June 17, 2026

What makes a great Les Paul?

1 hour 8 minutes

Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave us a comment!

The three of us finally get into something that's been on the calendar for a while: what actually makes a good Les Paul. Zach brings out all his Les Pauls, Rhett has his R9, and Addison shows off the 2007 Studio Faded he's had since he was 15. We talk about what to listen and feel for when you're shopping — weight, acoustic resonance, how the D and G strings behave, and why the nut is almost always the reason your Les Paul won't stay in tune. Plus PAF pickup obsession, the case for unpotted pickups, top wrapping, tone woods, and why the inconsistency of Gibsons is a feature, not a bug.

Hot take this week from Nicholas: flame tops and figured maple are ugly, and matching headstocks make a guitar look cheap. We're split.

Rig dip goes to Matt, who spent his life working in music stores and trading his way up to a rig that might be the most expensive we've ever seen. 1964 SG, 1957 Strat, 1964 ES-335, 1952 Telecaster, two Two-Rocks, a Friedman, and a pedal board with too much gain?

Thanks so much to the sponsor of today's episode, Sweetwater! Make sure to check out all the gear we use here and more: https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/dipped-in-tone/

Check out our website & merch: https://www.dippedintone.com

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone

Dipped In Tone is:

Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com

Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com

Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:49 Addison’s Update

00:01:23 Check out Nick Loux and the High Life

00:02:32 Zach’s Update

00:06:00 3D Print Talk

00:07:36 Rhett’s Update

00:09:23 Graham’s First Guitar lessons

00:12:02 Thanks to today’s sponsor, Sweetwater!

00:13:30 Thanks to all our Patrons!

00:13:53 Hot Take

00:20:07Main Topic - Les Pauls

00:23:12 The wand finds the wizard

00:24:13 Addison’s first guitar

00:28:13 What Rhett looks for in a Les Paul

00:30:20 What Zach looks for in a Les Paul

00:32:54 RE Tuning Stability (a proper nut slot and setup)

00:36:30 Pickups

00:38:50 WOOD AFFECTS TONE DOG

00:43:17 Anything with P90s

00:47:50 The differences add up

00:50:23 Top Wrapping

00:52:02 What to look for in your first Les Paul

00:57:02 Rig Dip

01:08:05 Thanks again Sweetwater

01:08:20 And a big thanks to our Patrons!

...more

View all episodes

By Dipped in Tone

4.7

219219 ratings