OT...Kindof! Hot Rodder of Guitars..., Les Paul !

[wingnutz]

Les Paul The "Inventor" of the Electric Guitar and multi track recording..., was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"!!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Since I was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin I've met this gentleman on several occasions and never realized the size and scope of his accomplishments until the early 90's! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Glad to see he's a "Hall O Famer"!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=164

Check out his other accomplishments on this link below;

http://www.gould68.freeserve.co.uk/lespaul.html

Mark

[Smokin Joe]

Hard to believe, but without Les Paul, we wouldn't have had Jimi Hendrix. Think about that one...

Parlament-Funkadelic is on the list but Eric Clapton isn't!
They have Cream and the Yardbirds so I guess that counts.
They'll probably induct 1910 Fruitgum Company or the Archies before they get around to Neil Young, George Thorogood or Dick Dale too. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Machinos]

I'm actually kind of pissed off that I just find out he's getting in there NOW. I had assumed he'd been in for years and years.

[Donzie]

You think THAT'S late? I just heard that Gournk, the pre-historic man that first invented the wheel was just inducted into the Automobile Hall Of Fame!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[Dennis the Menace]

If you look at the site, you will see that he was inducted in 1988.
Dennis

[av8]

It's AFT Les is getting the respect and laurels he deserves. The first time I heard "How High the Moon" and that killer climactic rip at the end, in my very early teens, I was instantly woodified. It's affected me similarly every time I've heard it since, although nowdays the lump is more likely to form in my throat.

There was good guitar prior to Les, from Jango Rhinehart, Barney Kessel, and such, but with Les, things turned upside down and it's never been the same!

[burndup]

I saw pix of Les' funky looking hacked-up POS prototype of the first ever electric guitar when I was about 11... duplicated it on my kid-sized accoustic, and I was never the same! Ok, well, discovering Jimi Hendrix earlier that year is what really did it...

I had a chunky plastic coil thing that was intended to be slid under a telephone to record calls... scotch taped at the bridge under the strings.. plugged into a fugged up old tape recorder that would mysteriosly play over the speaker whatever it was recording, and DISTORTED too... crank up the volume, plug a better speaker into it and it would actually feed back!

fianlly when I had a real guitar, I ran across a crummy japanese 12AX7/6V6GT tube amp... dumb kid I was, I hated it cause it didn't give me the "metal" sound, so I sold it for th $15 I paid for it.... ARRRRGH!

[av8]

Mark -- Could you scan and share some of those photos, please? I'd love to capture some for my files.

TIA, and thanks for sharing your memories.

Mike

[Elmo Rodge]

I had the pleasure of seeing Les play at "The Irridium" in NYC with his trio a few years ago. Fucker still kicked ass. Wayno

[av8]

I appreciate it.

Now, how 'bout some advice/suggestions from you electronically adept youngsters. I've never owned an amplified guitar of any description -- only acoustics. I have played amplifieds on occasion, years ago, but have always thought about getting electrified just to amuse myself. I think it's time I did that. My dad's not around to holler at me about the sound (pardon the black humor; he'd get it), so I think it's time I amused myself electronically with something other than the computer.

I found this link to LP guitars and want to know if they are worth my dollars and time. Specifically, I'm interested in the Epiphone LP 100 left-hand model. Mind you, it's for my own amusement and I won't be using a whole bunch of amp because I love all my neighbors, in a neighborhood where, at 66, I'm known as the kid.

TIA for any comments and reccos.

Mike

http://www.samash.com/catalog/search.asp?Method=2&SortMethod=0&Word1=les%20paul& CategoryID=0&BrandID=0&PriceRangeID=0&Search_Type= SEARCH&DepartmentID=0&DepartmentKeeper=&groupcode= nonetodaythanks&PAGENUM=0&pagesize=10

[Cranium]

At that price point, it's gonna be kinda tough to come up with a really good, quality instrument. You're even more limited by the lefty-ness.
I'd stay away from that particular Les Paul copy, personally. If you want (or need) to look at bolt-on neck guitars, and you're wanting a "classic" design, I think your money would be better spent checking out the Fenders.
Pop yourself up into the mid $300s, if at all possible. It's not a matter of coolness or resale value, there's just simply a playability issue with the cheapest Chinese/Indonesian guitars. The fit and finish just isn't there, and they're frustrating to deal with, and uninspiring to play.

I know Ibanez has some decent quality cheap(ish) guitars out there now, as does Dean. Might be worth a look-see.

What kind of stuff are you interested in playing?

[burndup]

Mike, I do 99% of my noise making on a $69 made-in-korea fender strat from a pawn shop... its just a little banged up, to me it plays about an 8.5 outta 10, and sounds about the same. I think this year is the quarter century mark for how long I've been playing, so i can be pretty picky. (I still suck, IMHO!)

Nowww, I have a $425 Fender tube amp, (rewarding myself for suffering with that squier 15 all these years...) see where this is going? The sound you hear back has an influence on how you play, and if the equipment sounds good, YOU sound good! Semi-irregardless of talent!

There is a NIGHT AND DAY difference between the way my POS guitar sounds and a ~$600 new American fender strat. The electronic... no, more like electro-mechanical parts are vastly superior.

Best advice, is to play with other peoples guitars and amps, and you'll see what you like. You can't really go by how bitchin the equipment looks... My dream guitar is a sunburst telecaster, I picked up a $380 (basic fender) Chinese one in the store, played it about 5 seconds, then put it back, it was a major letdown.

I'm smart enough not to even get close enough to the $1200 60's repro one to even smell it, I know what would happen!

So yeah, its another addictive, obsessive, capital-dissipating hobby...

[av8]

Shazam! That's exactly the kind of feedback/advice I'm looking for. Playability is super-important to me. I recall stiff, difficult intstruments from years back that made we want to give it up entirely. Then, a friend with guitar shop, and later a school, sold me a classical trainer that was a delight to play and ramped up my ability quickly in short order. The downside was that the guitar didn't have much voice or projection. I'd often have opportunity to play the Martins and Gibsons of friends, guitars that were not only wonderfully playable but also had incredible voice and presence.

I've been looking at the reviews of some of the new Martin Dreadnoughts and have begun thinking that might be a good direction for me. I rather like the sound of a big steel-string acoustic played with fingers rather than a pick. Not great for a big room, but rather nice for myself and a few friends.

I'm particularly keen on blues, love bluegrass, admire flamenco, aspire to bosa nova, and despair of ever being able to feel the rhythm patterns of cubano jazz beyond two drumbeats. But I try it all in the company of myself and that's what it's all about for me.

But, I'm very discerning in my own world and for that reason I particularly appreciate your comments on playability.

[Cranium]

Based on the "I likes" above, it sounds like sticking acoustic might be the way to go for you anyway. Although, you don't specify which flavor of blues...

Martins are fantastic instruments. Pricier than I ever have (will?) be able to justify myself.

I'd also suggest trying to find a place that carries my favorite acoustic-Seagull (http://www.seagullguitars.com/seagullstory.htm). These things are the sweetest guitars you can buy for the money.
I'm not affiliated with any of the companies I've mentioned. I've put my years in at a few music stores, and I'm just passing on what I've known...

[Munson]

Golden rule:
If you spend $300 on your "rig" (guitar).
You need to spend $600 to amplify it.

You would be wide open at the $300/ range. Alot of decient stuff since most don't buy $2,500 guitars. I've played alot of nice imported stuff, sad to say for $300. Looks like you'll be spending some time at the giitar center!!

j.

[Chili Phil]

Pawn Shops!!! If you're a blues/bluegrass/folk/accoustic jazz fan Guitar Center will make you want to slit your wrists. Wheeeedly-weeedly-weeedly wheeee…
Pawn Shop owners are a lot like junkyard people, fun to deal with if you can take the abuse. I've bought some real nice basses from the pawn shops. But, caveat emptor there, you can find some real turds too. Buy the best you can afford. A shit guitar will hamper your playing like a japanese econo box will hamper your fun at a car show.
And keep thrashing the accoustic, we should start some jams at the car events. hanky tonk music is white trash soul music…

[choprods]

Here is my TelecasterHotrod I built from available parts /new for 350 dollars.It has a Swamp Ash body-Canadian Birdseye Maple kneck/fingerboard and Fender custom shop pickups....I cant afford the real one..... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif