Epiphone: Les Paul Ultra

[cukaracha]

hey just wanna ask. between a lp ultra, lp ulta II and lp standard plus top, which is d best of d 3? i'm talking in terms of playability and sound.

sound wise, looking for jazz tone on d neck, metal sound (not expecting an ibanez tone, though) on d bridge, and a nice semi-warm overdrive for combined.

as for the neck, how is d satin finish of d ultra? does it reli make playing easier?? n watta bout maintainance n keeping clean n smooth??

also d ultra II has dat nanomag pup at d neck. firstly izit always on, on upon selection (with d pup selector) or works wen cable is connected 2 d dedicated jack (meaning d hums don't work den). n izit reli dat good, or mostly 4 show only? wat exactly izit used 4??

EDIT: for d ultra II, if i wanna use both d hums n d nanomag (on d same amp), does dat mean i need to use 2 seperate cables den merge dem at d amp or wat? (4gif me 4 d wrong terminology.. i dun noe d exact terms 2 use..)

 

[subversion]

1. these guitars appeal to the player differently. i would say that not 1 would comprehensively out-do the other in various aspects.

2. is there such thing as an Ibanez tone? (don't get me wrong, i'm quite an ibanez fan) he he... regardless of the guitar brand name at the headstock, if the tone & playability serves you well, then it should be considered for your individual applications.

3. satin finishes are not superior in any way, neither is it favoured but it boils down to the individual prefernces. i have friends who insist on lacquered neck finish, the reason he shuns Fenders/ Ibanez guitars. please try/ handle these guitars personally to feel the difference, my candy might be your poison

4. the NANO Mag pickup for the Ultra II needs to be plugged in to be activated, if you require its application simultaneously with the regular magnetic humbuckers, you would indeed require 2 seperate outputs

 

[cukaracha]

1. ibanez tone as in a solid n original (doesn't sound modulated) kinda heavy distortion

2. back 2 d neck issue, maintaining the neck's smoothness n keeping it clean wise, i can't 'test' dat 4 myself. was hoping sum1 with personal experience can shed a little light on how different/similar satin finished necks r (in d long run) compared to 'regular' necks. esspecially maintanence wise, is it difficult 2 keep smooth n clean with d wood grain 'exposed' with such little lacquer?

3. so the nanomag's pretty much useless, rite? i tink it'll look reli odd if theres 2 cables coming connected 2 1 gtar..

 

[subversion]

despite being an Ibanez fan, i must say that there isn't quite a signature ibanez tone to define the brand name in its outright. what i hear from Steve Vai's tone is his DiMarzio pickups more than his ibanez, same goes for Satriani & Paul Gilbert- i hear their Peavey/ Marshall amps more than their ibanez units. however, in general, ibanez supplements the player who peddles distortion/ drive, real well, regardless of the model.

finished/ satin neck feel different & appeal to the individuals differently. some of us like the finished feel very much, to us this is already 'smooth'. the satin camp would feel that the finished option has a non-wood feel that would affect their fretting hand movements. the finished feel also generates stickiness when one sweats. pertaining to upkeep, both do not pose a problem when it comes to cleaning & maintenance.

the nanomag pickup serves the ones who wish for a piezo alternative, it's not a dud per se...

 

[cukaracha]

ok, just wanna confirm something. ibanez and fender standard necks, are they satin or not? does non-satin finish necks strictly mean necks dat r painted??

also, wat other difference r there between a Standard Plus Top and Ultra save d laminate top, body (chambered) and laminate top?? i checked on sweelee's online store n dey're both d same price. so how come?? shouldn't d ultra b more exp since its more 'advanced'? or conversely d standard plus top since its a complete solid body (not chambered)??

 

[aero_91]

just try it out for yourself and see which one to prefer. no matter how much people tell you here, trust your own ears and pick the one you like more. personally i have a les paul ultra and i love it. its different from the total solid body type of guitar. but mine have been modded recently, i changed all the electronics on the guitar and added a fishman powerbridge. it is all still up to you

 

[jmb23]

sub, the nanomag is on all the time on both jack when the the volume is at 10 and 9v batt plugged in.it cannot be turned off unless you plug off the battery.
the only prob with the nanomag is that it would make ur sound with high gain settings very muddy.
EDIT:if you plug the guitar with 2 cable you would get only humbuckers on the mono jack and accoustic on the nanomag jack and the nanomag sounds completely different from a piezo pickup.
btw the electronics are not easily changeable cos its pots a on a pcb and all the caps are smd items
,making it really hard to change pickups

 

[subversion]

sub, the nanomag is on all the time on both jack when the the volume is at 10 and 9v batt plugged in.it cannot be turned off unless you plug off the battery.
the only prob with the nanomag is that it would make ur sound with high gain settings very muddy.

... and the nanomag sounds completely different from a piezo pickup.

the NANOmag pickup is not activated if you don't plug your cable in. if you do, it's on, same mechanics at work here with active pickups. this pickup serves to appeal to those in need of accoustic-like tones, it's NOT a piezo pickup, it's an alternative.

 

[subversion]

ok, just wanna confirm something. ibanez and fender standard necks, are they satin or not? does non-satin finish necks strictly mean necks dat r painted??

satin, by the industry's definition (& for want of a better adjective...) is a lacquer-free finish. majority of the manufacturers do not leave the neck bare even when they do not employ a final lacquer overcoat- they have an oil-based finish to make the neck less repulsive, otherwise it'll feel like a bark-stripped tree trunk. BUT that's how Mike Stern likes his neck to feel, do give the Yamaha Mike Stern guitar a go if you ever come across one