I own and play a Les Paul Standard HCSB as well as an American Deluxe Ash Strat. I love them both , as both have very distinct sounds. As far as looks , the LP is very nice looking and well crafted. This is why i bought the best Fender has to offer. This Ash Strat is very well put together , as far as Fenders go, and has a top notch sound to go with it. These are two ofthe best sounding and playing axes i'v ever had the plesure to play!

--Fatal

I think that they both have their advantages. Les Pauls have a MUCH better sound to them. They are the last surviving remnant of TRUE 70s guitars (which strats, though called "vintage", are in no way representative of most guitars of that era). The prominent belief was that the more stuff that could be shoved into the guitar the better it was, heavy brass hardware, two fat humbuckers, solid heavy bodies, full flared necks, etc, etc. We all know what makes a less paul a les paul, they are freaking amazing. However, with all that girth it is very..."rigid" i guess is the right word. The thing that is nice about the strat is that even though it comes with a whimpy tone when you buy it stock, it can be customized MUCH easier. For me strats are more fun because I can tinker with them and add cool stuff into the stock guitar, but a les paul is all I would ever want if i had to be concerned about going on stage with something (not like that'll ever happen). So there is my two cents.

BOTH THE STRAT AND LES PAUL ARE FINE INSTRUMENTS IT JUST DEPENDS ON PREFERENCE AND MUSICAL STYLE I OWN BOTH AND LOVE THEM BOTH I PLAY EVERYTHING
FROM METAL TO MOZART

Strat or Les Paul is the same question as Marshall or fender when discussing amps…

Some products get famous and ride on their name for a long time.

The times they are a changing though. Guitar and amplifier manufactures nowadays are numerous and the quality is exceptional in many.

I personally love guitars and I think anybody who does, should definitely have a Strat and a Gibbson in their collection.

For me the true tone of a guitar is in the pickups though… Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio etc

You can mount these on a piece of ripped out garden fence strung with barbed wire and you will be able to hear the tones of the great players coming through.

Well that’s my five cents worth,

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I've always been a Strat guy, I had an '89 American standard and still have a 2000 American standard. Strats are so easy to play, every Les Paul I'd ever played had kiler tone but a big chunky neck that I found difficult to play.
Then one day I played a Les Paul with the 60's slim tapered neck and Shazam! Killer Les Paul tone with an easy playing neck like a Strat! So I went on a quest to find a Les Paul that would not put me in the poor house. I ended up with a 2003 Gibson Les Paul Special in Faded Cherry. To me this is the best bang for the buck Les Paul out there. It's got what it needs for killer tone and playability but is cheap because of the finish and lack of the rounded top like most Les Pauls have. They can be bought on ebay for $500, and mine came with a hard shell case. It has a solid mahogany body and neck, 60's slim tapered neck, and Gibson 490R and 498T Alnico Magnet Pickups. Sounds every bit as good as the $2000 Les Pauls but was waaaay cheaper and is also lighter in weight, about 71/2 pounds.

This Strat guy might just be a LP guy before to long. We have this weekend off so haven't gigged with it yet....

What I've noticed is that all the players famous for destroying their guitars used strats. They're just so mass produced that it's not like you're destroying a work of art, like you'd be doing with a Les Paul.

Actually, now that I think about it, didn't Townshend use SGs? Or did he switch between SGs and Strats?

loads of u are saying how there is more out there than fenders and gibsons... but stick to the question guys... STRAT OR PAUL?

i'd say Les Paul

Hey, I love Gretsches, but hate the abusive idiot on here that can't talk about his axe without insulting anyone that plays anything different. Hey Brother, I'll go toe to toe with you on stage with dueling Gretsches...PREPARE TO LOSE!!! I got the touch, and the tone my man.

As far as the discussion goes...Les Pauls all the way. If you had of asked to choose between Les Pauls and Telecasters, then I'd have a tough choice...As far as Fenders go, I love Teles, and hate Strats

You obviously haven't owned a Ricky or a Danelectro otherwise you wouldn't state that their tone is mediocre.
Actually to correct myself one doesn't need to have owned either of these fine guitars to appreciate the lovely distincive tone that they produce. Even the lowliest of Rickys the 610 has that typical Ricky magic tone.
Personally Strats and Les Pauls can't really be compared and to say that one is better than the other is silly.
They also have distinctive tones of their own and any opinion on their sound is purely objective.
Putting tone aside the Les Paul is a superior axe when it comes to workmanship and finish but that's not what we are discussing is it.
Another point I must make is that any comparison must be made between similar models e.g. Strat deluxe/LP Custom .
Personally I prefer Telecasters. I've owned three Stats and a couple of Teles and Teles seem to hit the spot (with me at least)
My attitude is that yah gotta have one of each in your arsenal.