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Differences between Stratocaster and Gibson LP?


RudyH

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I don't know much about either guitar except that there are two camps of players, some favoring the Fender and others preferring the Gibson.

 

What do you find to be the differences between the two? Do you prefer one over the other? Is one "better" than the other?

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Stratocasters by nature of the single coils have a thinner tone. Not a better tone...thinner.

Great for blues. The bell like chime from a Strat cant be beat.

 

Les Pauls have humbuckers so the sound is very thick and creamy. A true rock machine

Classic rock and Les Paul go hand in hand.

 

Ones not better then the other, only different. I love them both.

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i went to guitar center and check both the LP and strat out. i like black and dark sounds and colors. the LP suits me perfectly the weight and deep sound. the strat is too lubby dubby bright and jolly. it reminds me cosmetically and soundwise like something a band in a 1960 diner would be playing with, and dancing like in hairspray.

though im not a player hater, yngwie plays a strat they cant be all that bad. ill probably buy one after i get my goldtop, black beauty, and icetea LP you know just to own one.

 

edit- your LP is pretty sexy chanman

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It all depends on your playing style. As deepblue mentioned, neither is "better" than the other- just different. As a rule of thumb, LPs are generally much more expensive, but they also use different materials. A strat doesn't have a maple top or humbuckers so it won't give you that thick, powerful classic rock tone that so many LP players utilize. A strat on the other hand is great for blues which is why it's been used by players such as SRV and Hendrix. I know lots of players (like me, Thunder, and Neo to name a few) who use both brands frequently. But I agree with Tim (I mean, uh, R9)... you should play both extensively and go with the one that feels right.

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To me, the difference between a strat & a paul?

 

The fanciest Strat looks like mass-produced cheapness compared to a Les Paul Custom. To each his own.

 

Yeah, they are night & day with regards to feel, sound, etc. but to me the biggest aesthetic difference is the beauty and mass of the Les Paul.

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To me the biggest difference between them is the scale and fretboard radius, .75" doesn't sound like much, but I have small hands/fingers. A larger flatter radius is better for string bending then a smaller rounder radius which is better for cords. Then the differerence of neck joint, I perfer set necks or thru bodies to bolts on's. I do not like fender's tremolo's either goes out of tune, the double locking one work great, but I don't like the way they feel when trying to pam/mute over the bridge, but that's me. The types of wood also make a tone difference as does the pickups, but you can get humbucking strats and single coil LP's.

Strat = 25.50" scale, 9.5" radius, bolt on neck, most have a whammy / tremolo

LP = 24.75" scale, 12" radius, set neck, most don't have whammy / tremolo

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Both are excellent.

 

As far as your Question - what are the main differences? Well, for what they are worth =D> here are a few of my own thoughts!

 

SOUND:

Firstly and Very Importantly : if you are planning to use lots of FX then you won't really hear the sound of the guitar so choose the one you think is the prettiest.

 

If you are planning to hear the guitar then the main difference is the Strat's single coil pickups have a 'thinner' sound which is especially nice for some types of blues, for instance. Typically - listen to JJ Cale; mid-'70's Clapton; Lowell George, early Dire Straits etc.

The Les Paul (it follows) has a 'thicker' sound which is especially nice for some types of blues...Peter Green; mid-'60's Clapton; Duane Allman etc.

In addition to the standard sound produced by the pickups the Strat also has what is known as the Out-of-Phase sound where the polarity of one p-up is reversed relative to another. This has the effect of creating the 'hollow' tone which is especially nice for some types of blues.......well, you get the picture.

 

The Strat is also usually found with a factory-fitted tremolo bridge whereas with a Les Paul (usually - there are exceptions) a Bigsby, say, would have to be added.

 

The Les Paul has a much greater ability to 'sustain' a note. This, in turn (in my opinion), allows for a wider scope for tonal emotion : simply put; you can do more with the note.

 

BUILD QUALITY:

The Les Paul is produced by a company which had it's beginnings in creating very fine, craftsman-built (acoustic) instruments. They were, in effect, like beautifully made bits of furniture. The Les Paul, although fundamentally different in principle to the acoustic instruments, was still built by craftsmen doing their best to create beautifully made guitars. They still are, today, Beautiful things to behold and handle.

 

The Stratocaster was created with a totally different ethos. It could be built, in effect, more according to production-line methods. Subsequently it could be machined, assembled by relatively unskilled workers (no offence to anyone intended) and sold for a lot less money. However - if a neck were to break on your Les Paul you would be in trouble - with a Strat you can just bolt-on another one...

 

The Les Paul is normally a heavy guitar; the Strat is, in comparison, quite light. This may matter to you if you are playing to an audience for a couple of hours nightly; it depends on your fitness! (No, not really).(Well, actually, yes. A bit.) Gibson now make solid-, chambered-, and weight-relieved- Les Pauls. Try them out. Buy a wide strap first...

 

PLAYABILITY:

The Strat has a neck which lies on the same plane as the body. The Les Paul has it's neck angled back somewhat. Most players I've talked to (but that's hardly representative) find the latter to be more comfortable to play. Individual preference is all that matters here. Try them both.

 

The flat deck of the Strat presents less difficulty to a beginner as the strings are slightly easier to reach. Again, only personal preference will tell you. Try them both.

 

The scale length, and therefore the neck, of the Strat is longer. Although you will become accustomed to whichever you buy, if you end up with both it makes swapping between the two less simple if you tend to play without watching where you put your fingers.....

 

The double-cutaway nature of the Strat makes it somewhat easier for some to play in the upper-register of the neck. If this fits your playing style you may want to start thinking about a double-cutaway Les Paul.

 

The fingerboards have differing radii; the curve on the fretboard of a Strat is (or at least was) available in different versions. Some Les Pauls have fretboards where the degree of curvature changes as you go towards the upper frets. Again, try both.

Also, the Strat can be found with both maple and rosewood 'boards in the same range. The Les Paul is almost always rosewood or ebony and this is model-induced. They all feel different. Try them all.

 

The back of the Strat is heavily 'dressed' away (chamfered) at the area where the guitar and your body meet and also where your picking/strumming arm crosses the lower bout of the body. The Les Paul, on the other hand, is quite a thick beast with well defined edges...the Strat is certainly more comfortable in this aspect.

 

On a more personal note.......

For 24 years I was first and foremost a Fender man. As things were getting ridiculous about the house I managed to whittle my mess down to three Strats (a '64, a '73 and an '82) and a '62 RI Tele custom. Recently, however, I realised the only solidbody instrument I ever wanted to play was my '60 re-issue Les Paul. Subsequently I sold all my Fenders. People change and it's vitally important to know what it is that you yourself want.

 

Try everything and choose which you really, really want. Otherwise you will be certain to regret it.

 

"Here endeth the lesson"

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Have you even played the two? Discussing this is pointless unless you've played them. It's like comparing curtains to blinds.

 

I like blinds better..

 

Also, check out some of your favorite guitarists and see what they play. That may give you a little better sense of the tone difference between the two guitars. But you do need to play both.

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"Here endeth the lesson"

 

 

Thanks Pippy. I found your post very helpful.

 

I'm a Gibson devotee but I love the sound my Strat makes. There's nothing like that woody - you describe it as hollow - "in between" tone you get from a Strat.

 

I don't own a Les Paul but have played several over the years. For me' date=' a Les Paul through a Marshall - it's the high octane, full fat, rock guitar.

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I'm going to hate myself for doing this - but there is another path too. The Telecaster.

 

Its a plank made in a factory and bolted together, and yet.....

 

When you get a good one it is so mind-blowingly different you can't live without one.

 

Took me 46 years of twanging on the LP/SG and Strat/Super-Strat type guitars before I tried the Tele route favoured by inspirational ( to me ) players like Rory Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Roy Buchanan, Bill Kerchen, James Burton, Danny Gatton, Albert Collins, Steve Cropper, even Pagey in the Yardbird years.

 

Now I get it. =D>

There ain't nothin' to hide behind on a Tele.....

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Why choose? Most guitarist would be crazy not to own both in their tool boxes. I owned a LP, custom Black Beauty until I sold it for a CS 356 which is on order. It was too heavy for me to play for long periods.

 

I subscribe to a different philosophy.

 

You are a musician first, a guitarist second and you like to play music, third.

 

This means that you would need to own many different types of guitars depending on the kinds of music you like to play at that moment. I mean, sure you can use one guitar to play everything, but it would not sound great for all music types. For example. I love the traditional jazz guitar sound, so I own a L5. I love the smooth jazz sound, so I own a ES 346, PJR. I Iove the rock and fusion sounds, so I own a PRS Santana III (I didn't care for the extra stuff, $$$ in the Santana II). I also love the blues, so I own a Fender Tele and I will own a CS 356. I love to play funk, so I own a Fender Strat. And finally, from time to time I will play some folk, hence the Ovation celebrity works best. Guitars are like major food groups. You'll need at least one of each types of guitars: hollow, semi-hollow w/ double coils, solid w/ double coils. solid w/ sinlge coils, semi-hollow with single coils and an accoustic.

 

An Artist of One.

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Id have to say the only real difference is, Look, feel, Weight, Tone, Scale, Quality, style of music, and about a hundreds of other things. It's kind of like asking the difference between a Chevy Pickup and Porsche Boxster there both nice vehicles butt that's about it.

 

I mean they both have six strings and are wood?

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