Forget LP vs. Strat. I'm keeping both!

[moff40]

There's room for all three, because they all do something different. I have all three in my arsenal, but I've gotta admit that both of my 'casters are modified. The Tele has a Dimarzio PAF in the neck position (with coil split) and a dual-rail bridge pup (also with coil split), and the Strat has a Duncan P-Rail neck pup and the other two pups are strat-sized "p-90"s by Pete Biltoff. Clean or with gain, both of them sound killer.

And what's weird is that I've been taking my 'casters to the gig lately, and leaving the Gibbies at home... Probably just a passing phase.

[passingtime]

All 3 have their particular appeal, and I have all 3, but I love my R8!

[Grand Pappy]

I played a Gibson LP exclusively from 76 to 92 and from 2000 to 2005.
I was a Fenderphobe and refused to take bolt on necks seriously. I considered them toys compared to the mighty Gibson. Then something happened.........
I bought a Tele at night wearing a mask & hid it in my room. I played it and found much joy. Then I bought a Strat and came totally out of the Gibson closet. Still got my Norlin LP and it's still my #1, but there's plenty of room and time for my Fenders, too. Variety is the spice of life! Owning all 3 enriches lives!

[blakem]

I will NEVER understand anyone who does not like a USA American Fender Stratocaster..I will NEVER understand anyone who doesn't like Gibson Les Pauls.. I will never understand anyone who likes Parker Fly guitars... LOL!

[dcooper830]

I like Les Pauls, 335s, SGs, Strats, and Teles.... and not really anything else.

Give me any one of those guitars and I'm happy. But my favorite is the Les Paul.

[guitarfish]

I've never understood the claim by people that they can't get a Strat to sound good. Seriously? It isn't that difficult, and you don't even need pedals to do it if you have a good amp. Such a ridiculous amount of great rock-n-roll was made on the Strat, the notion that they don't sound good is absurd.

Kudos to the OP, having both is the way to go, you'll have a ton of tonal variety.

[blakem]

Originally Posted by guitarfish

I've never understood the claim by people that they can't get a Strat to sound good. Seriously? It isn't that difficult, and you don't even need pedals to do it if you have a good amp. Such a ridiculous amount of great rock-n-roll was made on the Strat, the notion that they don't sound good is absurd.

Kudos to the OP, having both is the way to go, you'll have a ton of tonal variety.

It's a bogus claim, plain and simple. Also not only do they sound killer, the necks are fantastic, the playability is sweet.

[SlapChop]

While I only play my Strat about a 1/4 the ammount I play my LP (both the low end being Epi and MIM), I still LOVE the tone I can get from my Strat.

Love it!

YouTube - Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs

YouTube - Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs

[sonar]

Originally Posted by guitarfish

I've never understood the claim by people that they can't get a Strat to sound good. Seriously? It isn't that difficult, and you don't even need pedals to do it if you have a good amp. Such a ridiculous amount of great rock-n-roll was made on the Strat, the notion that they don't sound good is absurd.

Kudos to the OP, having both is the way to go, you'll have a ton of tonal variety.

It could be a player's approach to the respective instruments. With an LP I tend to play more on the 1-4 strings and fall into pockets, using the 5-6 strings for a partial bassline or just accenting the root. On a Fender scale I feel more comfortable establishing the root on the 5-6 string (as opposed to a LP) and work my way up and down the neck more than a Gibson scale. Personally, I don't find these approaches to be easily interchangeable. YMMV.

[moff40]

I change technique depending on what a song requires, and of course, I'll change technique between electric and acoustic guitars, but I don't change just because I've gone from my LP to my Strat or vice-versa. Sometimes I end up having changed techniques and guitars at the same time, but that's just coincidence. The change in technique is because of the song, not because of the change in guitar - I'd play a given song the same way regardless of the guitar I use.

It's kinda like golf: you keep your stroke the same and change clubs to achieve the desired shot. I keep technique the same and simply change guitars to achieve the desired sound.

[Boleskinehouse]

Strats do force me to change my technique though, however slightly. I don't like the necks, I don't like the scale length, and I certainly don't like how they sound with any gain. I don't like feeling like I'm fighting the damn guitar and that's what Strats are like to me.

I keep it around because it sounds different, not because it sounds great.

[moff40]

Originally Posted by Boleskinehouse

Strats do force me to change my technique though, however slightly. I don't like the necks, I don't like the scale length, and I certainly don't like how they sound with any gain. I don't like feeling like I'm fighting the damn guitar and that's what Strats are like to me.

I keep it around because it sounds different, not because it sounds great.

I have a different experience. But I guess that's why we discuss things...

Even though I've been an LP guy since I was a teen, I've found that playing my Strat "feels like going home". It's more comfortable and easier to play than my Lesters, and sounds killer with or without gain. I love the neck pup sound and the bridge\middle combo. And, of course the P-Rails bridge pup gives lots of options. Even though it doesn't have some of the low-end "thump" of my Lesters, that Strat's got something.

And my Tele will tear your face off at 50 paces. I don't mean that it has that thin, high frequency "icepick in the forehead" thing that Teles can have; I mean that it's rough and ready, fat & warm, and can bite when needed.

[Boleskinehouse]

I think mine just has shitty pickups. Sounds wonderful clean though. The thing with me is that I started with Gibsons, that's all I ever played until I got a Strat 10 years ago. It's just too different and uncomfortable..

Teles I get along with better. Especially the large neck varieties.

[Mr Insane]

Originally Posted by Boleskinehouse

I think mine just has shitty pickups. Sounds wonderful clean though. The thing with me is that I started with Gibsons, that's all I ever played until I got a Strat 10 years ago. It's just too different and uncomfortable..

Teles I get along with better. Especially the large neck varieties.

My '54 RI sounds "bland" right now. It might be the strings.

I thought about bringing it tonight to play for a change of pace, but I like Gibsons too much.

[zslane]

My heart belongs to the Les Pauls in my collection, without question. But I also have a hankering now and then to bang on my Strats, so I'm glad I have both. I don't find my technique changing between them (nor when I pick up my one Tele or SG), and I'm not sure if that's good or bad.