Guitarists who can make the Les Paul through a Marshall sound different.

http://www.hypersolutions.com/marshall/2008goldtop1000.jpg
I guess we all know the sound of a Les Paul through a Marshall by heart, whether it being from Clapton, Peter Green, Paul Kossof, Gary Moore, Steve Lukather, Slash or Zakk Wylde. That roar is just instantly recognizable.

But let's talk about the players who took that tried and tested combo of guitar and amp and got very different sounds from it.

http://www.bedfordesquires.co.uk/GrahamCoxon.jpg
I'll start off with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, who's better known for being a Tele guy but played the sessions of the whole first album "Leisure" using a tobacco burst Les Paul Custom through a Marshall half stack. A guitar he still brings out when playing "Leisure" songs live.
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Long sustaining notes, heavy, roaring, creamy overdrive happily absent here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef65cLi1gpY

What about Duane Allman? He wound up using a Marshall 50 watt Bass head through his cabinet.... Almost has a Strat type sharpness with a SOLID bottom end

What about Duane Allman? He wound up using a Marshall 50 watt Bass head through his cabinet.... Almost has a Strat type sharpness with a SOLID bottom end

If you're talking about his sound on the first album, it was a Strat!

Nahhh... towards the end of his life.... It had a nice sharp bite with a creamy middle and a nice big bottom ( why does that sound like I'm making a new candy bar?)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Toy_Caldwell.jpg/220px-Toy_Caldwell.jpg

Toy Caldwell

Didn't Toy Cadwell use Fender and Mesa Boogie amps? And Peter Green rarely used a Marshall (Orange and Fender). To me, the Allman Brothers template was to cross Cream and the Grateful Dead. And Duane's tone always seemed like a Les Paul and a Marshall only with JBL speakers. That gave him a different tone, but not that different. Just my perspective.

I'm trying to think of a show where someone came out with an LP and Marshall and I expected it to sound a certain way and it didn't. Nothing's coming to mind.

Didn't Toy Cadwell use Fender and Mesa Boogie amps?

You know you are right. Turns out he used Marshall cabs but powered them with Fender Twins. My bad.

Hello Hello--

Jan Akkerman. He tried lots of different pickups in his LP, too........
He was always looking for more high-end but didn't like Fenders.

Akkerman used a Gretsch Filtertron in the neck position of his 68 Les Paul Custom.
He used silverface Twins, and Marshalls with Focus.
He was my favorite, till hometown hero Eric Johnson knocked him off the hill!

If you're talking about his sound on the first album, it was a Strat!

This I didn't know! Thank you for that!

If you're talking about his sound on the first album, it was a Strat!

No it wasn't. He had stopped using his Strat prior to the first album. On that he mostly used an ES through the Marshall.

Duane Allman has already been mentioned but let's not forget Dickey Betts as he played a LP through a Marshall as well.

Hello Hello--

The Twin saw use with Akkerman's previous band "Brainbox" [along with a Telecaster and Colorsound Overdrive] and then again [sometimes] with his solo "jazz" stuff after Focus. Sometimes it was onstage at Focus gigs as a spare for the Leslie speakers [mostly.....but he would mix things up occasionally ]
If Akkermann used any Fender [onstage] it was his solid-state Super Showman [again with the Colorsound Overdrive] . Weird that he would switch between all this stuff and a Marshall! Anyway...his Lp and Marshall sound was always clearer and more "present" then anybody else. He was always swapping out different Gibson humbuckers along with the Filtertrons until he settled on the ones in his converted LP Professional.
Eric Johnson knocking him off the hill?? I like Eric's playing [nice guy,too!] but Akkermann owns the whole mountain.

Jimmy Page. People seem to think Page's tone is typical Les Paul -> Marshall but I disagree. Jimmy's tone is all over the place on record, but live (with Marshalls) it is quite a frail tone. I think the tiny strings he uses helped a lot. Quite a hollow and fragile tone really.

Akkerman is a beautiful player, and he also plays lute!
His solo albums are brilliant, and he has that elusive gift,
a musical sense of humor.
He also has/had a great, largely clean tone.
Regarding the EJ vs. JA thing.
I was just referring to "my" hill.
I never use the word "best", cause there ain't no best.

Hello Hello--
Brookdalebill--
Yep, absolutely true!

Billy Gibbons and his Mistress Pearly Gates!

To me, the Allman Brothers template was to cross Cream and the Grateful Dead.
I think the Grateful Dead were influenced by the Allman Brothers, who were influenced by the Dead. Duane Allman was playing like that in '69, Jerry Garcia didn't sound like that on Aoxomoxoa or Anthem of the Sun.
And Duane's tone always seemed like a Les Paul and a Marshall only with JBL speakers. That gave him a different tone, but not that different. Just my perspective.
Listen to Mountain Jam. Some parts are the usual Gibson/Marshal tones, but he also got a lot of sounds I never heard before listening to him. I love the sound at around 27:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuNz2idDtY

Listening to Mountain Jam right now and I think that tone is what I hear a lot of in the Allman Bros music. If I'm not mistaken, you can do it with the neck pickup on a LP with the tone rolled back quite a bit and going into a loud amp. I can get close to it that way but have to put an OD pedal in the chain as I can never crank my 57 Twin loud enough even at gigs!

That creamy sustaining neck pickup tone is something that Mark Knopfler is really good at getting as well - think Brothers In Arms type tone.

Joe Bonamassa for sure.

I was surprised when I saw this LP at around 1:03.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w_8j4ie73g&feature=related