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Who sold more Les Pauls?

Texas Blues

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Eric Clapton

Mike Bloomfield

Jeff Beck

Billy Gibbons

Jimmy Page

Ace Frehley

Slash


I'm gonna' go with Ace on this one.


What say y'all?
 

duaneflowers

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For me it was Duane Allman and Peter Green that made me want THAT tone (and coolness factor). Also Keith Richards was probably the stimulus for Clapton and Bloomers, who were kind of the stimulus for the others. But in terms of sheer numbers sold it would be probably be a hella race between Ace and Slash. I think I'd have to go with Slash though for sheer volume based on numbers I've seen. :salude
 

Ed Driscoll

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Page and Ace in the '70s, and Slash sort of single-handedly revived the guitar after the Super-Strat dominated 1980s.
 

Ed Driscoll

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Also Keith Richards was probably the stimulus for Clapton and Bloomers, who were kind of the stimulus for the others.

Didn't Clapton say he was inspired to get his first Les Paul after seeing Freddy King on an album cover with a goldtop?

freddy-king_lets-hide.jpg
 

Texas Blues

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Back in the day when they were cool.



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LeonC

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When I was getting started in the early 70s, I listened to a lot of Clapton, Page, Green and Duane and Dickie. Bloomfield too, but really just one or two records of his. Joe Walsh and Billy Gibbons were not far behind. It was probably Duane and Dickie that most inspired my interest in Les Pauls.
 

65Firebird

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For me it was Ace, Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons.

I think Slash is responsible for the most sales for players under 50 years old.
 

somebodyelseuk

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I'd say Clapton and Bloomfield.
If it wasn't for them, the Les Paul wouldn't have been 'reissued' in 68.
If they'd stuck with Teles, no demand for Les Pauls...
Then again, if eveyone was playing Fenders, maybe Jimi H would have plumped for the V or Firebird?
 
Last edited:

Ace139

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I’m gonna say Slash - just based on all the Signature Models he has had.

It was Ace that sold me. “Kiss Plays Gibson Guitars and Pearl Drums Because They Want The Best”. Putting that on the back of some of your best selling albums I’m sure had an impact.

I wonder how much influence Clapton really had? LPs were not even in production when the Beano Album came out. Then he went to 335, SG, Explorer, Tele and then finally the Strat - too many models in a short amount off time.
 

LeonC

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Slash had a huge impact on younger players, no doubt. But why did Slash like the Les Paul? Because he liked a lot of the players he was listening to who used them. He's said that he was greatly influenced by Led Zeppelin and Page, obviously. He also listened to lots of other classic rock stuff, Aerosmith (more Les Pauls) and so on. So he didn't pick up the guitar in a rock n roll vacuum. But Clapton was really the father of British blues rock and I think the first player of any reknown to use the Les Paul with a Marshall amp -- a combination that became the archetypal British blues / rock sound. (Of course, he was really trying to emulate his heroes as well...but they were strictly blues players. Clapton's sound is what established one of the major pillars of rock guitar sound.) He started using the Les Paul and then later you see Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Peter Green & Danny Kirwood, Martin Barre and others start to become attracted to the Les Paul.
 

renderit

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The legion of country players on Telecasters playin' 'nar-nar' music.

Didn't wanna sound like that?...
 

somebodyelseuk

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I wonder how much influence Clapton really had? LPs were not even in production when the Beano Album came out. Then he went to 335, SG, Explorer, Tele and then finally the Strat - too many models in a short amount off time.
Clapton had the 335 before the Les Paul, nevertheless, it was him and Bloomfield playing them that caused the demand for bursts. Without that, Gibson wouldn't have put the LP back in to production. The use of the other Gibson models in quick succession came after the Beano LP got nicked...
On a slight tangent, I believe Jimmy Page was playing a Les Paul before most if not all of these guys, since he used a Custom when he was a session player, before anyone had heard of him... or Clapton for that matter.
He took over from Beck in the Yardbirds, playing Beck's Tele etc. etc.
 

mdubya

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The three Yardbirds did it for me: Eric, Jeff, Jimmy.
 

Midnight Blues

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For me, it was Peter Frampton (1971), but I'd have to type that Page has sold the most. After-all, aside from those from my era that bought an LP, how many Page reissues have there been? Just guessing, maybe only second to Slash?
 

jrgtr42

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I wasn't around (or into music) for most of those listed in the OP.
I can say that I play guitar because of Slash - Or Guns N Roses as a band - and most specifically the unison part in Rocket Queen.
Slash of course is mostly known for playing LP (or Derrig copies) but most of that album was recorded with Jacksons or what the studio had around; it was only very late in the process their manager brought in that Derrig.
I prefer Les Pauls because of Aerosmith's Pump album, opening the insert to see the band photo, with Joe Perry looking cooler than cool with his black LP Standard (I still want one of those because of that picture.)
But today, after playing for 30 years, it's not because of any specific artist that I like the Les Paul guitar - it's because of the sound, the feel, the look of the guitar itself.
For players that used it, there are many I love, many I appreciate, and many I don't care for at all.
Same thing with Strats, Teles, PRS, etc.
 
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