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Axis vs Gibson Les Paul Standard??
- Thread starter spkirby
- Start date
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PurpleSport
Well-known member
sp-
Upfront info, FWIW: my first guitar was a Japanese LP Custom copy from Ibanez, and several years later I bought a genuine '87 LP Standard (which I in turn sold several years ago to finance a PRS), so I sort of cut my teeth on LPs in my early days. I've played LPs from nearly every year of production, and tried nearly all variants of it (SG, Junior, Special, Studio, etc). I'm also a recent Axis Sport purchaser, hardtail w/MM-90s vs. the EVH version.
The LP is a very archetypical guitar, as we all know. Three basic sounds, tons of sustain, classic looks, and one of the first electric guitar designs which really hasn't changed very much in 50 years. Not bad for what it is, and if that's what you want, it's one of those guitars that you should have in your collection at least once.
What I liked most about the LP:
Sustain, short scale length, heavy tone.
What I disliked about the LP:
Limited tonal variety, thicker neck depth, heavy weight.
For the reasons above, I sold my Standard for the PRS (long before they became the nu-metal kid's axe of choice, I might add). Beautiful guitar, much more flexible tonally, but still couldn't quite get the clean sounds I wanted, so it stays in the case as a future collectors item.
The MM90 Axis covers both heavy and clean ground equally well, weighs far less, and has the most consistently comfortable neck of ANY guitar I've played so far. It sounds more like a LP Junior than a Standard, obviously, but I've actually always liked those better anyway because they were more raw and primal sounding. The Sport is sort of "refined raw", which is really cool to me...
In terms of build quality, my Standard was okay, but I got it used with a neck warp that had to be corrected. LPs are also susceptible to the angled headstock getting snapped off if you're not careful, a common but not necessarily cheap repair that I fortunately never had to deal with. A lot of Gibson purists say the 80s were a dismal era of quality but have improved much in recent years - all I know is their guitars seem incredibly overpriced for what you get - I'm astonished at how I keep seeing better figured maple tops on their cheap Epiphones than many of their custom shop offerings, for example. They're basically charging a premium price for buying into a legendary name, although I will allow that they probably have more hands-on work put in them than most bolt-ons (I think the playability, engineering, and wood choice of the overall EBMM line far exceeds that of Gibson, though).
Is my Axis an LP? No. Will an EVH/Axis be closer to an LP? Arguably yes, as it's a heavy rock guitar with two humbuckers. Any Axis will be far more flexible tonally than an LP, not to mention easier on your wallet - and your back! At the end of the day, the comparison of the Axis to the LP is apples to oranges, really - one's a brighter sounding, bolt-on longer scale neck made with lighter woods and a trem (locking in some cases) vs. a short scale fixed neck and bridge with a heaver overall tones.
A postscript to wind down yet another of my longwinded observations....I actually had a chance to get a US Les Paul Studio last week for $450 - but turned it down because I'd prefer to put the $$ into a future EBMM purchase!
Upfront info, FWIW: my first guitar was a Japanese LP Custom copy from Ibanez, and several years later I bought a genuine '87 LP Standard (which I in turn sold several years ago to finance a PRS), so I sort of cut my teeth on LPs in my early days. I've played LPs from nearly every year of production, and tried nearly all variants of it (SG, Junior, Special, Studio, etc). I'm also a recent Axis Sport purchaser, hardtail w/MM-90s vs. the EVH version.
The LP is a very archetypical guitar, as we all know. Three basic sounds, tons of sustain, classic looks, and one of the first electric guitar designs which really hasn't changed very much in 50 years. Not bad for what it is, and if that's what you want, it's one of those guitars that you should have in your collection at least once.
What I liked most about the LP:
Sustain, short scale length, heavy tone.
What I disliked about the LP:
Limited tonal variety, thicker neck depth, heavy weight.
For the reasons above, I sold my Standard for the PRS (long before they became the nu-metal kid's axe of choice, I might add). Beautiful guitar, much more flexible tonally, but still couldn't quite get the clean sounds I wanted, so it stays in the case as a future collectors item.
The MM90 Axis covers both heavy and clean ground equally well, weighs far less, and has the most consistently comfortable neck of ANY guitar I've played so far. It sounds more like a LP Junior than a Standard, obviously, but I've actually always liked those better anyway because they were more raw and primal sounding. The Sport is sort of "refined raw", which is really cool to me...
In terms of build quality, my Standard was okay, but I got it used with a neck warp that had to be corrected. LPs are also susceptible to the angled headstock getting snapped off if you're not careful, a common but not necessarily cheap repair that I fortunately never had to deal with. A lot of Gibson purists say the 80s were a dismal era of quality but have improved much in recent years - all I know is their guitars seem incredibly overpriced for what you get - I'm astonished at how I keep seeing better figured maple tops on their cheap Epiphones than many of their custom shop offerings, for example. They're basically charging a premium price for buying into a legendary name, although I will allow that they probably have more hands-on work put in them than most bolt-ons (I think the playability, engineering, and wood choice of the overall EBMM line far exceeds that of Gibson, though).
Is my Axis an LP? No. Will an EVH/Axis be closer to an LP? Arguably yes, as it's a heavy rock guitar with two humbuckers. Any Axis will be far more flexible tonally than an LP, not to mention easier on your wallet - and your back! At the end of the day, the comparison of the Axis to the LP is apples to oranges, really - one's a brighter sounding, bolt-on longer scale neck made with lighter woods and a trem (locking in some cases) vs. a short scale fixed neck and bridge with a heaver overall tones.
A postscript to wind down yet another of my longwinded observations....I actually had a chance to get a US Les Paul Studio last week for $450 - but turned it down because I'd prefer to put the $$ into a future EBMM purchase!
I've owned three Gibson LPs - a Goldtop Deluxe with mini-humbuckers, a Joe Perry Signature and a Studio Gem with P-90s. Each was a nice guitar in it's way, but they all had their quirks... The Nitro finish on the neck was an irritant to me, and I never found Les Pauls balanced on the strap or in my lap the way I wanted them to. And the weight was always a factor - there aren't too many light Les Pauls around. There's a body in the tone you get for having all that wood that I've never found in a bolt-on guitar though... Still, I prefer the Axis (obviously, as I own five of the things and am always on the lookout for the next ): the necks are much sweeter to my hands than LP necks, and I prefer the snappier, more responsive action I feel in a longer scale length... There's a greater variety of tones in an Axis (just try and eek out a country twang on a Les Paul!), and the build quality on EB/MM guitars is up there with the best coming out of Nashville nowadays... Bottom line though, is if you want a Les Paul, you'll have to buy a Les Paul; nothing else sounds quite the same, imho...
): the necks are much sweeter to my hands than LP necks, and I prefer the snappier, more responsive action I feel in a longer scale length... There's a greater variety of tones in an Axis (just try and eek out a country twang on a Les Paul!), and the build quality on EB/MM guitars is up there with the best coming out of Nashville nowadays... Bottom line though, is if you want a Les Paul, you'll have to buy a Les Paul; nothing else sounds quite the same, imho...
bing4sons
Well-known member
I sold my Gibson Les Paul to buy my wifes engagement ring about 21 or 22 years ago (I've reminded her of that several times ). I've had several Epiphone Les Pauls since.
Bing
). I've had several Epiphone Les Pauls since. I used to want a Gibson Les Paul, but no longer do (since I found the Axis SS).
Bing
jonoriseagainst
Member
A light, smoothed neck guitar with great sound. Or an obnoxiously heavy guitar with a normal neck? Hmmmm. Axis for sure
I sold my LP to finance my Steve Morse Model. I have never regretted it. I have walked into music stores with cash in hand. I had every intention of buying a Gibson. When I sat down to play it I always came to the same conclusion. I really like my EBMM's better.
Tim O'Sullivan
Well-known member
Well, if you buy a Gibson, you need to try 10 before you find one that is half decent. With an EBMM, every single one is first class
PurpleSport
Well-known member
Here's an interesting side note to this topic...Steve Stevens, the guitarist for Billy Idol, has used LPs for quite a long time alongside the various Floyd-ed out signature models companies have made for him - he seems to have used a couple of LP Customs quite a bit from the pics I've seen from the last tour or two he did with Idol.
These are in addition to several Axis/EVH models he's also used for years - including the chromed one he just donated for EBMM to auction - so apparently he finds redeeming value in both.
He did make mention of an interesting newer LP model he liked called the Voodoo which has a black matte-finished swamp ash body, which I find kinda intriguing (and would like to try since it's one of my fave tonewoods, like my all-ash Sport). At the very least, I'm sure it's a heckuva lot lighter than the others!
All of these run thru 5150 amps, and can be seen in a neat multimedia display of his collection at: www.stevestevens.net
IMHO, he's always been a great player with a wonderful set of tones. Nice to see him back after being under the radar for so long.
These are in addition to several Axis/EVH models he's also used for years - including the chromed one he just donated for EBMM to auction - so apparently he finds redeeming value in both.
He did make mention of an interesting newer LP model he liked called the Voodoo which has a black matte-finished swamp ash body, which I find kinda intriguing (and would like to try since it's one of my fave tonewoods, like my all-ash Sport). At the very least, I'm sure it's a heckuva lot lighter than the others!
All of these run thru 5150 amps, and can be seen in a neat multimedia display of his collection at: www.stevestevens.net
IMHO, he's always been a great player with a wonderful set of tones. Nice to see him back after being under the radar for so long.
crazytodde
Member
EVH must have given him a bunch because I saw Steve Steven's when he was playing for Vince Neil when they were touring with Van Halen back in the 90's and if I remember right he played different EVH's exclusively during the show.
Wow, a 6 and a half year old thread resurrection! Cannot believe I've been on this forum so long... I was obviously a newbie when I asked the original question as I have a good grasp of the differences between LP's and Axis's now...
Now what happened to JimiD... the moderator who vanished?
Now what happened to JimiD... the moderator who vanished?
Jimmyb
Well-known member
Hello 2004!
Colin
Well-known member
send him a PM and see what happens
dav
Well-known member
i had those two guitars in the past....
they're completely different guitars...
as far as i'm concerned, i can say that the axis is morse versatile than a les paul...
i had an 2008 les paul standard, and i did not like it because of the finish:the polish glued on my hands ands after all it was ruined...
i know that my hands sweat a lot... but on my axis , there were no problem with sweat...
and after all, i think that MM are better finish...
i love the les paul guitars and i don't want to say bad things about a brand that everyone know, but in the case i lived , i can say that MM guitars has always been better....
they're completely different guitars...
as far as i'm concerned, i can say that the axis is morse versatile than a les paul...
i had an 2008 les paul standard, and i did not like it because of the finish:the polish glued on my hands ands after all it was ruined...
i know that my hands sweat a lot... but on my axis , there were no problem with sweat... and after all, i think that MM are better finish...
i love the les paul guitars and i don't want to say bad things about a brand that everyone know, but in the case i lived , i can say that MM guitars has always been better....
V_S
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2007
- Messages
- 310
These are definitly only veneers as opposed to solid, thick tops on the Gibsons.
Stratty316
Well-known member
Does this mean we get to order off of the 2004 color chart??? Sweet!
straycat113
Well-known member
Really good post PurpleSport.
Well I cannot say anything bad about a Les Paul as it has stood the test of time and the tone on a great one speaks for itself. I was always on the other side of the fence though and was strictly a Fender player. I would borrow Les Paulls from friends if I needed one especially a nice Silver Burst my friend Rob owned. The day I went to buy a humbucking guitar I thought I would leave with a Gibson but played an EBMM EVH first and that is what I left with. To be honest they are two different types of guitars, and as PurpleSport already pointed out what a Paul does it does well, and I also agree that an Axis is a more versatile guitar tone wise. I also will not shy away from the fact that Gibsons QC problems have gotten so bad over the years that it has become a running joke even on their own forum, and almost expected. Before it is all said and done I would still like to own one, but still have not come across the right one.
Well I cannot say anything bad about a Les Paul as it has stood the test of time and the tone on a great one speaks for itself. I was always on the other side of the fence though and was strictly a Fender player. I would borrow Les Paulls from friends if I needed one especially a nice Silver Burst my friend Rob owned. The day I went to buy a humbucking guitar I thought I would leave with a Gibson but played an EBMM EVH first and that is what I left with. To be honest they are two different types of guitars, and as PurpleSport already pointed out what a Paul does it does well, and I also agree that an Axis is a more versatile guitar tone wise. I also will not shy away from the fact that Gibsons QC problems have gotten so bad over the years that it has become a running joke even on their own forum, and almost expected. Before it is all said and done I would still like to own one, but still have not come across the right one.
TNT
Well-known member
yeah, I own a Beautiful Custom Historic Arts Les Paul.
I never play it - only my Axis!!
It is beautiful though - I guess that counts for something!! lol,lol,lol
I never play it - only my Axis!!
It is beautiful though - I guess that counts for something!! lol,lol,lol
Colin
Well-known member
correct me if I'm wrong, but the LP is probably the first signature guitar? It's definitely worthy of respect along with the Telecaster and Stratocaster. Having said that Leo Fender did start Music Man and we get to enjoy great guitars as a result
paranoid70
Well-known member
There is a certain guitar player named John Fogerty that seems to be fond of playing both Les Pauls and Axis'.
(And a JP to boot).
(And a JP to boot).
ScreaminFloyd
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2010
- Messages
- 712
I didn't know Fogerty played a JP . When I saw him live he did pull out 3 different Axis Music Man Guitars. He played a Quilt top Aqua Blue Axis for 2 songs. His Lousiville Slugger Baseball bat guitar was a sight to see as well !
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