The Ergonomics Of A Les Paul Guitar...

This Eagles show marks the 3rd concert and I am sure more that were ever recorded live for albums, video etc filmed at halls I frequented around Baltimore/ DC locales.

Merriweather Post Pavillion, Jackson Brown Load Out
Van Halen, The Dave incident.
Eagles performance above, and likely a few other good bands during their live shows.
 
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BlackSG91 said:
I have a black Jackson King V guitar that I found awkward at first to play but the key to holding a Flying V while sitting down is resting it between your legs.:wink:

Chad_Schenkn-1.jpg



;>)/
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Hey! I know this guy from one of the best bands ever IMHO.
 
Robert Herndon said:
You make great points here...some of you may notice that I have been trying to write a bit less in my recent posts, but this one might be an exception. I am, by my own admission, an opinionated a$$hole, so I apologize in advance for yet another opinionated response.

I grew up admiring the tones of Gary Moore, Don Felder and Angus Young. I bought two new Gibson SG's, and while I loved the upper fret access and the 24.75" scale, I could just never bond with it. Maybe because they look so small on me...I don't know, but this 2016 is a good one. The problem is I spent more on it than I paid for it to make it right, and I guess I just can't develop any love for it. My students love playing a genuine Gibson though, so it sees regular duty in that regard.

I spent a fortune once on a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Custom - in white - and I kept it less than a week. I never really mention it, because I only had it such a short time, but I just couldn't bond with it, no matter how hard I tried. Like my current Gibson SG, everyone loves it but me.

I grew up surrounded by Gibson's in Mom's studio and I believed they were the best - The professional's choice - and it was a real let down that I couldn't make one work for me.

So, I ended up with a 1987 MIK Stratocaster my bandmates bought for me in 1988 and I played that for almost 30 years. It was safe, it was comfortable, but I never, ever, in all those years felt like it sounded good. Nobody complained, but I wasn't happy with it on a personal level...Kinda like the farm girl that wears jeans and no makeup. She is safe and fun, but she doesn't ignite something deep inside of you.



Gahr, this is an awesome description. The Les Paul was designed as a sit-down studio guitar!!!

Now, I've come to realize that, for me, the "good feeling" of which you speak, is truly multi-faceted. After 3 decades of searching, I am finally able to put it on paper.The biggest part of this equation is Scale Length, Fretboard Radius, Fret Height, Intonation Quality, Neck Girth and Humbucker Tone. Once I figured this out, I was able to find my missing 'mojo' so to speak.

It's ironic that while I find the Les Paul uncomfortable to play, i suppose the same could be said about a doubleneck. While seated, the doubleneck is as comfortable - if not more comfortable - than a Stratocaster. A Les Paul is uncomfortable and unbalanced while seated, yet is a bit more comfortable while standing. The SG is the most comfortable in both positions.

Mom's 1979 Gibson les Paul Custom weighs 15 pounds. My Von Herndon Doubleneck weighs 12.2 pounds. After two hours playing while standing, you feel just about any guitar much over 8 pounds, IMHO. However, it is here that I find the most interesting things about the Doubleneck.

The sheer mass of wood has to contribute something to its tone. I cannot tell you what it is, but when you hear it in person, it's like the difference between Jenny McCarthy's voice and James Earl Jones. The unique position of the bridge pickups (and the awesome quality and articulation of the Thro-Bak SLE-101's) gives it a rich, deep voice, that is somewhere between the bridge and middle pickup voicing on a Les Paul Black Beauty. It's really hard to describe it, but it's so obvious that my wife can pick it out from all my other guitars from the other room. She can hear no difference in the other guitars.

This doubleneck actually did not cost me very much to produce. Fully constructed, including over $100 spent (albeit needlessly) on custom MOP truss rod covers and two sets of Thro-Bak SLE-101's, two custom made aluminum claws, two full wire harnesses and 15 feet of copper tape, it cost a little more than 1/3 the $6,999.95 retail price of a brand new 2016 EDS-1275.

So, what is it about this Doubleneck??? Perhaps, it's a bit like the mystique of that woman who is always seductively and impeccably dressed, sultry and exotic, that walks on 4" spikes with perfect balance, the one who keeps you awake at night thinking about her, the one with a near perfect hourglass shape - it's something unique and captivating - like the woman I married.

On the other hand, maybe some of my captivation with the Doubleneck is juvenile in nature??? Is it because Felder and Page played them and they were cool and unusual and financially out of reach to a poor farm boy??? Perhaps, it is how we, sometimes, as human beings, gravitate towards the difficult things, whether it be a challenging goal, or a difficult relationship - like climbing Everest or running a marathon - in order to feel some sense of fulfilment and purpose???

It's always a Mystery, not what it seems to be
It's always a Mystery, just like you and me....

I cannot escape my senses. The things I see and feel, that somehow are missed - or perhaps dismissed - by others. I see the most minute details in paintings. I hear the most insignificant details in music. While some could sit down to a beer and a can of pork-n-beans, I want a perfectly set table, the finest wine and give my guests a truly remarkable dining experience.

I only live when I am playing. It is the only time I feel truly alive. The rest of the time, it is as if I am just waiting for that feeling again. My life is filled with love and happiness, but there is that spark that only ignites me through music.

I believe this is why it is so difficult for me to find a band home. Some play only for the money - others only for the girls - but I play to feel alive...
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An impressive Herndontorial !
 
:D
BlackSG91 said:
I have a black Jackson King V guitar that I found awkward at first to play but the key to holding a Flying V while sitting down is resting it between your legs.:wink:

Chad_Schenkn-1.jpg



;>)/
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Black, I’m guessing you’re fond of flying Vs, no? :D
 
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A couple of interesting things about Felder's tone on this live recording:

here you can see he is switched to bridge pickup, but notice his pickups are screwed down even with the trim rings:

Felder Les Paul 1977.jpg


Second, we don't know of this is Felder or Walsh's amp, but it's right behind Don. Anyone identify it??? Dig the EQ settings!!!

Felder Amp 1977.png

If anybody can edit this white border out of these images I would be most grateful... :-)
 
Robert Herndon said:
A couple of interesting things about Felder's tone on this live recording:

here you can see he is switched to bridge pickup, but notice his pickups are screwed down even with the trim rings:

View attachment 13130


Second, we don't know of this is Felder or Walsh's amp, but it's right behind Don. Anyone identify it??? Dig the EQ settings!!!

View attachment 13131

If anybody can edit this white border out of these images I would be most grateful... :)
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The trim rings on vintage Les Pauls are much taller than modern ones, they were desgined to have the pickups more or less flush with the top. The distance to the strings is going to be the same.

The amp is a Mesa/Boogie Mark 1. He used them on that tour. Soooo much of that live tone is from the Boogie.
 
gball said:
The trim rings on vintage Les Pauls are much taller than modern ones, they were desgined to have the pickups more or less flush with the top. The distance to the strings is going to be the same.

The amp is a Mesa/Boogie Mark 1. He used them on that tour. Soooo much of that live tone is from the Boogie.
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Ah...Ok, then probably about 4/32"

Can you find a model number for that particular amp??? Is "mark 1" the only designator???

Crazy, in all the interviews I've read he never admits to using anything but Twin Reverbs. I see many "mark 1's" but none with the EQ. Even the re-issue is absent the EQ.
 
Robert Herndon said:
Ah...Ok, then probably about 4/32"

Can you find a model number for that particular amp??? Is "mark 1" the only designator???

Crazy, in all the interviews I've read he never admits to using anything but Twin Reverbs.
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Just Mark 1 with EQ. There are various mods but basically just Mark 1. Mesa did a reissue a couple years ago, but the originals are still out there.
They were the holy grail amp at that time (Hotel C tour) and his use of one is pretty well documented and greatly discussed by Boogie aficionados. Plus, you can hear Mark 1 all over that tone when he plays. I've never owned one but I have plugged into a couple - they are one of the LOUDEST amps I have ever run across. They were known back in the day as stack-killers.

You can get a clean original for under $2k
Rare Vintage Mesa Boogie Mark I 1975 Guitar Amp Combo Walnut EV 12L
 
gball said:
Just Mark 1 with EQ. There are various mods but basically just Mark 1. Mesa did a reissue a couple years ago, but the originals are still out there.
They were the holy grail amp at that time (Hotel C tour) and his use of one is pretty well documented and greatly discussed by Boogie aficionados. Plus, you can hear Mark 1 all over that tone when he plays. I've never owned one but I have plugged into a couple - they are one of the LOUDEST amps I have ever run across. They were known back in the day as stack-killers.

You can get a clean original for under $2k
Rare Vintage Mesa Boogie Mark I 1975 Guitar Amp Combo Walnut EV 12L
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Loud I am not in need of but I wouldn't mind trying one to capture some of that tone...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Loud I am not in need of but I wouldn't mind trying one to capture some of that tone...
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The 90-watt Mark 5's have a full Mark 1 circuit in them (it's the third circuit in Channel Two/Yellow), they also have a bunch of other Mark circuits in the amp as well, like a 2C+ and Mark IV. These are the exact same circuits that were in the original amps so you are getting the real deal.

Just find a dealer and check it out, these can also be dropped down to 45 or 10 watt operation so you don't sterilize yourself. I have a Mark 5:25 that doesn't have the exact Mark 1 circuit like the 90-watter but instead has what they call a "fat clean" that is the same flavor and at high volume I can get it sounding very much like a Mark 1. The Mark is the best amp I have ever owned, by a mile.
 
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