Strat Guy Goes Les Paul {guitar geek speak}

I suppose it had to happen.  After purchasing a Les Paul, eventually I’d have to play it (amplified).   Let’s face it - I’m a Strat guy.  Even though my first guitar (1974?) was an Ibanez Les Paul (lawsuit) copy, I graduated to Strat copy, then a `77 Strat.  No looking back from there.  Les Pauls were somewhat foreign to me.

I eventually got a black Les Paul Studio because I got a deal and because I figured I needed one.  I really liked the Ibanez but it wasn’t exactly a Gibson in terms of build (or weight).  After replacing the pickups, it was a pretty good sounding guitar and I used it outside once, for my first Led Zeppelin tribute band audition.  (that guitar is up for trade, btw)

A bunch of my online guitar buddies were snapping up Gibson Historic Reissue Les Pauls.  They couldn’t say enough about them.  Eventually one came up for sale lefty and the guys were all over me to purchase it.  This didn’t sit well with me because I prefer to touch a guitar before buying it.  My friends were so certain about it they said that if they were lefties, they’d guarantee to buy it from me if I didn’t like it.  After much thought (and prodding from the wife), I pulled the trigger.

The guitar is a Historic Les Paul  `59 Reissue, from among the first years.  I’m told this is the time to get them, as the necks were shaped by hand and the neck tenon ran up to the front pickup (whatever that means).  The almost funny part is that the guitar is referred to as a plain top and they’re not kidding.  It’s about the plainest top I’ve ever seen.  Fortunately I’m not an aesthetics guy so much as a playing guy.

I was told to play it and keep playing it; it would grow on me.   They were right.

I have a bunch of guitars, from cheapie offshore to damn near vintage Strats.  This is the most solid piece of wood I own.  Far from the baseball bat I feared I’d get.

I like my necks chunky but this was a lot of neck.  They told me to keep playing, which I did, and it worked out beautifully.

So now that I’m coming up on my second Led Zep tribute band audition, I realized I’d have to relegate my #1 guitar (the pukeburst Strat) to #2 status and heave the Les Paul onto my shoulders.  I don’t spend heaps of time with the Les Paul, so this was going to be interesting.

This also meant some amp decisions.  Let’s face it - if you want accuracy, there is no other amp than a Marshall.  Although Page used a Tele and a Supro amp in the studio initially, he performed with Marshalls.  What he had done to the Marshalls is anybody’s guess.

So it was time to fire up the Beast and forget all about those back problems.

Next up was the volume problem.  I’m the rarest of guitarists…. the one who has to be told to TURN IT UP.  I don’t like playing too loud and prefer my smaller amps so I can generate that sweet output distortion.  This is an issue with the Marshall, obviously. I figure I had three choices:

1. leave the EL34 output tubes in place and hope for the best
2. locate the Yellowjackets I purchased, which allow me to use EL84’s instead
3. use 6V6’s

NOTE: One can use a 6V6 in place of an EL34 in certain years of Marshalls only.  Do not try this at home or you might make the Magic Smoke<tm> come out of your amp.  As everybody knows, electronics work on smoke: if you let the smoke out, it won’t work anymore.

The issue was solved immediately, as I found the Yellowjackets already plugged into the amp.  My 50 watt head was now an 18 watt Marshall.  Sort of.  I figured I’d give it a listen first and see if I needed to go in a different direction.

The head was once a stock non-master head.  I added a master volume and a few mods here and there but nothing outrageous.  The master helps when I want to generate some preamp distortion but it’s not an over-the-top metallic distortion.. more of a classic rock tone.  Anything else I generate with a pedal (or risk hearing damage).

The next thing I noticed was that I was short a speaker cable.  NEVER use a guitar cord as a speaker cable.  After much shouting, I made myself an industrial grade speaker cable and fired the bugger up.

The first thing I noticed was that there was no sound  (I’m very sharp, you know).  Apparently the power cord to one of the effects got pulled out just enough to kill the signal but not enough to appear that it was out.  This was undoubtedly what killed the sound at the last audition.

Once past that hurdle, the guitar jumped right up and bit me.  It was amazing that it was right there.  The Page-like tone I thought I’d have to search for was in my hands (and ears)! I started messing around and to my delight, realized I could play the guitar.  This came as a pleasant surprise to me, especially after the last audition.  I was having a blast, popping off riffs here and there, messing with knobs, and getting to know my Les Paul at real-world volumes.

I was warned not to do what I always do when I get a guitar: rip out the pickups and replace them.  The last Les Paul got a Duncan JB in the rear (my favorite humbucker) and a Duncan Jazz in the front (very low output, Seymour’s favorite combination).  They perked the guitar right up.  In this case I was advised to listen to the stock pickups first.  Once again my friends were right: these pickups sound good.  Later on I’ll get the other Les Paul and listen for any difference.

The Yellowjackets do a tremendous job at keeping the Marshall to non-deafening levels while allowing me to crank up the channel volumes also.    My vague memory of installing the 6V6es was that they allowed more output grunge at much lower levels.  The benefit of EL84’s is that they’re little brothers of the original EL34’s, therefore more true to the Marshall tone.  Plus I just love EL84’s when they start to distort.  They sing.  If I need more volume I can try 6V6es.  If I still need more, I can go back to the EL34’s.  Somehow I doubt I will.

The Les Paul really felt great in my hands.  I never considered myself a Les Paul kinda guy but it performed very well and I’m learning how to tweak the knobs, as it were.  I thought I’d be fumbling all over the neck but it was very easy to play.  I remember reading some legends saying that the Strat was more of a struggle and the Les Paul much easier to play.  I guess they’re right.

Now I hope I’ll pass the audition.

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Coming up will be a review of the Danelectro Transparent Overdrive.  Some kind soul lent me one to try out.