Fender versus Gibson guitars

[vi5]

I was trying to think today of any really great rock lead guitar players used Gibson either Les Pauls or SG's and couldn't for the life of me think of any although I know I'm missing someone obvious. Most of the great rythym guys I can think of favor the thicker Gibson sound but are there any great lead players who do?

I'm mostly thinking of the world of rock music so I'm sure there's some blues or jazz guys out there who favor Gibson.

And if anyone answers Jimmy Page, I believe most of his most famous solos were played on a telecaster. And I'd argue his forte was more rythm playing. Ditto Angus Young.

Discuss.

[Burma Jones]

1. Carlos Santana for one

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

31. He rolls a PRS most of the time.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Santana, Zappa, Jerry Garcia, Angus Young

They're all SG players in one way or another.

As to Les Pauls, you have a list that goes on for miles: Page (yes!), Frampton, Alex Lifeson, Ace Frehley, and just way more than I can list here.

[Taverner]

3. Don't forget Pete Townsend

[vi5]

7. Townsen is way more a rythm player..

..I also thought of him. But he does play a strat as well.

[no name no slogan]

22. and Teles

either Fender, or Schechter IIRC

[triguy46]

27. I had row 3 seats for The Who in KC in 1976, and pete had 12 Les Pauls

on the stage, each one with a number on it, 1-12. Very workmanlike.

[MissMillie]

12. Steve Howe plays a Gibson

ES-175.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. I was going to say Steve Howe - I could picture his guitar,

but not well enough to know if it's a Gibson or a custom something or other.

[Bennyboy]

32. Well Jerry only played Gibsons for a little while....

Since the late seventies he played custom guitars mostly..Travis Bean (an aluminum neck guitar) and then Doug Irwin's Wolf, Tiger and Rosebud.

Earlier he played strats and SG's..
Jerry Garcia's guitar history http://dozin.com/jers/guitar/history.htm Very intersting to guitar junkies

[EnviroBat]

4. Blasphemer!

Les Paul! Really though, I own both flavors. A 57 Strat re-issue and a Les Paul Classic. For me it's a matter of what the tune calls for. Some guys get comfortable with one main axe and never play anything else. More of the metal guys are Les Paul players, like Slash and Zakk Wilde. I saw Kim Thyil play a Les Paul at a Sound Garden show back in the day.

[vi5]

8. Yours are the best examples....

I hate Zakk Wilde but he's a good lead player and so is Slash. Forgot about those two.

Everyone else mentioned in this thread I'm not so sure about.

[EnviroBat]

10. Yeah, those two don't really represent my taste in music,

but they got some chops. I've been playing my Paul alot more for solo work lately. It get some sweet harmonics through my Mesa amp.

[DS1]

5. Gibsons always appeared to have a build quality the Fenders I saw could never match

And I liked their sound much much more.

[Coyote_Bandit]

19. There is a world of difference

between the American made Strats and the imports.

Gibson has consistent quality.

[triguy46]

29. Stevie Ray put his strats through hell and they sound just dandy.

Bonnie Raitt is another Fender aficianado, slide god par excellance

[mitchum]

6. Neil Young and Johnny Thunders are/were other Gibson players...

The ironic thing is that I prefer Gibsons, but so many of my favorite player prefer Fenders...Hendrix, Thompson, Verlaine, Reed...
Go figure...

That being said, Fender is the only way to go for amps

[Bake]

9. They both make some great guitars

But Gibbie is awfully fond of theirs ... if it says Gibson on the headstock the sticker is going to be four figures ... and the first one MIGHT NOT BE a "1."

That's also true of Gibson's acoustic guitars, banjos, and mandolins.

Bake

[quip]

11. Strat-- blue collar guitar for a blue collar guy like me

Strat Plus, to be specific, with Lace pickups. :headbang:

[Rob H.]

14. He has his own Fender sig model, but hasn't Jeff Beck played both?

He might still play both, even.

Edit: Found this list of famous Gibson players on Wikipedia, if anyone's interested.

[SacredCow]

15. Not my cup of tea, but...

Ace Frehley of KISS is another

[MrScorpio]

16. I did a poll on this some time ago

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=6792025

[Coyote_Bandit]

17. BB King's Lucille

is a Gibson as I recall.

[Throd]

18. ANGUS!

Angus' forte was rythm? Go listen to the live recording of "Whole Lotta Rosie" and get back to me. His playing might not be your cup of tea, but he absolutely KILLS that SG.

Watching Carlos Santana play "Soul Sacrifice" in the Woodstock movie when I was 13 made me a life long SG afficianado.

[vi5]

20. For the record, I worship Angus...

I've just preferred his rythym playing more than his lead.

[mitchum]

33. But Malcolm's rhythm playing is the true secret weapon of the band

[Greyskye]

21. Mark Knopfler

I don't play guitar myself, but I've found that I much prefer the Gibson sound.

[vi5]

23. Knopfler plays both

A lot of his solos are on a strat though, at least in clips I've seen of him playing.

Great player, whatever he's using.

[bullwinkle428]

25. More Fender than Gibson (huge Knopfler fan here), but he

uses the Les Paul every so often - that classic opening riff to "Money for Nothing" (along with the rest of the lead guitar part of that song) is played on a Les Paul...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNaKWXqXkhw

[Mendocino]

24. Duane Allman

And none played it better.

[darkstar]

26. Clapton and Rundgren played "The Fool" SG

[triguy46]

28. Yes, but before Black Beauty and Layla.

[triguy46]

30. I'm the greatest lead guitar player in my house tonight, and I choose....

1975 Fender Bullet, american made. It has never hindered my fumbling and stumbling: