Les Paul

I wanted something very dense, something that would sustain long and more pieces of wood that would be soft, sweet, for more of a mellow sound.

Leo wanted me to be partners with him – for it to be the Fender guitar: the Les Paul Fender. When he approached me with the idea, he brought over a guitar and he gave it to me and I have it here. And I thought, if I’m gonna do this I’m going to go with the biggest company in the world: Gibson. Why should I fool around with some guy who is not a musician – I should go to the Gibson people.

The audience, they’re not professionals. They just love music. It isn’t necessary to play over their heads to be admired.

There’s millions and millions of people who think Les Paul is a guitar!

When you just get mixed up and there’s too much going on, then it’s time to pick up your guitar.

This guitar is such a pal. It’s a psychiatrist. It’s a doggone bartender. It’s a housewife. This guy is everything. Whenever I find that I’ve got a problem, I’ll go pick my guitar up and play. It’s the greatest pal in the whole world.

Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking.

We all played bad before we played good.

I think that it is important to try to sound like someone, especially early in your development.

It’s not all smoke and mirrors. Some of it comes from books.

You can’t copy anybody and end up with anything. If you copy, you’re working without any real feeling.

The deeper you get into the music allows the ability to appreciate art and all other forms of expression.

Play what you know and then play above that.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.

I don’t get jazz. It always sounds like a bunch of toddlers let loose in a music room.

I do not wear my emotions on my sleeve; I write about them.

By its very nature, no one person can ever be the center of Jazz.

My life is music, and in some vague, mysterious and subconscious way, I have always been driven by a taut inner spring which has propelled me to almost compulsively reach for perfection in music, often -in fact, mostly -at the expense of everything else in my life.

The true beauty of music is that it connects people.

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.

Eliminating the piano means that I’ve always worked closer with the bass than most players.