Does anything else sound like a Les Paul?

[@FrazySting]

Warmoth please let Aaron build more guitars.

[@warmoth]

Bring me that petition. Where's a pen? I'm signing, you're signing.....we're all signing!

[@derekclacton]

@@warmoth💯🎸🖊️👍🙂

[@geraldponce8336]

Good call 🤙

[@icenic_wolf]

Signed! 🤙

[@matzer8846]

These 2 DIYs are just gorgeous

[@Crimsonking95]

I think your idea of the experience of playing a guitar affecting our perception of its sound is spot on. There are so, so many variables for the sounds we hear in recorded music that at the end of the day it’s about whether or not you enjoy the experience of playing your guitar through your setup.

[@EliasGraves]

Been making guitars for a while. Buyers raise their eyebrows when I tell them pickup choice is by far the biggest factor in the guitar’s tone but this demonstrates it beautifully.

[@silverjaw138]

💯 Pickups and pots/caps.

[@BigSh00tsie]

They're so similar i was waiting for the trick to be "it was all the same guitar"

[@corneliuscrewe677]

Great demonstration, Aaron. For me, I was listening while I was folding g my laundry, I didn't even realize you were switching guitars, so I'd have to say from a listening perspective you're spot on, you just need the pickup configuration, but I also think the tactile experience vastly changes your perception of what the guitar is doing, and I think that is a valid consideration. I've got certain Les Paul's I prefer over the other ones for certain things based solely on how they feel and play, so to me that's going to be tenfold when switching between different types of guitars. That said, my favorite non-Les Paul guitar that sounds like a Les Paul is my Warmoth Tele I put together 20 years ago with a 24 3/4" conversion neck, chopped ashtray bridge and a Dimarzio PAF in the bridge. Sort of an Esquire-Gib.

[@joek81981]

Same. I was doing other stuff and the changes sounded little more than a different mic position -- if that.

[@JohnBarrylizard]

My brother built a strat with Warmoth parts 13 years ago. That guitar sounds amazing. I like it's rich tone over my EJ strat.

[@danthegeetarman]

Love these comparison videos and love how you did the blind comparison. That’s the true way to make sure we’re not fooling ourselves with the visual. It was close and in a mix I don’t know how much difference it would make. Very interesting

[@jc6721]

This definitely gives me more confidence about my current project, a 24.75 scale tele deluxe partscaster with HBs. The goal was to get into an SG or LP tone territory but still be able to use a custom unpainted neck. I have a couple different sets of pickups and have built loaded pickguards all ready to go when the neck arrives to see which i like best. Can't wait! Great video!

[@WindsurfMaui]

Good luck on your experiment. I'm trying to do a similar thing with a Warmouth mahogany body Strat and a Warmoth 24 3/4 scale mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard. I will also add humbuckers but I won't be able to get it assembled until this summer.

[@jc6721]

@@WindsurfMaui Thanks man. Good luck to you too.

[@silverjaw138]

I’ve got a 24.75 scale jazzmaster, dual humbucker and it nails Gibson tones. It’s a total beast. All my friends drool over it 😂

[@jc6721]

@@silverjaw138 Nice! Thanks for chiming in. I bet yours is killer and I hope mine turns out that way. I built a 3 P90 strat a few years ago, before I knew how much space a Warmoth JM body has routed under the pickguard. Now I wish I had used a JM body for it as I really like how many options you have when it comes to laying out the controls compared to a strat.

[@jc6721]

@@silverjaw138 Just curious, What HBs did you put in it?

[@icefenix3187]

I built a Jazzcaster with a Conversion neck (24 3/4) with Seymour Duncan 59 & Custom 5 in it. Poplar body, Maple neck Rosewood board. Sounds like a Les Paul.

[@dj_tmc]

I agree with your tonal assessment. And, I like the sound of the meadow hawk the most. When you said it was the most PRS like guitar, that tracked for me.

[@dj_tmc]

Also, what's the scale length on the meadowhawk?

[@warmoth]

25.5" scale. Check out these vids for more on the Meadowhawk: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4C5YqdqedmrmaM and kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGHKeWOcfbiUZ5I

[@dj_tmc]

@@warmothThanks. I thought there was a line in the video that said all were different scale lengths, so that's what threw me off :)

[@johnnylayton1672]

Yes agreed they sound close enough to be interchangeable for most listeners but you are on point with the player experience. As players, we are often practicing our electric guitars unplugged & that for us can be as important as the plugged-in amp experience nevermind ergonomic considerations even where the audience can't recognize & judge them. So yeah, everything Les Paul & Leo Fender considered important & not important about electric guitar is as you've generously proved here still true today, but even they ran into the problem of personal experience which is holistic nevermind informed by prejudices that can make a person difficult even impossible to please. So thank you very much for the comparison videos!!!

[@TheProgGuy]

Kinda interested in seeing you build a regal body with a mahogany body and maple top combined with a hombre 24.75 scale mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and redoing this test.

[@JohnToner320]

Please make the Meadowhawk available! I tried to buy one on the day they went up for sale, but by the time I finished making my choice, they were sold out.

[@maskedmillionaire]

This was a great video! I will say that if the only difference is the playability I will take the longer scale length every time.

[@30smsuperstrat]

Hey, one of my best-sounding "Brown" sound guitars for VH covers was a TV Jones classic-equipped Cabronita alder body Maple rosewood neck Tele partscaster. Even with completely different pickups and bridges, you can end up with surprisingly similar tonal characteristics.

[@jklep523]

Now in the midst of my second guitar build, the first (strat-style w two SD Pearly Gates buckers) over 15 yrs ago. This one is a crossover Fender/Gibson w/ a Warmoth maple neck, Meteora-style body shape, a 25.5 scale, and a pair of Fralin classic P90s and I’m going 50s LP wiring. Doing the full body work from scratch using a swamp ash blank w/a figured maple cap -let me tell you, steam forming the arm relief bend-n-glue of that cap laminate was fre@kin’ tense! Fitting the neck right now and I’m a skilled amateur, but an amateur nonetheless, and this kind of woodworking in a garage shop is not for the faint of heart. Just sharing because I’ve probably watched every one of Aaron’s videos, several many times, over the past few months and this is one of the few spaces where there might be others who can relate. Thanks Aaron, and Warmoth for the inspiration AND the sweet neck. I hope I can make it to the end without majorly #&ck!ng this project up!

[@AndrewGlitchMasterBalaschak]

I've been thinking about doing a warmoth les paul with a floyd rose since there are so few options with a 24.75" scale.

[@ClamsAnonymous]

One interesting thing to note is that an electric guitar tone knob (a passive low pass filter) will drain some of the highs, even when turned all the way up. It looks like the Meadowhawk and the Tele have only one tone knob, and the Les Paul has two. So when both pickups are selected, the LP will be decidedly darker sounding than the other two. That seems to track with the big difference in highs on the middle position, especially noticeable on the cleaner settings. So part of the takeaway might be, if you want it to sound more like an LP, wire it like one!

[@_Yep_Yep_]

I have an old Squire Master Chambered tele from 2005 that has the LP controls, mahogany, set neck, LP scale, 2 humbuckers, tunamatic, etc. I figured it was the humbuckers and scale length plus a little schmoo schmee on the set neck that gets it pretty close. Im not selling old Squires, mind you, just noting the recipe ingredients. Here, I thought B/C sounded close. I also think getting something "in range" is the best way to approach the endeavor, along with getting the feel similar. Was a bit of a head scratcher that you had different scale lengths so dialed in, however. Always interesting to see someone attack the issue thoughtfully, and really cool Warmoth build.

[@phillamoore157]

Guitar C was my favorite. It sounded more articulate…I was stunned to hear the deeper sounding guitar was B. But, A & C were my favorites. Excellent clarity. I’ve been after a solution to this for a VERY long time. This video is gold to me. I’m desperately trying to get that classic LP bridge sound, but with a single foil in the neck. On another note, I want that meadowhawk tele RIGHT NOW! That thing is stupid beautiful. Great video Aaron….this was incredibly informative. You’re blowing all kinds of theories out of the water. I always through it was the bridge hardware, and electronics. Wow….

[@va7242]

Great comparison. I mainly play an LP Classic (mahogany) and Warmoth strat (unfinished alder). The alder was pretty easy to spot when the low output neck pickup was selected. For sure, that was C. The sound of alder is very distinct from mahogany when run through that pickup.

[@andrewbatchelder9829]

I think part of what makes the difference is the placement of the pickups. The spacing difference between the Les Paul and the green tele is huge. The Les Paul bridge pickup is way closer the in the Tele.

[@nevillegreg1]

I built a Warmoth LP style guitar using the Regal body and Hombre neck, top of the line hardware and SD 59 pickups. It has that wonderful creamy LP sound that everyone that here's it can't believe it's not a top of the line Gibson.

[@Bret_Sanor]

In my experience, it's more about what you play it through that helps notice the differences. A good tube amp will accentuate the differences a lot more than a plugin or modeler which tends to homogenize the tone more. Pickups make a huge difference too. The wood used is a factor in how much it resonates. Some woods or types of woods resonate more than others. Finally, the neck joint makes a lot of difference as well. I thought in this example either B or C was the Les Paul. I thought the green one was A. Thanks for the videos. Helps take my mind off all the things going on in my world that I don't want to think about constantly.

[@neverbemoved74]

Fascinating stuff, Aaron. I couldn't tell a difference between the three for the most part. I would have thought the scale length would have an effect (of some sort) but apparently that contributes to feel alone. Of course, feel is huge, it's what inspires the player to play a certain way.

[@WindsurfMaui]

Aaron, thanks for doing this video it is exactly the experiment that I'm trying to do. I don't like Les Paul's except for their tone. I am really in love with Strats. So I have a Warmoth mahogany body and a Warmoth conversion neck with a mahogany shaft and rosewood fretboard. I will be putting humbuckers in it this summer. I think I would get closer to a Les Paul tone If my mahogany body had a maple cap. I believe that tone comes from the body woods and the shaft woods not the fretboard woods. the stiffness of the neck and body produce different tones depending upon whether you are using a maple shaft neck or a mahogany shaft neck. Dylan from Dylan talks tone believe the critical Factor is the distance from the bridge to the bridge pickup and the neck to the end of the next shaft because of the sine wave created by the vibrating strings feeds a different tone to the pickups by where they are placed. There is some truth to that Theory I believe but I think a mahogany body and Mahogany shaft Gibson conversion neck will get very close. Keep up these interesting experiments.

[@bradybern6458]

I thought the meadowhawk was the LP the whole time. Blind tests (specially yours) are so incredibly entertaining to me.

[@8evolutions]

I liked the sound of Guitar A the most but thought it was the Les Paul! Overall, it's pretty cool to hear how similar the guitars sound regardless.

[@skidudek2]

Yup I agree when you got to both pickups and neck the Les Paul was pretty easy to pick out.

[@lyricbread]

Yeah, but can your Warmoth break its headstock as easily as the Les Paul? AFAIK, only “Authentic” Les Pauls are capable of that. Another great video Aaron! 🤘🏻

[@jc6721]

Great video Aaron! I've been on the Warmoth website, and forums a million times and have never seen or heard of a Meadowhawk/Metalhawk before. That thing is gorgeous! Is it an off menu item? Because WOW! I'd love something like that!

[@warmoth]

It's a limited release we do from time to time. Check out these vids for more on the Meadowhawk: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4C5YqdqedmrmaM and kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGHKeWOcfbiUZ5I

[@ik2476]

They were very, very close to me. So close, that the Meadow Hawk and Les Paul didn’t even sound like different guitars at first. In one of them, the Hawk was clearer, and I noticed the Les Paul sounded muffled, but almost the same. The Telecaster sounded very close but great. The Hawk was best to my ears, but I was completely surprised at how the Telecaster sounded. Honestly they all sounded very much the same. Awesome test. You clearly proved your point.

[@mnemonik61]

Interesting, it seems to be more about the pickups than the instrument. For the middle position tests I strongly preferred Guitar C - the balance between pickups was closer there, while the bridge pickup dominated on both A & B.

[@ibalrog]

The only thing I noticed was that middle position on B was a muddy mess. Everything else sounded great and indistinguishable.

[@druwk]

This a super helpful post. I have a Warmoth Partscaster (Strat style), but have come to favor a Les Paul sound. I have looked at a lot of different options to get there. New guitar, new build, replacing the pick guard… After this post, I know it’s more about the pickups! I have a few guitars and limited space. The cheapest most efficient option is setting up a new pick guard, with low output pickups.

[@Robstafarian]

Did you order your Strat body with a universal pickup route?

[@druwk]

@@Robstafarian Unfortunately, no! Either going to Dremel route it out myself, or have my guitar tech do it? Definitely going with the swimming pool route to insure I have maximum flexibility in the future!

[@Robstafarian]

@@druwkI have designed a small perfboard which uses some spring terminals to facilitate changing prewired pickguards without soldering; I also decided to add a Littelfuse for ground-fault protection between the string-bridge ground and the output ground, taking a page from Taylor Guitars. The board will sit in the control cavity, below the pots, with little depth to spare.

[@davepatterson4774]

On point, Aaron. When it comes to what style of guitar speaks to us, sound is obviously a huge part of it. Looks are important (at least, for some of us), but also how it feels and how it plays are all equal considerations. Personally, I prefer Les Pauls for all the aforementioned reasons. But, it's cool to know that you can get in the ballpark sound wise with whatever style best suites you.

[@thseed7]

I've been considering an Hombre build. Would love to see you do one on the channel. Same for a lot of the not S and T Type body shapes.

[@Harambe_]

Guitar C neck pickup sounds amazing. Seems to be lower output with better clarity.

[@barnettg66]

As a Les Paul Standard owner and owner of many other guitars, the basic answer is no. You might be able to do it through studio effects, but not in person straight from the amp. But I have a beloved Warmoth 7/8 S-Style with the 7/8 Gibson-scale neck and a Seymour Duncan Lil 59 bridge pickup and SSL-2 flat vintage neck/middle. It gets a deeper growl than an otherwise identically configured 25.5 scale Strat (I have two of those) and comes closest to the Paul. My 7/8 is my go to guitar for perhaps 70-80% of my playing. Much as I love the Paul that I've had since the early 90s, I don't play it that much anymore.

[@MilanoGuyTexas]

So the sound of an electric guitar is largely determined by the sound of the electrical components, the pickups? Amazing, who would have thought such a thing? Thank you for another great video Aaron.

[@TyRobertsmedia]

Wow, I appreciate you doing this. I know some amps will highlight the differences more than other amps for sure, for example plugging into a edge of breakup fender deluxe on 4.5 will be a different experience than each guitar through a Friedman. Your geetars sounded all les paul-like. It weird that I experience more huge differences between Les Paul type guitar and PRS's. To my ears there's huge difference. I have a custom (Zion) dual HH guitar that reminds me much more of an Ibanez sound due to it's Dimarzio EVOs in use.

[@big99123]

Thanks a lot👍 This video is very useful, helpful and meaningful🔥🔥

[@Duke_de_Plata]

yeah the neck pickup on guitar B was one of the only giveaways for me.

[@icenic_wolf]

So I managed to pick out the Les Paul, but I must have expected the bridge pickup in the Meadowhawk to be brighter than it was (and the JB was darker than I thought it'd be, at least in comparison).

[@tony_dms350]

Hey Aaron, great video once again and great playing nontheless! I would love to see a comparison of those teles with an SG as I believe they’ll be closer feel wise!

[@alanst.4417]

That's a very eye-opening video, Aaron! I was surprised how close the guitars were tonally given the many differences as you said. Nevertheless the LP and the Meadow Hawk were closest, hard to tell without the neck comparison. The tele sounded considerably thinner. I wonder if the body material isn't more important here than the fretboard? These videos are a great contribution to the guitar community IMO, thanks!

[@warmoth]

I agree with your assessment. The green guitar sounded "thinner" or "clearer" because it has less bass content. After doing lots of these tests I think the body wood has more effect than the neck wood, honestly. I know "the internet" disagrees, but that's what I've concluded.

[@alanst.4417]

@@warmoth thanks for your answer and all the invaluable comparaison videos, I really do appreciate them a lot. Always good to hear an opinion from an experienced player who knows his business well 👍 Keep on pickin'

[@jasujokelainen5073]

Outrageously beautiful guitars, those builds ❤.

[@heikoschwammle4650]

you really nailed it for my. Yes, you can just put it down to two humbuckers for making a Les Paul. But it’s quite different when it comes to play and feel. A 24 3/4 scale bends different to a Fender, holding that massiv block of wood is different from a slick round shape.

[@mikewilder8838]

Regarding the Hombre neck and Regal body vs. a Les Paul, is that comparison being made using the Warmoth Gibson neck conversion?

[@soccerman127]

Any particular reason why Warmoth doesn't give the option to have a solid paint colour on a Regal body with a maple top? And there also isn't an option for a standard maple top, only flame or quilt

[@warmoth]

You can a get a solid paint color and/or a plain maple top on a Regal body as an off-menu option if you call in.

[@soccerman127]

@@warmoth Okay. Thanks!

[@Byron_Blue]

I believe the spacing and positioning of the pickups in the Les Paul is a lot of the tone

[@V_Dgt]

One clip (5:17 neck pu comparison) made me guess LP right. Lp for me has less clanking single note sound in comparison to Warmoth, especially the guit.C. Others are not that different

[@FangPaw]

I have a partscaster Strat (korina body, rosewood neck, Wudtone trem) with the BK Crawler set on a BK pre-wired p/guard. I plug straight into a non-MV all-tube amp (Matamp C7), no pedals. The bridge p/up is stupendous - it goes from clean to scream with with vol knob and coil-splits very well. The neck p/up is..... gutless and dull. I don't hear any of that chime when it's rolled back. It just gets more feeble. Strange how different my experience is.

[@warmoth]

Ha! I guess one man's "chime" is another man's "gutless and feeble". Could be differences in pots, maybe. Who knows?

[@natron1908]

I assume that the process of recording, mixing and KZbin has compressed the sound and made the differences between them smaller. I think it matters what you are doing, live vs recording.

[@SoyAlberto127]

I correctly guessed the blind test, and in my experience, two of the most influential factors on the sound of a guitar are the pickup position and the scale size. That's why the Les Paul sounds warmer due to the scale, and the pickup position gives it that classic and identifiable sound

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Will the sculpted heel ever become an option?

[@peterdavies5358]

Did you say the scale length of the Metalhawk? I know the LP of course and you said the green one was 25.5 I think but I didn't pick up a length for the two finish gold/quilt T type?

[@warmoth]

Meadowhawk is 25.5".

[@Jeffy2n]

Hi Arron, I was able to nail it, I heard the LP coming through, but you are quite correct, they were very close. To my ears, I could hear the "Snap" and "Twang" of the 25.5 scale more then anything else. The 24.75 scale has a slinkier feel and tone, maybe as you said, build that regal and use the gibson scale and I bet you could get very close.

[@saddle8bag]

I had no idea which was which, but I liked A for the chords on the bridge. Single notes, I couldn't tell a difference between any of them. The middle I liked C. The neck I liked B. But yeah, they were all close enough.

[@billschmidt3984]

I could here the biggest difference in guitar B but I liked guitar A the most. I felt like it was smoother over all. What is the scale length on the metal hawk?

[@warmoth]

Scale length of the "Meadowhawk" is 25.5".

[@virgilrobertsjr7870]

All of them sounded amazing... ☆☆☆☆☆ 💯

[@alar7743]

Why is there no option with a neck-through design?

[@zeusapollo8688]

Because it is a pain on every level. I want one anyway

[@schmoemi3386]

I'm pretty sure there are guitar brands out there that do neck-through designs... 🤨🤔

[@louderthangod]

The bridge pickup on the Warmoths is further from the bridge from the Les Paul. Can the distance be changed on a Warmoth order?

[@warmoth]

Nope.

[@flapjack413]

I built a Jaguar with a basswood body, maple neck/rosewood fretboard, and put a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge (ceramic magnet, about 13.6k), and the 36th anniversary PAF (alnico mag, about 7.5k) in the neck, with a tune o matic bridge. I also built a proper LP with mahogany body/maple cap, mahogany neck/rosewood fretboard, that I loaded with a Duncan Custom (ceramic, about 14k) in the bridge, and a Duncan 59 (also alnico, and about 7.5k) in the neck. They're also very close in weight. The LP is 9lbs 1oz, and the Jag is 8lbs, 14oz. When I record them, I can not tell one from the other. But like you said, when playing them, it's a very different experience. In the blind test in the video, I could not tell which was the LP. Honestly, I had guessed the LP was going to be guitar C, just because C sounded the most different to me, and I was assuming that both of the more Tele style guitars were both 25.5", and the LP was 24 3/4"ish, and that might have been the difference that I was hearing. Regardless, interesting video!

[@EM-km8em]

Theres something about gibson les paul that i can hear such high detailed articulate sounds, i can even hear my pick strumming every string no matter how fast i play. Yet with other les paul knock offs even with gibson parts on them its all muddy tones. Whats in the Gibson les Paul making this? High quality wires giving extra tone ? The bridge ?

[@luisreneventura]

Hey Aaron it was a good video but you have to make one with a LP and another warmoth guitar that have the same spec woods, pickups, scale, parts, etc just to clear that doubt.

[@jessehutchings]

I'm gonna guess "yes" but for me it's the feeling of playing the Les Paul build that just feels right to me. Like you said, the feeling of how the strings vibrate on a Les Paul is great and I think it helps guide the player through the dynamics as they play. Also, plugging them into a Friedman for the test is perfect

[@avjake]

The recorded sound is so different than the playing experience. With EQ and effects, you can make anything sound like anything else. So I recommend buying your guitars based on playability and neck vs. bridge pickup volume balance. And of course, looks. Maybe looks are most important of all.

[@Push-Pull]

sound is one thing , string tension and feel would be another. Would be nice to have insights into those aspects as well

[@warmoth]

I talked about that quite a bit.

[@donald-parker]

I don't think body shape or material makes much difference to amplified sound. PU do. And scale length matters a lot too. For two reasons. It changes the tension and harmonic content. And it changes where the PU are relative to the vibrating strings. If you just had one PU on a sliding track you would hear a great difference as you move more towards the neck or bridge

[@chocolatecookie8571]

I like the blind sound tests. That way Warmoth is testing our sound expertise skills, haha. Edit: Yes, I had the tests correct! The way I found out was because two guitars sounded more snappier due to the longer scale. And one of those had more output than the other, plus the Telecaster model - guitar C - sounded thinner due to alder body. The Les Paul was less tight, more rounded and had that typical attack full tone when hitting power chords. But I had to say it was not easy and had to listen the bridge examples a few times. The neck and middle positions revealed more differentiation.

[@Unchainedmaple888]

I'm just waiting for Warmoth to finally offer the ergonomic bolt on joint from the anniversary series. Most people buy both the neck and body from Warmoth anyways

[@alar7743]

Why isn't there a single model with an angle in the neck pocket?

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

There is. Order the body routed for a tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece and it will have an angled neck pocket

[@alar7743]

@@wilhelmtheconquerer6214 I didn't know that - thanks!!!!! If only there was a longer tail like on the old LP - )))

[@warmoth]

Every single body we offer comes with an angled pocket it you get a rout for a bridge that requires it, e.g. a TOM bridge.

[@alar7743]

@@warmoth Thank you now I will know

[@BigBluesTribe]

Aaron (or anyone else) - is the finish on the tele-shaped guitar one of Warmoth's standard colours? It looks a bit like 'Charcoal Frost' but it's hard to tell if that's definitely it. Love the wide-range of music you play also 🤣

[@warmoth]

It's a custom color I sprayed myself. This video has all the details: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGXQpnaYftFmj7M

[@BigBluesTribe]

@@warmoth Thanks for that - interesting watch. I think I'll have Warmoth paint any future bodies i buy 😄

[@guitarded7131]

The Les Paul sounded way darker than the other two and it was easy to detect. The other two I couldn't tell which one was which but there was a clear difference. Guitar C sounded like it had less output. I thought that was the guitar with Crawlers because of that. Since I always thought BKP generally doesn't have as much output, not like a JB but this can of course be because of how far the pickup is mounted from the strings, and of course how loud the guitar is acoustically.

[@CRYSTALSHIPSS]

The sound we hear has a lot to do with the recording method used. Put a guitar through a good tube amp plugged straight in with no peddles and mic up identically is the best way to test this theory. Also the 490's are alnico II magnets. Alnico III are my favs. jmo although these p/u's are very close the 2&3

[@haakmash]

Would be interesting to hear this with the same pickups in all the guitars

[@warmoth]

I agree! But since these are all my personal guitars and I have them how I like them, I'm not gonna tinker that much. LOL.

[@malcomsue]

I picked the Les Paul due to the lower mids on the Neck pickup, the other guitars are brighter due to the longer scale length and higher string tension. That's pretty much the only difference other than pickups and electrical components. I built a guitar using a Tele body, fixed strat bridge, 2 SD humbucker pickups and Les Paul scale length. Sounds just like a Les Paul but plays much better. Cheaper too.

[@Furtheronmusic]

So I got the Les Paul right. Just something in the way it sounded and I wonder almost could hear the difference in the scale in how you played. Don't know why but I just "knew" that was a Gibson scale. Went back and forth on what Warmoth was which.

[@VintageRadius]

I’m shocked by the results, Aaron. I’ve always thought that besides for the pickups that perhaps the biggest factor is the combination of scale length differences and the differences in where the pickups sit along a given scale length (i.e. SG vs LP). I’m still convinced that holds but obviously there are some things happening here that are narrowing the “gaps,” if you will.

[@peterschaefer1665]

Hello Aaron, thanks for this! What was your signal path for this?

[@warmoth]

Freidman Smallbox 50 > Torpedo Captor X > Some Ownhammer IR > Focusrite Clarret 8 > PreSonus Studio 1

[@guitartim2128]

The Warmoth Tele style if it had a mahogany body,maple top,a mahoany neck ( I could getvaway with using a maple neck and board). Also,if either a Duncan 59 bridge pickup (, or Duncan ALNICO II) were used it would come clieser to a Les Paul tone,especially if a 24. 3/4" scale is used. Great video👍🎸Also I love the string thru body with a tune o matic bridge...Snap And sustain

[@IgorMuller]

Guessed it. I was sure C is the LP until middle position, then its an instant giveaway. Everyone who played mid position Les Paul will recognise that sound I guess. Bridge pickups are waaaay more similar then I would like to admit. Interesting video, accept my gratitude :)

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

Test 4 B.....definitely the JB. That was my first thought because of the mid range. JB tends to have a lot of mid ranginess! However, every single other test...they sounded identical. I was shocked to hear that guitar C was the JB guitar! Very very interesting for sure! Thanks for doing this test Aaron! Personally, I find that a Les Paul is quite a bit heavier than most guitars and I've always thought that this aspect is what makes a guitar sound "Les Paul". I guess I was totally wrong lol!

[@pageyjjj]

The LP neck pu convinced me it was the Gibson.

[@francischang]

This sounds crazy, but I actually think I can get closer to that "Les Paul sound" with my PRS Custom 22 with stock 85/15s than my Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul with Lindy Fralin PAFs. I need to make a video of this someday.

[@alar7743]

Why are there no options for bodies made of Pine and Cedar?

[@warmoth]

We've done them at times in the past, but the demand is not there to make them a permanent offering. Simple as that.

[@alar7743]

@@warmoth thanks for answers!!!

[@ravenslaves]

I chose B as the Les Paul. Guitar A was clearly one of the Teles. Guitar C, I thought , was closer but still had that tele twang and lacked the Les Paul highs. BUT, the major difference is that I was _listening_ for a difference. I've owned quite a few Les Pauls over the years and they all sounded different. My favorite combination was a Les Paul with a maple neck, to grab more highs and tuning stability. Overall, I really preferred guitar C in overall sound. Put a retrofit 24.75" neck on that one and I think you're there.

[@imannonymous7707]

I'd say that's a modified tele, the scale length makes a difference in tone, nevermind the lack of a maple cap

[@schmoemi3386]

What seems to be essential to the Les Paul sound is the location of the toggle switch... 🤔

[@warmoth]

Obvi. ;)

[@sch2412]

they sound like 90% the same. i actually guessed the LP correctly bc it had a more pronounced low midrage and less piercing highs. which is something i recognized from the LPs i owned. but the difference is minimal

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

I'd say it like this; you can get a Warmoth guitar built to Gibson specs, you can assemble it with all Gibson parts, you can cut a paddle neck to a Gibson shape and finish it of with a Gibson headstock veneer, you can join the neck to the body with glue if you order the neck and body without any holes drilled for the neck joint and you can get the guitar finished in nitrocellulose lacquer. Will that guitar sound and feel like a Gibson? For the most part, yes it will. Will it look like a Gibson? At a distance, yes. But at that point you've spent a real Gibson woth of money on building a replica, so why not get the real deal in the first place? The great thing about Warmoth is the ability to get something unique

[@warmoth]

Yep, agreed! I would say the two Warmoths in this video are pretty unique.

[@silverjaw138]

My warmoth single Humbucker telecaster is a Les Paul destroyer. It plays better, is far more comfortable thanks to custom body cutouts and actually stays in tune! Mahogany body, maple neck and rosewood board. Dimarzio Fortitude in the bridge Evh style! Love my warmoth builds.

[@tzd]

Couldn't tell the two tele's apart since I didn't know how they sounded like to begin with, but Guitar B was clearly the Les Paul, you can definitely hear the difference in scale length there.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Good point, using a short scale neck on a mahogany tele with maple cap and mahogany neck - that would be very similar, if not identical.

[@j_freed]

The drop off in high end frequencies when combining pickups was a giveaway. Maybe that's Gibson wiring harness.

[@warmoth]

It has a wiring harness from Gunstreet. It's good stuff! gunstreet.co/products/gunstreet-wiring-shop-les-paul-standard-classic-wiring-harnesses

[@shredgd5]

@@j_freedthat’s because of the 4 pots loading the pickups in the LP, which you don’t have in the other two guitars.

[@alar7743]

I thought guitar A was Les Paul )))))

[@incubus2054]

Happy to say I got all 3 correct.

[@MichaelSheaAudio]

If you didn't even give visual queues, I'm not sure people would know when the guitars are actually changing. And as far as getting a "Les Paul sound", all you really need is the right scale length, and placing the humbuckers in the correct position. But let's put it this way. We're listening to soloed guitars in a controlled environment for the purpose of trying to find differences and similarities. Once you get out into live gigs or recording where there are other instruments and other factors influencing the sound that the listener is hearing, no one is gonna be able to tell the difference, so don't get too hung up on it. Play what you like!

[@victorbeebe8372]

I want to build a Tele with mahogany body, a 24.75 scale mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard. Lastly a P 90. My version of LP Jr.

[@rayfabris2512]

you hear it differently then I can but I love my les paul but I do want to build a guitar from your company I just have some business to take care first but I did start playing differently when I got my les paul

[@dadkingcoffey8333]

I love the 498t .Great tone lots ov bite