New video: Warmoths versus a Les Paul

[aarontunes]

Check it:

 

[Spud]

Thought B was the Les Paul.

 

[VanHeGen]

I listened mostly to the gain sounds in the beginning (and I liked the sound a lot). I though A and C sound similar, with A sounding a bit bigger. So my guess was that B was the LP. But you’re right, low gain pickups ( and rolling off the volume) would probably make for bigger differences.

 

[teleme01]

I find that the 3/4" difference makes a huge difference, les Paul is an easier reach, the fender scale length is brighter

 

[Rick]

While I like the more spongy Gibson scale length, I find it difficult to cram my fingers in there, so I'm in the fender scale length camp by default. Indeed, it is brighter, I think it has something to do with the fact that string for string, Gibson's have less tension.

 

[teleme01]

I agree, maybe it would be better to see if you can make a les Paul sound like a tele, and to do that you would start with a 25.5" scale

 

[ruscio]

Another terrific video! Based on personal experience, but more importantly a lot of videos of this type, I think that nearly all of what we hear from an electric guitar, tonally, is down to the pickups. That's it. Mount them in or on anything, not even a guitar, and then move strings in front of them at a given distance, and this is about all that matters. There are a ton of other variables that make some difference in how the strings vibrate, but those variables and their influence pales in comparison with the pickup selection and distance to the strings. I don't even think it makes much difference what size or material strings you use, as long as they contain metals that interact with the magnetic field of the pickups.

Just to be clear, when I say it's almost entirely about the pickups, I'm not talking about what you can do with the signal after it leaves the guitar. Effects, amps, speakers can all have a huge effect on tone, but none of those are part of the guitar itself. Likewise, how the guitar is played makes a huge difference, too. I'm just saying that for a given playing style, and a given processing of the post-guitar signal, just about the only thing about the guitar itself that matters is the pickups. They convert the string vibration into the signal, and everything else about the guitar influences the string vibration itself so little that it seldom matters for any practical purpose. Any differences you can hear are likely to be either mostly in your head (for reasons including those that Aaron has pointed out in recent videos) or much smaller than what you can readily control with a couple of knobs post-guitar.

Choose a guitar that inspires you to play and has the pickups that produce tones you like, and then dial in the sound post-guitar.

 

[Scab Pickens]

I got it right!

I started out as a Les Paul player. Don't have one anymore, but I do have an ESP E-II Eclipse that I like more than any Les Paul I've ever played.

 

[rauchman]

Great video @aarontunes

Thought the LP was either B or C. A didn't have enough bark to it

 

[Rick]

Darn, I picked C ... so you can make a guitar sound like a Les Paul ... the difference is the spongy tactile quality, though I could swear that when I play the fender it is brighter. I guess not!~

To put it simply, the pickups dominate the sound. I guess that's the first thing you should look at when designing a guitar.

Hombre body?

 

[micmil]

I wasn't completely certain until I got to Middle Position Test #4. Yep, that's the muddy garbage I equate with Les Pauls alright. It always shows up eventually.

A and C both sounded better in every clip, but as you'd expect it changed from gain level to gain level which one sounded better. They're both excellent. I was surprised I actually liked the JB. Every single time I've had one in a guitar it's got the boot pretty quickly.

Definitely makes me sad I missed out on the Meadowhawks, that's for sure.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Wow, I had the Meadowhawk & Les Paul mixed up. I nailed Guitar "C" (the green Tele).
An "apples-to-apples" comparison with the same pickups in all three guitars would be nice.

 

[Spud]

What I heard immediately in the first sample was B (IMO) the dull, non immediate, attack that is the glued in neck. Course, I could be mistaken.

 

[teleme01]

I believe the dull sound, feel, is the string tension. Gives the tone of Gibson a mellower/dull tone and fender scale is brighter from more tension. I can feel the different tones

 

[Spud]

I believe the dull sound, feel, is the string tension. Gives the tone of Gibson a mellower/dull tone and fender scale is brighter from more tension. I can feel the different tones

Maybe, but I am referring to the initial"attack"

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Its a really good video. Thanks. I picked the Les Paul as "B". It was possible to pick with the a sole isolated guitar track, but it would be harder with a mixed track.

A and C were less obvious. I have some idea of the differences between the Crawler and the JB, but I wasn't confident I could tell them apart. Since I know what the SD 59 Neck humbucker sounds like, that part was almost a giveaway. I expect the Alder body telecaster would sound brighter in the top end, so that was probably part of the reason I could identify them.

The crawler set is probably more balanced sounding, so it may have been a closer contest if these pickups were used in the Telecaster as well. The part I really missed was the EVH brown sound demo.

 

[micmil]

I believe the dull sound, feel, is the string tension. Gives the tone of Gibson a mellower/dull tone and fender scale is brighter from more tension. I can feel the different tones

More like the dull and boring sound of Gibson pickups. Throw those Bareknuckles in the LP and it will sound massively better, without question.

 

[Spud]

More like the dull and boring sound of Gibson pickups. Throw those Bareknuckles in the LP and it will sound massively better, without question.

It isn’t the pickups. There is an audible /fundamental difference in attack between a set neck and a bolt on. However, you can get similar tones. Also, IMO Gibson makes great pickups YMMV.

 

[Rick]

Hombre Body ... 12 mins

 

[BroccoliRob]

yeah I didn't hear anything I couldn't put down to different pickup EQ curves. they all sounded good, especially the BK crawlers. simply too many variables at play here. aa's conclusion "the LP sound is 2 humbuckers" is correct. they feel different, but humbuckers gonna humbuck