Stratocaster vs Les Paul - This Surprised Me

[@lefujyou]

I’m a old guy love to see you youngster grow up and have kids ❤it’s a beautiful thing next generation 😮☮️❤️✨

[@stevemacdreamcolours]

Dear John, I think the guitar you are looking for, with a loud and crispy bridge pickup and a neck pick up with mellow sound, body and sustain already exists, is called the telecaster !!! 😅

[@bluwng]

I played a telecaster and it was a brutal monster for down tuned heavy percussive metal. Why? Thick gauge strings, low tuning and active Humbucker pickups. Telecaster is just a body shape just like any other guitars and the body doesn’t produce the sound it is just a platform.

[@Sea_Jay]

"I'm tellin' you dad, you gotta dial the tone down a hair"

[@brotherplucker2]

#justgloriousL.O.D.

[@pauljenkins8677]

That adjustment was nothing less than professional!

[@lefujyou]

Not at all ,she’s saying dad crank it and hand me that guitar☮️💖✨😅

[@89digits59]

The problem with Les Paul is not tone, it's ergonomics due to it's design and it's weight if you have a heavy one. The way a Stratocaster fits on your body while you are playing is way more ergonomic than a Les Paul, for various reasons , weight / shape / cuts / etc etc, the pick up selector is way more practical, overall if you had to play 3 hours a day everyday, most would choose a Stratocaster over a Les Paul would be my take. Aesthetically - I think Les Paul looks better but that is personal choice.

[@arjanhurkmans9190]

and that's why I love SGs, less weight and still the HB sound.

[@StephenAB23]

Love my SG for that reason. I can gig 3 hours plus and hardly notice it's there!

[@thelolguy007]

100% 👏👏👏

[@aanders1990]

Agreed. Started out with a Les Paul and I figured guitar wasn't supposed to be fun to play until I got a strat.

[@mke7605]

To me the ergonomics of a strat is overrated. I actually prefer my Les Paul on long gigs.

[@MrKbeaumont]

I found that when I create a patch using one guitar, my other guitars don't sound quite as good through it. So I have patches for each of my guitars by type Strat, P90 or dual humbuckers. My favorite combo is a humbucker in the bridge and a P90 in the neck. My Reverend Double Agent has that and it is really versatile for me.

[@CultureKids1]

I own the reverend six gun HPP - strat style with p90s in neck and middle and humbucker in the bridge. It’s an amazing combination with a ton of versatility, especially with the bass contour knob!

[@tbluesboye]

John, put your Tokai Les Paul style gold top with the P90's in the conversation! And your daughter is beyond cute! Sweet playing! Great post!

[@MrSonicAlchemy]

Can you talk a bit more about your chord choices and how you developed your chord vocabulary? I know you have touched on this before but it would be interesting to hear a more in depth discussion of how you arrived at some of your "go to" chord shapes and how you make those choices in real time.

[@christopheranderson2158]

I always denied the hype about Les Pauls and played Strats/super-Strats almost exclusively until I got my first Paul in ‘08. There is an undeniable “mojo” thing in a good Paul and they make you play differently and that is inspiring. I still play my Charvel and Jacksons as well....but I’ll always keep my Les Pauls close by. They just will not be ignored.

[@jerryhorton5708]

John, terrific playing as always, inspiring and informative content, and a beautiful daughter! Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today.

[@dividedwords]

I can't pick a preferred one - to me, it's apples and oranges. They're distinctive from each other, each has its place, its purpose. Then there's the aesthetic considerations, but that's a whole other conversation, and (possibly) irrelevant.

[@ksharpe10]

Really Great Playing in this Video!!!

[@AlexVonCrank]

That bassman tone you've dialled in is unusually great!! I have found that the extra brightness reveals nuances of those pickups you otherwise wouldn't hear. Playing aside... you are the true Tone Master👍👍

[@johnnathancordy]

I love that amp model! It's lovely isn't it

[@AlexVonCrank]

@@johnnathancordy so good!

[@shawnmcginnis2508]

My takeaway after recently falling out of love with my PRS CE 24...(for a day and then realizing I'm dumb lol) is that I'm glad I can own a few guitars of different types and tones. I think we can sometimes get obsessed with one thing (food, guitar, whatever...) and 1 or 2 things can happen. We either get so used to something we dislike anything that isn't it simply because it isn't it. Option 2 we get so used to something it becomes too normal and anything else simply by being anything else becomes exciting because it is different. In the end I now own a SE silver sky for s-type tones, a LP for LP things ,a few guitars I've had since my early teens, and ofcourse a few PRS SEs and my CE. My CE is my go-to and is becoming part of "my tone". That said, there are times one of my various SEs will sound best in a mix, or my LP, or the silversky, or my old Kramer or Charvel... Because of neck shape, pickups, action, and whatever else, they each alter the way I play and approach things a little differently and and I count myself lucky to have those options.

[@jean-philippemorin1176]

Lol at 5:42... "Murphy's lab law"... Nice Gibson pun!

[@martinopinto6323]

Ahahahahah amazing quote

[@petertiffany8096]

Our ears can really fool us at times. Sometimes when I pick up my single coil guitars they don't sound right to me, kind of thin, nasal. Other times, they will sound great. But everytime I pick up my 335, it sounds awesome to me. Someone recently explained it to me, because they have experienced the same thing - that single coils cut through a mix better - but when you are by yourself - humbuckers often sound better. I think it can also be the amp settings. You need to crank it up a bit more with single coils. Maybe it depends on what music you have been listening to prior to plugging in? I think this is part of the reason you kind of need at least one single coil guitar and one humbucker guitar. They aren't better or worse, just different.

[@nicholasaragon4126]

I agree. I'd say single coils are more focused due to picking up less string surface area, while Humbuckers pick up more string surface area. But in a mix, only the frequencies that aren't already taken up will come through so they end up sounding more alike depending on your EQ. I find the same thing, alone it's nice to have a fuller spectrum, but a lot of it gets lost in the mix as soon as you introduce other instruments. A reason why I really love EMGs is for the same reason, clean or driven, they sound phenomenal in a big mix, but on their own they are often perceived as all the negative descriptors that traditionalists attach to active pickups. With singles I prefer describing them as focused, direct, tight, instead of thin/brittle/shrill.

[@kurtz1993]

Yeah, humbuckers are quite nice. Also, you can raise the pole pieces and lower the neck pickup a bit to give the sound a bit more sparkle and make it less muddy 😁

[@sixtring73]

I think you hit the nail on the head with the Gibson bridge/Fender neck is where the magic is idea. This is why my pickup preference is humbucker bridge, single coil neck, no middle on my main guitars. Also gives a great faux Tele mid position sound.

[@sgtcaco]

I have tried and tried, come to the conclusion the strat bridge single has no use at all for me.

[@chrismikan2631]

I go back and forth between my Strat and Les Paul. I discovered using a Klon as a clean boost with my Strat put a lot of the mids back into my tone that you would otherwise get with a Gibson.

[@nicholasaragon4126]

I hope I'm never in the situation where I have to choose between the Strat and Les Paul. I love swapping between them constantly.

[@bluzmansix]

I find that how I am feeling/playing at a given instance will determine what guitar/pickup style sounds best. They all sound beautiful and in your intro they actually really compliment each other - how do you separate which is the best? Really nice to see you daughter in the video, I love having my mokopuna (grand kids) around when I play.

[@onairsebcycling]

So cute to see your kid enjoying your playing. My son is 2 and loves to stomp the pedals and strum when I play 😊

[@jon.martian]

you could add series switching to your single coil strat and get a bit more from them when needed, but probably won't sound like a regular humbucker.

[@bluwng]

Due to the string angles based on the geometry of the Les Paul they tend to sustain longer and not bottom out on the dusty end. It isn’t due to pickups or wood species or wood thickness.

[@bobprince1539]

LP and a classical were my only guitars for my first decade of gigging. Heres a copy/paste of a good post, years ago, on an LP forum. Tips on setting up the guitar/amp: LP Tone Because a couple of people asked about it, here is the stuff I wrote in another thread about using the controls on a Les Paul. The OP asked me to use the controls to get sounds like Page and other classic players. My reply includes some alternative suggestions on how you might EQ your amp to get a different range of noises and get a little bit more out of the neck and middle positions. Hope it's of some use. Here it is: BASICS: First; your volume control does not just control your loudness, but also your level of distortion gain or overdrive. If your guitar has modern wiring, lowering the volume will also reduce the available treble as if you turn down the tone too. If you have 1950s wiring, this effect is far less prominent. Secondly, your tone control not only cuts your treble. it also reduces the amount of space your guitar seems to take up in the mix. Turning your tone control down can effectively pull you back into the mix. Enough basics. Here are some pointers: EQ your Amp for the Neck Most of the time, you're probably going to set your amp for a good tone from the bridge. Try this instead and see what happens: 1. Turn all your volumes and tones up to 10 2. Select the Neck pickup 3. Adjust your amp so you got a good crisp soloing tone for that pickup alone 4. Switch to the Bridge. This will probably be too bright. Ice pick through ear territory 5. Tame Bridge with that pickup’s tone control until you’ve got a good soloing tone. You now have your boost sounds. Now turn the bridge volume down (about 75 to 80%) until you've got a good crunching rhythm sound. If you have modern wiring you may need to turn up the tone a little at the stage. You can now play the rhythm on the bridge and switch to the neck for the solo. Solo on Bridge, Cleans on Neck Turn up your bridge tone and volume to 10. This will be your solo sound (ice pack and all). Turn your neck volume down to about 50%. If you've got a good amp that should be nearly clean. If you've got 50s wiring it won't be muddy either. You may now play the intro to Since I’ve Been Loving You, on the Neck pick up. Switch to Bridge for the signature lick. Back to neck, or turn down bridge to 50 to 60%. For a more sensible bridge, pick up sound, just turn the tone down a fraction to clip some of the hairs off of it. If your amp is a good one, it should be sensitive enough to clean up when you turn down, and also to clean up if you back off with your right hand and pick gently. Use both effects to control your tone. Middle Positions Leave your Bridge in its rhythm setting, then switch to the Middle. Now turn down the Neck to nearly nothing, then very slowly turn it back up (to about 50%). Somewhere across this range you'll hear three fairly distinct tones. It'll start out sounding like the Bridge on its own. Next it will fill out, (ie: get some extra bass), and it might do this quite suddenly. This is a really useful sound for soloing, because it basically sounds like the bridge pick up, but it's really fuller and meatier without being in anyway, muddy. Once you get both pick ups to the same volume (~75%), you've got the classic Middle sound. Many people find this a bit muddy, but if you EQ your amp for your neck pick up (as I wrote earlier), you should be OK. And: Before I forget again, there's one thing about the Middle setting, that I forgot to mention (and it’s a lot easier to use than it sounds to describe it): If you set your neck to it's basically clean sound (~50%) and then set the bridge to about 75%, that will give you the sounds like the bridge pick up but with a fuller tone. As I said before, that's a good rhythm or lead sound. Now, from that basic position, if you want to get a boost, all you have to do is adjust one Volume control up to 100%. Either will work fine. If you use the Bridge, you get the biting sound. If you use the Neck, you get the fuller sound. And when you finished, simply turn that volume back to where it was. Simple. In other words, once you've worked out your presets, using the Les Paul, this way is a simple as using a Telecaster.

[@davidrensa3702]

Hi John, just wanted to say I think you are SPOT ON with your assessment. I’ve been a Les Paul guy my whole life, but back in the late 1980s I picked up a '87 MIJ Strat with the Schaller trem on it and to this day, it plays and makes tones you’ll never see on a LP. That being said, I wonder what a HSS configuration would do on a proper LP? I know PRS makes their Studio which is HSS kinda, which is a top tier offering from them, unlike the LP Studio which is an economy offering, but now that you’ve said it out loud, you got me wondering. Absolutely LOVE the LP solo tone on the bridge pickup!!! Cheers! Dave

[@masasikaak]

Indeed surprising! Being a strat guy myself, I have experienced something similar with my PRS SE DGT. While the DGT is not a Les Paul it does that PAF thing. You can get some amazing clarity out of that thing even without using the coil tap. Joe Bonassing has demonstrated that in his videos using the knobs on this favourite Les Paul. Like dealing back volume and tone both back to 5. Completely un-inituitive, yet very effective. I guess we're spoiled by the Les Paul iconography resulting from its 60+ years history. We all hear 60s Clapton, Paul Kossoff, etc. in our heads when we see a Les Paul. But there's definitely more to low output PAF equipped guitars than that.

[@blokproperties]

I totally agree with your findings. I have a 2002 les Paul too, and although it’s heavy ,it sustains for days! I’ve considered selling it over the years ( I’ve had it 20 years so I don’t think I could really.), and then I’ll pick it up and play it and it always surprises me. 2002 /03 were apparently the good wood years for Gibson, I’m suprised nobody took the guitar off your hands at that price. I think they’ll be a classic in years to come. Hold onto it it sounds great!

[@kylepatterson8445]

I think most guitars will sound great in context if you learn their feel and play to their strengths. This is why LPs and Strats have both been mainstays of music. Both do something the other doesn’t.

[@rogerelton6791]

THATS GOLD JOHN,,,,,,,,GREAT TO SEE.

[@mickymalibu]

I’ve been a Strat player all my working life (45yrs), I always wanted a Les Paul but never found the one that spoke to me until 2016. Even then I was unsure but I have to say now if I’m playing SRV type crunch with a Strat that’s the guitar I need but if I want to play Santana, Bonamassa, Moore stuff then the Les Paul is the guitar that gets me there with its singing tones , sustain and in your face notes. I played everything with the Strats for years but I’d be disappointed using the Strat now when the Les Paul is the appropriate sound I’m looking for. Much as I love my Strats it’s a case of certain guitars suiting certain needs. End of the day the more the better lol.

[@jackprice7828]

John your little girl is growing up so fast! Enjoy it while it lasts. Before you know it she will be wanting the car keys. Amazing similar tone on this end between the Strat and LP. But the character of tone is certainly different between Hums versus singles.

[@kylefletcher8489]

It’s a pricey guitar. But I was looking for a good HSS Strat but I fell in love with a PRS studio. It’s my ‘Strat Paul’. I love it. When they make an SE version I think it will take the world by storm. I tried a bunch of noiseless pickups but the Studio has a real humbucker in the bridge and single coil voiced mini humbuckers in the neck and middle. Still does that nice 4th position Strat thing too

[@shawnmcginnis2508]

Not quite the same, but my CE has great hum and single tones. Not quite strat tones, but still lovely. Yeah to me ,like I said earlier , I am lucky to have a SE Silversky and a LP if I want those tones, but honestly I love my PRS.

[@andrefombertaux9211]

I found that hanging your guitars on a wall is a great way to not overlook any one of them and so end up playing them all and being able to appreciate their individual strengths

[@jetset9561]

John I've got my one special strat - a 57 custom-made version by Oswald Guitars - which I love; but every other guitar I would consider now will have two humbuckers. It just works better for me.

[@chriswumperone2759]

For Les Pauls tone pot always wired to the output of the volume pot (middle lug) ala 50s style and turn down the volume and the tone both until it gets sweet even on the bridge and if the neck is too muddy use a 10n cap in series with the hot lead, and for sticky necks fine steel wool and clean with Naphta

[@erickmo1188]

I’d say build an hSS strat, wire the volume and 1st tone knob to a 250k pot for your neck and middle and then wire the third knob as a volume to the humbucker only. Run that wide open. And you should be able to run the humbucker in the 5 way switch with custom configurations too. Like neck, neck middle, middle, humbucker with tone knob, humbucker volume only- tone bypassed. I think you’ll enjoy the results

[@brianthrom6858]

Tapped neck with a full humbucker in the bridge tends to be what I play for the longest when I’m at it. I kept taking note whenever you were playing the strat but not the Les Paul.

[@UnknownGuyFromSomewhere]

This is what I blame my stratocaster for, for me the answer is an hss strat, best of both worlds, nice clean sound with single coils and big sound with the bridge humbucker. Also guitar setup and pickup height may affect the tone and feeling

[@michaelsingley5641]

Wonderful playing. To me, the rig/patch/effects he's playing through has such a distinctive reverby chimey sound that each guitar doesn't sound all that terribly different. You can hear the guitars character somewhat.

[@aluminati9918]

Great vid! Not trying to be cheeky, but the answer to the Strat VS Les Paul discussion is none of them, it’s the Telecaster.. Keep the great vids coming!

[@randrothify]

You can make any guitar work for any kind of music. The question is how hard it will be to dial in to get something close to the ideal sound.

[@고현규-g8d]

i think you`ve got a star~~ nice man ~~~ ~~~

[@serpensnovus9869]

Experienced guitarists seem to be able to sound like themselves on pretty much any guitar. Any given guitar will offer what it COULD do if you wanted to explore its individual character. The guitar that I felt you sounded most "different" on was the American Vintage II 57 Strat, particularly the EJ harp harmonics and delicacy on the lower strings. To my ears quite different to your usual sound. My personal preference leans toward the Strat types for the space for touch to be more audible.

[@SteveWoodyMusic]

For sure man, you gotta try removing the pole screws from the pickups! I think you'll really love it. I was a strat-only player for 15 years or so, and then became an LP player. I never could get the clarity i wanted. Found it after removing the screws. It's more like P-90 without the hum. The second coil is sort of disabled with the screws out and the magnetic field is more focused. Also keeping the pickups low will help dial mids in/out.

[@rwest8905]

Sound aside, I sold my last two Les Pauls because they would NOT stay in tune! My humbucker guitar now is a PRS. Zero tuning issues and sounds close enough to a LP for my needs. Plus, a lot more sound variety of either a LP or a Strat.

[@LaminarSound]

Depends on the tune John. I always lean to my LP but ive got a song i produced with a guitar solo that id NEVER prefer the LP on over the Strat 2 position. Its EXACTLY what was needed. Both your guitars are incredible sounding.

[@1madaxeman]

Is why a HSS Strat is one of the most versatile guitars!!! More beef for rawk yet you can still get the nice Strat neck sounds for blues and more mellower sounds. HSS when the bucker splits with the middle SC is the way....

[@philipmarsh3522]

There is a bit of a downside, potentially ... the Strat bridge pickup works so well with a fuzz pedal but when you put the humbucker there it seems to lose the magic. No biggie if you aren't a fuzz lover (or if you love fuzz through a fender Strat with a humbucker of course!) but I love that sound. When I turn down the tone knob on the bridge it's ... well, it's pretty good but yeah a humbucker would be nice sometimes.

[@jessenicholson1777]

Have you considered lightly sanding the back of the neck on the Les Paul? I generally never got along with any neck-through guitar because of the finished neck. Once I lightly sanded the one I currently have, it feels great. Not talking sanding it enough to remove the finish, just to make it matte.

[@stratless]

I've always been a Les Paul guy for lead live type situations. And have chosen to use one, primarily for a jam. There was a certain thickness vs my beloved strat, live. But for recording, I lean towards the diversity and sweetness of my strat. Not that my opinion or limited musical experience matters much. BTW, wonderful backing track, and do include this preset in your folder.

[@unseenjungle5386]

well, i think John is still an ibanez guy and simply needs a strat (RG) with humbucker PUs.

[@picksalot1]

I'd suggest you get an extra Strat Pickguard, load it with your favorite Bridge and Neck Pickups, Pots, Caps, and a "Quick Connect" for the Jack. Then you could quickly swap the entire Pickguard without any soldering, and hear what difference the electronics make on the same Strat. It takes 8 minutes to swap a "Loaded Pickguard" using this method on my Strat. 😎

[@craiger2399]

PAF HSS Strat might be cool to try. I have a mahogany body HH strat that bridges the worlds very nicely.

[@jackpallet773]

Les Paul’s have a sweeter singing voice.. I think the difference is the neck construction.. LPs are more resonant.. LPs do lows and mids better, strats do highs.. maybe not even better tho..

[@philhatton3053]

You would really dig a Duesenberg Starplayer TV. Humbucker bridge, p90 neck and some interesting in between sounds. Or maybe consider a humbucker sized p90 in the neck of your Les Paul

[@lifeeverlast625]

I have a Sire S7 that I LOVE. It was My first "real" guitar that I connected with that I would never sell. Sounds amazing. I recently got a Sire L7.....and I feel alot of what you feel. I've played them side by side and my strat just doesn't sound quite right compared to my LP. Something about it just reverberates in my soul lol. I honestly think it's personal but the sound on that LP is just insane and I pick it up over my strat everytime. I still love my strat! It's just different

[@fento9]

Try a humbucher in the bridge position of a Strat or split the coil in the neck position of the Les Paul. Might give you the best of both worlds. That what I do.

[@youKnowWho3311]

In that moment, Daddy is magic! My son is taking on Polyphia at the ripe old age of 13. This vid warms my heart.

[@rambisvids]

Does that Les Paul have a "wrap around" tail piece and if it does, did the LP come with that tail piece? I had a wrap around tail piece on a PRS and really liked it, but I haven't seen a LP with one.

[@easygurps]

I am new to Strats myself but totally think you're on to something mentioning the "bridge half of a LP and the Neck half of a Strat". I bought a cheep strat with a fixed bridge and was surprised by how great the bridge sounds. It sounds real ballzy to me and I wonder if its because there is no floating bridge. Again, I'm new and don't have the ear to say for sure, but would be interested on your thoughts.

[@NedJeffery]

I just tested out the baby on the knee thing, and could barely play anything. He kept on getting his fingers in the strings.

[@sixstringoverdrive6837]

This is why Clapton added a low mid boost to his Strats; I believe his is around 500hz

[@erajad]

Your "half-and-half" is a PRS Fiore, innit? (Along with others, I know.)

[@andylee5812]

John. Do you use the same preset on the HX stomp for both guitars? I have a Standard strat and a Gibson E335 and the pickup outputs are different so they affected the tones in the HX Stomp. The clean presets setup for the strat when play with the E335 are overdriven. Is there's a trick in HX Stomp to get round this issue?

[@andylee5812]

I forgot to say. Great content on you channel

[@Andreas_Straub]

I would try a bit of EQ to get more of that "lower mid" range, and lower the resonance peak of the single coils a bit to get closer to a humbucker sound. I always found the ergonomics of the LP to be just terrible - compared to a strat or tele. Finally - don't forget, that you can adjust the pickup balance by the pickup height settings.

[@TheRobYocom]

That's some tasty playing my friend!

[@IsaacUlbrich]

I love the feel of a strat, I just can't get past the pickup hum in live situations

[@johnnathancordy]

The pickup hum at home when recording is more of an issue for me if I'm anywhere near my PC screen, have to move like 6 ft away like my usual recording position is!

[@IsaacUlbrich]

@johnnathancordy oh good call man I need to do that, 90% of the time I'm practicing at my computer

[@davidpriebe7293]

For me anyway, the bridge pick-up tone of a Les Paul is a thing...nothing else sounds quite like it. There's a reason it's the sound of millions of rock records. Still, for gigs I prefer a super-strat... I played a Paul from '74-'81 but became mostly a Strat guy after that.

[@nigel2967]

Ditch the Helix and play them through a real valve amp. The tones of both guitars will shine

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

Why not put a P90 in the neck position?

[@garyjinks7482]

The key to a Les Paul is the volume controls.

[@sgtcaco]

Yep, put it on 11.

[@jianlan8541]

This is so sweet.

[@druwk]

Been waging this very debate in my head…and I don’t own a Les Paul! I have a partscaster Strat, that came out really great, but has no real resale value? I have been moving back towards getting the majority of my gain without pedals and using my guitar volume to dial in how much. I used to think I was purely a single coil guy, though I was always trying to fatten the sound. I used to think the Gibson scale length would be uncomfortable to play. Playing some in stores reveals It’s not. My dilemma is whether to carve up the Strat and put two humbuckers in it, and thus save some money AND not add another guitar to the collection. Or, get a Les Paul style guitar? All LP are not created equal. It would be a major stretch to afford a good one. It a tool, and I’m trying to combat GAS.

[@Lomoholga2]

The strat sounds like clear smooth crystal glass with that quasi-jazzy stuff The LesPaul sounded like a thin blanket was placed over the speaker

[@jasonsears7694]

Played a strat for years…the right les paul (p90’s and a wrap tail for me) radically changed my taste…no going back now

[@timelmore2]

She is such a gift.

[@johnplunkett2004]

I have determined one thing about this channel… the actual content kinda sucks… but the guitar playing is literally the best on KZbin… which is saying something. I’ll keep coming for the music. John’s a remarkable musician.

[@ksharpe10]

Yaaa!!! it's Elodie!!!!

[@chrisgmurray3622]

I'm sure it all comes from your frame of mind as you approach any guitar; if you have a set intention, you try and bend the guitar to you r will, and make it neutral in character, but totally a tool for your intended musical declaration. In this scenario you may have certain guitars that don't want to do that easily and others that may aquiess and give the thing you're after. But the thing is you don't always know how you arrived at your goal that you want the axe to do. Chances are it was something that happened because of the way a particular intrument was made or set up that gave you something that you thought worth repeating, and you proceed expecting that as part of your bag from each new one you try. The total opposite way is finding something that the guitar does easily or well and encourage that sound to come out of the GUITAR! In this way your fear or your ego isn't going to trip you up, and it is a way to invoke the concept of lifting music from something else (the guitar), because it'll always sound right if it's natural to the instrument, plus you can access the channeling of music from ( obviously through you, but originally not from you) the muse directly. Those that deny the worth of that approach because they insist that they must play the guitar, not have the guitar play them. Superficially speaking I have to agree, but the common support for this way of doing things is that you will end up running over clichéd familiar patterns instead of breaking new ground, and sure to some extent ,but at the end of the day ( if not the end of the sentence,) I think that is the ego of the creative artist trying to assert their dominance over nature, as Roy Harper wrote, "As he tries to rule the dust" I belive the truth is so far deep inside that it's like the horizon of a black hole that connects to the vast collective OUTSIDE, and it's mire down to things that suggest themselves and inspire from somewhere else, but using the guitar as a method of accessing that place. Obviously some guitars will do it for you straight away if you let them, but pride comes before a fall and that sudden flurry of notes is so magical we think wow, II'm really killing it now! And immediately the guitar drops you off.... at which point you say to yourself "This one doesn't suit me, ' cause it's not doing what I want it to... I'll try a different one!" First world problem to get past a low usurping will and blame the instrument. Remember MacCartney saying "Yesterday" came to him in a dream, as if he fiund it lying in the street. This urge to purge will be the death of us all. Keep the guitar!😊

[@RudolfZ]

Great video! :)

[@kyran4238]

HSS Nashville telecaster?

[@tomcox875]

keep that beautiful guitar. Lightly buff the sticky neck with some 0000-steel wool (satin) or 600 grit wet sandpaper (high gloss).

[@LucaGaetanoAlboreto]

Hi John, can I suggest you a Lindy Fralin Sunbucker (mind the S)? It's a proper humbucker with a single coil oriented sound. There is no much tests on the internet but it sounds very good

[@chrisb8193]

Strats sound better for lead (there’s just more detail and texture) and Les Paul’s sound better for rhythm (the shorter scale-length makes them sound darker/meaner/fuller). You should maybe try a PRS? The scale-length is right in between the two and you could get one in a HS configuration I’d bet. It could be your Swiss army knife-style guitar. I just play rhythm so LPs for me.

[@timcat8382]

John, when Lester designed it, his idea was a railway sleeper with strings. The idea is that the hefty thing imparts little character. The result, wehter intended or not, is that it's a reliable tone, even if not the tone you're after, it's reliable. LP's are a tool that work for me and Strats always sound, well, a bit Stratty. I still love a strat though, just listen to Jimi.

[@shzamiza]

nice playing. which delay are you using here?

[@jimmcdougall9973]

Beyond cute! And she has such a strong back already. Wish I could say the same… With me it’s the other way around. But having bought some Strats over the years, I understand the “feel” thing. I now also understand why guys sand the backs of their LP necks. But that will damage the value, so has to be a keeper.

[@martinopinto6323]

That baby is so sassy and chill❤ ahahah like John

[@lukesteverything627]

Oh, should have gone to Heritage!😀

[@nourdinenourdine4223]

Angel with me . May the god bless all of you.hi from Morocco

[@russellives6069]

I get what you are saying, but when you switched back to the strat…yea, that’s the tone. For me anyways.

[@raysaade]

Lil Elodie joining the jam!

[@juanmacaceres2702]

Sounds like a PRS could do the trick

[@muttonjeff105]

I would suggest that what you are looking for but, like many, maybe don't realise, is P90s..... They are the future (and the past) 🎯

[@RobertFisher1969]

This makes me think a Les Paul/Strat double-neck could be cool. Looks like at least one such beast has been built before.

[@old_man_fran]

You look really good for someone who was in university in 1920.

[@djkonae]

try checking out the yamaha pacifica 612

[@jeffreyduncan989]

I spent the first part of my guitar career looking for the perfect guitar and then realized that I needed four. There is a reason why a session player shows up with more than one guitar. A strat does strat things and a Les Paul does Les Paul things. There is a reason they are the most recorded guitars on earth. That’s why I hate the goat conversation because there are very rarely clear winners when you have to say that something is the best

[@lolondd]

Try P-rails humbucker

[@CRP2426]

Dr.Ducks Ax Wax is a economic remedy for sticky (Nitro-finished) necks. Just use a paper towel with a few drops of the Ax wax, Before and after playing for a few days.

[@paulburton5150]

Maybe you need a tele? 😉