Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

I've been getting some flack from other guitarists on how crappy Gibson Les Paul Studios sound but my wife bought me this one with a little bit of a change: The hardware and fretboard are the same as the Standards which cost twice...sometimes 3 times more than the studios.
I'm also going through a Line 6 "Bogner" Spider Valve 100% Tube head which I love but an getting blasted by other musicians because I'm not going through a Marshall or Mesa Boogie head (which costst more than 3 times what I'm using). Mind you, most of these "critics" aren't playing out half as much as me or at all for that matter. It's working at my live shows...
Question: I do see quite a few shows ahead of me and if need be, I'll upgrade in order to give a better show... Do any of you musicians here feel that my equipment doesn't cut it on stage? Keep in mind, the audience really doesn't give a rat's ass and hasn't a clue as long as they are being entertained. Here's a clip of me playing the Studio through the Line 6 amp. (the video quality sucks as I've condensed it for the web)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZn0Fxq0z0E

If you're happy with your sound I wouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks. What do "they" know anyhow?

Kerry, I think you sound great. You are pulling off some great shows. Who the heck is feeding you that bull?

For a three piece with a singer,,,, KUDOS. Not the easiest show to work.

Who the PHUCK are these other guitarists? Jealous rats!

Crip

A pal / student of mine obsessed over what guitar to buy, ended up with an LP Studio and then whined a lot about how he should have gotten a 'real' LP.
(I teach beginner level guitar to anyone who will buy me a drink)

I gave him hell about that. The thing is a beautiful dark wine color, sounds like a million bucks, plays like a dream and is a bit lighter than other LPs. So what's the problem?

If I ever went Gibson I'd certainly consider LP Studio a contender.

Talbot

Snobs and dissers ... Dude
And you care what they think ?
Why ?
Are you happy with the sound?

I don't care if " that sound " I want came from a couple of soup cans and some string.
In the right hands a less expensive guitar can sound every bit as good as one that cost thousands.
I'd not take or trade from the L.P. GODDESS I'm playing right now for any other axe on the market.

Line6 makes good equipment.
I'm pleased with the sounds Ray gets from his Line6 equipment.
It is reliable.
And the wireless I just bought from them is performing flawlessly.

Gibson Les Paul Studio

The "Studio" model was introduced in 1983, and is still in production. The intended market for this guitar was the studio musician; therefore, the design features of the "Les Paul Studio" were centered on optimal sound output. This model retained only the elements of the Gibson Les Paul that contributed to tone and playability, including the carved maple top and standard mechanical and electronic hardware. However, the Studio design omitted several stock Gibson ornamentations that did not affect sound quality, including the binding on the body and neck. The two notable exceptions to this are the Studio Standard and the Studio Custom. Both models were produced in the mid 1980s, and included body and neck binding, though with dot fingerboard inlays instead of more ornate trapezoids. The first Studios from 83 to 86, except for Studio Standard and Studio Custom, were made with alder bodies rather than mahogany/maple. The current Studios come with a chambered mahogany body with either a maple or mahogany cap. The latter also include "faded" finishes.

So what's the big deal? Tell that to your friends. Perhaps they are listening with their eyes and not their ears.

I have a 50's Gibson Les Paul and a newer Epiphone Les Paul. Both sound about the same and play equally as well. I imagine, according to this article, that the Studio would also weigh and sound the same. In another article, they said that the pickups were also the same, as they did not alter the sound in any way.

Leave it to Slacker to cloud the issue with facts .

Thanx guys.... It's just that even though I "think" it sounds alright, in the back of my head I'm wondering if maybe I can blow them away with much higher quality equipment. Money for me isn't as easy to come by as it was,say, 5 years ago. The cost of the higher quality amps are un-freakin'-believable! What I like about my set up is that the amp has every single effect imaginable (chorus, reverb, flange, phase, insane overdrive all different echo's, etc..) controlled by a simple channel changing box with a volume/wah pedal. Very simple set up as opposed to a million pedals and lotsa batteries. Granted I've heard that the ole built in digital effects don't sound as nice as the real deal but luckily I don't really count on effects to get me through the night. I'm a very simple player. I have 4 channels, One is clean with a tinge of chorus, next is full overdrive with chorus(or flange if I want to manually change it when the piece calls for it) One for a dry, crunch overdrive for my power chord rhythms and last one is insane overdrive with reverb for my leads. Each channel is individually programmed with the way I would like my high, mids and bass to sound. I really am thinking of getting a 50 watt 100% tube Marshall stack in the future when I'm financially able to but realize I'll also have to invest in quite a few pedals in order to try and sound as close as possible to each song I perform. As far as my axes, I've had the LP Standard and Classic at one time but got rid of them due to the fact I thought I was losing my job and started to liquidate my assets...including my beloved bike . Well I still have the job but am on a 20% salary decrease and see no raise in the future but after selling the axes, I was asked to join my present band.... All I had left was my PRS which was up for sale also. My wife, knowing that I definitely needed at least 2 guitars on stage went out and picked me up a beautiful Silverburst Gibson LP Studio for Christmas. Honestly, the last studio I owned seriously sounded like crap but she lucked out and purchased this particular model which was designed with some bad-ass pickups and really nice fretboard and ebony neck. I honestly feel this sounds better than my higher end LP's. Found out, though, she paid a helluva lot more than the normal studios due to the fact that they come with the standard hardware. So...all in all...once in a while I hear the negatives in conversation with other musicians which has me wondering if I should seriously upgrade to higher end equipment should we start getting a ton of gigs...even though I'm not really financially ready for any more purchases at the moment! I also really, really regret selling my beautiful bike but my family comes first and with the prospect of losing my job, I didn't hesitate to sell my most valuable possessions in order to take care of the more important things for my family.

Crip

It's a natural desire to want to have the " best " tools.
However often the only difference is price.
Yes the old adage you get what you pay for is true to some extent.
It does reach a point of diminished return on investment.

I've not heard you live, but the video you post aint got no fleas from my point of view.

Why expend money that is really not necessary ?

If "YOU" like your tone, to hell with what some stinky buttholes (opinions) think!
I'm gonna assume you do a variety of covers and you need to have a flexible sound capabilities coming through your amp. If it meets your needs at the price you can afford right now... mission accomplished. You're a working band making some cash... you must be doing something right!
But as a side note a Marshall set up would be badazz! The prices have gone through the roof on everything. I bought a 79 les paul custom in 1980 for 600 bones. About the price of an Epi copy today.

FUKEM!

Here's the sound again with just the studio and Line6 with no other musicians....crowd seemed to like it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcS_DukrJSM

Crip2nite wrote:Here's the sound again with just the studio and Line6 with no other musicians....crowd seemed to like it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcS_DukrJSM

Nothing wrong, sounds great, looks great, and damm it... just feels good.

HOWEVER,

You need to trim your fingernail on your pinky.

Hey Crip, Have you changed the tubes in that amp recently. Just asking cause you play that thing a lot and after a year of playing hour wise, they do lose the sparkle. Nothing like new tubes to make an old amp sound great, do it yourself just match them up. DON"T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THE AMP HAS TO BE RE-BIASED. BULL!!
As far as amps and live playing,you have 4 channels you can pre set that is great. You get involved with a 2 channel top of the line marshall you are goona wind up doing the pedal stomp dance. DAJAX has a monster pedal set up, he played great, and he is so intent on stepping on the right pedal he loses the opportunity to put on a show.
You are smiling and laughing and relating to everyone. Tough line to walk down, being a musician and being a performer. I wouldn't give a damn what any other guitarists say about you, RAISE THE BAR.

Glen, the tubes are fine...I make sure I only use this amp at gigs and only gigs.... at rehearsals I use a 150 watt Solid state head and at home I use a 30 watt Solid State head. I figure I've only had this head for about a year and a half and it's only been on about 2-3 hours each gig and I only do 1-2 gigs a month so there's plenty of time before the tubes need a changing... I've gone 2 years playing straight tubes at both rehearsals and gigs back in the day and tubes were fine for a good 2 years...