LEARN about the Standard Characteristics of the Gibson LES PAUL Electric Guitar Model: Woods, Bridge, Pickups, Fretboard Radius…
In 1952, right between the introduction of Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster, the solid-body electric guitar model designed by Lester William Polsfuss, Les Paul, was launched.
Les Paul directed the design of his project towards the sustain of the instrument, trying to make the new guitar able to sustain a note for as long as possible in a natural way.
Classic Woods Gibson Les Paul Standard
The woods used were mahogany for the neck, rosewood for the fingerboard and mahogany for the body, but with a flamed maple top.
The set-in neck-body joint benefits sustain., leaving the guitar compacted into a single piece, and its scale length is the classic Gibson models of 24.75 inches.
Nowadays we can find Les Paul models with slight variations, for example with bodies without maple tops, ebony fretboard, or active pickups.
The typical fingerboard radius for this type of guitar is 12 inches. This fretboard radius allows us to make two-tone bends without fear of them fading away, while maintaining optimal string height.
Despite its weight this guitar is not uncomfortable as it is not completely straight, as the Stratocaster model would be.
The neck is at an angle to the body of the guitar. This makes the neck very accessible, and the strings are not as close to the body of the guitar as in other models.
Standard Bridge and Pickups
The typical Les Paul bridge is the “Tune-o-matic” or Tom, which consists of a separate bridge and stop bar, with the possibility of individual intonation of each string.
The first Les Pauls used high output P-90 pickups. Very good pickups, but with noise problems at high volume levels.
And in 1957, the double coil pickups designed by Gibson engineers were installed: the Humbucker.
Initially, this model of pickups did not have a name because they were pending patent, detailed simply with a sticker under the pickup that said Patent Applied For. It took four years for the patent to arrive, but guitarists had already christened it the PAF, a name that is still used today to refer to a classic Humbucker.
Humbucker pickups consist of two single pickups connected in series, which gives a high output but loses definition compared to a single pickup. However, we would get great sustain, a thick and full-bodied sound, as well as eliminating background noise.
How to Use Pickup Selector of the Gibson Les Paul
Each pickup features an individual volume and tone control. The top two are for the neck pickup and the bottom two are for the bridge pickup.
The pickup selector has three positions:
- With the switch up, the neck pickup is activated, with a very thick sound and controlled highs.
- With the selector down, the bridge pickup is activated, for intense sounds full of harmonics.
- And with the switch in the center, the two pickups are activated in parallel to give us very versatile sounds. Since we can mix the sound of each pickup to personal taste with the individual volume controls of each pickup.
The Les Paul’s sound tends to distort when played hard, especially the wound strings, or when playing two strings at a time in a solo.
In 1960, the Gibson Les Paul Standard was discontinued in favour of other Gibson models. But in 1968 it was re-established due to the demand of many musicians, who were already paying high prices for the model built between 1957 and 1960. Imagine what one can pay for one of these in good condition today.