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RIP Mr. Les Paul

A sad day, the man was truly a legend in his own lifetime.

I don't own a Les Paul guitar but maybe I'll 'noodle' a few notes in his memory today.
 
RIP Les.

___
Side story: When I was much younger and had fingers that were still flexible and fast, I wanted to play the guitar. Being poor white trash, there simply wasn't money for a guitar and lessons. Then one day, out of the blue, Dad came home with a guitar for me. Seems as though, while on lunch break at the bar and grill down the street from the body shop he worked at...they had the best cheese burgers and onion rings...Dad struck up a conversation with the guy next to him. Turns out the guy was a down on his luck country musician who had a guitar that he needed to part with to help pay the rent. $25. Dad jumped at the deal and scored the guitar. As he proudly handed me the case, he said that I should know that not only had he gotten me a guitar, he had gotten me one of the best...a Les Paul. I was even more dumbfounded....to finally have a guitar, and for that guitar to be a Les Paul!!!!! I opened the case to lay my eager eyes upon the instrument that would launch my musical journey....to find that it was not a LES Paul, but a LESS Paul....Dad had bought a fony! It was a decent guitar...turned out to be an Ovation or an Applause (which ever is the lesser model) round back that needed two frets replaced and some new strings. Well worth the $25 dollars Dad paid for it. I had that guitar for 4 years, waiting for the money to take lessons with a guy in town.....I got tired of seeing my guitar sitting in the corner and me not knowing how to play it...so I traded it for a recurve bow and 2 dozen arrows....and that evening Dad came home and told me that his boss was going to pay for my guitar lessons as a reward for making the honor roll the entire school year. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you just get kicked where it hurts.

OBIO
 
Anyone here old enough to remember the Les Paul & Mary Ford TV show back in the 50's? My family would never miss it. This is a major loss.
 
One of my guitars bears his name - deservedly. A true giant, a great player and a nice guy to boot.

Les, up there in the great saloon in the sky, have one on me......and thank you.
 
You guitar players; you know who you are, if you haven't already seen Les Paul: Chasing Sound, run out and see it. It's out on DVD. Les Paul is a figure whose impact on 20th Century popular music is simply impossible to overestimate.

JAMES
 
You know the neat part about him was he was still gigging. At least he was up until recently. I have a brother who lives in NY. He would go see him play at a small club in the city. He would play there every week. Forgot what night. Small place, good time.

Thanks for the innovations Les, RIP
 
Terry said:
Anyone here old enough to remember the Les Paul & Mary Ford TV show back in the 50's? My family would never miss it. This is a major loss.
Click to expand...

I sure do! My family never missed that show either. My dad had a lot of Les Paul & Mary Ford records... 78 RPM no less! I got my first electric guitar (a Silvertone) for my 14th birthday, and dreamed of the day when I'd own an LP or a Strat like Buddy's. Today I own both. I have a '56 re-issue Gold Top with P-90's and a '54 'Frankenstrat' that I built from parts in my collection. The only problem with the LP is that it gets pretty heavy during a 4 or 5 hour gig...

Les Paul was a huge influence on my music. May he rest in peace... :engel016:
 
Now he's playing gigs in the sky I bet, fly high Les!:engel016:

One of your babies will sing for you today!
 
I have always been a Les Paul player and own 2 of them now, and in the picture below is a rare 1971 Les Paul Triumph (First Year) Bass
RIP Paul, Play the big gig in the sky.
kamp-itchymeme.jpg
 
Eoraptor1 said:
You guitar players; you know who you are, if you haven't already seen Les Paul: Chasing Sound, run out and see it. It's out on DVD. Les Paul is a figure whose impact on 20th Century popular music is simply impossible to overestimate.

JAMES
Click to expand...

too true. his innovations in recording alone changed the game for everyone who came after him, from musician to end listener. in fact his methods were what made the pick ups in his guitar possible to record in the first place. :medals:

Cactuskid said:
The only problem with the LP is that it gets pretty heavy during a 4 or 5 hour gig...
Click to expand...

at 9 lbs, it sure can get heavy! a far cry from the weight of a strat or SG. of course, you could always remove the led weights, if you didn't mind changing the tone of the instrument. :icon_lol:
 
Henry said:
a lot of people owe a lot of thanks
to that Gentleman:medals::medals:
RIP
H
Click to expand...

Yep, especially for what he did for the music industry. Without his invention it wouldn't be what it is today.

R.I.P Les Paul. You did one hell of a job so that we have the music we have today.
 
My world wouldn't be the same without this wonderful man. He was one of the great but underestimated influences on modern music. An innovator. Rest in peace Les and thanks for what you've done.

:medals:

Cees
 
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