Is this a Tele or is it a Les Paul?

[r_cc_c]

It's my 1st time see/hear this boutique guitar
sound pretty good.

Like Paul Reed Smith bringing the Strat and Les Paul into a single guitar,
This is a literal fusion between Tele & Les Paul.

enjoy

[fws6]

Those Gustavssons are really expensive though....

If youre looking for boutique, Ian Anderson builds basically the same guitar for 1/3rd of the price and they often pop up second hand too

[fws6]

And then there are all kinds of factory models, Ibanez did one in the 80s and there was also the Hamer Talladega

[Woody Sound]

Seems to be a lot more Les Paul than Tele.

[ruger9]

[beetle_rist]

These all look incredible. It's a shame you can't walk into your local dealer here in Australia and play one.

[mr. beaumont]

Those are about as "tele" as a...les paul.

[ruger9]

Those are about as "tele" as a...les paul.

Well, I'd say that as a general statement, they split the difference.... that is, if they have the tele 25-1/2" scale. Personally, I don't think there's a huge difference in a tele slab or a LP carved/capped body. The 2 biggest differences (tonally) between a tele and a Les Paul are the pickups and the scale.

[EGad]

It's my 1st time see/hear this boutique guitar
sound pretty good.

Like Paul Reed Smith bringing the Strat and Les Paul into a single guitar,
This is a literal fusion between Tele & Les Paul.

enjoy

Darn near the perfect guitar. Wish I could afford one. They should call them Mustavssons.

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[John A.]

Well, I'd say that as a general statement, they split the difference.... that is, if they have the tele 25-1/2" scale. Personally, I don't think there's a huge difference in a tele slab or a LP carved/capped body. The 2 biggest differences (tonally) between a tele and a Les Paul are the pickups and the scale.

There's a lot more to it than that -- e.g., the way the strings are coupled to the body, pick-up/bridge interaction on teles, the way the pickups attach to the body, angle of the bridge pickup, pick-up position, differences in body mass and resonance. Mahogany/maple + tune-o-matic/stop + PAF style humbuckers shades way more toward the LP end of the spectrum than tele. IMO&E, scale length has a much subtler effect on tone than those other factors.

John

[Jim Soloway]

I've played a few of them and have friends who have both owned them and at one time our guitars were being sold by the same dealer. The Bluesmaster is VERY much a Les Paul. In terms of both feel and sound, it was originally marketed to those who wanted a true vintage LP experience from a guitar with different aesthetics. They are lovely guitars, well crafted and well finished. They deliver exactly as promised (albeit at a very high price). And the only thing Tele-like about them is the shape around the neck joint. All of the other specs are LP.

As for the other builder mentioned, I would strongly recommend doing some thorough due diligence before considering it. I am loath to speak ill of any other builder, especially one that I know but in some cases the hue and cry is ignored only at your own risk.

[Jabberwocky]

For archtop guitarists, this maker's works are a whole lot more relevant Toru Nittono Guitars . (Courtesy of Hammertone.)

[Runepune]

Sounds like an electric guitar

[Woody Sound]

Doesn't have the Tele Twang.

[Jim Soloway]

Doesn't have the Tele Twang.

Not at all. Johan has built some models that do but the Bluesmaster was never intended to have any of that sound.

[Jim Soloway]

For archtop guitarists, this maker's works are a whole lot more relevant Toru Nittono Guitars . (Courtesy of Hammertone.)

One of the great benefits of having been in the business for all those years is that I got to play a lot of other builders guitars, including these. They definitely had some things going for them but I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the value of a Bluesmaster for playing jazz. Here's a photo of me playing one of Johan's guitars at the NAMM show several years ago. It was Pelham Blue and just beautiful. I was playing Rainy Day and it sounded and played just great.

[ruger9]

There's a lot more to it than that -- e.g., the way the strings are coupled to the body, pick-up/bridge interaction on teles, the way the pickups attach to the body, angle of the bridge pickup, pick-up position, differences in body mass and resonance. Mahogany/maple + tune-o-matic/stop + PAF style humbuckers shades way more toward the LP end of the spectrum than tele. IMO&E, scale length has a much subtler effect on tone than those other factors.

John

I didn't say that's "ALL" there was to it, I said those (pickups, scale) were the "2 biggest" factors. We disagree on scale length & tonality. Pickups are EASILY the biggest factor.

[customxke]

My experience has told me that pickups have, overall, little impact. To my ear, and what I've had on my bench, bridge coupling/material/design has the largest effect on tone, followed by the neck (material/rigidity/lack of resonance).

[ruger9]

My experience has told me that pickups have, overall, little impact. To my ear, and what I've had on my bench, bridge coupling/material/design has the largest effect on tone, followed by the neck (material/rigidity/lack of resonance).

So you're saying a mahogany telecaster with a maple cap, neck-thru, and a Stop tailpiece, with tele single coil pickups.... will sound alot like a Les Paul?

Right.

Funny how there are no absolutes with tone, and everyone hears things differently.

[customxke]

So you're saying a mahogany telecaster with a maple cap, neck-thru, and a Stop tailpiece, with tele single coil pickups.... will sound alot like a Les Paul?

Right.

Funny how there are no absolutes with tone, and everyone hears things differently.

That's exactly what I'm saying. A tele with humbuckers doesn't sound like a Les Paul. It still sounds like a
telecaster, if it has a Tele style bridge (saddles floating on a piece of steel, screwed to the guitar) A Rickenbacker with humbuckers still sounds like a Rickenbacker......but put a tune-o-matic on it, and it suddenly doesn't sound very Rickenbacker'y anymore. That's been my experience. Would changing the pickups on a Les Paul to Tele pickups change the tone? Sure. But it will still sound like a Les Paul.

[Runepune]

A Les Paul doesn't sound like a Les Paul. Different pickups and strings makes it different animals.


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[ruger9]

That's exactly what I'm saying. A tele with humbuckers doesn't sound like a Les Paul. It still sounds like a
telecaster, if it has a Tele style bridge (saddles floating on a piece of steel, screwed to the guitar) A Rickenbacker with humbuckers still sounds like a Rickenbacker......but put a tune-o-matic on it, and it suddenly doesn't sound very Rickenbacker'y anymore. That's been my experience. Would changing the pickups on a Les Paul to Tele pickups change the tone? Sure. But it will still sound like a Les Paul.

I would love to see an A/B before/after demo/comparison of this....

Suffice it to say, I disagree... based on "my experience". But as I said before, it's amazing how differently we all hear things...

[Thumpalumpacus]

Well, I'd say that as a general statement, they split the difference.... that is, if they have the tele 25-1/2" scale. Personally, I don't think there's a huge difference in a tele slab or a LP carved/capped body. The 2 biggest differences (tonally) between a tele and a Les Paul are the pickups and the scale.

I'm thinking the bolt-neck and the bridge layout also play a part.

[rpjazzguitar]

A Les Paul doesn't sound like a Les Paul. Different pickups and strings makes it different animals.


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Right. A LP with P90s sounds nothing like an LP with humbuckers.

A Strat with a humbucker sounds nothing like any LP.

The guitar in the video sounded LP-like to me.

OTOH, I had assumed that the solo on Stairway To Heaven was a LP until I heard it was a Tele.

And, from the sound, I don't think I could have guessed what guitar Ted Greene played.

[ruger9]

I'm thinking the bolt-neck and the bridge layout also play a part.

EVERYTHING plays a part; I never said those two things are the ONLY two things....