SG vs Les Paul Custom - Sounds Quite Similar don't they? Feels pretty different though.
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2021
- I'm comparing a a Gibson Les Paul R7 Custom to a Gibson SG R1 and they feel really different to play but sounds really similar recorded. I'm playing them though a 1971 Marshall Super Bass Full Stack and a 1965 Fender Showman Stack.
- Hudba
With my eyes closed, I had a hard time telling one from the other. Very similar!
Exactly...
Another terrific video, Johan.......thank you!!
"That's Great Johan!" Good comparison and demonstration!
Thanks for sharing brother and Be Well All! Have a great weekend!
Thanks brother! Have a great weekend you too!
I'm adding this video to my collection of Super Bass recordings. What a glorious sounding amp!
I think I'm psyching meself into hearing more bottom from the Custom...
Sounding cool as always Johan
cheers
Thanks Jonny, Cheers!
the lp into super bass is the sound everyone wants.
Shoot dude it's amazing how similar those amps sound too! And man oh man what I wouldn't give to have that super bass stack you got right there!
Thanks man :-)
Great point, Johan. Never thought they could be this close actually...
Thanks Alan
SG was feeding back, and the Les was breaking your back 😃!!
🤣
Both guitars are great guitars for sure. I do think i like the LP more for dirty sounds because of the extra warmth. SG is more open wich I like more for clean sounds. Great video, never knew they sounded so similar! Thanks!
They sound almost identical on the Marshall, definitely different on the Fender.
My (1979) Les Paul Custom is generally rock solid and maybe a little bright, while my (1971) SG is very resonant and woolly.
If they sound different and using non microphonic pickups, then it has absolutely nothing to do with the wood or shape or weight of the guitars.
@@rustystove8410 I'm not going to argue all of that with you. Everyone has an opinion on it.
I am only speaking about my guitars and how they sound AND feel.
@@robertbikers9502 Wood is not magnetic and does not conduct electricity. The electrical signal from a pickup is from the vibrating metal strings disrupting the magnetic field caused by the magnets in the pickup. Only time wood makes a difference is with monophonic pickups. There is not a lot of difference between an electric motor, electric generator, electrical transformer, electro magnet, and guitar pickups.
@@rustystove8410 Duh fucking duh dooood.
I said I am not going to debate this bullshit with you, and I don't have to..
Irregardless of whatever is magnetic or not, everything has resonant frequencies.
Just because you read some stuff on a blog once doesn't mean you know shit about how guitars and other instruments react at volume.
@@robertbikers9502 The only way a pickup responds to acoustic energy is f it is monophonic. Sound waves do not disrupt the magnetic field, meaning they cannot induce a voltage in the coil around the magnets. What resonant frequencies are you referring to. Do you use NX Nastran to calculate eigenvalues from forced vibrations?
Robert Bikers
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Robert Bikers
52 minutes ago
@Rusty Stove Duh fucking duh dooood.
I said I am not going to debate this bullshit with you, and I don't have to..
Irregardless of whatever is magnetic or not, everything has resonant frequencies.
Just because you read some stuff on a blog once doesn't mean you know shit about how guitars and other instruments react at volume.
Great vid again, Johan! Sound 95% same/ same to me, especially on the Marshall. The good old theory that electric guitar sound is mostly the player, pickups and the amp. Then some way down the line, the wood. 😎 I love my old Custom, but 3 hrs. rehearsals, my shoulders not so much.
Thanks!
They sound almost identical, I've never understand the debate Les Paul vs SG. It's a matter of taste.... and weight! Great video Johan!
Thanks Andrea!
Yeah. They sound very similar. I have a LP Standard & a LP Custom No SG. And I have to tweak the amp settings some. Maybe it's just my hearing. Great selling point for an SG!!!
Thanks man
Marshall and the Les Paul equals rock n roll heaven!!!!
Thanks Johan. In the beginning the 2 Gibsons sounded to my surprise much a like. I would have expected more separation, but then I listened again. The SG tones are ringing out faster then the Custom. The Custom’s tones bleed into the next. No matter, I still love the sound of Gibson guitars through Pulsonic speakers and your riffs and chords are also well thought out. 8:45 and the morning has begun with great tones.
Thanks man, yeah the Custom has much more sustain indeed. Have a great weekend!
This was certainly creative. I believe the lp had a wider range and the sg was more focused. The lp seemed to be not as muddy also.
Hi, Johan!
On the clean and on the soloes SG is great. LP is more worm, the sound is deep and massive! Have a nice weekend! See you!
Z.
Have a great weekend my friend!
You had me before the first bar ended with the Marshall stack..............unbelievable tone!.....LP & SG both very siilar....LP edged it for me but only just. Thanks again Johan.
This is something I learned recently. They sound different because of the pickup position. That cleared it up for me.
Very true, the ergonomics of that style guitar does dictate a different hold on the instrument. I'd also add that different guitars inspire the player differently as well (at least they do for myself).
It doesn't take much difference in the position of the pickups to make it sound totally different. A friend of mine had a Kramer star body we couldn't figure out why it sounded like crap. I was staring at it one day and noticed the pickup was right up on the Bridge. That turned out to be the problem. Moving it less than 1/4 inch made all the difference. So that's when I learned about that.
@@guitarocd9984 Yeah, I have a one-off Les Paul where the bridge pickup route was accidentally positioned almost 3/8" farther away from the bridge as a normal Les Paul position. As a result of that 3/8" change the bridge pickup sounds very thick. Also, flipping the Stratocaster's bridge position angle ala Hendrix make a similarly big difference. The pickup location is one of the reasons I've not found a 24 fret guitar I like as the neck pickup sounds too much like the bridge pickup due to its position dictated by the extra fingerboard.
Yeah the SGs bridge pickup is way closer the bridge. Too close in my taste actually
Surprisingly similar. Wasn’t expecting them to be that close.
That's the point I think, a LOT of guitars sound very similar to each other, it's what I've always thought.
My love for SG's came back around a couple of years ago when I picked up a 2019 reissue. Changed the pickups to Wolfetone Marshallheads and I absolutely love it. What you're doing here is really cool...these guitars are interchangeable for recording in my opinion. The Custom sounds different through the Fender but nearly indistinguishable on the Marshall from the SG. And as far as weight and access is concerned the SG wins out every time. Love the look of the Custom but for me it's gonna have to be the SG in this case for usability, access and bang for the buck.
Yeah the SG just begs to get picked up and played whereas the LP is bit less accessible
@@JohanSegeborn I kind of agree, though I find a les Paul more comfortable to play overall because of the playing position on an sg (where the neck is)
Johan, at about the 4:00 mark, the Les Paul sounds more fuller than the SG. Listening more intently, the Les Paul sounds bigger on the Fender as well. Good demo, thanks
Thanks Ken!
My experience is that it is the rigidity of an electric guitar that matters: the longer more flexible neck and thinner body of an SG usually gives a less direct softer sound than a shorter necked thicker bodied LP. A maple capped LP is likely to be even more rigid and also offer a more rigid anchor for the bridge giving a harder more direct sound. This is because the vibrating strings increase their tension on each swing and pull on the structure of the guitar: a stiffer guitar resists this pulling more than a bendier guitar and this really effects how the strings vibrate and sustain.
They both have the same scale length actually
@@JohanSegeborn I believe Nick was referencing where the Les Paul neck meets the body on the Bass side (Low "E") string.
The Les Paul neck is much more rigid with the neck tenon having more support as compared to the SG neck which by comparison has less contact area with the body.
It's simple the pickups are not in the same position. Just a slight difference can make a big difference.
@@guitarocd9984Very good point OCD.
As for the whole neck being supported, it is common for SG guitars to have neck-pocket cracks and issues where as that isn't as common a problem with the Les Paul guitar. I also once read that Leslie West preferred a Les Paul Jr. Double Cut because he could bend the neck to achieve vibrato, he stated that wasn't as easy with a Les Paul single-cut.
Either way this was a great demonstration in the traditional Johan fashion.
@@guitarocd9984 How are the pickups not in the same position? Both guitars have a 24 3/4 inch scale length. Edit: Oh, I guess the SG's neck pickup is slightly further from the end of the fingerboard. I've actually never noticed that before. Interesting.
I'm partial to the LP Custom, but the SG's growl is very compelling.
Johan should have a game show called "Burstbucker II" where the blindfolded contestants have to guess which guitar they can hear, but they all have Burstbucker II pickups :)
The difference is noticeable at lower gain levels. More weight = more warmth. They are almost identical at high gain levels.
For heavy tones the Custom sounds much fuller & tighter. Also seems to have a bit more forward mids to push through in a mix. Moderate distortion and clean you could go either way as I think they sound fairly similar.
Close but the SG sounds a bit more bright on certain things and more open. The Les Paul bigger and warmer but it's subtle. I'm an SG guy. Just easier for me. I was expecting a bigger difference with the ebony fretboard on the Custom.
anyway sounds great Johnahan. : )
They sounds absolutely similar on the marshall, a tiny bit different on the fender
Since I eloped with my wifey guitar I've been cherishing the smoothly roaring velvet of her mahogany voice. She was born in the SG tribe and I literally bought her from the Chief for a handful of silver coins and a couple of thoughtful proverbs. Depth and clarity I found she has got in equal measure, and since I have assigned to her a tube compressing paige the murky power of my amp-mate has been growing into a darkly blazing ecstasy for ears and soul as well. Like an Amazon warrior of the legends she carries no more than one pick-up close to her slender neck, whose juice fills the valves of my thundering amp-mate's heart. Her flat wound hairstrings she likes to bear entwined in jazzy braids, and yet when tickled by one stoney pick the primordial shrill they set free never fails to sound like quivering rock and mystery.
Mighty Johan of the Northern Tunes, you really are the rightful servant of the Electric Muse! And the gift you have presented us with glows and shines with such passionetly nerdy a light we simply cannot help but feel gratefully blissed and blessed, and truly amazed as well!
Thanks my friend! A beautiful comment!
Great tones! To my ears the SG always has slightly more midrange bite, probably due to the neck\body joint which differs from a LP...generally I prefer the LP (I have an '81 Heritage Series Standard 80-Elite, sort of a "Standard Burst" with an ebony fingerboard) but AC\DC style rock just sounds perfect with an SG! Also Robbie Krieger made good use of an SG, IMHO...
Thanks man!
The SG is easier on the clean tones than the Les Paul. Les Paul is Fuller and more gritty with the sound that covers you from head to toe with as much mud as you want. Both are great sounding good job as always. Cheers
Both guitars sound great! To my ears, the LP has slightly more low end and also a bit wider (if that makes sense) played clean on the Fender amp. The SG is definitely more focused and has more treble. Not a bad thing for band situations, but if you're an at-home player like myself, I'd take the warmth of the LP any day of the week
Preferred the custom tone, but thought the real star was the 71 Super Bass. Beautiful example of Marshall Crang and crunch.
Very, very similar through the Marshall, but much more noticeable difference with the Fender... The SG sounds noticeably brighter. My guess is both guitars have very similar low and midrange content and the difference between the two is in the high frequency region, which is picked out much more by the Fender amp.
I don't know if this is right, but I think what I'm hearing is the weight difference. Both sound great!
Thanks!
How much difference in weight can you hear? As in actual weight, let's see how close u can get
SGs for me.
I've been playing a Les Paul for many years now and when I pick up an SG, it feels like the exact opposite of what I'm used to with its thin and light body but thick neck. I like the look, sound and history of the SG but the feel is very different for me.
What I've always noticed is that I like the sound of a rosewood fingerboard than ebony. I would like to hear a custom with a rosewood fingerboard. That would make them sound even more simular.
The LPC’s from the early/mid 2010’s had rosewood. The same time they had the “Govt. Series” out. You know, because the govt stole all of their legally purchased tonewoods.
The difference to me had alway been I. The solo spectrum if things. Right at the end of the clip, the Les Paul sounds a little creamier and less tiny. Love Les Paul’s, hate strapping them around my neck. Haha
Man, that Les Paul sure sounds good.
Weird the I thought Custom bucker wasn't as classic rock sounding not bright but more raw then a burst bucker. I did replace my custom bucker in my 58 VOS for burst bucker bridge two just love them with gain for Rock. Got a 64 sg vos on the way I will leave the custom bucker intact for two different tone options. I kept the Custom bucker incase I ever want to go back. Not sure if there is a better neck pickup then a custom bucker though. IMO can't beat a burst bucker 2 in the bridge - very versatile.
Lp is a little bit bright, but sg is so resonant very good alternative by the cost and weight.....
SG for me. Seems to cut through, clearer tone. Cut back on the tone knobbies and it’ll sound almost identical to the Lp.
Les Paul- bigger lows, chimier high end and upper mids
SG- leaner low end, smoother highs, creamier upper mids.
I really hate to say it, but the Les Paul sounds better. Darker and fuller, which I like. The SG is the most aesthetically beautiful guitar out there though, and still my favorite!
That SG sounded thin to my ears, LP had higher output and more harmonics. Similar tone, but the difference i hear would probably be the PUs. Good stuff as always!
Thanks!
Oh no, pups were the same! You’re hearing just the body difference and maybe pickup height
And a slight correction, that’s only for the bridge pickup, if he used the neck at all, don’t remember
Nice. LP is a little warmer and darker, SG a bit quackier, but very similar.
I don't know, I can play an SG really well but I've never been able to get a Paul to sound right in my ears. Just got rid of a 70's Custom and much prefer an SG or my current 70's Explorer. I really don't know why I could never bond with the Les Paul sound in my hands, I love the way everyone else sounds on them.
I hate playing lps too. Definitely an sg man
^SG^
Sg is amazing . Proof you dont need big fat slab of heavy wood . But LP is LP . Nice to have both .
Funny, id never thought an SG would beat a LP on clarity b in this video it does.
As you said, pretty simular sounding EQ wise..
But maybe a tad more bottom end on the LP.
Bottom end means jack s**t in a live situation in a band context..
They sound IDENTICAL to me through the Marshall, crazy. but through the Fender the Custom sounds like it has a bit more bass. Maybe that huge speaker is bringing out some more frequencies...
The gain in Marshall colors the tone a lot. The Fender was cleaner with influence from the guitars
I like the sg a bit more, seems to have a bit less deeper lows? Or maybe its just me thinking that would be reasonable so thinking my way to hearing differences
They sound quite similar indeed, i like better this Custom LPs than the Standard LPs, i think that the mahogany top help them to sound clearer and without too much boxy/hollow/nasal mids, also i love SGs.
Wood is not magnetic and does not conduct electricity. All other things being equal, tonewoods makes no difference when using non monophonic pickups.
Hej Johan! Har du nått sätt man kan stötta din kanal? Älskar det du gör och skulle vilja ge tillbaka för allt nöje du skapat åt oss andra:) Trevlig dag!
Tackar, jätteroligt att höra! Jag kommer kanske att använda Patreon framöver. Trevlig helg!
You've really embraced the blackface amps into your videos, huh? I really like it. Thx for another great demonstration of musical taste.
Thanks yeah, I usually play a Fender amp through a Marshall cab nowadays. Cheers
@@JohanSegeborn I think the celestion mid-range matches super nicely with blackface amps.
Both sound great, Johan. But the Custom sounds more, what's the word I'm looking for❓.. Oh yeah.. MUSCULAR‼️
Thanks ;-)
Har du några pedaler med, Johan? Marshallen låter sanslöst bra!
Did anyone else notice at 2:41 the guitar cord plug end slipped loose and traveled down the cable to the floor?
The SG seems to feed back more!
Yeah I wonder if it’s due to the pickup cavity or the pickup?
Johan ! Have you checked out the marshall clones from grand technology , sold on DH Gate? They seem to have the best prices out there.
I'd love to see a demo bro !
No not yet. Cheers!
So very similar but my ears prefer the Les Paul I’m kinda surprised because I listen to a lot of doom metal and a lot of doom guitarists prefer an SG. I feel like the Les Paul has just a tad more bite and body. But only a smidge. Great video. Always great videos. No one does it better than Johan. We are so lucky to have these videos.
Thanks Mike, its great to hear that!
Can you do a vox ac30 rangemaster video?
More harmonic depth to the Les Paul to my ears (tries to listen without an visuals as far as possible)
If you want the same sound of an Sg try a Gibson Flying V model, cheers!
They are very close indeed, I hear more bass and low mids and quite a bit more gain in the lp...... The sg has more "air" around the notes, less bass, less low mids, less gain, more focused tone, maybe a touch more upper mids but I think it's more a lack of low mids in comparison to the lp..... The sg also seems like it wants to transistion in beautiful harmonic feedback more naturally and faster...... If I had a super bass I'd probably prefer the sg, if it was a super lead with. 0022 V1b and. 068 on V2a, and lead tone stack, I would probably prefer the additional low mids and bass the lp provides.....
Cheers Chance, I prefer LP with the brightest Super Leads as well
@@JohanSegeborn telling u man we must have really similar ears and tastes
The SG maybe a little airier sounding on certain tracks
To be fair,I never knew Page played a Tele on Whole Lotta Love ;-0) \m/
I didn’t know that either
Hi folks! I belive that Whole Lotta Love and The Heartbreaker are the very first songs that Jimmy used the 1 59 for recording
@@NinjerXp I've heard that too,we'll have to ask Eddie Kramer ;-0) \m/
@@JohanSegeborn yup, I learned it from Steve Vai when he spoke about his childhood. Vai said he didn't want a telecaster because at the time he didn't think they were very rock and roll. Then he mentioned that he didn't realise at the time that the songs he liked were actually recorded with a tele.
@@NinjerXp not according to Jimmy Page in his new book. I just bought it and he said he used his newly aquired 59 Les Paul to record Whole Lotta Love and much of the second record. He did use the telecaster on the first record though. The book is cool. He shows pictures of all his gear and has stories of what he used on what songs and even all the way back to the session days where his Les Paul Custom was used on many records before he joined the Yardbirds. I highly recommend the book. It's a beautiful thing to behold. Nicest book I have ever seen. Beautiful pictures of gear and outfits etc.
Literally could not tell the difference. And even if there was one, it would not be something to worry about. The difference on these guitars is the neck pickup tho
Les Paul. /thread.
What brand string did u say? I had trouble making it out....... Thanks
Hi, I’m using D’addario Nickel Coated 10-46. I actually use them in all videos
@@JohanSegeborn me too! Only I use 11 Gauge balanced tension because I tune down a step for my voice range..... I highly recommend trying the 10 gauge balanced tension set of nyxl dadarrios
If the pickups, electronics, string tuning, and orientation of the pickups relative to the stings and bridge are the same, the guitar will have the same electrical signal. Wood does not conduct electricity and is not magnetic.
Yeah pickups are indeed more influential than the material of the guitar, but a guitar made of solid steel would sound like a piano since the bridge and nut will be completely stationary. So especially neck and fretboard material are influential to add some flexibility (damping) to the system and obtain the warmer guitar tone.
@@JohanSegeborn Love your style, Johan, 10/10!
It's amazing to see that they sound basically identical. LP is better looking, SG is more practical and easier to play.
Obviously metal vs. wood would make a difference. However, I'd be interested to see how cheap and sustainable wood like maple compares with something expensive and luxurious contraband wood - rosewood/mahogany/ebony.
I've always been under impression that "luxurious" wood is done mostly to increase the added value of the guitar and not so much to actually do anything with the playability.
Thoughts?
The Les Paul is a little beefier, more bottom end.
i like sg it has more upper mids bite and a good neck. i don,t like les paul the had this lumpy big heavy neck like a baseball bat and more low mids
The sg has a thinner sound, more of a Les Paul fan, sg necks are to chunky,and the neck is to long, not very comfortable to me.
Is that true? The original Les Paul Custom didn’t have a maple cap?
Nope. The original Custom was all mahogany. It didn’t get the maple cap until the ‘68 reissue.
@@corneliuscrewe677 interesting. I did not know that.
@@1954telecaster Legend has it Les actually wanted the maple cap on the Custom and all mahogany on the Goldtop. Les claimed in an old interview they got it backwards, but I’ve never seen anything to support that. For all his brilliance, Les could be a bit of a blowhard.
@@corneliuscrewe677 That would make sense. You figure the most expensive model would get a maple cap...
@@1954telecaster Can’t argue with that, however and all Mahogany Custom is the top of the heap for me. Preferably the original with the P90/Staple pickup combo. Magic.
No need to blow all that money on a Custom, then.
I tried to love LP's because so many of my heroes have played them, but I can't bond with them. SG's a different story, maybe it's due to them being lighter and have some soft edges in the body. I really want an SG with P-90's now
I think SG wins on this one. I prefer the less wooly sounding one. but then again at around 5:05 Les Paul sounds great.
Thanks Emre
SG sounds 'lighter', more airy.
the les paul looks cooler.
...that's debatable haha
LOL, we would be kidding ourselves if we said looks didn't matter.
TBH I can't imagine Angus Young playing a Les Paul!
@@hkguitar1984 😈
@@ACDC4LIFE f#ck yeah!!
Tonewood? lol smh. Traditionally the only different sonically was that SGs had alnico 5 magnets and Les Pauls alnico 2.
The pickup is closer to bridge on the SG as well actually.
Couldn’t hear any difference at all in the first setup..
Which suits me, because I have always been against tonewood consept, as a marketing gimmick..
Custom has ebony fingerboard; what SG has? Rosewood?