best Gibson Les Paul for thrash and modern metal that shreds

  • Thread starter Thread starter sacguy71
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Echo the comments that pretty much any of them will work. I might look for one that's a few years old, though. The newest ones I'm seeing/playing have really low frets for some reason. At least five or six years ago, the frets were a lot higher and it was easier imho to shred on those.
 
JohnnyGtar said:
I'd suggest an LP with an ebony fingerboard. A lot of LP Studio guitars had ebony boards.

Regarding pickups, the DiMarzio Fred would slay in the application you're describing. It's tight AF, cuts very well without being shrill and don't worry, it won't make you sound like Joe Satriani.

It sounds great in the bridge and neck positions

See post #19

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/tell-me-about-these-bridge-humbuckers.310314/#post-3960441
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I see your Fred and I raise you a Norton.

Tight AF, but without being too lean, great harmonics and top-end also bright, but not shrill.
 
braintheory said:
I find the 24.75” vs 25.5” scale length on those other guitars also rounds out the attack a bit on Gibson’s

In general, Gibson’s aren’t my pick for metal or shred for those reasons.
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Jon Schaeffer (Iced Earth) would disagree. And he has one of the tightest, punchiest tones out there.
Granted, having an amp from a certain person that shall not be named may help...Maybe it's just his Oathkeeping right hand... ;-)

Either way, the dude plays Metal (capital M) on a Les Paul. :dunno: :giggle:
 
The only Les Paul I didn't bond with was the 24 fret Studio I had. I like 22 fret Les Pauls I guess. I have a Standard and two Classics. Agree that you are probably better off with aftermarket pickups. I have an Aldrich in one of them.
 
Speeddemon said:
Jon Schaeffer (Iced Earth) would disagree. And he has one of the tightest, punchiest tones out there.
Granted, having an amp from a certain person that shall not be named may help...Maybe it's just his Oathkeeping right hand... ;-)

Either way, the dude plays Metal (capital M) on a Les Paul. :dunno: :giggle:
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Yes with really tight amps like that you can make almost any humbucker equipped guitar work no problem. If anything maybe he possibly wanted a guitar like that to balance out/add back in some roundness, fatness or warmth, who knows. Either way, I'd still argue that while it's been proven Les Paul's certainly can work, for more percussive or faster styles of metal other guitars IME are inherently better suited with all else in the rig being equal

I personally prefer the attack and snap of bolt-on's and with my mahoganybody/neck/rosewood board version of those (shellac finish and bone nut as well) I still get a sound with plenty of warmth and fullness, maybe not quite as much as my Les Paul's, but quite close imo
 
braintheory said:
I think some of that openness and complexity also comes from nitro vs poly finish used on those ESP’s, Jackson’s and similar. I find the 24.75” vs 25.5” scale length on those other guitars also rounds out the attack a bit on Gibson’s

In general, Gibson’s aren’t my pick for metal or shred for those reasons. I think guys just like the way they look and see that some famous guys they like used them. I usually prefer a 25.5” scale bolt-on guitar ideally with shellac finish (better sound than nitro IME) and a few other specs
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I disagree completely about the set neck and longer scale - I think it's easier to add high end complexity through pickups and the rest of the signal chain than it is to add the low end and midrange complexity that the shorter scale and set neck affords, not to mention the slightly easier playability

The 25.5" inch scale is so ubiquitous on modern metal guitars I've grown to associate it with the "boing" sound in modern metal tones

It's so easy to add attack and treble with pickups boosts and amps, I don't think a bolt on strat style guitar is necessary in any way whatsoever
 
From your list I would recommend the AJ LP standard. It just happens to be on sale at MF right now. It sounds perfect for modern metal and the stock gibson bridge pickup is surprisingly good too.
 
Agree for shred solos my Jackson CS Soloist with Floyd Rose slays but for chest pumping hard rhythm work the Les Paul with hot pickups and high gain amp are wonderful! I like the AJ LP Standard will look at that. Has some cool pickups and setup.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I disagree completely about the set neck and longer scale - I think it's easier to add high end complexity through pickups and the rest of the signal chain than it is to add the low end and midrange complexity that the shorter scale and set neck affords, not to mention the slightly easier playability

The 25.5" inch scale is so ubiquitous on modern metal guitars I've grown to associate it with the "boing" sound in modern metal tones

It's so easy to add attack and treble with pickups boosts and amps, I don't think a bolt on strat style guitar is necessary in any way whatsoever
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I like and have both styles of guitars, but I found regardless of all the pickup swaps I’ve done, my 25.5” bolt-on guitars still always sound snappier with a sharper attack, all else being roughly equal, but for high end complexity I can agree. I don’t find more low end on set-necks, but maybe more more low mid fatness. In either case for pure low end, no other guitars I’ve tried touches my all rosewood body 1978 Schecter (bolt-on) or early Barlow (all ebony neck and Paduak body, also bolt-on). Both also 25.5”. I’ve had some really heavy Nolrin era LPC’s (they also sounded like furniture to me) and they weren’t on the same level of punch, density to the notes or low end of those 2 guitars (also very heavy though)

I understand that a 25.5” bolt-on is in and of itself generic for metal, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle (that I feel they got right personally). My current 25.5” Bolt-ons all have other specs that I feel sound way more distinctive than any LP I’ve used for metal such as body wood choices (Rosewood, Paduak, Spruce, Western Red Cedar, shellac finish (which I find at least on my guitars results in more 3D complexity than anything I’ve had including even my ‘57 LP Jr, superior to nitro IME) and lastly the pickup like you said ranging from ‘50’s & ‘60’s Gretsch’s, Guild’s, Hofner’s, Hagstrom humbuckers, vintage Bill Lawrence’s, Schallers, Dirty Fingers, vintage Gibson pickups, and some less known modern ones

Of course, boosts, pickups and amps themselves can provide all the attack or treble we need, but still I find in a different way than what a bolt-on 25.5” guitar provides and it also I think is about mixing together all the ingredients/puzzle pieces. For example, with a super tight attack-y amp like a Hermansson or Dino I may even use one of my LP’s to balance it out a bit, but with most other amps being nowhere near as tight/attacky I may go for a bolt-on instead, but some of my current 25.5” bolt-on’s including my mahogany Marchione (and a few others) is so complete in the sound it provides that I am planning to sell my ‘57 LP Jr, ‘64 Epiphone Riviera and a few other heavy hitters. I love a good lp as much as the next guy (I’ve tried my share of real ‘50’s burst LP’s too), but these are just my finding doing lots of comparisons/my homework
 
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If you're dead set on getting a LP, try a few first and see how they feel to you. Then, change the pickups to a JB bridge and a 59 neck. I hate JB pickups in my other guitars, but for some reason, they work well in a LP.
 
I don’t play metal , but prefer 70’s hard rock tones instead.

I never had an LP in my cot that would sound great for metal tones until I bought my ‘00 Classic Premium Plus with the stock Ceramics.

This guitar can get convincing Metal tones with the bridge pickup.

Here’s my baby.

IMG_2336.jpeg
 
I have a 2012 Custom with a maple fretboard, put an Aldrich in it and it slays for thrash. Has a 60's neck profile and great low action. It has chunck and attach. Perfect for those 80's thrash tones.
a445117a-be9a-48a5-9ade-10bc41c10a89-1_all_401.jpg
 
I am leaning toward the AJ Les Paul Standard but need to play one first. Dream guitar for metal would be an ESP custom shredder guitar though.
 
SG Standards with a pick up change is fucking amazing . Can’t believe you don’t see this more
 
What you really need is one of those Goblin models.
Doesn't get much more thrashed than that.
 
braintheory said:
I like and have both styles of guitars, but I found regardless of all the pickup swaps I’ve done, my 25.5” bolt-on guitars still always sound snappier with a sharper attack, all else being roughly equal, but for high end complexity I can agree. I don’t find more low end on set-necks, but maybe more more low mid fatness. In either case for pure low end, no other guitars I’ve tried touches my all rosewood body 1978 Schecter (bolt-on) or early Barlow (all ebony neck and Paduak body, also bolt-on). Both also 25.5”. I’ve had some really heavy Nolrin era LPC’s (they also sounded like furniture to me) and they weren’t on the same level of punch, density to the notes or low end of those 2 guitars (also very heavy though)

I understand that a 25.5” bolt-on is in and of itself generic for metal, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle (that I feel they got right personally). My current 25.5” Bolt-ons all have other specs that I feel sound way more distinctive than any LP I’ve used for metal such as body wood choices (Rosewood, Paduak, Spruce, Western Red Cedar, shellac finish (which I find at least on my guitars results in more 3D complexity than anything I’ve had including even my ‘57 LP Jr, superior to nitro IME) and lastly the pickup like you said ranging from ‘50’s & ‘60’s Gretsch’s, Guild’s, Hofner’s, Hagstrom humbuckers, vintage Bill Lawrence’s, Schallers, Dirty Fingers, vintage Gibson pickups, and some less known modern ones

Of course, boosts, pickups and amps themselves can provide all the attack or treble we need, but still I find in a different way than what a bolt-on 25.5” guitar provides and it also I think is about mixing together all the ingredients/puzzle pieces. For example, with a super tight attack-y amp like a Hermansson or Dino I may even use one of my LP’s to balance it out a bit, but with most other amps being nowhere near as tight/attacky I may go for a bolt-on instead, but some of my current 25.5” bolt-on’s including my mahogany Marchione (and a few others) is so complete in the sound it provides that I am planning to sell my ‘57 LP Jr, ‘64 Epiphone Riviera and a few other heavy hitters. I love a good lp as much as the next guy (I’ve tried my share of real ‘50’s burst LP’s too), but these are just my finding doing lots of comparisons/my homework
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Yeah I completely disagree in every way imaginable

Can you get decent metal sounds with a bolt on neck 25.5 scale? Yeah of course, altho most of the time in a kind of boring "YouTuber playing boomer buttrock " way

Les Paul scale set neck guitars just sound heavier and beefier, especially on recordings

They make strat scale bolt on guitars sound plinky and kind of like a toy honestly
 
Texsunburst59 said:
I don’t play metal , but prefer 70’s hard rock tones instead.

I never had an LP in my cot that would sound great for metal tones until I bought my ‘00 Classic Premium Plus with the stock Ceramics.

This guitar can get convincing Metal tones with the bridge pickup.

Here’s my baby.

View attachment 324678
Click to expand...
Yeah, if you can handle a fairly thin neck, the era of LP Classics (‘93-early 2K) with the 500T in the bridge are the one I thought of that would do Thrash/shred right out of the box. You can spot a 90’s one with the green tinge to the inlays and a pick guard with the word “classic” on it in gold. My 2005 V came with a 500T in it and that was a pretty nice combo for metal.
 
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