Gibson Les Paul Special vs Gibson Les Paul Jr: A Tone Shootout! 🎸
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- This is a comparison between the Gibson Les Paul Special and Gibson Les Paul Jr! Which one sounds best between a single or dual P90 pickup guitar?
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0:00 - About
1:11 - Jam Track
3:47 - Differences
4:27 - Isolated Tones
8:15 - Final Thoughts
Please note: I do not take cash payments from guitar companies nor have I been paid by Sky Music to produce this video. If you want to help support the channel please use the affiliate links through to Sweetwater or Thomann. Many thanks!
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I hope you like this comparison video. I had a lot of requests to do this video from my recent review of the Gibson Les Paul Jr video. (link in the cards). Check the description for time stamps and information. Let me know what you think. 😎🎸
► Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/74ryO
► Sky Music - alnk.to/9T2X6e2
► Thomann - bit.ly/3jM7T9A
(affiliate links)
Both are nice,but that TV yellow special is well..... special!
the junior bark and snarl beat the specail by miles, true rock machine
Great video Shane! I bought a Special last month and I absolutely love it. Totally agree that the middle position rules. Cheers !!
Great vid as usual man. Love these guitars. Both pure rock and roll machines. I played a special like yours in heritage cherry years ago and I’ve lusted after one ever since. Me thinks in the new year it’ll be time to finally pull the trigger.
Very good comparison, definitely helped me make a choice. Thanks!
First time commenting but long time subscriber. Really dig the way you play, Shane. I own the Epiphone version of that special and love the neck pickup. I agree the binding really makes the feel of the special...special.. The bridge is pretty cool too. Enjoyed this comparison vid!
There’s just something about a Les Paul tone that touches my soul and puts me in pure heaven. I have a Gibson Custom shop 1958 (R8) reissue, but am pickup up a Gibson custom shop special here soon. I’m so stoked.
As one of the many asking for this review - thanks Shane. For me i liked the bridge of the Jr over the Special just had a brashness about it that i liked, but as i really love a neck pickup, i know i’d end up with the Special given the choice of these two. Cheers
Was so inspired by this video,I couldn't afford either of these two,but found a Cort sunset Jr,very similar to the Epiphone special,and it's great.
So thanks Shane this clip really helped me 👍👍👍
I just picked up a Gibson custom shop special in Pelham blue. Beautiful guitar, and sounds amazing.
VERY nice video Shane, there is just something about the Les Paul Special that I really like . Really enjoyed the slide comparison.
Fun video man! Both sound fantastic. I think it comes down to versatility and purpose. If I wanted a straight up rock and roll machine for more lead playing and some rhythm playing, the Junior would be my pick. But, if I were after a more rhythm options, the Special is definitely worth the extra $$. 🤙🏻🎸🎼
Thanks for another great comparison. Please consider dialling down the backing tracks on your videos, to let the subjects cut through a little more, for my head phones any how.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 This was the video I needed. Two pickups all day
I have the same special and It's exactly the same for me, neck is dark, middle is great when you put volume in 8.5 or 9 the neck pickup. And bridge pickup is awesome! Love it!
Oh man, this is exactly the comparison I was interested in. I do wish that they had the same finish options in both models to make for an easier decision. Although I know this video was done 3 years ago now, I’m hoping you also got around to comparing the Special against something like the 50’s or 60’s P90 Tribute. That is also in the mix when considering a Gibson P90 option with 2 pickups. Thanks so much for. I’ll be reviewing multiple times no doubt
Brilliant timing
Neighbour mate guitars aficionado just brought out his Gibson Junior to show me today.
Now I’m trawling through Trademe
Great video Shane, the Junior did better than I thought by comparison. I think the option of two pick ups swings it for me. (And that yellow looks sublime).
I have a Junior double cut in TV yellow and when I bought it, I sat and played both of these back to back for about an hour. There is something about the dog ear pickup on the junior that was amazing and just had an edge to it. Loved the Special but bought the Junior and have not regretted it once. I think it’s how the dog ear sits ON the body as apposed to sitting in the cavity of the body. Definately has a subtle difference.
It's not the dog ear as much as the fact that it has only one pickup. The neck pickup, even when it's not engaged, it still has a magnet which has some pull on the strings, so the vibration of the strings is less or, at least, different from a single pickup guitar.
@@maraviyoso8473 makes sense
I absolutely adore my 2019 Les Paul Jr ❤
Thanks... The Junior sounds perfect! Has that classic, dark, sound. To me, the special is too bright and has a processed sound if that makes sense. The Junior definitely does it for me...Great demo!
I own both (all stock), and there are some things to consider: actually, the Junior sounds HOTTER than the Special and has more resonance. The Special is definitely smoother, sounds more intimate, although a Junior played clean with the tone rolled almost completely off sounds amazing. It doesn't sound like a neck pickup, of course; but it sounds quite different from the Special with the bridge pickup tone rolled off.
Purchased a Gibson Les Paul Jr. about a month ago and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Sounds amazing, looks and feels are top-notch and the quality-control was far better than the more expensive Gibson’s that I have tried. People tend to complain about the price for only one pickup, but considering how good the quality-control has been and what you actually get out of the instrument, I think it’s a sleeper and a steal for sure. I went with the tobacco burst and it’s very cool how the light changes the color of the burst depending on how much light is coming in and at particular angles.
I have a Les Paul Special P90 satin white. It the cheapest of the Gibson line. But you wouldn’t know it from the tones. It is by far my favorite guitar.
Well “Gibson Les Paul “Special), the title explains it all lol
Really cool licks Shane. These are guitars that prior to subscribing to your channel, I’d have never considered. I’ve owned lots of different guitars over the years, but the only Gibson I’ve ever owned was not a “good one”, and no matter how much I tried I couldn’t get on with it as it wouldn’t stay in tune.
Ever.
The Special is pretty cool though. I’d have to demo one in hand to see if I’d like the neck profile. I like the first fret neck dimension to be around the .800 measurement. I’m thinking these are substantially larger.
Good demo.
Agreed Ol’ Shanes got me jonesing for one of these. Like you the Gibson I had was so so and sold! I lean more towards the Fender line but really considering these specials or juniors. I would probably do the Harley Benton or Epiphone since I’m a household musician and on a budget!
nice shootout shane. I would be curious to know what Ohm readings are of the two bridge pickups?
The differences were subtle Shane. (On the recording at least anyway!) They both have P90s. Differences could come down to as little as playing dynamics, not being exactly the same every time, and things like pick up height or screw pole height!
Good comp however!
PIT the LPJr against the Harley Benton equivalent! Now THERE'S a comparison! (From alm the cheapest copy to the reasonably expensive original!)
Famously on the Junior if you put both the Volume AND Tone controls on 3.5 (or thereabouts) you get a quite good acoustic guitar sound. Quite useful if you are without one to hand.... Best, Pete.
Great video! I am considering either a special or a junior. I think the faux neck pick up compared to an actual neck is fine for my needs but did you find it quicker to flick the switch or roll down the tone knob for in a live setting when you need to switch tones. That’s my only concern! Lockdown in UK so I can’t go out to try at the store.
Junior all the way, doesn’t even compare....that little extra growl that makes it pop....stand out from the crowd....great playing by the way....
Out of curiosity, how do the bridge pickup heights compare
I have Jrs and Specials. Both are great guitars. The Gibson Les Paul Special is my favorite of any of the Les Paul models.
They distance between the pickup and the wrap bridge differs quite a lot on those two guitars. On the Special there's a fair amount of space between the pup and the bridge. On the Junior the bridge is almost touching the pickup. Does that have en effect on the sound or the playability, you reckon? And why do you think they did it that way?
I like to watch your vids in a mirror. It helps, I’m simple that way.
They sound really similar. I'm prejudiced because I have a Special, though it's a new epiphone. I think 2 pickups and a bound neck are always better. The jr sounds good for sure but the faux neck sound versus the actual neck pickup, the Special wins. The clean tone of the Special is a little better. As usual a great video Shane. Thanks
The "faux neck pickup" sound can be even more "necky" by playing closer to the neck itself and, more importantly, playing softer. And THAT tone can't be achieved by the Special
I love both of these guitars! I had a Les Paul Special Tribute, and it was pretty amazing for an entry level Gibson. However, I am a punk player and do a lot of big, sweeping arm movements. I notoriously hit the pickup switch and killed my tone. The Les Paul Junior makes so much more sense for me, and I've been playing with the tone knob quite a bit.
Ease off on the arm movements. Save it for baseball.
The pickups is much closer to the bridge on the Junior. Does that affect the sound? Seems like it one of those things that actually does (type of wood doesn't of course).
I have a junior, I just love the simplicity and at the time the variety of tones, makes me focus more on how I play and less on how it sound if this makes any sense, at least works for me ;) as you say ...bridge pickup XD
Makes complete sense, even read well-known guartists claiming same thing
Saw recently on the "tube" a jr. that had a two ply pickguard, do you know something about that? Any differences?
Thanx
btw, re-subbed.
bybye
The Special, because I'm a sucker for TV yellow. 💛
They both come in TV Yellow…
@intheblues Please do a comparison between the junior and the standard 50s w p90s, I know it's totally not a fair comparison but would be nice to hear the difference and your thoughts on feel
Nice sounds on both of them, but my ear prefers the Junior.
By the way, I couldn’t help noticing your Eric Gales poster. I recently saw him with Buddy Guy. The dude can straight play!
I though both guitars sound great but my ear preferred the Jr. I'm not sure quite why, the Jr. sounded like 1 voice from top to bottom where the Special sounded like several separate strings, each with a slightly differing voice, if that makes any sense to anyone besides me. I guess the best way to describe what I heard was that the high strings on the Special sounded like spanky, tele- like highs, while the low strings sounded like deep, thuddy Les Paul lows. In contrast to what I heard from the Soecial, the Jr. Sounded more even and the tone sounded more consistent from top to bottom and chords rang with one coherent voice. Great demo, thank you Shane! I really wish you would have compared the sound of the Special using both pickups vs. the Jr. It seems everyone on RUclips skips this comparison which is ironic to me. If this sound is sorely lacking in the single-pickup guitar, then I think it would be good to show this difference so that anyone curious about trying a single-pickup guitar can know if the lack if this sound would be a deal breaker for them.
I have another les pul special with p90s you’re right.
I have an sg junior with the dog ear. Dog ears are always a bit hotter . And the setups come closer to the pickups.
It annoys me a little because I’m an sg guy. The les Paul seems to have more note definition, especially open e while playing chords around the neck. Whereas the sg with the the dog ear, it sounds more mushy, not super mushy but the less hot p90s in the les Paul allow more clarity, just enough.
The sg is much punchier though. I felt this to be true comparing an sg junior to les Paul junior. So yes I agree that the individual string notes come through easier on the specials it seems. The dog ear is good for the extra punch and distortion but there seems to be a trade of in terms of a tighter more defined yet satisfying distortion tone.
The sg though has those dynamics where if you dig in , the note jumps out more. I wish I could get more definition out of the dog ear. It’s still much better than a humbucker but not better than a special p90 les Paul.
The special sg that’s out has a very dark less hot sounding p90. Tried it in multiple stores. Gibson seems to vary the voicing a bit in their models.
Hi Shane, not that I am going to use it, but the affiliate link for Thomann only works as far as the first page, once I select a guitar, the URL goes back to my usual logged in one. Or am I not understanding how it works?
I may have just copied and pasted the home link there. It will still work though. Any click through gets recorded to my account but I must not have added in the exact URL (or maybe they were out of stock when I recorded the video a few weeks back, I can't remember).
The Junior sounded hotter than the Special.
I agree, seemed to have a little more bite and attack!
I think that might be because it’s pickup is slightly closer to the bridge than the special!
I have an Epiphone LP Jr which I’ve fitted with a Hamer dog eared P90!
Love it, the thing just wants to rock!
im juniior a fan .. of course..
@@vanillamuffinssugaroipunkc2456 me too, people still think Juniors are one trick pony’s when the reality is they have tons of tones.
Juniors dog eared p90s are hotter than regular p90s from Gibson
Great comparison! Overall I enjoyed the Special more. I might end up getting its Epiphone equivalent.
Epiphone equivalent??? lol.
@@es330 yes equivalent. I have one. It is basically the same guitar made in china.
got the junior, love it every day.. also the sc junior hb, i have , im a junior fan. so im not objective. i love this damn bad boy look of the junior..
If your playing something along the lines of the Strokes, Libertines, or early New Wave/post punk, which of these two do you pick? Was leaning heavily towards the Jr, but a few people have mentioned the Special.
Definitely the Junior. It's cruder, more raw
I really "want" a Junior but I think the Special is the way to go, even for a beginner like myself.
When I hear you play the PRS and I'm Wowed all over again. Its a golden era in guitars and empty wallets. lol
The bridge pickup on the Junior sounded better with dirt, but the Special's bridge pickup sounded better at lower gain. As I mostly play at low gain, that makes the choice easy for me. Special all the way.
I’ve noticed you’re using the Marshall a lot since you’ve gotten the Captor X. Do you find you’re using the tube amps more than the Tone Master now that volume isn’t such an issue?
I always use the Tube amps more than the tone master at home if I can. The Captor makes the tones a lot easier at lower volumes. The Tone Master is my big clean channel amp I take to play live mostly. I love how light it is and I'll use it from time to time on other videos too. :). The Marshall works great with the setup. I thought it was time for a change after so many video with the Blues Deluxe.
I’m a leftie also and I’m after something with a pair of p90s. I’m torn between the TV, and the SG Special in Pelham Blue. Think the SG is edging it on looks though.
@1:44 you can get an even more "neck" pickup tone by playing right where the neck pickup would've been if installed.
They both sound great, but I would go with 2 pups vs. 1 all day long, just more versatility... Plus if you only want 1 pup its a hell of alot easier to remove a pickup than route a new hole to add 1!!
Love the sound of neck pup on low volume w bridge full on my Special also
The faux neck pickup on the junior may not be the same as the neck pickup on the special but it is a good very usable sound. I don't use the neck pickup on it's own in my LP special either.
I have the Special and I love it but.....the dogear pick up on the Junior is better than the back pick up on the Special for my ears. Perhaps its the the way its mounted on the body or perhaps its a different kind of P90 that gives it a unique sound. But it makes me want to get one.
I don't really hear much of a difference. I have both a LPS and LPJ. But I retrofitted the LPJ with Seymour Duncan Mini-Humbucker. So mine has a tonal difference.
My LPS Special uses Mojotone Quiet-Coil P90's. I have done a side by side comparison with a Gibson SG Special Custom Shop. To my ears, there is little to no difference in tone.
Nice demo, but I just cannot help but feel the Junior just nails the look. That single dog ear P90, and single pickup guitars generally, looks so much more aggressive. Perhaps that’s just the ageing punk in me ...
can you do the new sg special with a vox ac15c1 ?? I been trying to dial this in.. hahahaha.. almost got it ;) i almost got the tv yellow lp.. but i have an lp already.. had to sg cuz of pete, live at leeds, that concert should be the advert for the sg special...
I dont have the jr yet (its on the list) ,but my special is by far my best sounding guitar. The pickups are some kind of magic.
The Guys at Sky Music were so friendly when I went in in the other day. Looking for a Tele Vintera mod.
DID you stop off for a bowl of PHO while you were at it?
Oh man, I got a Vintera 60's mod in lake placid blue. If my house was on fire and I could only grab one guitar, I'd throw my AVRI '52 through the window to escape, then grab the Vintera and my 5F1 champ clone and out the window we'd go.
I own both. I love both. The Special is James Bond and the Junior is Dirty Harry
I was tossing up between these 2 guitars back in July, went for the Special and have no regrets, but I'd probably say the same if I'd bought the Jr.
Same, but I went with the Junior. It was $400 off. Then recently I traded my Les Paul Studio in for a Special so now I have both. I still don't know which one I like more. Admittedly, they're incredibly similar ... probably should have gotten a Telecaster or something less redundant, but as a Les Paul guy, absolutely no regrets.
I feel like if you crank the gain and the roll the vol down to clean it up to abt this level and keep the tone rolled back (maybe a bit more) you could prolly get it to sound like the neck pup.
Shane, you must be using a noise gate because on mine those P90's are so noisy with that 60 cycle hum.
Pity you still didn’t have access to that 1956 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Goldtop with 2 P90’s that you had a few months ago. It would have been cool to add that one into the mix.
The neck pickup has so much more clarity in its sound. The rolled off tone knob losses that
Les Paul junior is definitely my next purchase.
the les paul junior is so cool--ove love love braaaaangggg
Both sound great but I need a neck pickup
Me thinks there is apple logic x compression happening here......just look carefully at the plugin on the mac
Junior for me.👍
The junior sounds so much more full to me.
"(I'm A) Funky Nut" is the title of a tune by Roosevelt Sykes but I don't think he was talking about guitars.
As cool as the Junior is and how much tone you can get from one pickup, the Special is the best out of the two in style and tones. I would love to have both, but the Special is the one!!!🎸🎸🎸🎸
Agreed
“How much tone can you get from one pickup” uhhh, have you played a Junior?
you have to learn how to work the volume and tone knob. Plenty of sounds there.
@@cardbored_ exactly. doesn't know what his talking about..
I have this TV yellow Special. A year after getting it I sold my Junior. It just seemed pointless keeping it . The dog ear looked cool but….
I got a 63 lp jr. that I bought back in 1973. Still rips
My opinion is that the color variance in the grain of the fretboard on the Jr superbly complements the sunburst body finish. If I saw the Special in person I'd be like; binding along the fretboard on an otherwise austere guitar looks stupid. You don't need binding to remedy scratchy fret ends. You just need to get people to accomplish the obvious objective of doing a good job finishing the fret ends. Tones of both are perfectly cable of inducing tears or euphoria in the right hands.
The Special has more clarity on the neck pick-up than on the Junior with the tone nob turn down. I like the Junior for a blues, but it is à small difference.
Of course it has to be that way. There's a pickup in that spot, while on the Jr., the pickup is farther.
junior sounds to me sharper and less output. maybe the pickup height being non adjustable makes that difference.
That special is my favourite guitar in the world
For me Gibson made a big mistake with the new Jnr... they set the pickup too close to the bridge as they did with the very early 50s ones.... as far as i remember it was around 1959 that they moved the pickup further away from the bridge to give it a not so bright sound.... that awesome Jnr sound and growl that eveyone likes came from the 59 models..... each to their own i guess but the 59s are more desirable for one reason.... Tone.
The Junior over the Special every time...the Special on the bridge pickup compared to the Junior sounds anemic. I’ve owned Specials and never kept them, there’s something about the purity of no neck pickup that gives Juniors something extra over the Special. I can hear it here, the Junior sounds fatter and more complex, the Special has an almost Tele quality to it...twangier and thinner.
Sky Music sounds like the coolest guitar shop ever for lefties.
The only thing is they have a huge catalogue but the guitars are NEVER in stock!!.
You contact for an ETA and they give it to you but delays after delays.
@@twomindz79 Springvale is known for being better at OTHER things! ;o) Went there for dinner this evening! You SHOULD have seen the QUEUES for restaurants!
@@DMSProduktions springvale??
@@twomindz79 You can thank Covid for that it's the same at all shops. They are pretty good with stock. I went in there yesterday, they still had 30-40 lefties.
@@twomindz79 Yes. That IS where SKY Music is located.
so finally bought both and tested side by side for a month. ended up returning the special because neck and bridge positions sounded dull and unsatisfactory. middle positon was ok but little weak. non have the quality to be the MAIN tone.. 1 pickup junior sounded much fuller and unique than any 3 pos of the special so kept the junior.
I went looking for a single Pickup Jr. and went home with a 61 SG.😳
I'd have to say, 2 is better than one. Just toggle and Blues On....💙
The Gibson guitars all come with a Plek treatment now, so the nut shouldn't have been funky if it was new - I think the Plek treatment includes the nut - no? I love Specials, have a 3 (P90-humbucker-Firebird 1999-2000-2001). I like the 1998-2006 era because of no binding on the neck (feels good when properly rolled and fret ends rounded), comfort cut on back, thinner C-taper neck (rather than larger chunky rounded 50's s shape on new version). I've been looking at the SG Jr., and the new ones seem as good - or better than the 1960's vintage versions. After single-cut LP Specials, SG is my favorite design, with double-cut Jr./Specials a close second. The new SG Jr. have full width nut (1 11/16"), slightly chunky C-taper neck, and Plek treatment, so very playable new - unlike most older Gibson guitars when they were new. Many of the 1960's versions have really thin necks and/or narrow nuts, not sure if the P-90 pickups of that era are necessarily better than the new versions, which are made to an almost identical spec. Considering a new one is ~$1,500 and a vintage anywhere from $3K (player's grade) to $4,5,6K or more, I'd be inclined to get a new version, or used new version if I can find one. I found a really nice one a few days ago, but somebody bought it before I did (I hate when that happens) - it had the right kind of mahogany wood, cut from the right part of the log. Not all Honduras mahogany wood of the same species is the same, it depends on which part of the tree it comes from, so I really scrutinize the wood used on Gibson guitars made from mahogany. There is a certain look to the wood I look for.............
Jr takes the cake. At least for me. I think if you're serious musician, you need to have it in your arsenal
Early squad!
I love my special. The only thing I don’t like about it is the binding on the fret. I find the string in the high e can catch. Maybe an advanced player does not have this issue.
For me , the junior takes it. It just has more , with less.
To me it looks like the pickup on the Les Paul junior is closer to the bridge. That would make a huge difference. But maybe it's just my eyes.
There's no Tunomatic bridge either so it does look a bit different :)
Hmmm more to think about.
It could be the size of the cover.
Is it just me, or does the Special sound cleaner?
Special wonderfully musical
I was looking through this book on vintage Gibson electrics and the author absolutely trashed the Special for the added neck pickup ruining the bridge pickup's sustain and tone as compared to the Junior. Just their opinion I guess but your comparison seemed to disprove that.
Please can we do a demo JUST with a clean tone, the tone of a guitar?
No thanks, that'd be boring as bat shit. There's a clean section in the isolated tone section with the timestamps in the description.
The jr sounded better to me however the Special may be able to achieve better tones with a little fine tuning .
Gibson Special,.TV yellow is very hard rock.P 90.