Getting reintroduced to my The Paul

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
I’ve had this guitar for over twenty years but haven’t played it much since I got my 2004 Les Paul for a multitude of reasons, the main one being that it desperately needed a refret. I had also put some BG Pure 90’s in it a few years ago and that didn’t work for my either. In my big guitar repair push this year I finally had it regretted and had Joel install some Suhr DSV humbuckers in it. At first I was kind of disappointed in how it sounded when I got it so I put it away until after my recital. I discovered this weekend that if I put the bridge pickup tone control on about 7 it sounds perfect.

I also noticed with both Les Pauls that after a refret they seem kind of bright for a week or so until you play them for a bit.

If you liked the guitar sounds on the Felt album, this guitar in its original form was about 70% of the guitar tracks in various forms.

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USian Pie said:
Who did the relic job on it?

Kidding, of course. That guitar is a badass, no-nonsense weapon.
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Lol. The index fingernail scratch around all of my guitars’ volume knobs isn’t something you usually see on a “factory relic”.
 
I have a vague memory of asking you what differentiates it from a "regular" LP, will you refresh my memory?
I noticed the toggle switch placement and the lack of a pickguard.
 
Joe Bonamassa says you should always start a Les Paul at 8-9 volume and tone at 5 and adjust from there to find your flavor, so the tone control at 7 plays into that a bit. I also keeps my LP Jr about there.
 
Knox in Box said:
Joe Bonamassa says you should always start a Les Paul at 8-9 volume and tone at 5 and adjust from there to find your flavor, so the tone control at 7 plays into that a bit. I also keeps my LP Jr about there.
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frunobulax said:
That's some major volume fiddling going on there!
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I’m always riding my volume. I find that there is much more useful variation in how the pickups hit the font of the amp than there is in the tone control. It’s just when I play blues or jazz that I start wanting to darken things a little bit with the tone control.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
Back in the 90s, I read an interview with Warren Haynes who keeps his volume on 7. Been doing it since.
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Read one with Jimmy Vaughan where he explained that he sets his volume around 4 on his strats and adjusts his amp to where it breaks up when he digs in, then turns it up for solos. I don't do that since I only record at home, but it makes so much sense for a live working musician.
 
Knox in Box said:
Read one with Jimmy Vaughan where he explained that he sets his volume around 4 on his strats and adjusts his amp to where it breaks up when he digs in, then turns it up for solos. I don't do that since I only record at home, but it makes so much sense for a live working musician.
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My bass is down around there because it has high output pickups. Makes using compression and dirt pedals an adventure but it sounds great.
 
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