From: akiam@seed.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Ian Lane Davis)
Subject: Fender and Gibson
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 92 21:46:18 GMT
Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU
Reply-To: akiam@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Ian Davis)
Distribution: alt

Whoever told you that about Gibson & Fender was full of it.  Probably
the store wasn't able to get "authorized fender/gibson dealer" status.

If you want the Les Paul sound, buy a Les Paul.  There are several
models avialable, with the most commonly found being the studio, the
standard, and the custom.  Note that the sound of a guitar is not just
a product of the electronics (listen to a telecaster with a Les Paul
pick-up someday - doesn't sound like a Les Paul).  The shape &
materials of the body and neck affect the way energy from the
vibrating string is absorbed and the natural sustain from a solid
mahogany body just does not sound like that produced by fancy
electronics (which, of course, can sound great, too).  The ibanez,
yamaha, & other such guitars are made (typically) of lighter woods and,
after having played many, I can say that they will not ever get the
same Les Paul sound.
Additionally, the feel is radically different.  Find a guitar store
with Les Pauls and try one to see if you like the feel.

regarding declining quality: this is total b.s.  I have (among others)
a Les Paul standard (1988) and a Fender Stratocaster Plus Deluxe
(1989).  Both are extremely good instruments with great sounds and are
among the most playable guitars I've ever encountered.  Furthermore,
I've never had any difficulty getting support from fender or gibson
dealers when I wanted to make adjustments to the guitars (e.g.
changing the action or the springs in the floating bridge of the
strat).

Current Gibson Les Paul models:
Studio:  Mahogany body, standard PAF reissue pick-ups (I think), but
Maple neck.  I was not overly impressed, but it's ~$300 less money
than a standard.

Standard:  Built to 1959 specs.  PAF reissue pick-ups.  Mahogany body
and neck (1/2 inch carved maple face for the body - same on studio).
I've played lots of Les Paul's and the new ones are as good or better
than the old ones.  Certainly I prefer them to most '70s models (some
of which had smaller pick-ups and much thicker necks [softball bat
style]).

Custom:  Mostly the same as Standard.  Gold colored hardware instead
of nickel.  Metal tuning heads instead of plastic.  Trim on back
corners of body as well as front (I find this uncomfortable).  Nice,
but ~$200 more than standard.

The first Les Pauls from 1952- 1957 had single coil pick-ups and from
1952-1954 they had a different bridge & tailpiece.  ~1958- early '60s
were the Les Pauls we all think of.  These were the kind Jimi Page,
Zappa, Townshend (very occasionally), and Slash (hmmm) used.  In the
sixties for a while they were discontinued entirely (hard to believe)
and the SG was introduced (which was very similar in the electronics
and neck, but much thinner).  You might want to try one of those if
you find Les Pauls too heavy [you pay a price for sustain].  In the
'70s many different models of Les Paul were produced, some with low-impedence
pick-ups, some with thinner bodies, some with different necks and
headstocks.  I'm not a big fan of most of these, but at least by the
mid 1980s (maybe earlier) Gibson was making truly excellent guitars
again.  They moved their main factory once and some of the engineers
stayed around and made a company called "The Heritage" which makes
clones and claims to be better, but I didn't especially like the ones
I've played and the quality control was rather lower on the ones I
tried (flaky pick-ups and peeling trim).

Now for Fender:
Leo Fender introduced the Broadcaster (later renamed Telecaster) in
1948 (?) and the strat in ~'52 (or sometime around then).  Little
things changed over the years 'til '64 when CBS bought Fender.  The
claim is that the strats went slightly downhill, but I can't verify
this since I haven't played a '63 or earlier.  Things continued
largely as before until in the late seventies Fender/CBS kept suing
companies such as Ibanez for copyright infringement and the like
(Fender, as I understand it, kept losing these cases).  Then in a
turnaround, Fender made a deal with Ibanez at the beginning of
eighties (or sometime around then - don't flame me for exact dates)
and all of the Fender guitars were made in Japan mostly in the same
factory as the Ibanez copies.  From then until now there have been
Fender strats made in Japan (but read on, because this might be
changing).

The Japanese strats are not especially to my liking.  They look like
strats and sound similar, but the components strike me (opinion only,
and I don't want to get into a debate) as less than 100% solid.
However, many people like them, and they aren't too expensive (my
brother, in particular, swears by 1983 strats - there's no accounting
for taste sometimes).

Yet in the mid 1980s Fender began to make the American series guitars.
These differ in many little ways from the Japanese and some big.
First the radius (curvature along the lines of the frets) of the necks
is larger for a flater fingerboard.  Also, the necks are broader (more
room to bend strings) and they feel (no numbers on this) thinner back
to front up by the nut.  The bridge pivots on two poles unlike the
traditional bridge and the saddles for the strings are more
substantial and less likely to cause premature string breaking (due to
their curvature).  The bodies are roughly the same, but the pick-ups
are made by different people.

A Fender American Standard Stratocaster is an awesome guitar
(subjectively), and has a very coherent feel and classic sound. But
Fender also has new pick-ups in the Deluxe, Plus, & Ultra models
called "Lace Sensors" which create a differently shaped magnetic field
from the old pick-ups that works to cut down on noise.  These models
sound a bit different from traditional strats, but I actually prefer
the sound most of the time (the ultra has a pick-up in the bridge
position which can be switched from Humbucking to single-coil).

Strats are confusing because there are roughly 35 different models
available right now, and there are even some made in Mexico (& I'm
told that they won't be made in Japan anymore, but this might just be
a rumor).  The current Mexican ones use mostly the American parts, but
the Japanese bridge (maybe), and are reputed to be both good and
cheap, but I've heard that they will be changed somewhat in the near
future.

A little confusing, but Fender has done a remarkably good job of
providing a strat for every taste and economic situation.  My
strat-related advice is "Play lots of them until you find the one that
fits just right.~  You will.  You'll just have to not let the variety
overwhelm you.  My recommendations are any of the American Series
(standard, deluxe, plus, plus deluxe, or ultra) or a Mexican Standard
(if you do it soon).  The specific name might be silly (mine is a
Black Pearl Burst Fender American Stratocaster Plus Deluxe - duh), but
the guitars are quite serious.

Anyway, sorry to be so wordy, but I really appreciate Fender and
Gibson instruments and felt I had to try to do them justice.  I have
nothing against Ibanez (I have a nice acoustic & have played and
enjoyed their Gem (Jem?) series), but if you're looking for a Gibson
or Fender sound, go for Gibson and Fender.


---ian
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