The Gibson Les Paul guitar defined the sounds of the power chords of Pete Townshend to the searing intricate solos of Jimmy Page and Slash, the Gibson Les Paul guitar came to define a musical generation.
Any bedroom guitarist worth their fingertip calluses aspires to owning and exploring one of modern music’s most versatile instruments. Plugged into a “cranked-up” valve amplifier, it delivers depth and richness.
Few guitarists will admit it, but a full-length mirror is never far away as the Les Paul hangs on a leather strap at waist height or lower and the plectrum is raised aloft in full rock-star pose. Its high-output humbucker pick-ups, so-called because they “buck the hum” associated with its arch rival, the Fender Stratocaster, produces tremendous warmth and sustain.
But while the Les Paul is very much associated with the ear- splitting overdriven sounds of rock, it also offers polo-neck-wearing jazz guitarists — such as Les Paul himself — the subtleties and nuances more often found in an acoustic instrument.
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Perfecting SoIn music shops across the land, guitarists can be seen nodding in admiration as they inspect vintage editions. The intricacies of the “finish” (from sunburst to menacing black), the inlays on the fretboard, the bindings and electrics are all carefully inspected before thousands of pounds are handed over.
While the Stratocaster is far lighter, the Les Paul remains a huge and heavy slab of wood, usually mahogany and maple — a guitar for real men. For those who have left the bedroom mirror behind, the Les Paul is far too precious and much too heavy for a girlfriend to be allowed to carry to the gig
