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If happy with LP do you need an SG?

Brian Krashpad

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2016
Messages
211
Brian, nice photo thanks, what do the different Pauls give you from one another?

Do you find the SG is more comfortable being so much lighter? And do you find the sound of the SG is on par with Pauls?

Well truth be told the 4 Specials are pretty similar, soundwise, despite having different versions of P-90s (they are all stock, so the Hamer has Seymour Duncan, the Gibsons have Gibsons, and the Epiphone has Epi pickups). Of course, 2 are doublecuts, so they are a little different in looks and weigh a smidge less. But at least they are each a different color, haha!

The Epi Les Paul Deluxe has mini-humbuckers, so that's it's distinguishing feature. Minis have a slightly different sound from full size humbuckers, a little more clarity and high end.

As to the remaining two sunburst humbuckered Gibsons, like the Specials they are pretty similar to each other, but one is singlecut and one doublecut, so the DC is lighter. Also, the doublecut has a 24-fret neck, to the more standard 22 on the singlecut. And lastly, the pickups are not the same, the DC has the stock LP Studio pair of alnico 490/498, while the singlecut Classic has the stock neck pickup (496R ceramic) and a Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom 5 in the bridge. The bridge pickups in these two are pretty similar, both being hot Alnico 5 humbuckers, while the neck pickup in the singlecut Classic, being ceramic, is more aggressive than the stock alnico 2 magnet in the 490 in the Studio DC.

The SG's sound, to me, is pretty similar to the 2 Gibson humbuckered Pauls. Although the body is thinner, the sound isn't much if any so, because it has 490s in both positions, which have the mellower alnico 2 magnets, whereas the two sunburst LPs (Studio DC and LP Classic) both have hotter alnico 5 bridge humbuckers. Also both the sunburst LPs have maple tops, which tends to brighten the sound from what the thicker mahogany body would tend to produce. So, at least with the Pauls and SG that I have, it all tends to even out.

Of course, the SG is lighter than any of the humbuckered Les Pauls, though less so as to the doublecut. The Specials are lighter, than the humbuckered/maple capped Pauls, being slabs with no maple cap. So the weight difference to the SG is less with the Specials, particularly the doublecuts, which are only slightly heavier than the SG.

Frankly I pretty much always end up sounding like me anyhow. It's just fun having different guitars even on a purely visual level. Happy hunting!
 

kevs

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
35
thanks Brian, nice info. Yes I have SG standard with 490s and the sounds is terrific and it's light and pretty (great mellow growl/ sustain)- so don't have huge urge now to drop 1-2k on a nice LP...

That said today I was at guitar center, I did hear that the $2500 LP '50s style with Burstbuckers did beat out the LP Player Classic with P-90s for growl/ sustain, so I would veer for those pickups if I cave in and buy LP. (one is $1700 and other $2500 though)
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
No, My solution is to just get another Les Paul . For my needs I have found thru trial and error (unfortunately ) that one can never have enough Les Paul's !
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I may be late to this party, but....
IT depends on your wants and needs.
A Les Paul does things SGs can't, and SG can do things LPs can't.
It's like asking a Strat player if they need a Tele to go with it (IMO you need all four, plus, and, and, and, and....)
If you're the sort who has and plays one guitar, or wants just one flavor of sound, then the one guitar is fine.
If you're one who wants the whole ice cream shop of flavors, then go for the additionals…
 

Tidepoolbay

New member
Joined
Apr 30, 2010
Messages
100
Funny you ask this question. I owned four Les Paul's before I bought an SG. I still have all of them!
 

kevs

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
35
Thanks Tide, how do you like the SG? .... compared to your 4 LPs? I was put off by the LP because of higher price (about double price ) to get a nice looking one. I still want one because of it's illustrious history and great sound: Cherry Red of Foam Green with burstbuckers. But I don't need one, as they are heavier, and I don't think so much better sounding than the lighter, killer sounding SG. (and I have a couple of Fenders)
 

K_L

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
566
I`m happy w/ my `13 stock SG Std & therefore don`t need/want a Les Paul! :bh:couch
 

mdubya

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,020
It is tough to beat a good Les Paul. I am partial to P-90's in an LP, but you need one with humbuckers, also.

That said, I am more of an SG, 335, and Firebird type of player. Go figure.

They all play very differently.

FWIW-I am playing my Les Paul, today.

Wednesday it was the 330, Thursday the 335, Friday the Firebird.

And so it goes.
 

kevs

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
35
Thanks M dub, yes P 90s are great, still seems bursbucker 50s 60s tad better in LP; sustain..

That said, SG Standard, with 490, lightness and grdat sound, look/ price seems to be the unbeatable Gibson solid body.
 

Telechamp

Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2015
Messages
99
Gotta have both!

(2013 LP Studio and 2013 SG Standard)

h3dMeuK.jpg
 

Bruce R

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Messages
1,029
.......SGs are very different feeling (the feeling like the neck is longer) and sounding guitars, hard to compare with LPs. They have some advantages like lower weight and better upper fret acces. They have different acoustic tone, more mid-heavy, their neck pickup is very different sounding too cause of the shorter distance to bridge. very often they have different attack and resonance too.

Excellent observations ... spot-on the money. I am a lifelong Les Paul player and have owned 3 SG's over the years. The first was a '63 Special, but that was in the early 70's and I gave up on the P90's too soon and sold it (mistake). The other two were '61 Reissues (USA) and they were actually both great guitars, but I ultimately sold them both (I had them at different times) for the issues above, as well as never really bonding with them. They were just too neck heavy, so I felt like I had to hold on to the neck and play at the same time to keep it from dropping. It was tough going back and forth between them and my Les Paul, especially with the neck being so far away. I kept comparing them, tonewise, and always ran back to the big boys.

However, I know I'll probably just end up with another one!
 

kevs

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
35
Good post BG. I predict you end up with SGs and they overtake LPs in your collection. Just a guess.

Funny the heavy neck issue, I don't notice this at all. I notice 100x more that the guitar is far lighter and comfortable.
 
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