The Les Paul Junior http://thelespauljr.com Everything you need to know about the Les Paul Jr Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:09:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Les Paul and the p90 http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-and-the-p90 http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-and-the-p90#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:30:01 +0000 admin http://thelespauljr.com/?p=115 The p90 pickup was first produced in 1946 after production resumed (after World War II).  The p90 is often referred to as the soap bar, dog ear or humbucker casing pickups (as these are the major variations of the casing to p90 pickups) and was the standard for the Les Paul model guitars.  The p90 is known for having a very thick sounding town and has defined Gibson Guitars for many years.  The age old dispute between Fender vs. Gibson ends here.  There isn't a better sounding guitar, but they are uniquely defined by their tone.  Their tone is mainly characterized by the pickup and the p90 and the variations of this pickup are what has made this guitar a timeless instrument.
GIBSON GA 5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMPLIFIER GIBSON GA 5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMPLIFIER Paypal US $330.00 25m
GIBSON 1956 LES PAUL JUNIORALL ORIG EXC CONDSINGLE CUT SUNBURST GIBSON 1956 LES PAUL JUNIORALL ORIG EXC CONDSINGLE CUT SUNBURST Paypal US $6,895.00 5h 18m
2008 Gibson Les Paul Junior Satin White NO RESERVE 2008 Gibson Les Paul Junior Satin White NO RESERVE Paypal 0 Bid US $599.00 12h 17m
2012 Gibson Les Paul Studio Satin Ebony Chrome USA CLEAN Special Junior Jr 2012 Gibson Les Paul Studio Satin Ebony Chrome USA CLEAN Special Junior Jr Paypal US $725.00 14h 7m

The p90 is a single coil pickup.  This gives the sound a brighter and more transparent tone than a humbucker.  If you were to compare this pickup to a fender pickup, you would hear less crispyness or snap to it.  While it does have some single coil twang, it maintains large amounts of midrange and even a bit more low end than Fender guitars.  The most popular guitars that use p90's are the Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul and the Epiphone Casino.  P90 pickups from the vintage era are all hand-wound, so there is a bit of variation between each pickup cosmetically.

There was also the H90 which is a stacked version of the p90 that apparently doesn't lose some of the classic p90 sound.  One of the issues with the p100 which is another popular variation of this pickup is that it apparently loses a lot of the classic sound (according to it's players).  The H90 is supposed to be rid of that issue and is the standard release for the Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior guitar.  The H90 also has slightly higher output than the single coil editions.

Just for fun here is a list of some of the more notable players that used a p90 pickup Gibson Guitar:

John Fogerty

David Gilmour

George Harrison

Tony Lommi

Mick Jones

Robby Krieger of The Doors

Bob Marley

Paul McCartney (Ephiphone Casino)

Wes Montgomery

Mike Oldfield

Les Paul

Muddy Waters

Richard Thompson

Pete Townsend

Leslie West

Neil Young

Frank Zappa

Billie Joe Armstrong

George Thorogood

Whatever your story is, I am sure you will find the tone that suits you best.  I think the most notable difference between a Fender and a Gibson is that the Gibson appears to have more body and fullness than a Fender.  Although there is a lot to be said about the feel of a Fender Strat, and the how clearly the tones cut through a mix, there is no doubt more body to a Gibson Guitar.

]]> http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-and-the-p90/feed 0 Bob Marley & His Les Paul http://thelespauljr.com/bob-marley-his-les-paul http://thelespauljr.com/bob-marley-his-les-paul#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:57:52 +0000 admin http://thelespauljr.com/?p=111 This blog is most commonly searched for information about Bob Marley's Les Paul Jr.  Bob Marley is probably the most legendary guitarist and musician (along side with John Lennon) to ever play a Les Paul Junior.  People probably assume that the Les Paul Jr isn't a full-grown or real guitar by it's name and are surprised that Bob Marley and John Lennon amongst many other guitarists (you can view our post about other guitarists who played this guitar) favored this guitar.
GIBSON GA 5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMPLIFIER GIBSON GA 5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMPLIFIER Paypal US $330.00 25m
Clock 1492 Gibson Guitar Les Paul Pattern 3 Wall Clock New Clock 1492 Gibson Guitar Les Paul Pattern 3 Wall Clock New Paypal 0 Bid US $.99 31m
Clock 1493 Gibson Guitar Les Paul Pattern 4 Wall Clock New Clock 1493 Gibson Guitar Les Paul Pattern 4 Wall Clock New Paypal 0 Bid US $.99 31m
Gibson Les Paul Traditional Poster Print Gibson Les Paul Traditional Poster Print Paypal 0 Bid US $5.99 33m

Here is some information about Bob Marley's guitar:

Bob Marley played a legendary mahogany Gibson Les Paul Special.

Although the guitar is known for it's raw and thick sound,  Marley was one of the first people to play it's clean tones.  He focused on the up strokes rather than the four on the floor rock sound that the guitar is best known for.  The difference between a Les Paul Junior and a Les Paul Special is very minimal.  They came out the same year.  Originally the Les Paul Junior was intended to give entry level guitarists an affordable but nice guitar.  Later that same year the Les Paul Special came out with a second pick-up and was a more versatile model (as far as tone is concerned) but was slightly more expensive.

Many variations of both the Les Paul Jr and the Les Paul Special have come out since then, including many signature series guitars like Billy Joe Armstrong's (from the band Green Day) Custom Les Paul Jr.

Junior Marvin was the lead guitarist for the legendary recordings on Exodus and many other albums recorded with Marley and the Wailers.  He is known for his heart throbbing leads and smooth tones as well.  He too played a Gibson Les Paul Special and recorded Exodus on a TV Yellow Les Paul Special.  TV Yellow was a fairly unique shade of yellow that was made to make guitars look better on black on white TV.  When color TV came out the TV Yellow guitars were still quite popular and almost building a legendary status to them.  Some of the vintage TV yellow guitars sold on Ebay are extremely expensive and sought after.

Junior Marvin and Bob Marley were best known for their smooth tones and upbeats rather than the thick distorted sounds that their Les Paul's are known for.  They are both iconic guitarist and without question the most influential reggae musicians of all time.  Their dedication to their sound and craft, show that the Gibson Les Paul sound is not only one of the thickest rock sounding guitars, but also one of the most versatile guitars ever.

]]> http://thelespauljr.com/bob-marley-his-les-paul/feed 0 Les Paul Junior Buying Guide http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-junior-buying-guide http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-junior-buying-guide#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:33:56 +0000 admin http://thelespauljr.com/?p=105 One of the more common issues with purchasing a guitar, is finding the right one.  Sure, anyone can go down to their local guitar shop, or even the corporate monster Guitar Center and play an assortment of cheap to expensive guitars offered from their product line.  They have been touched by hundreds of hands, mistreated, misplayed and degraded!  But that's not always an issue for some people.  The idea of finding your dream guitar, is finding the right fit.
GIBSON GA 5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMPLIFIER GIBSON GA 5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMPLIFIER Paypal US $330.00 25m
GIBSON 1956 LES PAUL JUNIORALL ORIG EXC CONDSINGLE CUT SUNBURST GIBSON 1956 LES PAUL JUNIORALL ORIG EXC CONDSINGLE CUT SUNBURST Paypal US $6,895.00 5h 18m
2008 Gibson Les Paul Junior Satin White NO RESERVE 2008 Gibson Les Paul Junior Satin White NO RESERVE Paypal 0 Bid US $599.00 12h 17m
2012 Gibson Les Paul Studio Satin Ebony Chrome USA CLEAN Special Junior Jr 2012 Gibson Les Paul Studio Satin Ebony Chrome USA CLEAN Special Junior Jr Paypal US $725.00 14h 7m

The Les Paul Junior was introduced originally to offer an inexpensive guitar to the line, for students or beginning players.  It had one P90 or soap box pickup, which was located near the bridge.  If you are a regular player and have played a guitar using two pickups, you'll know that this is a sort of twangy placement for one pickup.  This gave an edge to players that wanted simplicity and perfection, of Rock and Blues.  In the years to follow, this is exactly what happened.

So how do you know if the Les Paul Junior is the right axe for you?  You might want to dig a little deeper into the setup.  I think the absolutely most appealing thing about the Les Paul Jr is the look.  Having only one pickup gives it an edge.  It's unique in sound and appearance and most importantly to the gigging professional, it was simple.  Unlike traditional Les Paul Guitars there is no blend knob to adjust which of the two pickup to get your sound from.

While we can spend hours and hours digging into what makes the guitar unique and how, we can simply look at the work that has already been done for us by the greats of the Les Paul Jr era.  Here is a small list of some of the famous guitarists that have played this amazing guitar from our resourceful online wikipedia.

A

[edit] B

[edit] C

[edit] G

[edit] J

[edit] L

[edit] M

[edit] R

[edit] T

[edit] U

[edit] W

If you are interested in a Les Paul Guitar, then you might want to look into these artists and see if their guitar sound is something that interests you.  One of the more legendary artists on the list would be Bob Marley.  His guitar tone was reggae, not Rock or Blues.  I think it goes to show the versatility of this instrument, despite its single pickup configuration.  John Lennon was known for playing a Les Paul Special as well as a Les Paul Jr and is of course one of the most legendary musicians of all time.  In short, these artists of dedicated their lives to giving you a resource to see if the Les Paul Junior is the appropriate guitar for your taste and playing style.

]]> http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-junior-buying-guide/feed 0 Caring for your Les Paul http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-jr-special-lite http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-jr-special-lite#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:27:00 +0000 admin http://sandiegoweddingdj.net/lespaul/?p=91
VINTAGE GIBSON NICKEL VIBROLA VIBRATO TREMOLO FIREBIRD SG LES PAUL JR FLYING V VINTAGE GIBSON NICKEL VIBROLA VIBRATO TREMOLO FIREBIRD SG LES PAUL JR FLYING V Paypal 1 Bid US $99.00 16h 37m
Vintage 1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard Guitar Special Junior Jr 1961 1960 62 Vintage 1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard Guitar Special Junior Jr 1961 1960 62 Paypal US $9,995.00 17h 12m
4x Gibson Epiphone Vintage Amber Top Hat Bell Knobs For Les Paul Junior New 4x Gibson Epiphone Vintage Amber Top Hat Bell Knobs For Les Paul Junior New Paypal US $8.99 12d 2h 27m
Vintage Classic 1960 Gibson Les Paul JR Cherry Red ORIGINAL w CASE ALICE COOPER Vintage Classic 1960 Gibson Les Paul JR Cherry Red ORIGINAL w CASE ALICE COOPER Paypal US $5,900.00 1d 14h 17m

There are a lot of different things to keep in mind when you finally get your hands on a Les Paul Jr.  The first thing is obviously going to be the case.  If you are a regular gigging musician having a gig-bag with backpack straps might be the best option.  This is particularly useful when you have to carry a hard-case acoustic with you while also carrying an electric guitar because you can get your axes into the venue in one trip!  A hard case is definitely a better way to go, but you are going to have shill out a little more money.

The next thing to consider, is some kind of a kit to take care of your guitar when you restring it.  Let's face it, there is no value in having someone else restring and care for your Les Paul all of the time.  So it's best to invest in a small kit to take care of your equipment.  One of the best things to do is go online or to a local guitar shop and see if they have some kind of all inclusive kit to get this done.  You'll find things like a scraper tool for the grime under the strings, possibly a "spinner" for your tuner and some furniture polish like material that is intended for preserving the finish on the guitar.  Something that must be done in order to keep the smooth fretboard feeling on your guitar is to remove the strings completely and spray it down with furniture polish.  Next take a guitar pick or thing plastic material and scrape off the grime completely and clean any excess with a paper towel or moist towelette.

This is going to ensure that the fretboard is clean and it will actually make your strings last a bit longer, as they are not going to have any toxins or dirt in the wind.  It is best to change your strings at least once a month.  When you do this you are going to want to remove only half of the strings at a time.  This is not an entirely common method but it really helps to keep your truss rod in adjustment (for your action).  You do this to keep constant tension on the neck.  If you are always removing and adding tension you'll find that the guitar gets loose and the action becomes to far from the fretboard creating a poor playing guitar, especially for beginners and people with not so strong of hands.

One feature that can and possibly should be upgraded on a lot of Les Paul guitars is the tuners themselves.  They have a rather low-end ratio to them and seem to fall out of tune quite a bit when first putting on fresh strings.  You can get something like a "grover" tuner that has a much nicer ratio keeping the guitar in tune for longer, while giving you a lot of precision in the process.

Lastly, if you are not one to change your strings frequently or are someone who sweats a lot when they play, it is best to invest in some coated strings for your guitar.  The leading brand for coated strings are Elixirs.  There are many brands that would work, but Elixir was the first major coated string on the market.  They are known to last almost three times longer than a traditional string because they offer the metal wound strings a coating that keeps out sweat, which keeps out rust.  Coated strings are probably one of the best things a regular gigging guitarist can invest in.  They cost nearly twice as much as a regular string though, so you might see the obvious dilemma.  Elixir Polyweb strings are so bright when you first put them on, that they actually have a break-in period.  They will typically sound their best after several hours of play, due to the extra brightness that is added from the Polyweb coating.

Whatever you do, take care of your Les Paul guitar.  There are many guitar shops that will buy them back for the price you bought it for, as well as a huge online community of people who will buy, sell and trade their guitars.  You will want to keep your guitar in pristine shape, so one day you can get some of your investment back and perhaps invest it in another guitar or Les Paul Jr. of your liking.

]]> http://thelespauljr.com/les-paul-jr-special-lite/feed 0