Les Paul vs Telecaster With Humbuckers | Can You Tell the Difference?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มี.ค. 2019
- When it comes down to it, pickups make the most significant difference in the tone of the guitar. So, won't a Fender Telecaster HH (with two Humbuckers) sound the same as a Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul which has two humbucker pickups too?
In this video, I make a direct comparison with an Epiphone Les Paul Standard to a Mexican Fender Telecaster HH. I play roughly the same thing through a Fender Bassbreaker on both the Les Paul and Telecaster HH back to back. Rhythm, Picking, Lead and Crunch.
Can you tell the difference in the sound between these two guitars or is the only difference the feel? For sure they play different, but can you tell the difference in tone? - เพลง
Now this is how you do a comparison A/B vid! Well done sir 👍
I think it's useless, since it's completely different pickups.
What a great comparison video man. I wish there were more like these - genuine comparison playing identical licks and flicking between the 2. Thanks man. Would have liked to see the comparison to a real LP, but this was super.
Wow! I have an HH Tele with treble boost and was thinking about getting a Les Paul, but after listening to this, I think I don’t need one. Sounds like buying an HSS Strat or Semi hollow as a next purchase would provide more variety.
Thats what I have. Blacktop HH telecaster, and American Special Strat HSS. Both great guitars!
@@F3502000 American Special Strat HSS is a wonderful machine. I had one years ago in black. I sold it and immediately regretted it
Funny thing, I came here to talk myself out of buying a HH tele or any tele at all, I‘m not a fan of the guitar and I dissed the guitar a lot, but I cannot deny the very distinct sweet dominant bright tone. But the video only makes me want to get a tele now.
Full hollow will provide more variety. Semi hollow isn't even hollow where it counts. Pretty much for looks. Don't tell anyone that though. 🤫
I like the way you A and B'd these. The tele was definitely brighter and more articulate when playing dynamically.
Great video! As previously mentioned, that’s how you do a comparison.
The tele is ever so slightly brighter, but tone adjustments could make a difference too. I could probably make the tele as warm as the Les Paul. I was on team Gibson in my youth, but as I age I vastly prefer fender. I just got a Squier semi hollow tele with humbuckers...which Is what brought me here. It's a sweet little guitar AND much lighter than a Les Paul tank.
I totally agree with the comments about fatigue playing a Les Paul. Don't forget the real ones weigh as much as the tree they are carved from.
Really effective comparison method, with the frequent switching back and forth.
As a longtime fender man who’s had split loyalties since playing a few vintage Gibsons that made me want an HH guitar, I think the Tele Deluxe might well be my next purchase
I think both a hh telecaster and a les paul sound great, but I personally like the telecaster because the sound has a bit more clarity and for bonuses it’s a bit more comfortable and I like that the controls are a little more easy to figure out
I have one of these tele's and it is a very comfortable guitar. These things can be hot rodded out, for the money, an all-around great guitar. What would be cool is a comparison through a nice Marshall. Great job on this video!
Great comparo Kennis 👍🏻 I have both but didn’t realise they are so similar 😁
Thanks for a great comparison video. There was much less difference than I would have expected. Basically either guitar could do the same job, all down to which one you prefer playing.
Nice video Kennis. I prefer the Tele, comfortable guitar
The difference was small. The tele sounds like you turned up the treble a tick on the amp and the bass down a tick. You could make the tele sound exactly the same with some amp tweaking.
Great way to do a side by side comparison. They are close...the tele seemed a little brighter.
Very useful and thorough!
Thanks Kennis for all the work that goes into making a proper A/B comparison, your video really helped. I'll be swapping my LP for an HH Tele as soon as possible.
Well, as others have said, the Fender sounds like a Fender and the Les Paul sounds like ... a Les Paul. The Tele makes a sound that is definitely different from a standard Tele but still nice and crisp, well balanced. Sorry for you LP fans but for me the Epi sounds dull, maybe the strings are old. Very similar to my Gibson LP with 490 / 498 pickups which is wearing ancient strings at the moment.
You can talks about the different scale lengths, different neck settings etc. but surely the pickups are the biggest factor in the sound you get from an electric guitar - they turn string vibrations into the electrical signal which gets amplified. And it's surprising that Fender seem give us better humbuckers than Epiphone. Still, it would be good to know exactly what these two different sets of humbuckers are.
I have a Tele partscaster with mini-hums and a ToM bridge modded to fit the neck radius. All quality parts.
Still sounds like a Telecaster.
The glued-in neck of a Gibbo-style makes a huge difference - as you will hear just playing them acoustically. That and the scale.
Nice video Kennis, thanks. Very interesting and well-made..
I built a set neck Tele. It sounds like a Tele.
Exceptional A/B comparison!
From Leo: There is an improved tone difference with the 25.5 inch scale Telecaster. I once had the idea to put a 24.75 " conversion neck on my Fender thinking it would help when going back and forth with my archtop. It played well as far as fingering but lost a dynamic in the tonal character. Sounded like old dead strings. I put the old neck back on. My Tele also has split pickup switching so I can get some additional tones.
@@kennisrussell Sorry for the confusion. It is not a quote, at least from anyone famous. My name really is Leo and I have 10 years of research on my computer that I don't want to risk to any virus. I use my wife's computer for social media.
Here I thought this was a Leo Fender quote
@@barbmelle3136good thinking, Barb. Umm I mean… Leo
Very good comparison. They sound very similar
i'd take the Tele, has more punch in the bridge, LP sounded dull but the neck pickups were pretty much identical.
You’re very modest ,I’m listening to your playing....lovely.
Great idea!!!!!!! Now I’m wondering what a top of the line “Custom Shop” Tele with the same strings etc. would match up against a “Standard Les Paul with PAF’s would sound? Both of these sounded different, but comparable.
The Tele has more clarity in the cleaner tests. With the dirtier setting the difference is less obvious although I would say the Tele still has a little more edge to it. With the lead samples the Epi was slightly fuller sounding. Overall I would say the Tele is the better guitar in this test as it would probably be more versatile in the gig situation. Very interesting test and really well presented.
I have a HH Thinline Tele, Semi Hollow Body. And it's got that Les Paul like sound overall. I'd rather get a LP, or possibly a SG just because I want to lighten the weight a bit... As for your comparison here, there were only a few points where I could tell a difference. So Good Job Ken! 🙂
Slight difference in the Paul bridge,vs.the Tele,but darn close yes siree Bob.🎸👍😎
I've changed my factory installed stratocaster pickups with the 59 Vintage Anlico V pickups. I'm sure there is a difference in tone when I play but I can't hear the difference. Maybe hearing aids are in order
I love the sound of a Gibson, but something about the feel of a Fender, even the MIMs..it’s just a smoother experience. And that single coil Tele bridge sound just resonates with my soul, not so much the humbucker
Great playing!.
There are a lot of differences even within the construction of the humbuckers. But also types of wood used, and more determinant factors like scale length (this makes a lot of difference), bridge and so on. They both sound like guitars with humbuckers. But sound definetely different. A matter of taste. I like the sound of both. But prefer a "fender-type" guitar because that is what I am used to.
I agree that the fact that they’re both HH guitars is where the similarities end. The scale length and radius differ and create a different playing experience. I love Teles and Les Paul’s, but they’re different. When it comes to humbucker tones, I don’t think anything beats a Les Paul. Just one man’s take. :)
Thanks for this video. They are close, but I think the TELE has more high end. I’ve used them both live, and it’s like red delicious vs Granny Smith (both apples). Hard not love them both.
Great comparison. Agree with everything said here. They are so close in tone with the Tele very slightly brighter when driven but I could n't tell any difference in clean mode. The Les Paul just sounded dull and muffled. For me the the neck of a player Fender is superb. Fender all the way.
I like how that tele still "sounds like a fender" despite being basically a les paul.
Because it’s a better guitar
Easy answer: 1) it still has the Fender scale (25.5). That makes a Fender sound like one 2) the pots. 500k vs 300k. 3) different pickups.
@@ArielCardona plus fretboard wood and neck joint
Now that I've watched a few questions were answered Thank's, a though the only way to hear the difference. Would be to set both guitars up with exactly the same setup all the way around. Then play them one at a time. Thanks!
So similar when distortion on. Nice video, thanks.
I put DiMarzio Fat Strat and Pre-BS Tele pickups in a 1982 Telecaster, and viola! I had a Les Paul with P-90s.
I needed to add a Squire Affinity Tele just to get a 'standard' Tele sound for recording.
Tele was less muddy the LP seemed a little higher out put, I think if you adjusted the amp a little between switches you could make it hard to tell the difference.
Thanks for a great video gentlemen!Could you possibly give your opinion on which in between a custom shop 51 model with a Seth Lover 4C Rel humbucker pickup and a 63 custom shop model with a single coil neck pickup which is a better overall telecaster??? thanks a lot? I am talking about snap, clarity, gain sound, wolf voice and power.
I have a Squire Classic Vibe Tele and i put a Guitar Fetish Little Puncher which is a hot rail humbucker which supposed to be a humbucker in a single body, it sounds good 👍
I did the same thing with the exact guitar but with a seymour hot rails
How would you compare a SS fender telecaster with an epiphone lp standard? I want to boy one but I'm torn between the two
Really like your video.
I'm doing just That.
Making a tele and putting humbuckers in it.
I like the way your humbucker tele sounds better than the LP Myself.
The LP sounded muddier to Me....
I have both...
Tele maple neck contributed to bright boost, would be cool if you did another with a rosewood tele! Also would be cool to hear the Gibson pickups in Tele vs Tele pickups in Tele, and vice versa. But enough with the outrageous requests thanks for the video!
This was a fun comparison, that said, to really isolate what the differences in sound are you would need to use the exact same pickups. In addition, as others may have pointed out, Telecasters, Stratocasters, and Jazzmasters are 25.5" scale guitars. Les Pauls are 24.75" scale. The longer neck of these Fenders has a pretty significant impact on sound as well as feel. If someone wanted a Fender that sounded a bit closer to a Gibson, they could try a Jaguar or Mustang with humbuckers. These guitars have an even shorter scale length at 24", so you'll never quite get there -- But the point is a tele will always be brighter and perkier feeling than a Les Paul due primarily to the scale length differences.
I use all Les Pauls with Tonerider Alnico 2, PAF, low output, scatter-wound pickups.
I own one Telecaster Deluxe HH. I decided to try those same Tonerider humbuckers I use in my Les Pauls in it.
I was actually surprised at how different the Telecaster was. Its tone improved with those pickups, but no matter what I did on my rig, the Tele never was even close to the sound of the Lesters.
BTW,...all of my Les Pauls have a very similar sound to the Gibson P90 sound. It is those PAF scatter-wound humbuckers. There is magic in this type of humbucker, in a Les Paul.
Amazing video. And I wonder how much the subtle tone difference (considering the range spectrum of tones an electric guitar is capable of achieving) is due to (1) pickup height (the LP sounded like it has the pickups a bit closer to the strings than the tele) and/or (2) small differences in electronics. I think with some minor tweaking it’s possible to achieve the exact same tone, or something very very very close to it.
Similar PUs level the field. The Fender a bit brighter and chimy, the LP a bit fatter. Wonder how much the scale length (25.5" vs 24.75") affects the tone due the tension differences. I notice this when playing my LP and Tele.
I’ve been looking for this exact model of a Telecaster. Do you know where I can buy one?
The tele wide range hbs are very different from the traditional humbuckers. Seth lover designed them to be so! But of course as w any pickups once you throw gain on it the difference gap becomes much smaller.
My ears choose fender , could you please tell me the song names that you played ? Or it was just random licks ? Great video !
If both guitars have the same type of pickups for example SD JB and Jazz combo. Would they sound the same?
Maybe I missed it at the beginning but are the pickups the same in both guitars? Are they set at the same height? The Epi sounds louder and warmer but I’m wondering if it’s from the height difference or not. I love comparisons like this though. Oh and does the Epi have a 300k or 500k pot? Maybe the tele has a 500k pot? That would be weird since Fender uses 250k pots on their single coils but could have a 500k pot. Lol I’m not trying to avoid the “there’s a difference because of the body wood” and I’m open to there being a difference. EDIT* watched until the end, different pickups 😣 yeah, that could DEFINITELY affect the tone as well as thicker strings typically on LP’s.
Great comparison ...got both and on a personal level I love the elegance of the Paul ....but the playability of the Tele seems to call for the first grab....it is what it is..p.s. Try a jackson pro series...Michael
Honestly the only tonal difference is down to the pickups used. The Fender Wide Ranges are specifically designed (by Seth Lover no less) to be a little bit clearer than PAFs, and the Epiphone PAF replica is know for being a bit muddier than most other PAFs.
So at the end of the day, pick the design you think looks and feels best and adjust the pickups for the sound you want.
I could hear the les paul distorting with the clean setting whereas the telecaster maintained it's clarity. I enjoyed the sound of the telecaster more than the les paul.
its actually a relative thing. The import Fenders and Epiphones source their pickups from same place. Now if you put the RIGHT resistors, caps, pots and pickups in those guitars the compare and contrast results would have been starker and more obvious.
Which are the right resistors caps pots and pickups?
Ultimate Tele would be HSH pickups. I've never seen one, so I'm going to do it to mine! Ha ha ha ha ha (mad laughter). I'll post it when I'm done.
Awesome. I'm so glad someone else wants this config...and if it could split tge humbuckers .imagine with a piezo bridge also...what a guitar it would be...have you done it yet ?.
Telecaster has a 25 ½" scale and Les Paul is 24 ¾" scale.
so if you wanna down tune, go for tele.
I agree in concept but something about the LP low end sounds better in this comparison vid to me.
@@timepaintertunebird8160 LP sounds more agressive and louder
Most of the difference that gets to your ears is from the difference in scale lengths. Note there is practically no difference in the neck pickup sounds, but there is much more top end with the telecaster bridge pickup, which makes the tele sound "thinner" than the LP when both are played on the bridge pickup.
pots difference
I like more the fender. More detail in the sound
I agree with your statement that the Tele had a little more "presence" in the higher pitch, but the Les Paul had a little more "Crunch" in the Mid Range. I'll take the Fender.
I'm very interested in this Player Telecaster HH but I'm a person who plays a lot standing up. I have searched in internet and have no found exact data about the weigth.
Can someone tell me how much this guitar weighs exactly?
The epiphone sounded darker but only slightly. I think it has more to do with one being a string-through and the other one being strung through the tail piece. I don’t know how much the pickups actually effected the tone. You should do a comparison with a US made Les Paul as epiphone pickups always sound darker compared to a US made Les Paul.
I would have thought that the Gibby would have been wired in series. The Tele seems a smidge brighter which could be the pickups or perhaps it's wired in parallel.
it's most likely the difference in scale length. It wouldn't be very smart to do a comparison with different wiring.
its so funny how people think that the longer scale length sounds brighter, when the shorter the scale length the brighter the tone, vs longer scale length being warmer, say for example ukulele vs upright bass @@@grygrskls
Same scale length at the same note. Let's see you play the same note on an open string with a ukelele and that same note on an open string on an upright bass!
Also, the volume of a ukelele has a very different resonant frequnce than the much larger volume of a double bass.
You want to make this even more fair and even closer? Put the same strings (a new set) on both the telecaster and the LP.
To do a fair comparison, I would say, that the two guitars needs the same set of pickups, pots and wiring. Especially the Les Paul can sound different, weather it's a 50's or 60's style wiring.
The difference I’m hearing is the darker tone of the mahogany neck and body in the Les Paul. Tele sounds more clear, and probably would sound better in a mix, as you’d probably be trying to EQ out the low mid muddiness anyway.
Wow ... tone wood? Sure. The difference is the unmatched pickups
I prefer the 'oomph' of a Les Paul - You recognize it more in the room. An SG vs the Tele would be hard to decide between - I like the bite of 80s rock, but prefer the 24.5" scale.
The different scale length changes things 👌
Tele sounds thinner, more open, more treble-y, and "longer". Les Paul sounds thicker, bassier, a little "sweeter" and "shorter". Which makes sense as those are the actual physical differences. They get even more different when they're ripping it in the heat of battle, and when different players bring out and exaggerate their characteristics by the way they play and through different amps and such. Still a good test though.
Unless the pickups are the same, it's not really possible to compare the differences in the guitars themselves.
I liked the video comparison only I would have preferred a Gibson Les Paul for a true comparison (and there is the cost factor).
I think an SG and the Tele might be even closer. The SG had an obviously larger bottom end but in a mix with other instruments I think that the Tele would do a little more.. Like an SG does. Alone the LP just does It's thing
Tele was brighter all around. Les Paul has way more mid & bottom frequencies, BUT the Shawbuckers in the Tele had a WAY wider dynamic range. The Les Paul bridge pickup sounded dull by comparison.
I don't think those are shawbuckers, they are standard humbuckers they probably stick in Mexican HSS srats and such.
The difference in brightness is probably the scale length. Also, put a good humbucker in either of those guitars and it will sound better.
I do 2 concentric 500k/500k pots and wire it 59 Les Paul style.
Hard to find the knobs, so far I've needed to file the knobs to fit without moving each other. I love it and I can get the mid position magic with full neck/bridge interaction . Oh, that and a tel neck. 8O)>
The Les Paul, as always, is going out-of-tune as the video goes forward. That's why I owned and sold 3 of them before giving up.
Gibson is way overrated, IMHO. I was in awe of the brand until I actually owned one. Now I pretty much buy anything BUT with a fender/Squier preference.
Yeah. I sold three Les Pauls too. I kept telling myself it would be better but it never was.
Yeah my es333 has a neck crack under the headstock I’ve had repaired twice. I then found out that’s a Gibson trademark. I do love the guitar, but I’m not that impressed. I’ve never had a Fender fall apart on its own.
I have a Les Paul Studio & it doesn’t stay in tune from the start of a song to the end. I thought it was always a fault with the set up or the way I was playing, but all I’ve seen is people with the exact same problem. Currently saving for a Jaguar HH.
I've own two of them and feel the same way. Love the LP tone, but too bulky and can never get it to stay in tune for my use. Think I'll sell my LPs and get a Tele HH setup.
I never really like Les Pauls or Teles but once I bought a Telecaster with Humbuckers I became a fan. Now I gig with two Teles ; Fender FSR Blacktop Telecaster and Fender American Series Telecaster. So Yeah Tele HH for the win !
Point well made. They are similar. The Telecaster is a bit brighter and clearer. I can't decide what I like better. I think I am leaning towards a Telecaster. Now I just need to decide whether I want HH or SS.
HH with coil split...versatile and essentially the best of both worlds. I recently got the special edition Fender FMT Tele. Mahogany body with flamed maple top, set mahogany neck, Seymour Duncan pearly gates in the bridge and a '59 in the neck. It maintains the profile of a Tele, with the comfort of a belly cut, and oozes tone. Everything I love about a Les Paul on the profile of a Tele! Coil splits via push pull tone pot and it's quite inspiring for everything from chicken picking to metal! Possibily the perfect guitar!
@@elihue_redneckreview I’ve never considered a HH Tele until recently but your comment just sold me! How are you liking it so far?
Good video. Tweaking the amp would get the Tele to sound as muddy as the LP ;)
How was the les paul wired tho? Because it was pretty dark even for a Paul
I made up my mind, I will simply buy both. The longer I watch comparison videos the less time I'm spending playing guitar
Tele
Solid body, low output pickups, maple neck/fretboard, longer scale length, hardtail bridge.
Apparent brighter sound but not like turning up the tone knob. More like higher top end frequencies. More single coil snappy jangly sound.
Les Paul
Shorter scale length mahogany body/neck/fretboard, weight relieved body, stud based bridge/tailpiece mostly has metal based resonant points except nut, more cavity routing, maple cap, routed fretboard for trapezoid inlays(,yes even this can effect frequencies), higher output pickups.
Warmer rounder sound. Weight relief adds hollow space for more resonance which explains the darker sound, similar in effect to how an acoustic works, shorter scale length requires thicker strings to feel the same tension as a fender, which under some cases removes top end frequencies, and in other adds low end frequencies, higher output pickups may be snappy and bright in bridge position, but in neck usually aren't the best adds to warm sound, maple cap could definitely have a role to play in the middle range sound of Gibson/Epiphone while being able to sound dark, but not in the bad way. With this being Epiphone, I notice that all Epiphone guitars tend to be darker and more compressed for some reason. Even after upgrading. And when I mean upgrading, I mean everything has changed except the wood itself.
My conclusion. Listen to both and pick your favorite. Single coil tones are my favorite, and ironically I love metal. However, single coils under heavy distortion, overdrive, fuzz, and a noise gate, can give you that single coil tone without dealing with pickup hum. It'll still be there but similar to an overdriven humbucker WITHOUT a gate. Billy Corgan did it so why can't I?
Great review! I think the intent of this comparo is lost on the "apples to oranges" people. I believe this is geared towards the person looking for an HH guitar, and wondering what the similarities or differences might be SONICALLY when buying either of these and not modding. I have the Epi, but prefer the Tele in this test.
I’ve been thinking about selling my Epi Les Paul to get a Fender HH. I guess this clinched it. 🙂
Dont sell it. You will regret it. Both guitar are good, so buy a tele and dont sell your lp
What pickup did you for this telecaster?
I think you have to compare with the same set of pickups, otherwise there isn't fare.
It sounds to me that the Tele has Alnico Magnet Pickups and the Ephiphone just cheaper ceramic ones.
I prefer the Tele all day long anyway 🤘
Great video !!! Thanks and cheers from Argentina 👊🦁👊
Ceramic usually comes off as rounder and brighter, which the LP did not do.
I have a USA Tele HH and a Les Paul. Tone wise, the difference is the Tele is much brighter and definitely retains a Fender tone. However it can challenge the Gibson for grit at higher gain levels. If there weren’t such a thing as Gibson and Fender. Id put it down to Alder VS Mahogany!
Are the pickups interchangeable.?
Tele still has a fender sound even though it has humbuckers. Brighter. I like the feel and playability of fender 9.5 radius
but what if it's a thinline with humbuckers?
The tele sounds great. I expect the Epiphone has lower quality pickups. I don’t hear much upper mids chirp like one might with a quality PAF. The only way to get a true A/B comparison would be by using the same model of pickup in each guitar. Enjoyable video nonetheless.
If someone were to ask me what the difference in a Fender Tele HH and a Les Paul is, I would say that the Tele sounds like a nice young chap just learning what distortion is, and a Les Paul sounds like a middle aged drunkard who smokes 3 packs a day and starts drinking Mad Dog 2020 at 5 in the morning. I like the Tele better because I can't play a Les Paul because the neck is too wide for my hand
There are versions of the les paul with a narrower neck. And it even feels like a toy compared to a strat or a tele. I prefer the normal les paul because the neck is similar to a classical guitar. But I also like strats and teles a lot. And I even prefer them over gibson designs.
So if you prefer narrower and thinner necks there are les pauls that fit the part.
I find Fender necks more comfortable than Gibson necks but I'd love to own either of these guitars.
Wow. I've always wondered... Now I know... Put a rosewood fingerboard and the same pickups on the tele and an expert would have a hard time distinguishing the two
Isn’t there a dual humbuckers And steel humbuckers?
Bolt on neck Vs. Glued in neck construction. Its a Giant Cake Mix, and everything involved in the build completes the total sound, and Feel of said guitars .Yes, even scale length matters ie: Fender 25.5 inch scale, vs Gibson/Epiphone 24.75 inch scale. Good luck
Pretty close sound. In my experience the amp has much more to do with the overall sound than does the guitar.
True, but the guitar does make a difference in tone, no matter what amp you use.
Thank you. I was wondering about this. Put a couple of pedals on both and it would be even a closer sound.
You can warm up a tele by rolling off the tone control... The neck pickup will give you a rounder, more Les Paul like tone. You'll need a boost pedsl maybe to get more output out of it... A real Gibson Les Paul will always sound thicker and beefier.. a tele with a rosewood or ebony finger board will also be less snappy than the solid maple neck on a telecaster... It's also in the fingers and your attack and style... For country you go to the bridge pickup and pick closer to the tailpiece for the twang.... Teles and Les Paul are both versatile and that's why they have been around since the 1950s... Each has it's own vibe..
what pots are in the Tele?
I think the difference in sound is caused by the neck.
I have even seen a video where a guy switched Tele and Les paul necks and it made a huge difference.
The Les Paul kind of gained better range of sounds,while Tele lost it's Fender sound.
They both looked cool tho.
I personally prefer Fender sound,but there is something about Gibsons when it comes to hard rock music from late 70/80s like AC/DC or Guns N Roses.Just aint gonna exactly milk that sound out of a Fender.
Excellent work. I enjoy your usage of an Epiphone versus that Mexican Tele. These are similarly priced options that were built to compete with one another. Using a "real Les Paul" would require a "real Fender" for comparison, and that would be quite pricey. Oh, and the Tele didn't copy the Les Paul, it's the other way around. Long time Gibson player by the way, so no bias, but I refer the Tele in this comparison.
I’d rather have em both in normal pickup configurations . Yes a tele sounds good with hummies but with the style I like the most ( Country) less so .
You should compare a Tele with a Gibson scale conversion neck, that would be a much closer comparison. The 3x3 vs inline 6 tuners also add a little more twang to the Tele. When using a scale length conversion neck and a 3x3 peghead on a Tele, I'd be willing to bet anyone $1k they couldn't tell any difference with their eyes closed.
The Les Paul is a chunk of heavy wood and a baseball bat neck on a shorter scale. The pickups range from low wound PAF's to high output humbuckers. The Tele version is close but the neck is not as big and the wood is lighter in the body and the pickup are usually a low impedance pickup. In person they don't sound the same, but close, the Les Paul carries the mid-tones better. But they are both good guitars.