Les Paul - The Paulverizer HD

[@DawoudKringle]

I work as a radio engineer, and am also a musician and composer. One day, I was working the afternoon shift, and I was playing Strunz & Farah to fill an empty hour of airtime. The phone rings, and a man asked me what was playing. I told him, We got to talking about music. Finally, he asked me my name. I told him, and I asked his name. He said "I'm Les Paul." I almost dropped the phone! We stayed on he phone for an hour and a half swapping stories. It was amazing! He was a great guy! One of the stories he told me was incredible. In the 60's he and his son were driving through New Jersey to drop off some tapes. They stopped in a club that usually had good music, and there was a guy playing guitar that really impressed him. They left to take care of business, then drove back to talk to the guitarist about taking him into the studio. But the club owner had fired him, and the guy disappeared without leaving any contact info. Two years later, Les' son came to him with an album, and said "Dad, remember that guy in the club in New Jersey?" He looked at the album, and sure enough, it was the same guy - it was Jimi Hendrix. He also told me about the time he met Django Rhinhardt. Django asked Les if he read music. Les said no. Django said "Neither do I: I don't even know what a C is!" That was one of the best phone calls I ever got!

[@rknrne]

Thanks for sharing the story

[@tonyedwards2064]

That's a great story man, holy shit, lol.. I went to a Broadcasting school in L.A.(Hollywood) In prolly like 89..I wish I had finished it..Unfortunately the Boy meet's Girl saga stepped in and squashed that idea.. What station were you working for when this monumental event occurred?

[@soulvaccination8679]

Wow..Jimi Hendrix got fired.What fool did that!

[@GodsUnrulyFriends]

@@soulvaccination8679 That man's name has been lost to history.

[@GodsUnrulyFriends]

@@soulvaccination8679 Decca turned down the Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix.

[@TheSpiritualSavage]

I didnt realize les paul invented the loop station too. Thank God for this man. We owe so much to him!

[@freedomination2]

EVH would agree! He was a pioneer!

[@mikedavis9891]

You’d be surprised at everything the late great Les Paul has accomplished in his lifetime. He changed the way a recording is done in a studio, both instrumentally and vocals. He was an amazing man. And his longtime companion and partner Mary Ford, was by his side.

[@sparkymcplug3765]

Not to mention multi-track recording.

[@DawoudKringle]

It would probably be easier to make a list of what he didn't invent!

[@Kohntarkosz]

He didn't. That whole intro bit is pure showmanship. The Les Paulverizer was actually a remote control for a multi-track tape machine he kept hidden backstage. He could stop and start the tape machine and select which track he wanted to mute, so that he could play that part live.

[@markfortin421]

The man is un-freakin believable!! Considering the fact that most on the things he invented were from the early '50's...(pre computer and general electronic's age) genius is a mild term. Forever to remain #1 in the world for 💡 innovation, and will NEVER be equaled. R.I.P. Les, God we miss you...✌😞

[@riproar11]

Les Paul was a genius and pioneered the electric guitar and recording, but analog electric computers existed long before and magnetic tape recording was invented in 1928.

[@lafeeshmeister]

Les Paul is one in a long line of innovators, including those who first showed what you could do with overdrive, distortion, and fuzz (hendrix, the who, the stones, the beatles, etc.) and those who first showed what you could do with synths (kraftwerk, bowie, reznor, etc.), and a bunch of others. there is no one greatest innovator. only a collective project, done by people from lots of places and times. I'll never live long enough to comprehend it all. But picking a "greatest" innovator is not the way to learn more! I suggest expanding your palate.

[@OriginalKingRichTv]

@@riproar11 muddy waters pioneered the amplifier before the les paul guitar

[@angusorvid8840]

The man broke so much new ground, and was such a superb musician to boot. He was a true renaissance man, like Ben Franklin or Leonardo Da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, etc. And I love his guitars. I've owned some great Les Pauls.

[@GH-oi2jf]

What do you mean by “general electronics”?

[@richardmorrish]

Les Paul, guitarist, musician and an amazing inventor. Everything from multitracking to looping before most even knew what a looper was. Oh and he also created the most iconic guitar in the world.

[@Thoracius]

Les Paul did not create the Gibson Les Paul guitar. The Gibson company did. Pretty much the only input Les had was that the guitar should be solid body and to make them gold colored.

[@richardmorrish]

@@Thoracius no he created the log. The first solid body electric guitar which he had been touring around for about five years. The entire concept of what would make the Les Paul which he assisted Gibson in designing and building. Hence he told them to take his name off the SG as he didn’t like it or it’s design. Gibson only agreed the Les Paul after the Fender broadcaster broke cover in late 51 with test models going to various big band players. It could be argued that the Rickenbacker lap steel was the first solid body guitar from the 1930s. The full solid nature was originally touted by Les Paul, though the log was the inspiration for the ES335. As a result of the hollow wings that were attached to the log which were removed to show that they were irrelevant other than to make it guitar like. The construction was mostly mahogany, the maple top was because Gibson used maple a lot on it arch tops and it was to give it a flame top similar to the L5 or similar models. The idea to carve the tops was a Gibson one. This is arguably why the 1950s ones are so unique as they carved the top and the underside of the top. This leaves a small gaps between the maple top and the mahogany body on some models. It effects resonance on the guitars. This is why the standard is favoured over the custom as customs didn’t have a separate top. Hence do not interact as strongly as a standard does with a powerful amp. Gibson on the 1952 model got the neck angle wrong which made them hard to set up. Most of those originals have had a neck reset done. The revolution came when in 1954 they introduced the Ted McCarty designed tunomatic bridge. So I beg to differ. Les did have large influence of the first Les Pauls and his entire concept of a solid body to remove feed back was the basis of a Les Paul. He set mahogany as the best material for the solid body. First start of arguments about tone woods 😂, the maple cap was purely a cosmetic Gibson thing and their guitar workers were used to carving the tops on their semi acoustic jazz boxes. He gave constant feedback on the model along with Mary Ford about improvements that could be made. The Les Paul recording was the ultimate Les Paul input guitar - solid mahogany body, no top carve and low impedance pickups angled to balance the harmonics and volume balance on the guitar strings so they rang evenly in volume terms. The electrics were all taken from his own versions he created.

[@alexpiva9672]

With his vision and inventions, this genius changed the history of music forever. And what a talented musician and fantastic human being he was. Thank you so much, Les.

[@davidsaul8048]

I bought Les Paul records back in the early 1950s when his music was called the New Sound. Indeed it was! Still have some of those early 45s.

[@bb_lz9790]

I had a 78 that my Grandmother gave me. Les Paul's Guitar Boogie. I was showing a friend how thick a 78 was, tapping it in my hand and it broke in half...ruined my day.

[@stevestewart-sturges2159]

Great to see younger people connecting with Les, and he seemed to really enjoy their enthusiasm.. Classy guy, 100%!

[@fiveminutesalone8926]

For just a moment I forgot the world was falling apart. Thanks, Les..rest in power.

[@MAMW93]

damn his parents must've really liked that guitar to name their kid after it

[@davidburke2132]

Dre Na I don’t actually agree with shaming people with an r/woosh but this case is about the closest I ever came! 😜 By the way... Les didn’t invent the guitar that bears his name. Ted McCarty and his team at Gibson invented the guitar and at best Les had some design input (according to Les’ claim... according to McCarty the prototype guitar was essentially complete when it was shown to Les for his approval and licensing deal sign-off). Les was arguably the inventor of the solid body electric guitar in the late 30s/early 40s with his “Log” which he tried to get Gibson (and Epiphone, who were a separate company back then) interested in but with no success, but Gibson remembered it when Fender started having success with their Broadcaster/Telecaster/Esquire in the early 50s. The Les Paul model that Gibson developed was very different to the Log that Les had built himself though.

[@jameshughes6049]

@@davidburke2132 They were different but based on the same concept.

[@davidburke2132]

@@jameshughes6049 in the very general sense of a somewhat solid bodied electric guitar, yes. When one looks at many of the real design details (body shape, woods, construction, etc.) they aren’t similar at all.

[@josephclark4999]

@@davidburke2132 Thanks for all the info. I'm not a player of the guitar but I love guitar music.

[@robertcronin6603]

Lol!!!!!

[@edwindude9893]

What a legend. His fingers on the fret are moving like silk.

[@jimgrassie4094]

So glad I finally made it down the the Iridium in Sept 2008. I was fortunate to sit front row centre, meet him for a 15 min chat, and get my Les Paul Biography book signed "From One Red Head to Another, Keep Pickin' ". Such a marvelous man, inventor, player and inspiration, with a wicked sense of humour.

[@BarryPoogy]

Today was a great day. I visited the traveling exhibition of some of Les's gear and i actually got to try one of his guitars. Thank you Jim and Tim for keeping the magic of Les alive and for sharing your insights!

[@j3zz.tmf.guitarz]

A killer guitar player that gave us multitrack recording, the solid body electric guitar,headless guitars and looping.

[@fernandogarajalde4066]

The man who literally invented the first artist-controlled looper. 🤯. We still haven’t accepted low-impedance pickups although they are closely related to piezoelectric pickups in acoustic guitars. How much do we owe the past 80 years of music to this man? We’ll never really understand.

[@cyclingtroll]

When I was a kid, I saw Les Paul on The Mike Douglas Show, and he played through the Paulverizer. I was FLOORED!

[@samtaroc1081]

Met Mr. Les Paul ,in N.Y, promoting his chasing sounds dvd! What a wonderful person! Photographer's snapped pictures of him holding my white les Paul custom, he had just signed at guitar center, at their request? I really down to earth wonderful guy!!! For sure!!!

[@panther105]

Sad that Mary died so young. Such a lovely lady.

[@johnlysle]

I saw Les Paul during this time doing the same bit showing the Paulverizer, thanks it was fantastic seeing it again. Lets was the best.

[@msattler111]

You have to realize that not all of Les's stage shows were magic shows. Both he and Mary Ford were excellent musicians and what they were able to do onstage mirrored their abilities.

[@ShaunPrince]

yeah, alot of smoke and mirrors to convey the principle concepts. I bet the competition was fierce, and there were no modern laws to help protect the inventions.

[@msattler111]

@@ShaunPrince Les Paul was protecting nothing. Smoke and mirrors???? He was the master of his craft. All others came after him, and embellished on his craft. He gave them the tools they worked therever after. Whatever guitar master you wish to invoke, used Les's tools.

[@davidteller7681]

What he said.

[@patriot1384]

Les "IS" everything when you think of guitar playing, multitracking and the Iconic LP guitar... sadly our mentors, heroes and those we wish we could emulate are all but gone...Thank you Les Paul for being all of those to a kid from the 60's!!!

[@warrenashburnwa]

His music is so joyful and timeless

[@keithusace4352]

And what is even more fascinating is he done it without the book smarts like a engineer thinks you have to do. The man was a musical Einstein

[@karlgillies]

I would say greatest Guitarist that ever lived, they say Rocket 88 was the first Rock n roll record, 1951 , don't know which came first, How high the Moon 1951 but those Guitar Licks, were definitely the foundations of the Rock n Roll Sound, WoW 1951 , and he was the only person in the world, to have an 8 track recorder, INCREDIBLE, What an amazing, talented man .

[@dougoverhoff7568]

I remember when a local radio station did a survey, and they were looking for the top 50 guitarists of all time. Of course, all of the great, and even the not so great, ones got named and made the list. All, except that is, for one glaring, overlooked name, that of Les Paul's. Unbelievable! Not even one vote! If it wasn't for him, the electric guitar probably wouldn't have ever been a front line instrument like it was in the Rock musical groups, at least not as dominant as it became, and not as early as the guitar was in the Pop Music culture that it definitely became. RIP Les.

[@mrmusiclover4178]

Les Paul - best guitarist I ever heard in my 80 years! I remember when he and Mary were at the top of the heap in the early 1950's.

[@beandipcartography]

Les Paul = absolute legend. Pure class.

[@zeusapollo8688]

Mary was epic also

[@RyneMurray23]

Also him and chet atkins. The Chester and Lester album is one of my favorite to listen to of all time

[@retort63]

I remember watching Les Paul and Mary Ford on b&w tv in the 50’s. They had a 15-minute show on one of the channels. I think that’s when I started paying attention to guitar players. One of the all-time greats!

[@analogman9697]

Mary was a really good guitarist, but when you have the voice of an angel it tends to get overlooked.

[@bobsmoot8454]

Les Paul, what a humanoid. All his inventions that changed how music was recorded and played back, and invents the solid body “log”. The guitars with his name of them are revered by many and lusted after by all. His early BW videos with Mary shows how talented both of them were and how they were greater than the sum. Love my 61 Junior.

[@donbrown1091]

Les was a musical Einstein! Mary and he were remarkable.

[@redguy8941]

Gibsons are hot garbage. Unless you want to spend a few thousand dollars on a guitar with hella problems I would stay away

[@aaronmccutcheon]

@@redguy8941Certainly you know better than Jimmy Page, Slash, Clapton. People should definitely listen to you.

[@redguy8941]

@@aaronmccutcheon things have changed over the past 50 years. Do a little research and you will know what I'm talking about. Play authentic lol

[@aaronmccutcheon]

@@redguy8941 I've done a lot of "research" with my ears listening to the people I've mentioned playing Gibsons. Got any clips of yourself playing whatever superior (or so you think) guitar it is you own? I'll gladly check 'em out.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Les was so amazing. I am glad I met him once in Hollywood late 1990's. Totally by accident, mid afternoon, just walking past a small strip mall on Sunset and Gower.

[@philliamproject8113]

This man was more intelligent than a number of countries!. HOW can one man be this innovative? Thank you Les for ALL you marvellous contributions to many areas of music.RIP great man!

[@susanboylefanable]

I remember reading a newspaper article when I was a kid where he mentioned that he was either in the process of, or had just finished, developing the Paulverizer. After all, this time, I finally get to see & hear it in action!

[@Kohntarkosz]

Let me let you in on a little secret: the Les Paulverizer is actually just a remote control for a tape machine he had hidden backstage, that allowed him to selectively mute any given track that he wanted to play live. This whole bit here was just showmanship.

[@cyclingtroll]

Yeah, funny how the "loop" was able to change to the full chord structure for the song... still... he WAS Les Paul... :-)

[@Kohntarkosz]

@@cyclingtroll Exactly. Like I said, it was showmanship. It doesn't take away from his true innovations, such as developing multi-track recording, and having the tenacity to tell a doctor to fix his arm, after a severe crash, in a position that wold allow him to continue playing guitar (apparently, his elbow destroyed, and at the time, doctors couldn't rebuild it, so they told him, 'You'll never play guitar again" and Les said "We'll see about that").

[@markvanbuskir]

He sold it well. He's not the first to pull up a tape on stage. Gave him a chance to shine like the sun.

[@-RandomBiz-]

So. What. You're like that guy that thinks he figured out everything the magician did and can't wait to tell everyone so they can spoil the fun while they sit smugly with crossed arms. 😂😂😂

[@ksrmk]

​@-RandomBiz- dude, your taking his statement of fact pretty personally.

[@neilwilson5871]

I started playing when I was 12, though metal was the only truth in this world and who are all these old guys trying to play guitar lol...now I'm a little older (46) and a lot balder🤯 I really appreciate the forefathers of guitar

[@neilwilson5871]

@Budgie Cat: that's what I get now BC... people ask me what kind of music I like/play, now I just say "guitar"...from Django to 'dimebag'Darryl🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸

[@edstoner2624]

Got a chance to see Les Paul play in Los Angeles 1992, amazing performance it was!

[@harryprater9014]

Les Paul was a genius...!! I remember an interview with Keith Richards....who said the same thing. Les Paul invented almost all of the effects still used today in a studio today...delay...reverb....distortion....echo...multitrack......the list goes on and on...!!

[@AaronKaiMCDNLD]

Distortion was a natural effect my guy, plus Les Paul hated it to the point that he spent the majority of his life getting rid of it from his guitar

[@steveshadforth]

Stop talking shite

[@TheMrmartind40]

Now thats the epitome of "playing with yourself." I was unaware of this until just now. Wow.

[@RealmoftheBlackShadow]

How did he change the chords, tempo, etc of the recorded parts? Maybe they were pre-recorded into a whole song.

[@demonicsweaters]

Les Paul's music is amazing too, the genre is basically Ren and Stimpy.

[@dlagrua]

Les Paul paved the way for multi-track recordings and other studio effects. He was a true pioneer in the music field.

[@iggyfritz8796]

What a freaking genius and player

[@jeffhenderson5140]

This man is such a legend. He changed the way the world hears audio and far too few people understand his contributions to the world.

[@Spinz99]

The "log" which was assumedly the first electric guitar and the first loop pedal as well. Surprise. Thank you Les for all the good times. I've made money with your invention. It even paid for my accommodation when I started making a living.

[@GH-oi2jf]

The first solid body electric guitar.

[@miket.220]

In the 50's, Les Paul with Mary Ford created multi-track recording, phasing and overdubbing when the industry standard at that time was mono. And that is before we even discuss his contributions to the creation of the solid-body electric guitar. Dude is a truly amazing inventor and on top of it all, was a hell of a jazz guitarist too.

[@jorgeastri7355]

His famous black box

[@thomasray2261]

I think it was around 1946, after Les had established himself as a master of stage, radio and recording, playing in various genres with ease, and he made this comment: 'Do you know the difference between playing country music and jazz?? ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS A WEEK' . He could and did it all, when it came to guitar!

[@toddandersen5742]

Changed the game forever....🤟

[@skitt52]

SRV's favorite note at the end I love it

[@vinceradice3579]

Was watching Pawn Stars and they bought Mary's guitar for $80,000.

[@kewlbns69]

yea seems like whoever sold that guitar got ripped off.

[@deanmary1969]

If it wasn't a reality show from a guy. Whose father actually started the store ..if they truly got Mary's Guitar for that price they stole it..I go to Austin and visit Vintage guitars on Red River and that doesn't even sound like it is even close ......just an ol man's thoughts not trying to disrespect anyone...If you're a Guitar Lover walking through Vintage guitars and Their Staff is Soul shine experience...anywhere....

[@intsccents]

simply amazing there really should be a movie about him ! music as we know it was changed in so many ways by this musician and inventor, though i think most people know his name but many including me had no idea about his overall inventions..

[@roynd5]

Just the MASTER of Guitar

[@geraldhills41]

Les Paul will go down in history !

[@sejrec56]

I could listen to him all day

[@KelviLeandro]

Vaya con Dios Les Paul! He changed the history of music!

[@SuperLarchie]

Technically he changed the future of music

[@kevinbush4300]

God, I've wanted to see this again for so long. I remember watching this in the late 80's, or maybe the early 90's. Actually, I think the show i saw was at the Oxford Union and his demonstration of the Paulveriser was a little different. I think he was wearing navy slacks (pants) and a yellow cardigan though. Anyway... what a legend!!

[@tomacosta85]

Genius with grace and charisma. I have 3 les pauls.

[@sideparting6845]

Nice, what do you have and which is your favourite?

[@tomacosta85]

@@sideparting68451960 Classic Plus. 1993 standard and 2o17 custom pro. The classic with the thin neck is my fav. Plays like butter and has a real narly sound.

[@thefool2007]

What an unreal inventor and musician. Think of all he inspired. Mind blowing talent.

[@jmchessman]

He was amazing! Rest in Peace, Les Paul.

The Wizard of Oz was a fictional movie character. The Wizard of Waukesha was a REAL LIFE , INNOVATIVE, MUSICAL GENIUS. He made and laid the bricks for the "guitarist" - brick - road of which ALL the Great guitarists that followed traveled down.

[@trainchugger53]

How High the Moon? Only Les knows

[@thetreblerebel]

And Les said let there be Loopers.. And there were Loopers And its grand Les is grand

[@bobdoubter2977]

He's been perfecting his music box for a long time. Sounds good to me.

[@stevewhiteley9249]

Rock n roll cardigan ;-)

[@BikingVikingHH]

“No, it’s a pullover but thanks for asking!”

[@kingpapa4672]

I am learning guitar and I wanted the best. I have a Les Paul Standard and I love it. I really enjoy the fun of this video. Thank you

[@rustyaxelrod]

Hey Les, nice sweater! Lol. Man, I wish this old guy was still around, a genuine original, still miss him.

[@Finallybianca]

Love the sound of those single coils, no one I mean no one outside of mary could make a single coil les paul studio sound so clean. Wish I could have had the chance to sit and jam with him.

[@Robertzep]

Those are actually Low impedance pickups. It's a stacked humbucker with a resistance of 10 ohms compared to regular humbuckers of 6K-8K ohms!

[@clemintine99]

Robertzep wouldn’t that make it high impedance??

[@StratBurst92]

The man was a true master. I have a 2013 Gibson Les Paul Studio in Tobacco Burst and love it.

[@phillipfolis4399]

Got his autograph at the namn show in 1978 Chicago!

[@simonmcgrath4112]

Totally ahead of his time brilliant!!

[@highatruthart]

Absolutely !!

[@lafeeshmeister]

This is basically exactly how I learned to make music, except I didn't have an audience or any skill yet.

[@feelingsogood6073]

Awesome cat!

[@talkstorywithtammy930]

“You understand what I’m saying lady?” 🤣🤣🤣

[@cjm3122]

Safe to say: A NATIONAL TREASURE. and Mary, a Queen.

[@swoopdog54]

What a genius. All that knowledge and ingenuity. What an incredible life he had.

[@blackiewheeler4706]

The Great Les Paul ! Played Gibson's but the backline amps are always Fender !

[@pinkandersonsguitar7591]

Different tools

[@busternutt2874]

He played Gibson's because Fender turned him down when he brought his new fangled solid body guitar to them.

[@blackiewheeler4706]

@@busternutt2874.... Back in the fifties Leo Fender was building the future of the guitar with the iconic Telecaster, Precision Bass, Stratocaster and Jazz Bass and was too busy to deal with a primadona star such as Les Paul with his design ideas. You see Leo and Les were both designers and had two different design concepts and two geniuses with different ideas and paths usually is a formula for failure. I really don't think that relationship would have worked out so Leo was wise to pass on the idea of working with Les. Gibson was behind in guitar design and needed to get into the market of building modern solid body guitars. Gibson had the time, money and patience to hold Les Paul's hand and play around with his concepts where as Leo Fender had no time or desire to fart around with Les Paul's prototype as Leo was too busy making his guitars. Leo didn't lack ideas and he was running full speed into the future.

[@busternutt2874]

@@blackiewheeler4706 Les & Leo were very good friends so your claim that Leo didn't have time for a prima donna star is horse shit. And it was in the 40s, before Leo made the first Broadcaster, that Les asked Leo to build his solid body guitars. Leo wasn't interested at the time. He hopped on the band wagon after Gibson started making them.

[@bigunone]

Spent a day coping all my uncle's Les Paul and Mary Ford albums onto cassette tapes back in the 80s they disappeared in a move sometime since

[@PureMadMetal]

Nothing other than a master class from a true guitar giant

[@packingten]

This mans IQ was off the charts!,A-mazing!.

[@unstablesun8179]

"Are you getting this lady?" LOL Hey Lady!!

[@johncameron4172]

He was a genius but more of a engineering genius I think. I know I'll never sell my sunburst.

[@visamap]

Thank you all verymuch

[@zorantaylor3190]

One of the most original human beings that has ever lived.

[@highatruthart]

Pure genius !! A timeless guitar ect. ect. definitely designed by a timeless Man.

[@HrhFish]

Eddie Van Halen wanted one of those black boxes😎. That black box was the catalyst for samplers and Loop pedals we have today.

[@MusicWeRemember]

It's basically a control for the tape machine backstage with volume controls for each track, right? Since he's obviously not recording to it live, as there are all those extra parts that suddenly come in...

[@stephenbeashel3224]

$

[@Kohntarkosz]

Actually, "the catalyst" for samplers would be the Chamberlin, a keyboard instrument designed in the early 50's, where each key triggered a tape that had whatever sound recording on it, be it trumpets or strings or whatever. Eventually, one of Harry Chamberlin's employees split to England, and started up the company that made the Mellotron, which basically infringed on Chamberlin's patents. As for "loop pedals", there's a couple things at work there. One was that back in the mid 60's, musicians like Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, experimented with using tape machines too create pseudo looping effects. You had one reel-to-reel tape machine set up to record something, which was then played back on a second tape machine, and the output from the second tape machine was mixed back together with the live playing. In rock music circles, this system is associated with Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, though they didn't start their experiments with a similar setup until the mid 70's. The other thing that made "loop pedals" possible was the development of delay units that could do more than a few hundred milliseconds of delay. That's really all a loop pedal is: a digital delay with maxed memory that allows you to store several seconds (or even several minutes) of sound. Back in the early 80's, Electro-Harmonix introduced the 16 Second Digital Delay, which they advertised as the "Fripp-In-A-Box", an allusion to Bob Fripp's Frippertronics performances. Apparently, this was done without Fripp's permission,a nd when he later called them up and asked for a free unit (ya know, since they were using his name to sell their product), they refused. Nevertheless, Fripp acquired one and used it in his mid 80's solo performances. Right before the original Electro-Harmonix company collapsed int he mid 80's, they introduced a 64 Second Digital Delay, but I'm not sure how many were built before the company went under. Of course, as technology has developed, units with longer delay times (and better fidelity) have been introduced over the years,.

[@Kohntarkosz]

@@MusicWeRemember That's exactly right. That intro bit, before he goes into the actual song is just an act of showmanship. He's not actually creating the initial bit live. It's just a remote control for tape machine, that allows him to selective mute whichever tracks he wants to play live.

[@HrhFish]

@@Kohntarkosz Les was at it in the 1940s brov. He was one of the first to develop multitrack recording. His experiments were financed by Bing Crosby. He used his multitrack loop station to help explain multitrack recording which led to Ampex building the first multitrack recorders in 1954. Possibly both played a part in the evolution but Les was there first.

[@OptimalEdge-u6t]

This baby first hit the scene in 1952, thanks to some guitar nerd named Les Paul. He’s a guy who took one look at the state of guitars and said, “Nah, we can do better.” And thus, the Les Paul was born, and it’s been making rock legends out of mere mortals ever since. Think Jimmy Page, Slash, Duane Allman, and Joe Perry - they all signed their names in the holy book of rock with this six-stringed wonder! ​Now let’s talk design. The Les Paul has got this single cutaway thing going on, so it looks like it’s ready to punch you in the face with one hand tied behind its back. It’s got a solid feel, like you're holding the very essence of rock 'n' roll in your hands. We’re talking a mahogany body with a carved maple top - because why settle for just one kind of wood when you can have two? Add in a mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard, and you’ve got yourself a guitar that’s as smooth as a single malt scotch. ​The pickups? Two humbuckers. You know what that means? No hum, no buzz, just pure, unadulterated power. These things churn out a thick, warm tone, like hot chocolate on a winter’s day, but with a shot of whiskey to make sure you’re paying attention. It’s the sound of a Les Paul, folks - rich and full, with lows that rumble in your gut and mids that make your spine tingle. And don’t forget the fixed bridge. This isn’t some flimsy tremolo setup; this bridge stays put. It’s solid, it’s stable, and it’s got sustain for days. You hit a note on this thing, and it’ll sing until you tell it to shut up. ​The tone? Oh, man, the tone! It’s like biting into a piece of dark chocolate - rich, full, and a little bit naughty. Those humbuckers give it a thick, powerful sound, perfect for everything from hard rock to heavy metal, to jazz, to blues. This guitar doesn't just play music; it makes statements. It tells the world, “I’m here, I’m loud, and you’re gonna listen!” ​So, there you have it - the Les Paul. A guitar that’s not just an instrument, but a lifestyle choice. It’s got soul, it’s got character, and it’s got enough power to knock you on your ass. And that, my friends, is what rock 'n' roll is all about! stratvslespaul.com

[@ricardovillanueva6519]

Amazing Les Paul!

[@dannis8552]

This is before the treasured video "He Changed The Music"...and will always impress🙌✌🇦🇺

[@mandoprince1]

I'm sure that the "Les Paulverizer" would have been put into production, IF it had been what Les Paul pretended it was. In reality, it was a remote control unit for a series of tape recorders located offstage. Even so, it was a brilliant idea; unfortunately the technology to put it into a compact unit did not exist until decades later. I always refer to loopers as "Les Paulverizers" and there are plenty of people using them now. No doubt about it, Les Paul was a genius and a great musician! :-)

[@billcobbett9259]

You can tell when he gets into 'How high the moon' that the backing is not what he laid down earlier.

[@gilbertdare5921]

I wondered how the "recorded loops" kept playing longer than they did to start with, as he played through the number. He was a sly ol' fox.

[@MickyOneShot]

there never be another legend this good

[@jacobseraphin685]

Dude was ahead of his time

[@DarthAuml]

Les Paul is a Genius!!

[@nazmoking3171]

Gotta love a guitar icon that comes out on stage dressed like MisteRogers! He made the first looper!

[@sonicmistress]

Sorry he didn't that was a front, see the above comment, it was all trickery. Same as when he supposedly double tracked Mary's voice live, it was her sister behind a curtain, pure showmanship.

[@gregthegreek6969]

Plain and simple! This is what it is all about!

[@daveg1431]

A man from the future. ♥️

[@hf4229]

RIP the legend. died on my 12th birthday.

[@martinafan64]

Wow, cool video! I played a Les Paul copy when I was in my late teens / early 20s. I was much older when I finally bought my first Gibson LP. Although I prefer Ibanez & Fender more than Gibson now, I'll always have an LP, and will eventually get an SG.

[@fultonhuxtable2455]

I love this.

[@Indmusicblog]

He raised the bar...

[@luisalbertosalvador5139]

Que calidad!!...que guitarrista infernal!!!

[@ou8126]

Around 1975 Les Paul was performing at Sam Ash music store in Paramus N.J., he introduce his little gadget called The les paulverisor. What a genius!

[@buddybates3247]

Dang...to have a "lttle black boxe" of his today and to record every note as if it were a cheaper Mixer. Les Paul & Mary Ford are just as awesome today as they were then ✌

[@giacomobowen7273]

What is the actual series of chords he initially plays on loop?

[@videogeekin]

“How high the moon “ is the tune.

[@tracyvarnermusic]

Me a was one of the greatest person to ever be part of the music world not only as an awesome musician but inventor of so many things that's changed the guitar and effects genre forever.thanks Les for following your heart mind and inventive spirit!

[@elainekerslake6865]

I don't think Les realised how famous he was . Especially with us guitar freaks.

[@somer1377]

He was sent from another universe for sure