My earlier criticism should have been directed to the knucklehead who wrote the article, not to the guy who put up the post. My apologies.
He obviously lives somewhere far far away from the real world. The big boys e.g. "Clapton" only play certain guitars because they are paid to do so by the manufacturers either in cash or through some type of sponsorship. And in a lot of cases the axes they use on stage have been doctored up so much that they sound nothing like the standard version that us little people can buy, unless we are prepared to part with shitloads of our hard earned cash. The point is that if we follow these guys when we make our choices we are being led up the corporate garden path as the inducements they are given to play a certain axe on stage certainly colour their judgement when they make their choice.

Why are you so anti Strat mr Anti Strat.I agree that they are sorta junky with their bolt on necks and low impedance pups etc etc but in spite of all this they still put out a clearly pleasant and distinctive tone. You have to admit that they have an ageless shape which has been copied by many other guitar manufacturers.
Did your mother hit you over the head with one when you were a baby?

The strat is single handedly the most versatile guitar out there...Strats rule.

The Les Paul is nice to look at but they've never felt right in my hands. They're a little too heavy, way too $$ and don't provide the wide tonal palette that the Strat does.

i think the les paul has a big fat sound, but isn't very clear. the strat has a twangy sound, but it is very distinct and popping. strats are good for punk rock, when les pauls are good for classic/prog rock. the paul is heavier, but worth it for the crazy sustain from hell. i reccomend the les paul

I love good guitars, no matter what the brand(Gibson, Gretsch, Fender, Ibanez,etc...). As long they are delivering the tones and hold up very well than I don't care. Lots of guitars have served me very well at different times for different purposes. Right now I'm using a strat, but that's just because its the only guitar I haven't had to sell. I'd gladly use any other brand so long as it does what I require of it and I don't require much. I offer only this advice, find a good versatile, workhorse guitar that you are comfortable with, and with tonal qualities you like.

Definitely apples & oranges. The only thing a Strat and a Les Paul have in common is that they're popular electric guitars that emerged around the same time. I have both and love both for entirely different reasons but I don't favor one over the other. That said, I still own and frequently use an Ovation UK II electric and an Ibanez RG 570 as well because a Strat and a Les Paul, however versatile, can't get every tone or sound you're ever going to want.

Granted both Strats and LPs have their attributes, there was many other good guitars out there. It's hard not to be influenced by what some of the well known rock guitarists play. Fenders and Gibsons happen to be the most readily available guitars out in the marketplace. These companies also have the money and marketeers who sponsor and provide these guitarists with equipment. What great publicity it is to have such well known guitarists using their equipment. On another note IMO, while some claim that LPs are good for blues, I see most blues players using strats. I have a few guitars and enjoy all of them. They each hold their own music niche and are well suit for various genres of music.

I'm still playing my strat after 25 years