I use both (well actually a Peavy clone of a strat) and a real LP Black Beauty along with several other brands of guitars.
I think it really depends on the sound you want.

I think the point POSITIVE NRG made up there about when you need more then one guitar sound and don't went them to fight for sonic space in the mix is excellent. That can easily be solved by using different model/sounding guitars. If you use the exact same guitar and same amp and guitar fx settings on every guitar part in a song it will lack depth and texture.

Hey Gretchboy, my Les Paul, strat, and my playing would make your make you wanna crawl in your pussy little hollow body and hide.

as someone who has played both a les paul and a strat i can't understand u people. u say a strat can't make good heavy rock sounds or play metal..... have u ever even tried. my les paul gets all muddled when distorted and my strat sounds awesome. strats all the way!!!!

What Amp you using? Coz i use a Marshall and my Gibby Les Paul isn't Muddy , it's nice and crisp and clean ( Nothing better than the roar of a marshall and a Les Paul) My strat doesn't have the power of the Gibby , but with a bit more volume, it cranks as well. --Fatal

i use a little fender deluxe reverb that survived from the 70's..... and after thinking about it and playing them both again i have mixed feelings. playing the kind of music i play the strat is a better fit but for some one playing a different type of music with different shaped hands the les paul might work better. i guess its an opinion thing.

I have the luxury of owning one of each ( G-LP and F-Strat ) So i can honestly make a decision as to which one is better. First of all I want to point out, these two guitars are both unique in construction from each other, there for you get two seperate destinct sounds ( Strat Tingy but full, the LP definatly rock solid mid strong sound ).

I could go on and compare the diferences of these two beauties, all day. So i'm gonna cut to the chase here. I like them both and i don't think either one is better than the other, both have unbelievable sound ( when your amp is set up right for each guitar ) Yes the LP has a ton of sustain which makes it very easy to play, LOUD! You have to give the strat some Power from your amp to get it crankin and DAMN it cranks!
I also find that both guitars sound equaly as nice, played clean! That about sums it up , spend some time with one of these babies , you won't regret it .....Trust! -Fatal

Having owned both a Strat and an LP in the past, I can say that I prefer the LP when I'm playing. It has a dark and rich tone that is nothing like the Strat. In an orchestra or concert band setting, the musicians are trying to get the darkest and richest tone they can, which is one strong point for the Les Paul.

My problem with Strats is their tone. I owned a 70's reissue strat. It was a beautiful instrument, but playing it through my fender amp, it alway's sounded thin and weak. I tried everything, but it never sounded good to me. One think I loved, though, was it's clean tone. That's my only regret when I got rid of it, is that I no longer had that clean tone.

The Strat is a beautiful instrument, though, and it play's real nice. That's why my instrument of choice right now is a Jackson guitar. It's basically a small strat with a fast action and a pointy head. I put in two SeymourDuncan pickups in (A Custom in the bridge and an Invader in the neck!) Then I put in Warwick concentric pots, so each pickup has its own volume and tone knob, plus I can coil-tap them. It's gread! I can get almost any tone!

I also keep a Les Paul on hand, because even my Jackson doesn't beat the tone on that thing!

However, what I haven't said is how much I love to hear other people play a strat. For some reason, I love the tone when other people play them, but in my hand, it's like nails on a chalkboard! IT's weird, I know, but cool!

As long as your strat doesnt have cheap pickups they are the ultimate guitar. You cannot reproduce the sound of a strat, you can go from surfy all the way to crunchy blues. Not to mention the ease of play.

Now, LP's are overpriced for their sound. The sound of a LP has a beautiful sound, but it can be reproduced in many other, much cheaper guitars. I own a 70-73 Ovation Tornado Condor semi hollow body, very rare because nobody really bought german guitars here in the early 70's. As soon as I threw some new pickups on it, it sounds as good as many Les Pauls, creamy thick sound!

A strat is one of a kind, (hundreds, possibly thousands of stock strats produced however), but Les Pauls are overpriced and not a unique sound at all. A good SG comes damned close to sounding like a LP as well.

I dont know much about Les Paul guitars, but I have a stratocaster and It rocks!

the two can not really be compared. i mean, the les paul is a beautifully hand crafted heavy-body guitar, with a set neck, all sorts of fancy stuff, that runs for some 2-3000 dollars for the real thing. a strat is a bolt-on neck stamped out chunk of wood with single coil pickups and an extremely basic, bolt-it-together design.
who ever said les pauls sound and look 'horrid', what the fuck kind of rocks are you smoking? i dont think i've ever heard a strat that sounds like a les paul. and i've damn well never seen one that looks as beautifully crafted as a les paul. i guess its a difference in taste, but i dont even see a comparison. maybe compare a strat and an sg, they are at least somewhat more similar. in my experience...well i own a mexican fender tele and strat, a '72 american strat, an ibanez s470, and just a damn 600 dollar epiphone standard les paul. not even a gibson. this thing outdoes all the others in tone, sustain, and lets not forget the look of it. i guess thats just from my point of view...i really want a classic rock sound. it may sound kind of cliche but i fucking love led zeppelin