Originally Posted by: Slipin LizardStrat: a bit harder to play, though reaching higher notes is easier due to the double cutaway. Bright... can be made to sound harsh but also easy to articulate each note.

Les Paul: a bit easier to play (the stretch for your fingers is not as much as the Strat). Versatile... can sound like a lot of guitars (just not a Strat, ha ha!). Can sound muddy, particularly on the "neck" pickup. Otherwise, rich, full tone.

Think about those things a bit when you try out a guitar... move the pickup selector around, and try the different sounds to get a feel for them.

Exactly!! As an owner of each style of guitar, I can say this advice is spot on. The only thing I'll add is that the Strat is more verstatile than the Les Paul as far as sound/tone goes. With humbuckers at least (which is the most common LP configuration - you can get one with P90 single coils), the LP cannot attain the same trebbly cutting tone you can get from a strat set for the bridge pickup. However, with the neck pickup set on the strat, you can get some really smooth and buttery LP-like tones. Each guitar still has its signature tone quality, but the range of possibilities with the strat are more. You don't see too many jazz players play strats, but you can get a jazzy tone out of it for sure.

Slipin - regarding jam tracks to be found online, where do you find these? Where is your favorite place to find these?