Why Not a Les Paul?

When I played in a band, there were about a half dozen six-string, electric guitars to use. Either a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster, a Gibson Les Paul or an SG, and maybe, just maybe, a Gretsch, Epiphone or Rickenbacker. There were others, but those are the ball game. In 1974, I bought a Fender Telecaster Thinline.

The purpose of the Telecaster Thinline was to reduce the amount of Ash used in the body. Apparently the wood was in short supply in the 1970s. The guitar served its purpose and years later I sold it to a friend for the same price for which I bought it.

Nothing defined me as a rhythm and blues artist like that Telecaster. It had a distinctive sound, and I looked the part of a musician while playing it. However, when the band broke up and I took off for Europe, I did not return to playing electric guitar in public. My prospects as a professional musician were not bright.

I played it some. It traveled to Lake County, Indiana with the family. Our child enjoyed playing it without an amplifier in the garage. It found a good home in Arizona, delivered by a friend’s parents.

Why didn’t I get a Les Paul? I didn’t think I was cool enough. Most of the excellent local Les Paul players I knew were way above my skill level. It also seems like a guitar for people of short stature. I recognized early on I would not be a Les Paul guy. I am okay with being a Fender man.