Types Of Guitars. Part 4: Les Paul

Oh sweet, sweet Les Paul! I think most people feel butterflies in their stomach they hear a screaming Les Paul. Anyway, lets get straight to the article...

History

As always, I´ll begin the article by telling a bit about the guitar's origins. Back in 1954, what we now know as the “Telecaster” was the most popular guitar in the market. This proved that solid body guitars could provided sellers with a great way of increasing sales. Gibson began to pursue a design that could beat Fender´s “Broadcaster”, so that they could continue to compete in the market. But where was the guitar? They searched for designers the country over until someone recalled of a man named Les Paul, who had shown them a composition guitar a couple years ago. The people at Gibson turned down the initial model scrutinizing it as “a broomstick with pickups”. Ha Ha! Can you believe that? Well, soon after that they started building their first “solid body guitar”. History paints two versions of the story according to what you want to believe:

One of them says that Gibson hired Les Paul to help them with the concept design and when he had finished, he was later called to “thank” him for his work. The second story says that Gibson had already finished the guitar and had decided to call it the “Les Paul” to put a big name behind their new design. In 1954, Les Paul was a well known guitarist, similar to how Joe Satriani is known nowadays, so you can imagine that when the guitars came to stores, everyone would want one (Hey, right now I still want to buy Steve Vai´s guitar, so why wouldn’t your grandfather want to buy a Les Paul?). Anyway, the Les Paul "Goldtop" was born, it had a sparkling gold top with P90 pickups. Well, if you want to read more in depth about it, I recommend this website. This is where I got the information for the History.

Overview

How am I suppose to describe one of the most beautiful guitars ever made? It's such a pretty looking guitar, I don't know... The Les Paul has the shape similar to a traditional acoustic guitar but it has a thick solid wood body with one cutaway, a quilted or flame top with bindings and a pickguard (it is close to an SG "Solid Guitar" style guitar). The neck has more or less the same feel as a SG, they're usually made from the same woods (Mahagony body and Maple necks) too, although its sound…well that’s not as similar.

A difference between a Les Paul and SG, is the location of the pickup selector (I think over frets 17 or 19 on a LP). It may be harder to reach in the middle of a song but it provides much more security. On SGs, it's below the tone and volume controls. When I played an Sg, I used to switch pickups by mistake with my right hand. As well as in SGs, the Les Paul has two humbucking pickups, sometimes covered by a plate for a sound that is brighter.

The bridge is tune-o-matic (attached directly to the body), it is almost the same as the SGs. It has no whammy bar (which some argue can kill sustain), although some guitarist have added one such as Mark Tremonti.

Description

The body may be made of many different woods but what makes Les Pauls bodies different from others guitars is that it is heavier (Les Pauls tend to be some of the heaviest guitars), which ads to sustain and a graver bass. Perfect for that fat sound.

Almost every Les Paul has the same hardware: 2 volume pots, 2 tone controls and 2 humbucking pickup and a switch providing 3 different combinations:

Position 1: Switch turned downwards (looking at the floor), the Bridge Pickup. This generates a crunchy sound, mostly used for leads, in Reggae and Ska they use this for cleans (it's used in Guns N Roses´s "Paradise City" intro).

Position 2: Middle Position (both pickups active), this position provides a sound not too bright nor too grave, perfect for balanced tone.

Position 3: Switch turned upwards (up towards you), here is, in my opinion, the magic of this guitar. It switches to the neck´s pickup so that the sound you get is really grave. Turn the tone control to 0, and ABRAKADABRA! You get the well known “woman tone” a favorite of Eric Clapton and Slash. When you do this, your sound becomes really “fat” so it´s perfect for the "sad" sounding solos, like the one in “Don’t Cry”. You also get a lot of sustain too.

The neck is medium thickness but just remember that it´s not as thin as the ones in "Superstrats" and Stratocasters, so it may be more difficult to play "fast". I'm not saying it is impossible, just listen to Jimmy Page or Zack Wylde.

What more can I say? Er...umm, it's very expensive shit, no seriously, a good Les Paul (in my opinion Gibson's are the best) can cost $3000 (You can of course buy a used LP for much cheaper or a LP copy). So start saving money now if you want one of these! Alright, so you might be thinking “Yeah, yeah it is a good-looking guitar but why is it soooo loved by the expert musicians?” I´ll tell you why... First of all, it has a characteristic to its sound that can't really be found in any other guitar. Although you can get a really customized "Superstrat", which will achieve a similar tone.

Second, it is a really “soft” guitar. What do I mean by soft? When bending notes with a guitar that has any kind of mobile bridge (standard tremolo, floyd rose) you are fighting with both the strings tension and the bridge´s force to keep strings in the same place. Also when bending a note with a solid bridge, you only fight against the strings force to stay there, so you can get to higher notes with less effort in my opinion.

Third, despite having two humbucking pickups, it can get a wonderful clean tone (Bob Marley used an LP), and at the same time a really nice overdriven sound.

Fourth, a "tune-o-matic solid bridge" is almost synonymus with "always in tune". You won't have problems tuning in the middle of a gig, of course you´ll have to act as a gentleman to enjoy this advantage.

Fifth, it is a versatile guitar, you can play rock to heavy metal and reggae to pop etc.

As I said before, this is a guitar that sounds at least proper in most situations but there are a few situation which this guitar really upstands the other types in my opinion:

With lots of distortion/overdrive.

At the moment of playing slow and romantic solos.

At the moment of playing a middle/high speed solos.

When looking for a rather “grave” sound that won't make your windows shake.

As well as advantages, there are also disadvantages. For example; if you want to play as fast as Jason Becker or Michael Romeo, you may want to try a "Superstrat" or a Stratocaster for a faster neck. What I mean by this is, “If you want to shred, buy a Superstrat.” Someone wrote this in an article I published before.

Okay I think that’s enough for now, thank you very much for reading the article and I hope it was useful. The next one (and last) will be about “Superstrats” so if you are an Ibanez, Jackson, BC Rich and Ernie Ball etc fan, stay tuned!

Comments

[allenm]

wooo.. 1st. great article man. i loved it. i didnt really know much about les pauls but what i do know matches up well.

[Cpt. Vanquisher]

2nd Nice article 5 stars

[Slashfan#1]

You are right they dont play as fast as other guitars and for a guy like me with small hands they play even slower, sometimes I have a hard time playing something on it that i know I could play on an Ibanez, Fender or something with a neck that is thinner. But the reason for me owning one of these ( Gibson Les Paul LE ) is they give the best tone I have ever heard , but hey thats just me.

[clwy87]

great article....5 stars

[mnbaseball91]

I only skimmed, but again, I don't like this article. First off, since when do LPs and SGs have maple necks!?

Second of all, you say Gibson makes the best Les Pauls. Actually, they make the only ones (unless you count Epiphone). If you're talking about LP style guitars, then all your generalizations about thick necks, binding, and types of wood aren't necessarily true.

Well written though.

[J_Dizzle]

Sweet ass article, I never knew that about LP's. 5 stars.

[Scourge441]

Great article on one of the best guitars ever made. 5 stars.

[tHeAxEmAn]

good article, gives me more reasons to love les pauls
cant wait till the next article!

[Rock_mad_chic]

one of the most beautiful guitars ever made

no way. most les pauls look like oversized violins. i suppose they do sound good tho.
4 stars

[thefinalcut]

He probably meant maple "tops" instead of "necks" anyway. It doesn't take away from the article, it was still good.

[GuitarJunkie]

i already know pretty much everything in these articles...but theres always one or two things that you bring up that i didnt know before...and so far i have enjoyed everyone that you have wrote

good job once again

[rancidrocker]

Nice, I have a Gibson Les Paul. It's like 32 years old (forgot just how my dad got a hold of it). And after playing it if I play my friends Ibenez I feel like I'm gonna break it.
Anyway great article.

[hammettrocks]

good article.....do the flying V next!!

[acousticguy]

I have to disagree with the bending part. I used to play a Les Paul until i switched to a Strat lately, the strats playability is higher and bending of notes is not much of a problem compared to the Les Paul. It's harder to bend on the Les Paul. I also feel that a strat's tone is brighter and more twang to it, it has a better clean tone and more acoustic sounding that a Les Paul. Well, to each its own i guess.

[kornrules09]

Can't wait for the BC Rich Jackson and Ibanez ones.

[Xeus]

several points:
too much talk of SGs (well for me)
Les pauls do have fast necks take the 60s re-issue
and dude stop talking about Superstrats so much, are you like a salesman for them or summit:P

[kurt_was_killed]

sweet article man. 5 stars. les pauls are the best boxes ever made. i have to settle for my Epiphone Speacial 2 copy tho.....

[kurt_was_killed]

..... i'm glad jimmy page played les pauls. it seems like everyone is playing fenders now. guess hendrix has sumthing to do with it. or cobain.

[wanna_lick_me?]

every time i pick up my LP and plug into my fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp and strike a chord i have an orgasm. That's the best way to describe this guitar. It just oozes... tone, i dunno what to call it. Forget strats, teles, and all that junk, just grab yourself a LP and you'll be a happy man...or gal

[sabbathblack12]

this is a sweet artical....it gives u the just of the les paul history and what ever you need about them

[black_sabbath85]

Welldone. You did a very good job with this article. 5 star.
e---.."LES-PAUL"--RULES---..
b---..E---.
.
g---..S---..
d---..P---..
a---..A---..
e---.
.U-L---..

[Gotrix]

I simply have to say that i love les pauls ,,
but i wish that they didin't cost so much (the gibson models anyway) o and good article 5 stars

[darkstar9814]

good article

[Kartman]

GREAT ARTICLE!!!.. Very informative, but in my opinion Les Pauls are very overatted. I'm not bashing anyone's opinions, I just think that SG's and Strats are better. No doubt, though, the Les Paul is a very sucsessful, versatile guitar. Being so popular, though, Gibson raises the price very dramaticly. For a new Paul, it's about $2000 plus, while strats are about 400-1000 for a new one. But, That's marketing.

Spam deleted.

[sensate]

You're still posting this drivel? *groan*

[jamis8891]

great artical! i just recently bought a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Pro. its amazing, i also have a 2004 Fender Deluxe American Fat Stat. Both are great, but i feel more secure at a gig behind a les paul.


oh, could you explain the differences between to special, custom, pro...ect?

[Blackbullet]

good article, some points were a bit shakey but 5 stars nonetheless.

I love Les Pauls, I dont care what anyone says- I personally havnt found a guitar which plays or sounds as nice as my Les Paul and I love the weight, its a plus for me. Also Pagey,Wylde and Buckethead have all proven its not impossible to rip it up with some speed on a Les Paul.
I wouldnt trade mine for anything.
However I am currently saving up for a Les Paul Black beauty,3 pickups, Bigsby whammy....ahhh i cant wait!!

[psykopoo]

mnbaseball91: Dipshit

Great Article

[floyd_rose]

Nice Article! Love LP's! 5 stars.

[oddling8]

Very good article, these articles are surprisingly good, and my favorite part is the description and history of each tone position. Good job, entertaining.

[Metallica12_12]

Very good article, but Esp makes a damn fine LP knockoff.

[gonzosrevenge55]

decent article, well written. i guess my only real question is exactly what the difference is between a gibson les paul and an epiphone version (other than the price). are they all that different, or is the gibson name prestigious enough to add $1000 to the tag?

[Coolvortex]

Well, for what I know, epiphone les pauls are actually pretty good guitars, I own one and I'm very satisfied with it, but obviously it's not just the name to make gibsons cost more. First the pickups in epiphones are modeled after gibson's (so there isn't a HUGE difference), but Epiphone elitists model have gibson pickups, but they cost almost as much as a low range gibson. Second, the wood isn't as good quality as gibsons, and the flamed top isn't really a top but a veneer. A way to get a better quality epiphone is to get a "plus" one, that is, for example, a standard plus or a custom plus, which have trasparent finishes that show the wood under it and, because of this, the wood has to be better. Also, gibsons bodies are made of just one big piece of wood while epiphones are made of different pieces put togheter. Of course, to the expert axeman, these difference can count a lot, but epiphone is really the closest thing to a gibson you can find if you can't spend much money, and not just sound wise, but also esthetically (epiphones are basically identical to their gibson counterparts when you see them). As I said before, I have one and couldn't ask more

[Maverick49]

Good point gonzosrevenge55, I'm in a band and my guitarist has a Gibson LP and I've got an Epiphone and mine plays and sounds better, although I have altered the action and pickup height. I reckon its just the name. Epiphone's as a budget guitar piss all over Squiers which just feel like cheap versions of Fenders whereas Epiphones are quality guitars.

[Hosscat]

Good Article.

Also, YOU CAN GET A BRAND NEW STUDIO LP FOR $1100-1200 from musiciansfriend.com or music123.com. This has high end pick-ups & m-o-pearl inlays, just not the binding.

[Blackbullet]

Coolvortex^^^

Yep thats right, I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus and comparing it with a gibson all that is lacking is Pickups really- but I still love it and havnt found anything better for what I payed- Thats not to say im not still saving up for this.....
http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/gibson_lpblack.html

[slash111391]

awesome article, but i can play rele fast on my LP, and my guitar teacher can play even faster, so idk wut u mean by u shred slower. but LPs are the best guitars ive ever played and im always stickin with em

[mikeman]

Im not sure about the lp style, ive only seen em playing rock and roll but they're craftsmenship is undeniable. Gibson is awesome!

[J Lock]

I would've preferred if you went in depth more.
Like what the difference between the Custom, Standard, Studio, etc.
Ok article.

[metalhead296]

i think gibson is going somewhat downhill, if you noticed there starting now at 500 bucks. and yes the guy above me brings up a point. i will answer his question to my knowledge though. the studio is the same as the standard EXCEPT the standard has binding, and another later of wood on the top of the guitar making it heavier, but with a better tone. sometimes the pickups are diferent, sometimes there the same, depends on the model. and the customs, are the same a s the standards, just they are custom ordered, there more lightly produced, and there with more expensive pickups/hardware, etc. and you can get designs on em like wylde did. i think if you want a sic guitar get a prs.

[poontastic]

LP's are killer guitars,i have an epiphon copy and i love it, but i caqnt wait to get an SG or "real" Gibson LP.

[jamstation]

yep, this is good work!
and for the trivia-inclined, Les Paul's real name was Lester Polfus ...

[Vinura]

this article was great

[DK-Guitarist]

great, but could you make one on telecasters? im considering wether to buy a Highway 1 Telecaster or some SG...

[GNR's Fan]

I Love Gibson Les Pauls I Love Gibson Les Pauls I Love Gibson Les Pauls I Love Gibson Les Pauls I Love Gibson Les Pauls I Love Gibson Les Pauls I have a epiphone Special model and i will have a Epiphone Les Pauls In 10 days Hopefully !
Les Puals RULES ESSPECIALLY When SLASH play on one!

[jammin]

Second, it is a really ?soft? guitar. What do I mean by soft? When bending notes with a guitar that has any kind of mobile bridge (standard tremolo, floyd rose) you are fighting with both the strings tension and the bridge´s force to keep strings in the same place. Also when bending a note with a solid bridge, you only fight against the strings force to stay there, so you can get to higher notes with less effort in my opinion.

This is not from the type of bridge, it's due to the scale length of the guitar. A Les Paul has a shorter scale length than a strat, so it has less string tension.

[americanpig11]

i love my Les paul deluxe '72...actually its my dads but its an amazing guitar. nice article.

[denz_jan05]

i love the sgseries coz it gives me the thrill the way angus and pete used to plwy with it

[Android0818]

i love my les paul, its perfect for those long bluesy bends. i fell in love with this guitar listening to warren haynes, and dont forget skynyrd

[Punishment Due]

I didnt like it that much until you sed that your doing articles on the other companies also, that means you werent ass kissing all that much

[Kartman]

DK-Guitarist:
great, but could you make one on telecasters? im considering wether to buy a Highway 1 Telecaster or some SG...

The author already has an article on Teles. Look Here: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/types_of_guitars_telecaster.html

[cool_geek_dude]

I have the epiphone zakk wylde les paul and its going into the shop to get active emgs installed, i was talking to one of my tutors at college and he reckoned that the only real other difference between mine and the gibson was a slightly better neck on the gibson or something. All i know is the gibson one is like $3799 and buying the epiphone and putting the pickups in comes to about £700... think i made the right choice but to summarise... LP RULES!

[The_Trooper14]

yea do the flying-v iv's got a gibson 67 and I love it, then do explorers

[ledbelly]

Are all LP "Customs" made by epiphone? Even if the inlay says 'Gibson'? Really?

[voodoochilli499]

^^ If the guitar head says gibson and it cost over $1500 then its a gibson les paul custom. If it says epiphone and cost around $600 then its an epiphone les paul custom

[Spity90]

i kinda of disagree on the mention of the whammy bars taking away sustain, i have a floyd rose on mine.. yes i drilled the poop outta my pauly and its killer!!!..
great article

[Strat_Monkey]

Turn the tone control to 0, and ABRAKADABRA! You get the well known “woman tone” a favorite of Eric Clapton

Clapton used an SG played through a wah pedal in a fixed position to get his Woman Tone. I don't think he ever played a Les Paul.

[slincoln.]

Clapton was one of the first to use Les Paul/Marshall for the Blues. Check out Guitar Player 'The Marshall Amp' mag. My Les Paul Std [black] is my most treasured possession, alongside my TSL 60 and vintage quad. Match made in heaven, and I'm in LOVE!!!

[tomobrien]

les pauls are good billie joe from green day uses 1

[Mispeled]

Very good article, but I'm more interested in how it sounds than its history.

[GNRobsessed013]

tomobrien:
les pauls are good billie joe from green day uses 1

And we care about green day, why?
Les Pauls are amazing and beautiful.
End of story.

[i_eat_toast]

ace article

[Martyrion]

Les Pauls are awsome! Not best, somewhere high up there. Great article too! 5 stars to both the guitar and the article!

[tomobrien]

guess wat im a fat losa and i like to eat food

[ac/guns n zep]

i was thinking of getting a LP but ive heard that they are really heavy and the weight of it can effect your playing

[jimmcs2000]

My most prized possession: 1980 les paul custom. Great fat tone. bThe only thing that i think rivals it is something like a PRS. I think the difference between gibson and epiphone a one piece neck (great sustain) and workmanship. One is handmade in the U.S. of A and the other mass produce in like Korea or something. I have a couple of epiphones and they sound great but don't hold tune very well. I wouldn't play out with the ep. Peace.....

[demez]

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN ARTICAL DONE ON SGs
but this was very informative

[fenderplaya015]

I usually play strats but I played a les paul with my friend and it kicked ass. It would be hot if Fender made a LP.

[erling]

les paul>stratocaster,telecaster

[THECLASHROCK1]

Strats are a little better than LP's because, they are made by FENDER, and better sounding.

[Jarrott]

THECLASHROCK1:
Strats are a little better than LP's because, they are made by FENDER, and better sounding.

And that means? Personally, I think Fender is shit. I can't stand to play through one of their amps let alone their guitars. Fender doesn't pack enough of a crunchy sound to them without a pedal along side of it. I stick with my '92 SG. The channel switch has such a difference in tone when I run it through a Cube 60; it's great. Seeing as my SG has kicked a lot of ass so far I'm thinking of checking out a Les Paul and this article just strengthened that. Good job.

[alexjones]

dude i have a 72' gibson lp goldtop with 2 p90s and a 79' fender fat strat, both kickass. it just depends on what music you play stop being close minded you ***s

[GibsonSg12]

i just like the sound better of gibson

fender is like a bluesy sounds hence hendrix clapton stevie ray vaughn

gibson is more of a hark rock sound hence led zeppelin acdc kiss

[THECLASHROCK1]

hey why dont you stop taking it so seriously, now were gettin somewhere

[jimmcs2000]

These assholes are exactly the reason i hate most guitarists. It's always a ***ing competition. If you love strats that's cool. Gibson,PRS,whatever. I am a guitarist and i love GUITARS! I would play any guitar and love it because i am a guitar player. Can't we stop judging everyone and trying to pick a fight. This is my last visit to this site because theres way too many assholes who criticize what they seem not to understand. If you played as much as you whine, you might just actually have something worth listening to. Some of you are cool but i just can't take this aggravation anymore. Some sound like a 13 year old girl comlaining about a zit. Good luck with the bitchin'. Peace

[GibsonSg12]

THECLASHROCK1:
hey why dont you stop taking it so seriously, now were gettin somewhere

im just telling my opinion how am i taking it to seriously

[firdaus125]

Jackson soloists kill all your lousy guitars

[THECLASHROCK1]

I like how jimmc2000 thinks. I dont hate Gibson's I just like Fender better

[Slash6969]

I like how jimmc2000 thinks. I dont hate Gibson's I just like Fender better

Dude did u not read what he said GAH stupid people and i complete agree with what he said i will play anything why cause a guitar is a guitar and each guitar may play diferently but that is what makes it fun ... i dont want a perfect guitar cause that takes the fun out of trying to make the perfect sound or get my crappy guitar to sound like somone overly expesive guitar. but thats just my thoughts

[punk_pwincess]

sweet... u learn somethin diffrent evry day ... dat was 1 of tha best articles ive eva read .. it waas definetli worth readin.. nice job!

[Dark_Sanity]

loved the article, i have a epiphone les paul standard and it sounds great. it sounds almost or just as good as my mockingbird and it has active pickups in it. i don't have the cash to buy a gibson but i've played a few gibson lp's and they are some of the best guitars, if not the best you can play, to me at least. 5 stars

[Mace Mchullah]

good article, but Tremonti plays a Paul Reed Smith not a gibson. (i love pauls)

[That_Pink_Queen]

Les pauls kick. Now that were done with that, let me say that Epiphones, if your smart, really arn't bad guitars. I have both an Epi and a Gibby, and they sound literally identical with the addition of some gibson pickups int he EPI. The biggest difference is in the wood that they use. In Gibsons the wood is usually higher quality, and is one solid block. Epis also sometimes have a bunch of wood blocks all glued together, making the body less resonant. The way to get a good guitar from Epiphone is to get a model with a semi transparent finish. I have an EPI SG and you can clearly see through the red finish, that the guitar is one solid chunk of mahogany. It has a beatiful grain too. There is no doubt you could play it at gigs.

[Cliff Burton]

your opinions are really good, les pauls are one of the bests, but they also cost the most.

but everyone knows the best is....GIBSON!!!..

[GiutarOverlord]

Nice article lots of info but u left out Jimi Page and for quite some time he was playing a Les Paul and he did some crazy-ass stuff with it. Like in the live version of Dazed and Confused he played his Les Paul with a violin bow and achieved one of rocks most amazing sounds. Still great article, keep em coming.

[FrAzEr1803]

thanks again dude, i'm buying byself an Epiphone Les Paul in a few weeks anyway (i can't afford a Gibson :S lol) so this really helped!! Thanks and God Bless dude

[lxtkn1989]

This article was awesome, I love the les paul model, and sgs too, but the artice I would really like to see is one on the Explorer model, which I think just looks amazing.

[zep man]

fun article to read. where's the article on superstrats!?!?

[IndieSucks]

gibsons are kick ass guitars, but i play an old peavey jazz guitar and i think that is the best guitar in my opinion. i have try'd playing epiphones lp but i dont kno anyone rich anough to have a gibson.i think that guitars that have a stratocaster body and kcik ass pick ups is all i need 3000$ is to danm much. but still kick ass article 5 stars, thatnks for the info

[2ndslash]

You're still posting this drivel? *groan*

If its drivel mate, dont read it

[XGuitar_1X]

I still cant get enough sustain or compression to get the feedback on the last part of the solo for dont cry by guns. its so hard to get it to squeel on the note.

[iamthebulldog]

When are you posting the article on superstrats? I can't wait to read it!

[GnRrelease_it]

amazing job dude...can't wait to read more

nicely done

[aPIRATEwithADD]

when will the superstrat article come out

[ruberducky]

FLYING V FLYING V!

[satanstaint]

I started out with a LP 100, and it has phenomenal tone for $300.

[incockgnito]

When will the superstrat article come out?????

[kaplac]

And that's why I'm ordering meself an lp body from warmoth. for Fender neck speed and les paul body tone.

[Vinura]

i bought me an Epiphone Les Paul Studio...

its great..the sound..the look and feel of it...love it...great price too...LP's are great...

[waldo899]

I have a epiphone les paul custom and i love it and i dont see how they say its hard to bend all i do is bend on mine and i guess its easier to do on my friends strat but i love the feel of the les paul cause im a stronger guy and i dont want a paperweight so i think its one of the greatest guitars ever made and just play one and agree with me and my custom has the same pickups as a gibson so it sounds amazing and i think its better than a gibson for my playing style so theres my 2 cents ok maybe 4

[Rhoads_1096]

I think its easier to bend on a LP than a strat because there is alot less tension on the strings