“I really don’t find either of those guitars particularly comfortable”: YouTube star Bradley Hall on classic guitar designs like the Stratocaster and Les Paul

While the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul are, by most accounts, the two most popular guitar designs ever – and have very much shaped the world of music as we know it today – some modern players aren’t entirely convinced, and prefer builds with more modern spec sheets to suit their playing styles.

Take YouTube star Bradley Hall for example, a formidable player who has built a loyal following of nearly 600,000 subscribers for his comedic takes on guitar culture. He’s also a guitarist for Swedish power metal outfit Twilight Force.

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Asked in a recent Q&A for his thoughts on classic guitar designs like the Strat and Les Paul, Hall explains: “I really like the sound of classic guitars like Les Pauls and Strats. They’re amazing guitars for recording, but they’re just not very practical, in my opinion.”

He goes on: “I really don’t find either of those guitars particularly comfortable, especially traditional Strats. I love the sound of a Strat, but man, those guitars are just so uncomfortable to play…

“Les Pauls are a bit more comfortable, but they just feel horrible, especially when playing standing up. They’re just not very ergonomic at all, and I hate the pickup switch being up here. Sucks ass.”

Les Pauls have long gained a reputation for being heavy, which can make them more uncomfortable to play for long periods standing up than other, lighter guitars. And as Bradley Hall points out, a Les Paul’s pickup selector switch is located above the pickups rather than below, which can make on-the-fly pickup switching less seamless.

Bradley Hall’s comments are sure to spark a response from guitar purists who swear by either the Strat or the Les Paul, but a bit of healthy debate in the guitar world never hurt anyone, now, did it?