which is better?

[natethegreat2186]

which do u think is better - Les Paul or Strats. lets talk about y we like or love one or the other. let me know what u think.

[seasoned_chicken]

well, i dont own one of either, but i have tried them out tons in the shops. My view is that Les Pauls sound better, but i really dont like their shape, Strats sound pretty good, and are much better looking.

[lalimacefolle]

that's why Van Halen put a humbucker in a strat body...

[Zeppelin]

There is no guitar in the world with the posibilites of the strat..
i have one and when i'll be rich i'll buy some more of them :)
Even "specialized" strats have great versality and the standart american - well it can sound like anything you want..

[educatedfilm]

they're too different to compare faily...
Starts are versatile, and because their bolt on neck, they have more of a "twang" to thier sound, they're also pretty comfy too... they can sound bright and chirpy, they can also give a lovely hank marvin-esque sound...

Les pauls, great sustain, more tone due to thier glue in necks (i think anyway), they usually have 2 humbuckers, so really good for rock and blues, and also their shorter scale lengths the strings are looser and so they're good for bends..

Personally i like starts better for thier more versatile sounds, their longer scale lengths...
saying all of that, I'm actually biulding a guitar at the minute, that resembles a les paul more than a strat... except it's got a long scale length (slightly longer than a strat's scale length)...

[natethegreat2186]

me, personally, i always like to have both up there on stage with me. because of the great difference between both of them in sound and in action and feel, i would love to always have both there.
i play many different styles of music- rock, blues, alternative, ect. but no matter what kind of music i play i love the les paul. its the feel, shape, sound, tone. now don't get me wrong, strats are great guitars. But in my oppion les pauls rock the house.
i do find that strats are better for playing really fast licks.

[pickin4life]

I havent been playing very long and dont know very much. But from what ive seen, heard, and know personally overall the Les Paul is a better guitar. Although the Strat is an exceptional guitar the Les Paul just has something that puts it over the edge. Strats are better for somethings but overall Les Paul.

[yukonc5]

They are both equally great guitars. They each excel at their own unique sound. Listen do anything David Gilmour does or any of the guitar solos from The Alan Parsons Project and you'll see why the strat shines...then listen to Thin Lizzy, the solo in Aqualung, or the guitar player in Indigenous to see why the Paul shines... I love 'em both!!!

[PonyOne]

We actually had a major discussion on the merits and downfalls to the LP a month or so ago (I championed the downfall side). The glue in necks have a miniscule area actually connected to the body as compared to the Strat neck, even though the strat neck has 3 or 4 bolts going through it.

Gibson uses better woods than Fender, which is the main reason the LP's resonate more than your average strat. LP's are still good instruments, bu if they'd quit cutting corners in production, they'd be better... imagine if LP's had a full-assed neck joint, the tonal possibilities... that'sa one of the main reasons the Heritage LP knockoffs sound way better than the genuine article. They also cost way less.

You can't beat a strat for versatility, especially if you get a fat strat (hum-sing-sing). When you're a tinkerer like me, that's definitely an appealing factor.

The most comfortable body, IMHO, would be the SG or Jazzmaster/Jaguar body. I've got an SG that is just f-ing amazing, and I'm getting a custom Jazzmaster-bodied guitar (no stupid flush-mount knobs, hum-sing-sing, korina body, bubinga neck w/ebony fretboard, it's gonna be sweet).