Axl brings up a good point. I happen to think LP's and Strats look equally cool, but I do think a person should pick their guitar based on how it looks to them as well as how it plays and sounds. If you have to stand in front of a crowd, with a guitar hanging around your neck for 1-4 hours, it should damn well look good.

That's why I will never own an Ibanez JEM.

Well, I hafta say i'm in a weird spot. I've been an LP man since I started playing. Swear by 'em. Only strat I had was just a cheap one for a backup. I did the hard rock thing for 4 years in my last band and I wouldn't have dreamed of playing Fender. Then, some buttlick had the nerve to steal my main LP (from my church even). It was the perfect Les Paul. I actually cried!(no comments please) Then 2 weeks later, due to some weird circumstances, I quit the band and sold my other LP(a '72 Deluxe) So I was stuck with my Tex-mex strat. Man, I didn't know what I was missing!! That is one sweet guitar! I liked it so much, I went out last week and bought an Am std Tele to go with it. Heck, next week i'm going to put another Strat on layaway. I don't know if I'll even really play Gibson again. Maybe if I get in another serious band again, just to break things up a little. I never understood why Clapton made the switch until now. I guess I'll have to change all my user names everywhere too.

Hi everyone. This is my first post on the forum, so I may as well dive into this controversy.

For YEARS I was a harcore Fender Strat guy. I just threw in some Duncan Hot Rails, and I was in heaven. I always threw out the typical anti-Les Paul/Pro-Strat cliches: LPs are too limited, too heavy, and way too expensive. Then I actually tried one. Specifically, a Gibson Les Paul. A couple years prior, I tried an Epi LP and was completely unimpressed. I briefly worked with a singer last year who only wanted to hear Gibson guitars behind her. To humour her, I went a guitar mega-mart to check them out. Amazing! The sound was full, authorative. I loved the sound in all pickup positions, and it just sang! It didn't hurt that Les Pauls are just sexy looking!
What really sealed the deal was seeing a friend's signed band play. For most of the set he played a Fender Strat. His sound was similar to what I used to have. Then he strapped on a Les Paul for a few songs. Suddenly his sound was just MAJESTIC! Really filled out the sound of the power trio. When he went back to the Strat, it suddenly sounded too midrangey and small.
End of meandering...
Great forum everyone!

I have always loved Strats, and also love LP's but don't own one currently. I'm saving up to buy what is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful sounding guitars I've played.
A Reverend Rocco.Again a Joe Naylor original. Sustain for days, and pickups that beat a les paul hands down IMO.

I grew up a Strat man.
Then my wife decided I needed a Les Paul.
This L.P. was so alien that I needed major
playing time just to finger the high frets.
Plus my neck and shoulder was sore for 3 wks.
I hated that thing. So I brought it into my guitar guru's shop, he filed the frets down a little, straightened the neck, put on hybrids, and now my Strat's on vacation in its case, hopefully happy and understanding.
I'll play my wife's 50's Strat at times, but one of these days I'll get the old boy out and introduce him to the Les Paul and see what both guitars can do together.

Sounds like you and the Mrs. have got it all figured out, Ken. Wish my wife dug Strats instead of shoes.

Corleone,
Mrs.Ken got a giggle out of your reply.
As a matter of fact, she could use a new
pair of shoes, or boots. The snows a coming.
But, I actually caught her looking through
the new Musicians Friend Catalog. She's got
her eye on a Schecter. The one that Jerry
Horton plays. (looks just like a black Strat)
A bit more expensive than new shoes.

Mr. and Mrs. Ken,

Good ol' SP Dave got busted real good recently for submitting a shoes review in the middle of the Cap'n Coconut cat fight that got erased from this board. I've been in the fire here before, so I'll take my chances.

Mrs. Corleone has hundreds and hundreds of black shoes. I can't even tell the difference between most of 'em. One day I got real mad at Mrs. Corleone. I had the fantasy of grabbing an armload of those shoes, carrying 'em out to the front lawn, and running 'em over with the mower. But I know what she would have done. She would have taken the weedeater to my Strats. And my Teles and my Les Paul and SG and the rest of 'em.

Man, I really love my wife. But I love those Strats, too. And she loves those shoes. We all just get along the best we can.

I like the feel of a strat more than a les paul. not a fan of the angled neck. plus, you can always put a humbucker in the strat

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott the Guitarist:
I like the feel of a strat more than a les paul. not a fan of the angled neck. plus, you can always put a humbucker in the strat

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I've owned both and can't decide! So I bought a Reverend with 2 humbuckers, each with coil tap swithes. I'll never get rid of my Strat though!!! I wish I still had my Les Paul