Custom 22 or Les Paul?

[Anonymous]

Hello, I am looking to get either a Gibson Les Paul or a PRS Custom 22. I want to use it with my Triple Rectifier, and am wondering what people prefer. Please, let me know what you would choose for yourself and what style you play. I'm looking for something tight and thick for metal. Love the sound of both guitars, but can't decide on what to get.

Thanks!

 

[MusicManJP6]

I'm not a fan of Les Pauls these days. Quality is hit and miss. I much prefer PRS! Now, just so you know (I wish I knew the first time I bought a PRS), just about all CE22s and Custom 22s come with a wide fat neck and the less hot Dragon II pickups. Almost all CE24 and Custom 24s come with wide fat neck and HFS/VBass pickups which are much hotter. If you are buying used then this can vary as these 'standards' were not put in place until sometime in mid-90's i think so double check with the seller or reference the information card for details if buying PRS.

Long story short - i vote PRS!

 

[Machine Gun]

I used to have a Les Paul Custom and loved it. Wish I wouldn't have gotten rid of it. Long story short, a few years back I wanted another guitar that would get that thick tone. I decided on a PRS Custom 22. After owning it for 6 months, I decided to get rid of it. In my opinion, it was not as thick sounding as a LP. Maybe they're OK for some folks, but they are not for me. I heard the build quality on LP's was hit and miss, that's why I went PRS.

You might want to check out a PRS singlecut if you're wanting a thick LP type tone, and bent on a PRS. I personally didn't want to go PRS anymore as I was pretty disappointed with the Custom 22. I decided to get a McNaught Vintage Single Cut instead and couldn't be happier. Good luck!

 

[SonOfIAm]

Between the two you're looking at, the Les Paul would get my vote. However, if you haven't already, check out the Custom 24 or better yet, an original Single-Cut. The PRS 7s in the Single-Cut definitely get my vote over any Gibson I've heard.

 

[Elpelotero]

In my humble opinion, neither of those guitars will have hot enough pickups to play tight, saturated metal. Both guitars are great, but the pickups are more suited for lighter styles.

Things to take into account when comparing PRS to Gibson:
-quality control
-weight relief holes
-different scale lengths
-different neck radius
-different neck contours

All these things (especially the scale length) contribute to a very different feel and tone. Take time playing each in stores.

 

[shawnqa800720]

If you want a thick PRS tone, go with the McCarty or the single cut. Both are tailored more to the Gibson crowd, but feel much better for plability. I love the PRS necks and fretboards. Quality control is certainly tighter for PRS these days. That said, a vintage Gibson has an unmistakeable tone that is impossible not to love. I have owned 'em all and have settled on PRS as my primary guitars.

 

[Anonymous]

I actually went with the Les paul. Put a Duncan Distortion on it and couldn' be happier. I think I'd like to get a PRS eventually, but for now the Gibson - which is a faded and looks unbelievable - is .making me kick myself because ofhow much better it sounds than my other
Guitars.

 

[Scream09]

Prs Singlecut. MMM beefy.

 

[YellowJacket]

Personal preference. Bottom line.

I was trying a PRS on my Boogie the other night and I absolutely loved it but when I was ripping on my Les Paul today and I quickly remembered why I chose it. Tone: the cleans on a LP are much warmer and more buttery because of the tones of wood and the gain tone is chunky and beefy, but really not suitable to metal.
PRS cleans are a bit thinner and more Strat-esque and the gain tone has an awesome bite in the highs. The frequency response is more Boxy than a Les Paul which sounds much more round. I mean it is really about preference depending on what sort of a sound you want but tone aside, if you like both get a PRS. The build quality simply IS better. I got a Les Paul that plays amazingly well. It is a Les Paul Standard Premium Plus so it also looks nice. Still, it came with some major electronic issues that needed to be fixed and they were fixed for free. Furthermore, there is a bit of orange peel on the finish around the neck pocket. Just not acceptable for a $3000 CAD instrument.

In my searching I kept trading off between a PRS singlecut and the Les Paul PP+. It was a tough call and I really liked both but I kept coming back to the LP in the end. The guitar salesman commented that my style sounds like I should play a PRS but somehow I like the Les Paul better. To each his own, I guess.

 

[lesterpaul]

solution is simple...screw what we say-go and play!!!THAT is the fun part...I am a lefty, so I am jealous of you righty bastards...go to any shop you can, and don't worry about having to travel a few hours-make a road trip out of it....I can't go anywhere to model geetars..no one has lefties...!....take your time,experiment/enjoy!impose on friends who have those guitars...only you can make that choice!!!keep us posted!

 

[rocksalt7]

+1 on that lester!!!!

That's pretty much rule #1...ya gotta play a guitar that you LOVE!!!! :mrgreen:

So get out there and PLAAAAY!!! :shock:

 

[Nermel]

Well I orginally had an LP Custom but sold it for my PRS Modern Eagle...I have to say even though LP was awesome...this PRS is higher quality without the weight relieving and it's neck relief stays where it's supposed to...not to mention it;s tremolo stays in freaking tune (compared to a fender of course)

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Totally, completly, utterly up to you and YOU ONLY.
If everyone had the same tastes and opinions there would only be one choice.
But alas, this is not the case. Personally I don't care what you choose or why...and neither should you care what I like. Right???.......

 

[moodyedge]

Ive always been a les paul fan as the players i like have all play them;

Paul kossoff

Gary moore

Manic street preachers (james dean bradfield)

Thin lizzy (robinson/gorham)

I bought a 97 standard in tobacco sunburst a few year ago, had it wired 50s style and oil and paper cabs fitted. Also got a low output handwound bareknuckle stormy monday in the bridge and i love it. I got a 90s one as Id heard about them being better quality than the new stuff. I played a few brand new ones in the shop and thought they felt **** so I went for the 97 which actually cost more than a new one. It came from japan and had hardly been played.

I plan to get a 58 vos next as Ive tried one of them and love them too.

The 97 has a rounded 59 neck which feels perfect.

So I say go for a clean 90s LP i say and maybe put hotter pickups in if you want it more metal. I did try a PRS once. It felt horrid and cheap even though it was a flame top think, it just felt crap, I bought a new sg standard and loved the sound but the neck felt crap, too wide so I sold it. I then got a jackson dkmgt for a more metal tone and hated that also due to the neck being thin and flat so Im back to my trusty les paul. For a more metal tone for certain songs i use an epiphone lp custom which has seynour duncan 59s in and sounds much heavier than the 97 LP. Its a more modern tone but both are great in their own way.

 

[gonzo]

prefer the newer carvin california series over all the above.
personal differences, but if you haven't tried one, you can't know.

 

[yem]

Gibson's quality control has gone to ****. I like the sound of the custom PRS better anyway. I prefer maple, bolt-on necks, ability to switch between humbucking and single, the finishes, and the sound way better on PRS guitars. the les paul is seductive because it's such a classic. but for me the les paul is a lot more about prestige, history, and famous players than it is about functionality and straight up what sounds better. This is just me.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Gibson's quality control has gone to sh!t. I like the sound of the custom PRS better anyway. I prefer maple, bolt-on necks, ability to switch between humbucking and single, the finishes, and the sound way better on PRS guitars. the les paul is seductive because it's such a classic. but for me the les paul is a lot more about prestige, history, and famous players than it is about functionality and straight up what sounds better. This is just me.

....and I disagree.....so there you go.....like I said before, it's all just opinion.
BTW I have two Custom Shop LP's that look AND play fantastic. Wouldn't trade them for anything. PRS can make a fine insturment but......so can...................I said it once and I'll say it again....play them for yourself and YOU decide. Nothing else matters.
Le'ts move on......

 

[yem]

I will add: i would go LP if you're getting it from the custom shop. supreme work is done there. as far as floor models, see above.

 

[jaquetapus]

I actually went back and forth for a while and finally decided on the Les Paul traditional. It just felt more beefy in my hands with the fat neck. The PRS felt fragile and a little too light.

-dave

 

[ryjan]

My $.02. You have to play 3 or 4 LP's to find one without a QC problem. Once you find the good one then that is a killer guitar. EVERY PRS is equal or better in the quality department then the good LP. Tonewise, thats up to the player alone to decide.