What is the difference between sg and les paul

They both also have two humbucker pickups in the neck and bridge positions with a similar tone and volume controls. While the Les Paul was a hugely popular model, it was facing declining sales in the s. Since its release, its been in constant production and picked up support from a whole host of world-famous musicians.

Design-wise the SG moved away from the sleek look of the original Les Paul and introduced harder edges and features like the instantly recognizable devil horns. It also broke away from the design further by incorporating a double cutaway and a flat top.

The overall instrument is also much lighter, with a lack of maple top that was common with Les Pauls. These changes were intended to reduce the overall weight while keeping the tones the same.

Although the tones were not precisely matched, they were far from bad. In fact, Gibson stumbled into creating one of its most popular models whilst altering the formulae that had proved to be so popular. Tonally, the SG has a real brightness to its highs and mids. This means it appeals to musicians who like a slightly more pronounced overall sound than those who favor a Les Paul.

Despite this focus, the SG is still a very versatile guitar. You can see that simply by looking at the roster or guitarists who use it. There is no one single genre that defines it. From classic rock through to blues and funk, the SG has been used to play it all. Moving to a thinner body and shortening the fretboard meant that they could save on precious weight, which had been viewed as a negative of the Les Pauls. One that could be moved around with greater ease while performing and provided greater access to the higher frets due to the body and neck design.

The release of the SG highlighted that many of these elements that had been seen as a Les Paul negative were, in fact, crucial to producing its sound. This is an area of the guitar that remained pretty constant throughout the design phase.

The two models both have the same effects and controls; they are just situated in different positions. Whereas with the SG, that jack is situated alongside the controls on the front. The tone and volume effects are very similar across both models. As expected, the slender body of SG gives more depth to the mid-range chords.

It also provides a little extra growl under gain. Although the difference is very little, but the crispiness and sharpness in its tone are enough to give SG an edge over the LP when it comes to rock music.

The GS has more chime than an LP. Although the harmonic feedback is higher in SG, it lacks in the depth and warmth of the Les Paul. While you can find comparable models of the guitars, Les Pauls tend to be more expensive than SGs of similar specs. They are priced similarly to the Gibson SG Standard. Some very popular rock stars from across generations and different parts of the world have used the magic of Les Paul.

It's the best purchase I ever made, hands down. Yep, I agree with yah! My LP's are now hibernating in their cases. This is an interesting topic. I have had 2 LPs and 1 SG for years. I keep my older SG 61 Reissue tuned down to C. The SG is louder acoustically, therefore it will respond to a loud amp with more sustain, similar to an acoustic that is amplified.

The louder that a guitar is acoustically means its acoustic energy is transferred more efficiently, so sound out will also mean sound in, which will give you volume induced feedback. But the louder a guitar is acoustically it will have less sustain unamplified because the loud guitar has more energy transfer which results in the string losing its energy faster.

Think of a steel guitar, very quiet acoustically but very long sustain. As far as the neck the SG neck is fantastic for leads. On a similar note my ES has the most sustain of them all, volume induced that is, it being very loud acoustically it will respond to volume induced feedback the most. Had both with 57 Classics, the LP definitely has more growl and sustain while the SG has more chime and a little more punch.

For me, I find that at high-volume playing with the band, sustain is less of an issue then overall tone is. I'm not sure which guitar I find more versatile and I am currently playing a Traditional with the 59 Tributes in them that I find very versatile and chimey and comparable to an SG in some respects.

I'm no connoisseur, but I started out with an Epi LP and a solid state amp and couldn't get the sound that I wanted. Then I switched to a tube amp and it was better but still not right. I was home. Then I started buying the Gibson Sg's. The way I describe it is that the SG just says what it has to say and the LP just goes on too much kinda like the wife. Bless her heart though. I like that. Gibson Acoustic. Start new topic.

Recommended Posts. Posted September 4, The twin P90 Special followed a year later. By , the Les Paul 'Goldtop' was the 'Standard'. This ultimate spec model came packing two new PAF 'Patent Applied For' humbuckers, a tune-a-matic bridge and stop tailpiece, and a translucent cherry sunburst finish. The '58 to '60 'Bursts' are now considered the greatest electric guitars of all time.

Jimmy Page told us that. In , due to poor sales figures, Gibson drastically redesigned the Les Paul range. The company needed something that would compete with the hugely popular Fender Stratocaster. The solution was a lightweight mahogany only body, two humbuckers and a slim mahogany neck.

The SG Standard is the biggest selling Gibson electric guitar ever. Someone once said, "you can tell the character of an electric guitar by the company it keeps".

Actually, it was us This record is still considered by many to feature the seminal Les Paul Standard tones. At the heart of most Les Pauls and SGs is a chassis formed from mahogany. This adds a touch of brightness to the tonal depth provided by the mahogany core. It also has a trademark snarl when used with overdrive.

Listen to Paul Weller play his live for the tonal exhibit A. One thing players often miss out on when using Les Pauls and SGs is just how much tonal range and subtlety you can get by manipulating the volume and tone controls.

Try it. You'll find that these guitars offer far more than three tones. Les Pauls and SGs feature the classic Gibson mm Shorter than the mm A set of. Many recent Gibson guitars come with a 'Slim Taper' neck. Gibson neck shapes got slimmer as the decade went on. The '57 and '58 Les Pauls are generally chubby while the '60 model is pretty thin. The '59 Les Paul neck shape is regarded by collectors as the sweet spot.

Don't forget to ask your vendor how much a prospective purchase weighs. Les Pauls can weigh anything from 8. As a general rule, an SG will probably come in around the seven pound mark. Weight is important if you're going to love your guitar longtime, hanging from a strap at a rehearsal or gig.

The latter pups can be a bit noisy - they don't 'buck' hum, natch - so be aware of that. They do however sound incredible.

When it comes to the battle of Les Paul vs SG, which ones are best? Check out our hot picks below.