Is it merely a matter of personal preference or are there notable differences between the two in terms of what one can do versus what the other can't do?

Me... I do mostly lead and fills but I also go into heavy rhythm. Ideal tone: Somewhere between a particularly dirty SRV tone and some nasty grindcore death metal puke... with Black Sabbath somewhere in between. (All three at once!!! :D )

What are the differences, if any real differences? :confused: My current guitar is HSS and I like it... it's also the "road less traveled"... yet another reason to dig it, I think.