Les Paul with a Floyd Rose: perfect sense or ugly duckling?

Werner-Carstens

In the January 2012 issue of the Guitarist magazine they review the new Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop Pro/FX that comes standard with a Floyd Rose. It resembles the Les Paul axcess fairly closely. Usually I am very open to new ideas and believe that everything shoul be pursued to make an instrument more comfortable or closer to your dream one, but for some reason it just does not look right for me. I know that it probably makes sense to a lot of players but if I am honest with myself it does not fit the look of a Les Paul. Why I am this prejudiced in this instance I simply cannot explain. Are there any other opinions on this one? Do you love the idea of a LP with a Floyd or does it make no sense for you as well?

vic

any pics perhaps of this hmmmm unholy instrument ? ?

Gearhead

A Les Paul is a traditional guitar and if it gets a tremolo at all, traditionally this is a Bigsby. Whether you fit a Floyd or a Bigsby, you are going to make holes in the instrument that make the process irreversible, which would stop me from putting one on. There are alternatives that use the existing studs.
Then, there is the issue of the nut. You don't want a Floyd without also having a lock nut. Again, irreversible change to instrument.
A Floyd in my mind is more 'in place' on a Jem or similar.

PeachyDragon

pics

whammys can be sooo awesome... and yet I don't find them worth the trouble... the tuning issues and such...

AlanRatcliffe

Doesn't work for me, but whatever turns someone on. Isn't there already a Floyd equipped signature Gibby (Joe Perry or someone)?

Gearhead

This does not even have a carved top or back angled neck, so the Floyd is routed in ?

PeachyDragon

Gearhead wrote: This does not even have a carved top ?

Whaaaaat? NoooOOOoooo... ouch. Ugly duckling indeed.

Werner-Carstens

Thanks for the pics Peachydragon. It seems as if most is in agreement that if you want a Floyd do not get it on a LP. At least I am not alone. Cheers

Sean

...or rather put it on a tokai?

Miemie

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Doesn't work for me, but whatever turns someone on. Isn't there already a Floyd equipped signature Gibby (Joe Perry or someone)?

I believe Neal Schon(Journey dude) had one made for him?

Werner-Carstens

Yes, although I read an interview with him recently in which he stated that he moved to PRS. Alex Lifeson of Rush uses Floyds on his LP's.

vic

Gearhead wrote: A Les Paul is a traditional guitar and if it gets a tremolo at all, traditionally this is a Bigsby. Whether you fit a Floyd or a Bigsby, you are going to make holes in the instrument that make the process irreversible, which would stop me from putting one on. There are alternatives that use the existing studs.
Then, there is the issue of the nut. You don't want a Floyd without also having a lock nut. Again, irreversible change to instrument.
A Floyd in my mind is more 'in place' on a Jem or similar.

Yip...no ways...over my dead Les Paul ! ?

singemonkey

Am I crazy, or are people suggesting this is new? There is nothing even remotely new about Les Pauls with locking nut vibrato units. Gibson used to factory install Kahlers in the late '70s and early '80s, and plenty of people retrofitted Floyd Roses when they came out.

Maybe this looks weird if you haven't seen it before, but this is a typical mod for a Les Paul. The looks I have less than zero problem with. The issue for me is that a guitar - any guitar - with a Floyd Rose always seems to sound like any other guitar with a Floyd Rose.

So go for it if you want the looks of a Les Paul. But it's not going to sound very much like a Les Paul IMO.

guidothepimmp

hmm, ive seen a guitarist (cant remember which) had his les pauls equipped with floyds. It may have been the boys from Rush...

maybe not.

nick

Sean wrote: ...or rather put it on a tokai?

I personally would have no issues drilling massive holes in to a Tokai ?

Sean

nick wrote:
Sean wrote: ...or rather put it on a tokai?

I personally would have no issues drilling massive holes in to a Tokai ?

Actually, I'd not do it to either, I just felt like being facetious ? and thought I'd beat you to the comment ?

nick

Sean wrote:
nick wrote:
Sean wrote: ...or rather put it on a tokai?

I personally would have no issues drilling massive holes in to a Tokai ?
Actually, I'd not do it to either, I just felt like being facetious ? and thought I'd beat you to the comment ?

singemonkey

nick wrote:
Sean wrote: ...or rather put it on a tokai?

I personally would have no issues drilling massive holes in to a Tokai ?

Gibson players are used to having massive holes in their Les Pauls. So it makes sense ?

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote:
nick wrote:
Sean wrote: ...or rather put it on a tokai?

I personally would have no issues drilling massive holes in to a Tokai ?
Gibson players are used to having massive holes in their Les Pauls. So it makes sense ?

It may be that your chances of mounting a Floyd on a contemporary Les Paul would flounder for lack of something solid to mount the studs into. OTOH you might find that there's less need for routing than you had bargained for.

Malkav

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Doesn't work for me, but whatever turns someone on. Isn't there already a Floyd equipped signature Gibby (Joe Perry or someone)?

Pinch wrote: Yes, although I read an interview with him recently in which he stated that he moved to PRS. Alex Lifeson of Rush uses Floyds on his LP's.

guidothepimmp wrote: hmm, ive seen a guitarist (cant remember which) had his les pauls equipped with floyds. It may have been the boys from Rush...

Could all of you please escort yourselves outside and shoot yourselves ?

Alex Lifeson has a signature Les Paul Axcess with Floyd and Piezo, he stopped using PRS years ago...

Miemie wrote: I believe Neal Schon(Journey dude) had one made for him?

His was just a regular Axcess model.

singemonkey wrote: The issue for me is that a guitar - any guitar - with a Floyd Rose always seems to sound like any other guitar with a Floyd Rose.

I highly disagree with this statement...