Les Paul or Stratocaster?

Recently i visited an old friend of mine, and we were sitting talking when he suddently wanted to show me something.
He had bought a Fender Stratocaster, and ofcourse i had to try it out. That was the first time on the strat, i only play on Les Pauls because of my musical taste (70's and 80's rock, Hardrock).
So this is it, i played for 2 seconds on it, and my playing and my fingering on both the fretboard and on the the right picking hand felt soooooooo awkward right away. It was really wiered, and i told him that i sucked on this somewhat else beautiful guitar.

Could this be a normal thing? That im so use to be playing on my Les Pauls, that it's simply difficult playing on strats?

If i personally should rate the two guitars even though i don't like comparing such things because everybody has different meanings, i would have to go with the Les Paul. I think that the way the pickups and the bridge is placed on the Les Paul is much better than on the stratocaster where i think you hand easily can slip off. And the body on the Les Paul is much more comfortable i think.

This is just my meaning, so don't rip my head off, if you feel that im totally wrong :)

See you all later!
Casper

Hi Casper,
I think it's a matter of preference. I started on a Strat and prefer the feel of a Strat but a Les Paul has a feel and sound that most Strats don't offer. And Paul's are a lot chunky-er sounding, nice and meaty, great for hard rock (my fav) but if I had to pick only one I'd prob pick a strat with a humbucker in it just cuz the strat feels more comfortable to me.
A lot of guys use a Paul for recording because it's tone is undeniable. Eddie Van Halen used a gold top Les Paul on a lot of the first Van Halen tour even though you usually see him playing his custom strat.

Well, I play mostly Ibanez guitars that split the difference between the two. I like both equally for different things.

I do however have a problem with Les Paul guitars with the placement of my picking hand and the rings on the pickups... I seem to be able to hit all kinds of plastic with the pick... it seems Les Pauls and me are not going to be friends. They're also a little heavy compared with the radius (JS) type guitars I favour.

Likewise if I get a little over-zealous on a strat when using the bridge pickup, I hit the pickup selector with my hand, or roll the volume down with the side of my pinky...

I guess we're all used to what we're used to...

In a straight battle between the two, I'd probably take either a strat with EMGs or a Les Paul routed for a floyd rose ( :eek: )

I'm glad we cleared that up.... ;)

Originally Posted by: Neal Walter
Eddie Van Halen used a gold top Les Paul on a lot of the first Van Halen album even though you usually see him playing his custom strat.

Do you have a source for that? :confused:

We recently had a thread about this business of EVHs guitars.

Everything I've read quotes EVH (and others) as using the Shark for some of the non-vibrato tracks and tunes (i.e. RWTD, YRGM, etc.).

You can clearly hear the difference in tone from those tracks and tunes on which he obviously used the B & W Frankenstrat (i.e. Eruption, I'm The One, etc.).

Further, the old promo vids from VH1 show him playing the Shark for RWTD and YRGM.

I've read a couple of things from EVH and others that he did use a Les Paul on later albums for small overdubs. But I have never heard he used a LP on the first few albums at all.

I know he used a LP live on the first few tours. I've seen pix and vids. And heard a couple of bootlegs in which I assume must be using it. Doesn't sound like the B&W Frank. And in older interviews he mentions occassionlly using his LP later in a concert set because, "By the end of the show my strats were all out of tune!".

Hi Christopher,

I stand corrected, I thought I had read that Eddie used a Paul on the first album but i can't find it now. I may have gotten this confused with the early tour pics of him on his gold top and this pic, Eddie in a studio with a les paul in 1976:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43908441@N00/418097068/in/set-1198559/

this is obviously before the VH records and looks like a rehearsal. There's a cool pic of Alex at the same session too.
While I was unsuccesfully trying to prove my point, I found Eddie's first interview:
http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/evh/gu072378.php

..it's cool, his outlook is so fresh.

I'm going to edit my original post so no one is mislead.

Originally Posted by: renWell, I play mostly Ibanez guitars that split the difference between the two. I like both equally for different things.[/QUOTE]I've owned both (LPs and Strats), and I find I prefer Yamaha and Washburn. My first 'real' guitar was a 1965 Yamaha SG2, which is set up like a Jazzmaster. The body shape is much more comfortable than any of my Strats ever were.

Originally Posted by: renI do however have a problem with Les Paul guitars with the placement of my picking hand and the rings on the pickups... I seem to be able to hit all kinds of plastic with the pick... it seems Les Pauls and me are not going to be friends. They're also a little heavy compared with the radius (JS) type guitars I favour.[/QUOTE]I've owned a few Gibsons, but invariably sold them after I rediscovered why I didn't like them. I have two Yamaha SG-1000 double-cutaway guitars instead of LPs, a Yamaha SA-2100 instead of a 335, and a Washburn A-20CS instead of an Explorer.

[QUOTE=ren]Likewise if I get a little over-zealous on a strat when using the bridge pickup, I hit the pickup selector with my hand, or roll the volume down with the side of my pinky...

I converted my last Strat to 1 Tone and 1 Volume pot, which got rid of the pot next to the bridge. I don't miss it much though. I prefer my Yamaha SG3.

[QUOTE=ren]I guess we're all used to what we're used to...

After you spend enough time trying different things out, you lose patience with things that don't fit. That's why I tell beginners not to worry too much about getting the perfect guitar to start on. Their tastes and preferences are definitely going to change as their skills and styles develop. Each to their own. It takes a bit of time to discover what 'your own' is.

Les Paul OR Stratocaster - BOTH

I think what has been affirmed in this thread is that the name on the headstock means little and whatever works, sounds and feels comfortable to you is the winner.

I have a Strat currently and have own an LP (and am soon-ish to own another) so they are good guitar for me and loved them both for different reasons. I somewhat have the fortune of being able to own more than one guitar these days. Back in the day, I had to find one guitar that served as many masters as I could. So I had to choose (...it was the 80's and I chose a Kramer American Baretta). I like that I might have a little smargasboard to choose from and thus why I could never actually answer the original question.

If you have to go with only one axe, forget the name on the headstock. Just play it and if it sings and fits like a glove, there's your choice.

I wonder if a custom strat with two humbuckers would get that chunky hard rock tone of a LP or does the wood and neck etc have that much to do with it?

I gotta go with my fat strat, for the versatility of blues, rock and metal when I wanna get wierd. But there may be a custom strat in the future. Hmmmm, maybe a bridge and a middle humbucker with a single coil at the neck..... :D

Originally Posted by: GuitardedGeezerI wonder if a custom strat with two humbuckers would get that chunky hard rock tone of a LP or does the wood and neck etc have that much to do with it?

Wood density and amount have a good bit to do with tone. Resonant properties of the wood have lots to do with tone. Pick ups and amps can help shore up the differences a little but don't really completely overcome the natural tendencies inherent in the wood.

Can you get strats in different materials?

Originally Posted by: RazboCan you get strats in different materials?

Most often Ash, Alder and Poplar. Special artist models have used more exotic stuff but those are the key materials.

If materials are flexible, would it be safe to say the defining difference in Les Paul style vs. Strat is the HB vs. SC?

Funny thing about guitars (to me) is how everyone seems to want the same instrument. Don't understand why Strats, for example are so prevalent. I happened to be watching a video today and the band was on a small stage. They all had Strats, but in different colours. I t was kind of amusing. I don't think they intended that, just that is what has happened: everyone owns the same thing. (An exaggeration to be sure, but just making a point.)

And, I'm not knocking Strats, I just wonder what that magic is that makes them what they are in the industry.

This is taken from a post I wrote about 8 years ago (you really should try the search feature):

"Gibson and Fender were pioneers who took two different roads on their way to fame and fortune.

The LP was based on traditional acoustic guitar-making techniques. The result is a hard-to-build, labor-intensive (expensive) guitar. The fact that it sounds as great as it does is thanks to the co-operation between Gibson and Les Paul. (Yes, he's a real live person; he still plays in New York).

The Strat was born of Leo Fender's 'clean page' design approach. The result is a guitar that is very easy to build in a production environment. It sounds as great as it does because Leo got advice from a lot of working musicians while he was developing his design. That's why this instrument is relatively light, and the contours make it comfortable to play either sitting or standing.

Both companies got 'locked in' to their early design choices by their success.

You won't see a Les Paul with a Strat-type bridge because then the neck would have to be positioned parallel with the body, and then you'd lose the 'wrap-around' effect that brings the neck to your fertting hand when the forearm of your picking hand is resting on the guitar body.

You won't see a Stratocaster with a high bridge (which would get the strings away from the body where they're easier to get at), because then the neck would have to be angled back, and that's a tricky proposition for a bolt-on.

The Gibson SG was their shot at a low-bridge straight-neck. They screwed it up big-time, because there is not enough 'meat' between the neck joint and the pickup. This area is so weak that the guitar is hard to tune. Any tension change on one string causes the other five to wander off.

All of the Gibson line has another weak spot in the transition from the neck to the headstock. Repair shops stay in business because Gibson's "lose their heads" so often.

I suggest some open-mindedness is in order. The music is the main consideration: everything else comes down to making it happen. If you play complicated jazz chords, you need a relatively short scale length, and the Gibson may be a good choice for you. If you have large hands, or you spend a lot of time at the high end, the Gibson scale length is likely to cramp your style.

If you like a particular sound, shut your eyes and let your ears do their thing. I've owned 'Pauls, an SG a '62 Strat, and a Jaguar. I haven't kept any of them. I still play the Yamaha SBG-1000 I bought back in '84 (for 1/2 the price of a Les Paul Custom). I've put DiMarzio pickups in it, and it sounds so good that when I was short of rent money, I sold my '62 Strat, and kept the SBG. I've also got an old Washburn A-20. It looks plug-ugly, but I don't see much of it when I'm playing it, and it sounds so good, I don't care what it looks like.

'Nuff said"


Basically, other manufacturers are going with what sells.

Thanks for the suggestion. I Searched "Fender and Gibson" and came up with 17 pages. I'll be sure to go thru them all.

Originally Posted by: GuitardedGeezerI wonder if a custom strat with two humbuckers would get that chunky hard rock tone of a LP or does the wood and neck etc have that much to do with it?

I gotta go with my fat strat, for the versatility of blues, rock and metal when I wanna get wierd. But there may be a custom strat in the future. Hmmmm, maybe a bridge and a middle humbucker with a single coil at the neck..... :D

I was thinking of something exactly like that. Fender seems to have the option of "micro tilt" http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster.php

This could help resolve that low bridge issue giving you some extra Les Paul feel.

I really think you could closely (I stress the 'closely' for all you purists. :) ) reproduce what ever you wanted using the Strat body shape if you were otherwise able to pick materials and components.

I really must become a genuine Strat owner and I've been thinking Fat Strat. My wish list is sooo long. :(

Lordathestrings really detailed the core of the origins in the fundamental differences between the two "giants".

I'd like to add one detail. A traditional Strat tone is very much shaped by having a vibrato system. There is a big hole in the middle of the body and the springs on the claw plate in the back act precisely like a simple mechanical spring reverb.

Conversely, a traditional Gibson Les Paul has no such thing. It is a solid chunk of wood. Likewise this is a big part of it's tone.

Even though a "hard tail Strat" (no vibrato bar or block) sounds more like a Strat than a Paul, to me, it still doesn't have the total Strat tone.

And I also agree with the principle that the music comes first. The different machines are just tools to achieve your goals.

A traditional Strat tone is very much shaped by having a vibrato system.

I wanted to say that, but I don't like speaking of what I have not personally experienced or at least have some sort of corroboration on the theory.

Hey Everybody,
I've had a LP, SG,, and a 335, still have 2 strats, 4 teles, guess you can see what I prefer. I'm not really wild about the necks on a Gibson, and they are heavy guitars. They worked great for playing rock though, and I was goofing around with Skynyrd, AC/DC, Molly Hatchet, and the Doobie Brothers before I started the country stuff. That's why I had all of the Gibson guitars, use to play around with the riffs when I wasn't playing at bluegrass festivals. I was actually working for them when I got my first tele, their comparison to a tele was a knighthawk. It was lighter with single coil pick ups, but the neck was the same as an LP.

I play the teles more than anything, unless I'm doing a blues gig, then I want a strat. The depth of the cutaways make it easier to play higher on the fretboard. I can get there with a tele too, but the cutaway is not as deep. The middle pick up also gets in the way sometimes, that's why I don't use them on country gigs.

JD

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelLordathestrings really detailed the core of the origins in the fundamental differences between the two "giants"[/quote]

The more I get reading, the more there is to it. Fretboard radius, woods, pick ups, neck angle, "tremolo".... I was looking for the "primary difference" in my question, but I realize now there can't be a simple answer.
....
[QUOTE=CSchlegel]
Even though a "hard tail Strat" (no vibrato bar or block) sounds more like a Strat than a Paul, to me, it still doesn't have the total Strat tone.

Another assertion I've read is it is the size of the pickups... pup:body ratio I guess :) Some fellow had put 3 HB's in a strat that was otherwise 'all strat' and could not get the sound even with coil taps.