thinking after the fact; After the fact. They didn't really have shit when he got that fiddle. .. I believe, the way band members and other folks talked about it, that he was lucky to have found one, did whatever he had to do to pay for it, and then just remained loyal to it because of that.

Whatever....regardless....that "mediocre" '59 Les Paul that Gary played and recorded with sure as shit sounded good! Made Gary a rich man too!

SpencerD · Sep 9, 2018

In this thread I have read words that I don't understand.

What the fuck is airy honk and snappy neck?

If your aunt had a mustache,she would be your uncle.

renderit · Sep 9, 2018

SpencerD said:
In this thread I have read words that I don't understand.

What the fuck is airy honk and snappy neck?

If your aunt had a mustache,she would be your uncle.

Just drop by with a quesadilla and I'll demonstrate an airy honk. With tooth.

Wilko · Sep 9, 2018

There are a lot of misunderstanding and such here.

“Sustain” of a guitar is only measured unplugged. Once it’s amplified, all bets are off.

in regards to vintage les pauls(or any guitar for that matter) I’ve also found that the les Paul’s that speak to me with nice resonance and overtones have less sustain. That is known and proved physics. As the strings energy is allowed to vibrate the guitar structures, that energy is expended and isn’t available as long. Stiffer guitars will sistain linger, yet have have less harmonic content. A steel rail with a string will sistain longer. So what?

a vintage les Paul isn’t great because it has longest sustain. It has right blend.

Black58 · Sep 9, 2018

marshall1987 said:
Whatever....regardless....that "mediocre" '59 Les Paul that Gary played and recorded with sure as shit sounded good! Made Gary a rich man too!

Sure did! :salude

Black58 · Sep 9, 2018

Wilko said:
There are a lot of misunderstanding and such here.

“Sustain” of a guitar is only measured unplugged. Once it’s amplified, all bets are off.

in regards to vintage les pauls(or any guitar for that matter) I’ve also found that the les Paul’s that speak to me with nice resonance and overtones have less sustain. That is known and proved physics. As the strings energy is allowed to vibrate the guitar structures, that energy is expended and isn’t available as long. Stiffer guitars will sistain linger, yet have have less harmonic content. A steel rail with a string will sistain longer. So what?

a vintage les Paul isn’t great because it has longest sustain. It has right blend.

BINGO! :salude

Tom Wittrock · Sep 9, 2018

My guitar can have more or less sustain, depending on several factors. :ganz

marshall1987 · Sep 9, 2018

At the end of the day, sustain is just one component of the overall tone "formula" with a guitar like a Les Paul.

Just as significant are the gratifying overtones, harmonics, and strong fundamental frequencies you experience with a great Les Paul. I don't even have to think about sustain with my Les Pauls. It's all there in spades.

Dr Mike · Sep 10, 2018

Pleck yer Paul and you will be amazed!!
Call Mr Glaser and git R done.
Seriously my friend

)
Makes even an average re-issue KILL!!
Puts the BOLD into the OLD wood and you will never regret it.

Black58 · Sep 10, 2018

I like to keep my sustain long enough to keep things interesting, yet, short enough to keep people from thinking that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing! :rofl ... :ganz

korus · Oct 9, 2018

JPP-1 said:
I've been considering a early gold top for a while. I played a really nice 1953 a few weeks ago that sounded amazing. Great acoustic tone and glorious plugged into a JTM45. The original P90s had plenty of punch too. The only caveat I had was that the guitar seemed to lack a degree of sustain. Sometimes it seems the better sounding Les Pauls I've played aren't the biggest sustainers.

Anyway, I'd be interested to what folks here think about sustain when assessing a vintage Les Paul.

I am a bit late for the party, but there is a crucial criteria you might overlook if you do not know it. And I am not talking about financial aspect, make no mistake.

I cannot possibly know what means might be available to you, but make one thing ABSOLUTELY SURE before purchase. Are ALL THE HARDWARE parts stock original and not fakes - artificially aged modern made that only LOOK LIKE they were made when the guitar was made, but SOUND NOTHING LIKE stock original hardware, turning a vintage guitar into a garden variety CS, tone-wise?

K_L · Oct 9, 2018

FWIW Back when he was in the band in the 70`s Ed King thought Rossington`s Les Paul [Bernice?] was nothing special and was not too impressed with it. However as 'marshall1987' noted, Rossington gets plenty of sustain during 'That Smell' and he also gets some great sustain right after EK`s blazing solo in the middle of 'MCA' as well as some nice sustain during 'Sat Night Special'. Edit: also there are some great sustaining notes in GR`s solos within the great Ed King classic 'I Need You' on Skynyrd 'Second Helping' LP/CD.

Sustain as a criteria in assessing a vintage Les Paul

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