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MusicRadar
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29 Les Paul legends: part 2
More wizards of the Goldtop, Sunburst and Custom
The MusicRadar Team, Thu 1 Oct 2009, 3:11 pm BST
Tom Scholz was just your average MIT graduate and senior product design engineer for Polaroid when he recorded some demos in his basement with a little band he called Boston.
That group (and their self-titled album) would enjoy one of the biggest debuts in music history. Key to their sound is a 1957 Les Paul goldtop Scholz bought for $300.
While Scholz also became famous for inventions such as the Rockman and Power Soak, his dense, multi-tracked rhythms and soaring solos would be unthinkable without his goldtop (which sports a Mighty Mouse decal) and a ’68 model he purchased as a backup.
Scholz keeps P-90s in the neck position of his Les Pauls, but he installed DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers at the bridge to minimize RF interference from stage lights. In addition, the bridges are outfitted with "gang tuning wheels" to allow for accurate pitch during outdoor shows.
Once a tinkerer, always a tinkerer.
User comments (8)
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Mick Raphs!
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John Squire, Graham Coxon, Steve Jones, Mark Knopfler, Tom Morello, Troy Van Leuwen, Johnny Marr, James Hetfield ?
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Predictable from me, but Ginger of The Wildhearts; rarely seen playing anything else, certainly in the 1990s/early 2000s. And Chris McCormack, ex-3 Colours Red, the same, as well as Mark Yates of Terrorvision (both lovely guys to boot). And if I remember rightly wasn't effects nutter Ace from Skunk Anansie a Les Paul guy? If fact, there were TONS of Les Pauls in the 'Britrock' movement of the late-90s...
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Steve Stevens?
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John Sykes? Doug Aldrich?
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Does anybody here know Mr Hackett at all?
He's never been that showman as some others mentioned here.
He is even a somewhat forgotten musician but his and his LP's contribution to early Genesis sound is undeniable.
Even today he is still creating some good guitar oriented music. -
Great choices. But no Mick Box? Guy's still kickin' it.
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Cant argue with any of these but poor old Steve Hackett left out again. And Andy Latimer, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Fripp, Paul McCartney, Alex Lifeson, Earl Slick, Al DiMeola. Didn't Jimi Hendrix play a Les Paul?I'm sure he did. No?
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