So today, i was at school. I told some of my guitar friends that i was getting a new guitar. They asked me which guitar that was. I said it was a high end rg (rg750) and it was awsome. one of them said, "dude get a les paul! ibanezes suck!" and all of them kept nagging me about how gibson les pauls have a really good tone and how american guitars are really awsome and stuff. Now im not against gibsons or american made guitars. However i have heard their quality control has been bad recently. Also saying "les pauls" are the best is really, really biased, cuz umm although they are good guitars, there are others that are good out there. Dont you think les pauls are overrated? I dont mean bad. I dont mean overpriced. I mean OVERRATED?
anyone think les pauls are overrated?
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Compared to a high end Ibanez...yes. They aren't even as close as versatile, and in most cases, Ibanez is cheaper.
Really good tone? Maybe just very standard tone. Now, i'm not bashing a Les Paul, a LP is my main ax, but a Les Paul and a RG are both classics, so after that it comes to preference.
But in lots of ways, they aren't amazing, just standard.
Really good tone? Maybe just very standard tone. Now, i'm not bashing a Les Paul, a LP is my main ax, but a Les Paul and a RG are both classics, so after that it comes to preference.
But in lots of ways, they aren't amazing, just standard.
The only way to judge a guitar is playability and build quality. Tone is entirely subjective. I'd never be happy with my tone if I was playing a Les Paul through a Marshall. Sure it has worked for a bunch of people but how many other people has it totally failed for?
Plus there is the fact that your amp, pickups and fingers all have way more to do with your tone than the shape of your guitar or the wood it's made out of.
Compare the playability of a high end RG to a Les Paul and the RG wins hands down. Build quality seems to be all over the place on most of the major companies nowadays so I'd say it's a wash there.
Plus there is the fact that your amp, pickups and fingers all have way more to do with your tone than the shape of your guitar or the wood it's made out of.
Compare the playability of a high end RG to a Les Paul and the RG wins hands down. Build quality seems to be all over the place on most of the major companies nowadays so I'd say it's a wash there.
With the right pickups (e.g. some kind of PAF which Les Pauls were designed for) they are very versatile IMHO especially if you add in some extra switches via push pull pots.
As far as playability goes, how do you define "playability"? That's a word that's tossed around quite a lot but no one ever defines what it means to them. I don't even use the word because to me it's pointless.
If a guitar is set-up well for you then it should be playable. That said, if you don't like the ergonomics of a Les Paul or an RG then you won't find either very playable but like most things guitar related, that's highly subjective.
You can't compare an RG to a Les Paul or vice versa. They're two different beasts. I've got 2 of each so I speak from personal experience.
As far as playability goes, how do you define "playability"? That's a word that's tossed around quite a lot but no one ever defines what it means to them. I don't even use the word because to me it's pointless.
If a guitar is set-up well for you then it should be playable. That said, if you don't like the ergonomics of a Les Paul or an RG then you won't find either very playable but like most things guitar related, that's highly subjective.
You can't compare an RG to a Les Paul or vice versa. They're two different beasts. I've got 2 of each so I speak from personal experience.
personally, i hate les pauls, i think they are the most uncomfortable, awkward guitars out there. they fall off if you sit down, the bridge is at a weird angle and the necks are baseball bats. the only stuff i can ever play on a les paul is some lame out of tune led zeppelin blues bends or something where as i pick up my rg and i can play anything from latin, to brutal metal, to soft blues to funk. and it feels amazing.
ibanez produce higher quality guitars for lower costs. it's a fact. gibson's quality control is a joke, anyone who isn't blinded by "marshall-les-paul-blues" fever can see that.
so yes, gibsons are overrated.
ibanez produce higher quality guitars for lower costs. it's a fact. gibson's quality control is a joke, anyone who isn't blinded by "marshall-les-paul-blues" fever can see that.
so yes, gibsons are overrated.
Apparently you haven't played a Les Paul with a 60s profile neck. It's not Wizard thin but it's substantially thinner than the more common 50s profile. I've got one of each and like them both.
That's not the guitar itself, that's you playing the guitar. Les Pauls are used for all the styles you mentioned and more.
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Love the giant text and color. Once I saw that I knew I should read every word but alas all I can manage is to stare in awe.......
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ROFL....Love the giant text and color. Once I saw that I knew I should read every word but alas all I can manage is to stare in awe.......
I have a mid Ibanez and an Epi LP.
LP is in Eb for KISS
Ibanez is in E so I can play with the rest of the kids.....
It is subjective to personal taste.
I love LP's but I'd go a high end RG over it any day. But thats just me....
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I have owned a lot of guitars in my life. Only two have just broken on me. Both broke at the headstock/neck. Both were Les Pauls.
Maybe a fluke, but still for the quality you pay quite a bit more than you do for other quality guitars. If your budget is limited...
And if Ibbys sucked would Satch and Vai play them?
like i said, these are just my experiences with the guitar.
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Depends on what you define as "over-rated", and what you personally like. I wouldn't play a les paul if i was paid to, IMO. I do love the sounds and the general style, but there are several things stopping me from enjoying it (build quality, neck scale, etc etc). That's why I just called up my builder and had a les paul style custom built to my specs. By that definition LPs arent overrated at all, but then again it's not a traditional LP by any means. If we're just talking Gibson/Epiphone here, then I have to say that I really don't like 'em. I've seen $3000 Gibsons with glaring quality flaws and it just really turns me off.
Saying any guitar is "the best" rather than "the best for me" is pure ignorance anyway. There are literally thousands of guitars out there.
Saying any guitar is "the best" rather than "the best for me" is pure ignorance anyway. There are literally thousands of guitars out there.
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Always take in what your friends say, but in the end make your own mind up...
LPs are overrated by those narrow minded enough never to have played anything else.
LPs are underrated by those narrow minded enough never to have played one and judged it for what it is.
It's just a guitar, it has good points and bad points, all of which are entirely subjective. Gibson QC has, at various times, sucked. So has Ibanez's and probably every other guitar mass producer.
LPs are underrated by those narrow minded enough never to have played one and judged it for what it is.
It's just a guitar, it has good points and bad points, all of which are entirely subjective. Gibson QC has, at various times, sucked. So has Ibanez's and probably every other guitar mass producer.
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Very well put! 8)
I used to get the same thing in high school, and still do. Don't sweat it! It all boils down to personal preference. If you like Ibanez over a LP (or vice-versa) then that's how it is. If your friends can't see that then they're a bunch of poseurs! You don't play a certain kind of guitar just to make your friends or others happy. Play what you like because it's comfortable and makes YOU happy.
Good luck!
Good luck!
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