Strat vs Les Paul

I don't have any problem, per se, playing a song on either guitar. I simply prefer to use a guitar with hot humbuckers for certain types of music and the single coils for other types. I have eight guitars, ranging from nylon string classicals, to a 12 string acoustic, and like anyone I might fumble a little bit on a guitar that I have not played for awhile until I get used to it again. Sort of like driving someone else's car.

I'm a Strat man myself. I can't believe how much Les Pauls have gone up in price nowadays. Sorry, but to me it's just not worth it.

It took me a waaay long time to get into my Strat, having come from several hears of Les Paul, and before that, an SG copy. The curvature of the fretboard was more than the LP, the string spacing was narrow at the nut end, the pickups sounded weak and notes just dried up and fell off. The maple fretboard was a horror for me, but the hardest part was the picking because Fender spacing and Gibson spacing - down near the bridge - are real different. I even went so far as to buy a Perforance Guitar (remember those guys?) 22 fret, Gibson radius, ebony fretboard replacement neck - which I never installed.

Why? Because the Strat finally taught 'me' how to play it, maple fretboard, 7 and whatever inch radius, wide bridge spacing, weak, thin pickups and all. I did change the pickups out to Duncan HotStacks, but because there were lots of lights where we were houseband - not so much for the sound - and I did rig up an extra toggle so I could get all the pup combos, but basically, it's the same guitar. After that, after realizing that I was trying to impose my technique on the guitar rather than letting it 'let me play' it, it was incredible.

Now when I pick up the Les Paul, it's like 'the war is over' and each one, with its own quirks and personality, I can appreciate and enjoy. Same with the other instruments like blutic1 said; you fumble a bit and then you're on it again.

Best

I'm a Strat man myself. I can't believe how much Les Pauls have gone up in price nowadays. Sorry, but to me it's just not worth it.

That's just because you haven't found the right LP yet!

But seriously, it's easy now to pay too much for an LP, but it's not required. You can buy an American HSS Deluxe for 1k, and I would argue that you're getting approximately the same quality of equipment as a LP Studio, which is in the same price range.

Should also mention here that I've owned both, so I'm not entirely uninformed. In the end, it came down to style preferences rather than build quality.