So I've been playing my Lone Star Classic with a Strat for some time now. Great Andy Timmons tones with my Road Worn loaded with a ToneZone in the bridge and two Cruisers in the neck and middle. Awesome tone all day long.
Then I found a stunning '58 Les Paul (reissue, not a real '58, come on) and it reminded me of all my Led Zeppelin/Jimmy Page fantasies and why I picked up the guitar in the first place. I've been a Strat guy for years and years and still love them, but a Les Paul slung low with an awesome flame top is tough to beat in both comfort and tone. At least now it is to me.
I at first thought the Les Paul sounded a bit harsh through the LSC in the drive channel, and I was thinking that it might be the 6L6 tubes (even though I have some righteous vintage RCA's in there) combined with the humbuckers (Antiquities in this guitar) so since I'm going for an old school vintage Marshall Plexi sound with the Les Paul, I figured I'd throw in a set of JJ EL34's (matched) and see what I thought.
For me, tonal nirvana with the Les Paul. I've never liked Humbucker pickup tone in the neck. I do now. Really like it. The drive channel is unbelievably smooth now. I've ditched all my pedals on my board and can play straight into the amp and get all the sustain and drive I want, all day long, even at bedroom volumes.
I have an acquaintance at my local jams that's been trying to sell me a Hatcher hand-wired Marshall plexi clone amp. Hatcher amps are awesome beasts and this is one of the best sounding Marshall-type amps I've ever heard, anywhere, anytime. He brought it to the jam for me to play through, but after hearing me play through my LSC and Les Paul, he walked up to me and said "Don't ever sell that amp! It's the best **** tone I've ever heard from any amp, ever!, I'll sell the Hatcher to someone else!"
And I agree. EL34's in these beast have all the clean I need with the volume on my guitar controlling everything. I'm not a huge headroom clean guy now, so understand that, and I tend to play on the drive channel exclusively and only use the guitar volume to clean things up (even with my Strat), but the tone of this beast with my Les Paul is just out of this world. I will add that I'm still using the Memory Boy in the loop and that has a lot to do with the overall amazing character of the tone (sounds flat to me with it off), but I haven't picked up my Strat in over two months or played with it out since plugging in the EL34's and I'm a die hard Strat guy all the way.
I'm not alone thinking this sounds good either. By a long, long shot I've been complimented more on my tone from total strangers to old friends at jams with this combination then ever before, and I had a lot of compliments on tone with the LSC and Strat prior to the change over. Even had one guy tell me he wouldn't follow me on stage after hearing that tone, he wanted someone else to ruin everyones ears first "after that sweet tone" he just heard!
So, if you're wondering, yes it can sound just as good (which is very good indeed) as the 6L6's, and in my opinion, even better still. Now I'll have to plug in my Strat again and see if I like it at all! Just can't put the Les Paul down anymore!
Then I found a stunning '58 Les Paul (reissue, not a real '58, come on) and it reminded me of all my Led Zeppelin/Jimmy Page fantasies and why I picked up the guitar in the first place. I've been a Strat guy for years and years and still love them, but a Les Paul slung low with an awesome flame top is tough to beat in both comfort and tone. At least now it is to me.
I at first thought the Les Paul sounded a bit harsh through the LSC in the drive channel, and I was thinking that it might be the 6L6 tubes (even though I have some righteous vintage RCA's in there) combined with the humbuckers (Antiquities in this guitar) so since I'm going for an old school vintage Marshall Plexi sound with the Les Paul, I figured I'd throw in a set of JJ EL34's (matched) and see what I thought.
For me, tonal nirvana with the Les Paul. I've never liked Humbucker pickup tone in the neck. I do now. Really like it. The drive channel is unbelievably smooth now. I've ditched all my pedals on my board and can play straight into the amp and get all the sustain and drive I want, all day long, even at bedroom volumes.
I have an acquaintance at my local jams that's been trying to sell me a Hatcher hand-wired Marshall plexi clone amp. Hatcher amps are awesome beasts and this is one of the best sounding Marshall-type amps I've ever heard, anywhere, anytime. He brought it to the jam for me to play through, but after hearing me play through my LSC and Les Paul, he walked up to me and said "Don't ever sell that amp! It's the best **** tone I've ever heard from any amp, ever!, I'll sell the Hatcher to someone else!"
And I agree. EL34's in these beast have all the clean I need with the volume on my guitar controlling everything. I'm not a huge headroom clean guy now, so understand that, and I tend to play on the drive channel exclusively and only use the guitar volume to clean things up (even with my Strat), but the tone of this beast with my Les Paul is just out of this world. I will add that I'm still using the Memory Boy in the loop and that has a lot to do with the overall amazing character of the tone (sounds flat to me with it off), but I haven't picked up my Strat in over two months or played with it out since plugging in the EL34's and I'm a die hard Strat guy all the way.
I'm not alone thinking this sounds good either. By a long, long shot I've been complimented more on my tone from total strangers to old friends at jams with this combination then ever before, and I had a lot of compliments on tone with the LSC and Strat prior to the change over. Even had one guy tell me he wouldn't follow me on stage after hearing that tone, he wanted someone else to ruin everyones ears first "after that sweet tone" he just heard!
So, if you're wondering, yes it can sound just as good (which is very good indeed) as the 6L6's, and in my opinion, even better still. Now I'll have to plug in my Strat again and see if I like it at all! Just can't put the Les Paul down anymore!
