Getting Les Paul sound on Strat

[SickTangerine]

Well, is there anyway I can get that thick, heavy sound of a Gibson Les Paul on A Fender Squier Stratocaster? I started playing electric about a month ago, and with Drive turned on I can get a thick sustaining sound for solos and what not, but other wise it is too distorted.

If anyone has any tips, here are the knobs I have on my AMP, just to help out (yeah, it's not much variety, but it was in expensive and my only option)

Gain Knob

"drive" button, which is essentially distortion I guess, gain controls the sound of it

Volume Knob

Treble Knob

Bass Knob

and on the guitar itself I have just the standard tone knobs and volume knob, along with 5 switch picup. (sorry if I am getting the terms wrong)

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

-Breakdown/Sick Tangerine

[Grand Poobah]

Get a pair of Duncan Little '59s. Not sure I'd put that kind of money into a Squier, but you'll have a hard time getting a LP sound out of single coils.

[Cav]

Sir that is like trying to get a cat to act like a dog.

No comparison in tones at all and not able to do so

Regards

[SickTangerine]

Anything is possible, my friend I like your comparison though at the beggining

I'll end up going out to buy a Gibson in some time (months and months), but for now I want to find some variety in sound on my Strat After all, for a jobless juniour high student, it is rather hard to sum up money to go out and buy even a USED Gibson. The only place around here that sells guitars (including where I got my Strat) are one of the many pawn shops...good old small town Canada!

[Dr Death]

but for now I want to find some variety in sound on my Strat

Whoa... that line really cracked me up. I'm not dogging you, but Strats, even Squire Strats, have much more of a range than a Les Paul. The Les Paul is, for all intents and purposes, a rock & roll guitar. Meant to be played loud and to rise above your drummer, even if he is John Bonham.

Strats, on the other hand, can be used in so many ways with so many possibilities. From blues, think SRV, to funk, to soul, to melodic commercial music, to country, to psychedelia, to just about anything you can imagine.

Just a few of the great Strat players;

Jeff Beck - David Gilmour - Mark Knopfler - Chris Duarte - Eric Clapton - Buddy Guy - Jimi Hendrix - Robbie Blunt - Ronnie Wood - Little Steven - Yngwie Malmsteen - Eric Johnson - and, of course, Jimmy Page.

Don't worry about getting a Les Paul sound out of it, enjoy it for all that it can do and explore all your options. I have two electrics; a Les Paul 1960 Reissue. It's called a Classic, and a Fender Strat which is basically like a Jeff Beck model, but to my specifications. It has the Gold Lace Sensor pickups, which I just love.

Strats are built completely different than Les Pauls. Enjoy what you have because, believe me, there's no shortage of sound/tone possibilities there.

[Mercurious]

Well, is there anyway I can get that thick, heavy sound of a Gibson Les Paul on A Fender Squier Stratocaster? I started playing electric about a month ago, and with Drive turned on I can get a thick sustaining sound for solos and what not, but other wise it is too distorted.

I'd say you can't. Not possible. Get a turbo rat, maybe?

[SickTangerine]

@ Dr. Death: Thank you for that! I know how many varieties of sound you can get with Stratocasters, I was quite shocked when I realised it, i meat I was trying to get even more variety with what I have Thanks for all the posts people

You have certainly inspired me, thank you very much!

[Dirigible]

SickTangerine, this is not as technical as some of the other posts however my guitarist played a stock Strat (albeit with the middle pick up removed because it hindered his picking) and a Cry Baby through a cheap Peavey practice amp and sounded exactly like Page. Unfortunately he is now deceased or I'd have him log on and tell you his trade secrets. His favorite trick (of mine) was replicating Page's bowed parts scraping a pick along the strings. If you'd care to give him a listen, check him out on the YouTube link in my signature.

A young man like you has the world at his feet; good luck in all your playing endeavors.

[SickTangerine]

SickTangerine, this is not as technical as some of the other posts however my guitarist played a stock Strat (albeit with the middle pick up removed because it hindered his picking) and a Cry Baby through a cheap Peavey practice amp and sounded exactly like Page. Unfortunately he is now deceased or I'd have him log on and tell you his trade secrets. His favorite trick (of mine) was replicating Page's bowed parts scraping a pick along the strings. If you'd care to give him a listen, check him out on the YouTube link in my signature.

A young man like you has the world at his feet; good luck in all your playing endeavors.

Thank you Mr. Dirigible! That's certainly useful info, but I am sad to hear about your friend I want to see if I can get a decent wah wah pedal anywhere, though I have no idea how it connects etc. or if it would work on a Squier.

[Dirigible]

Thank you Mr. Dirigible! That's certainly useful info, but I am sad to hear about your friend I want to see if I can get a decent wah wah pedal anywhere, though I have no idea how it connects etc. or if it would work on a Squier.

Any pedal, stomp box, etc. will connect with any electric guitar. I owned a Tele and a Cry Baby wah wah in the distant past and if memory serves you plug the guitar cord into the pedal input and the wah wah output cable into your amp. Gives you a little 'dirt' in your sound even if you aren't using it. Cry Babies use batteries though.

Peace.

[SickTangerine]

Thank you very much sir! I was needing that info (Sometiems old Google doesn't give me the right info )

[BonzoLikeDrumer]

I've got an Ibnanez 240SA (strat style) that I frankensteined with a real vintage shielded humbucker...

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t174/ra...terpickups2.jpg

I messed up the finish when I was routing out the center for the larger pickup, so I still have to refinish it but, it has added some sustain but still sounds like a strat (thin and honky).

If you do have to rout out the hole bigger for the new pick-up you will want to refinish the top of the body as there will be some scratch marks from the sawdust it will kick up. I had some kick back because I was not using a guide at first (that's why mine looks so bad), if you use a guide it will only leave very small (almost unnoticeable) scratches on the paint/stain.

They where priced reasonable, I payed $200.00 US for the whole set of 3 pickups and they where wound to my specification's to boot! Here is a link to the guy who I got them from.....

http://manliusguitar.com/

Bonzolikedrumer

[JimmyPage1977]

Getting a "Les Paul" sound and getting a "Jimmy Page" sound are two totally different things. Jimmy quite often uses a coil tap, which splits the humbucking pickups and essentially makes it a single coil. He can also run "out of phase" (reversing the direction that the coils run) which was an old Peter Green trick that gets him that "thin" bluesy tone. Pagey was really trying to get different tones out of his Les Paul. I disagree with the fellow that claimed that a Les Paul is only a rock guitar. It can be just as versatile as a Strat. They are both Solid Body electric guitars and, aside from pickup configuration, are quite similar. The things that make them different are the woods used and the electronics. The electronics can be changed very easily on both guitars, but to the tone freak (which I have become over the years) the wood is critical. I used my Les Pauls to get certain groups of tones and Strats, PRS Hollowbody, Ibanez, etc. to get what each is designed to get.

If you get a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge position, you can get pretty close to a"Paul tone", but the mahogony body and maple top is what makes a Les Paul sound like it does. Whatever you do just have fun experimenting with what you can get out of each guitar that you own.

[BonzoLikeDrumer]

Getting a "Les Paul" sound and getting a "Jimmy Page" sound are two totally different things. Jimmy quite often uses a coil tap, which splits the humbucking pickups and essentially makes it a single coil. He can also run "out of phase" (reversing the direction that the coils run) which was an old Peter Green trick that gets him that "thin" bluesy tone. Pagey was really trying to get different tones out of his Les Paul. I disagree with the fellow that claimed that a Les Paul is only a rock guitar. It can be just as versatile as a Strat. They are both Solid Body electric guitars and, aside from pickup configuration, are quite similar. The things that make them different are the woods used and the electronics. The electronics can be changed very easily on both guitars, but to the tone freak (which I have become over the years) the wood is critical. I used my Les Pauls to get certain groups of tones and Strats, PRS Hollowbody, Ibanez, etc. to get what each is designed to get.

If you get a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge position, you can get pretty close to a"Paul tone", but the mahogony body and maple top is what makes a Les Paul sound like it does. Whatever you do just have fun experimenting with what you can get out of each guitar that you own.

Bravo! This makes since to me, the thing I noticed different (sizable that is) out of the pick up change I made to my Ibanez was sustain. It's still not as big a sustain as the heavy (I think around 13 or 16 Lb's) Les Paul's are but it did change the sound enough to hear some subtle nuance change's in the guitar's sonic's. I've been told and I do believe, the electronics that Ibanez put in these guitars are not to good so, I also replaced the stock switch with an All Part's 5 way.

As for amp settings and the like, you just have to use your ears.

Bonzolikedrumer

I spell it like that because I like it that way.

[Zoso2112]

Getting a les paul sound out of a single coil strat? i would give up.

[Zoso2112]

Getting a "Les Paul" sound and getting a "Jimmy Page" sound are two totally different things. Jimmy quite often uses a coil tap, which splits the humbucking pickups and essentially makes it a single coil. He can also run "out of phase" (reversing the direction that the coils run) which was an old Peter Green trick that gets him that "thin" bluesy tone. Pagey was really trying to get different tones out of his Les Paul. I disagree with the fellow that claimed that a Les Paul is only a rock guitar. It can be just as versatile as a Strat. They are both Solid Body electric guitars and, aside from pickup configuration, are quite similar. The things that make them different are the woods used and the electronics. The electronics can be changed very easily on both guitars, but to the tone freak (which I have become over the years) the wood is critical. I used my Les Pauls to get certain groups of tones and Strats, PRS Hollowbody, Ibanez, etc. to get what each is designed to get.

If you get a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge position, you can get pretty close to a"Paul tone", but the mahogony body and maple top is what makes a Les Paul sound like it does. Whatever you do just have fun experimenting with what you can get out of each guitar that you own.

Jimmy does not have a coil tap in his # 1 les paul today. He only has one push pull pot in it for puting the guitar out of phase. Gibson got the wiring totally wrong. And he had no wiring modifications done to his les pauls during Led Zeppelin.

[ArmsofAtlas]

Getting a "Les Paul" sound and getting a "Jimmy Page" sound are two totally different things. Jimmy quite often uses a coil tap, which splits the humbucking pickups and essentially makes it a single coil. He can also run "out of phase" (reversing the direction that the coils run) which was an old Peter Green trick that gets him that "thin" bluesy tone. Pagey was really trying to get different tones out of his Les Paul. I disagree with the fellow that claimed that a Les Paul is only a rock guitar. It can be just as versatile as a Strat. They are both Solid Body electric guitars and, aside from pickup configuration, are quite similar. The things that make them different are the woods used and the electronics. The electronics can be changed very easily on both guitars, but to the tone freak (which I have become over the years) the wood is critical. I used my Les Pauls to get certain groups of tones and Strats, PRS Hollowbody, Ibanez, etc. to get what each is designed to get.

If you get a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge position, you can get pretty close to a"Paul tone", but the mahogony body and maple top is what makes a Les Paul sound like it does. Whatever you do just have fun experimenting with what you can get out of each guitar that you own.

I've actually seen some study that actually proves that the type of wood is almost negligible when it comes to the sound of the guitar. Has to do more with the shape, than anything else.

[JimmyPage1977]

Jimmy does not have a coil tap in his # 1 les paul today. He only has one push pull pot in it for puting the guitar out of phase. Gibson got the wiring totally wrong. And he had no wiring modifications done to his les pauls during Led Zeppelin.

Because I forget more than I remember these days, I'll have to check my facts, but I seem to recall that he had two switches under his pick guard. I don't remember their functions, but I thought that they were coil taps. I could be wrong....

Edited to add:

According to a reliable source it is #2 that has the two switches under the pick guard and they were installed AFTER Led Zeppelin in the early 80's. One is a series/parallel and one is a phase switch.

[JimmyPage1977]

I've actually seen some study that actually proves that the type of wood is almost negligible when it comes to the sound of the guitar. Has to do more with the shape, than anything else.

I would disagree with that study. A Maple Strat sounds a lot different than a Swamp Ash Strat and the shape is the same. A Korean "plywood Strat" has a different sound as well. I would agree that the figured maple top on a Les Paul contributes greatly to it's sound.

Have you ever played different acoustic guitars made from different woods? Take Martin acoustics; they are all shaped the same, but the woods used give them different tonal characteristics.

Why do players pay more for certain woods? How about paint? I can hear the differences.

[Zoso2112]

I've actually seen some study that actually proves that the type of wood is almost negligible when it comes to the sound of the guitar. Has to do more with the shape, than anything else.

Yeah, that studyis total BS.

[anodizingstatic]

Here's the thing, and my honest opinion. Strats are more dynamic due to the floating tremolo and the cutaway design of the guitar for more efficient playing. Especially the HM ones of the late 80's with Floyd Rose systems.

Can they do Page? Yes, better if you have a HSS rather than SSS and a rosewood neck. But if you're really going for the Page tone, you've got to get a Les Paul. Not a Studio, the real GIBSON deal, and add a phase mod in the later years of owning it. In my book, it also MUST be honeyburst and nothing else. Color has no base of scientific support, but hey - it might just convince you. Also, get a Marshall (I'm talking super lead or jmp). Nothing else. Orange amps are pretty good (tiny terror) for home use. Page even used an AD50.

But is it all worth it? Les Paul Standards / Traditionals can get pretty pricey...you'd be lucky finding one for less than $1500 used and in good shape. Why? They are more boutique, fancier, use more expensive parts. I mean, look at the paint job and attention to detail, and laugh at a guy saying his monocolor strat costs more to paint. I love strats, but in all honesty, they are cheaper because, well....they are cheaper. Fender knows this but it doesn't make them think twice. People love strats for that reason, and they deliver great tone. Look at EVH's Frankenstrat. That's not how I imagine a good guitar, but he made history with it. As did Page and his worn down no. 1.

The point is, if you don't have the money for a real deal Gibson, don't sneeze at getting a strat. You can still learn LZ on either one and be just as effective if you understand your limits. Besides, IMO, strats are better to learn on because of their musical range and then progress to a Gibson Les Paul. If money is no issue, why not buy both? Or sell things you don't use?

Lastly, all of this doesn't matter. The sound of Page is in your hands 96%. The other 4% is your gear. Half of that 4% is your guitar, half is your amp. Oh, and 1% if I will be mathematically incorrect is your pick.

Sure, there is a certain standard of quality you should meet, but consider that sounding like Page is something some have, and others don't.