Fender Stratocaster vs. Gibson Les Paul?

Question

Overall, which do you think is the better guitar for blues? Personally I love the tone of the strat (Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Stevie Ray Vaughan did, too) but I have also met some other blues musicians who preferred the Gibson. Just curious to get some other opinions...

Answer 1

Thats like asking wich ice cream do you like the most , chocolate or vanilla? Love them both! And I"ve played them both for many years now. What most players don't realize as the main difference between a fender and a gibson is the scale length. Most fenders are a 25 1/2 '' scale and gibsons are a 24 3/4 '' scale. The longer the scale the more tension on the strings. Thats what gives the fenders that cool, twangy , biting kind of sound and gibsons the warm , smooth flowing sustain. Sure ,you can change pickups, strings,amps etc....etc.... but you can't change the scale length. Like I said before I love them both. I found out over the years that there is a time, a place and a song for a strat and the same for a les.You just gotta know it when it comes.

Answer 2

I've heard it said that with Gibson's 2 humbuckers and neck through design, you can hit a note, go make a sandwich and come back and it's sustaining. There's nothing like the tone especially when put through a tube amp, either clean or with just the right amount of raunch.
That being said, the first time I picked up a Strat I fell in love with it. It had great sound, and was light enough that you could work it without being a body builder.
Go with what feels and sounds right to you and keep an open mind. Right now I'm playing an Ibanez "Frankenstein" (someone destroyed the body of an RG model and a friend built a hardwood body, added Gibson fixed bridge instead of the tremolo) It's the best guitar I've ever owned. The pickups are designed more for metal, but they sound aw some with a little bit of overdrive.

Answer 3

I like the sound of the Les Paul. Now, some of that sound is from the way the body is made, but most of it is from the pickups. I hate playing a Les Paul, though. They're way, way too heavy, and the access to the upper notes is poor, because the body gets in the way. If you could put humbuckers into a Strat, that would be great!

I'm one of the heretics that think the Les is kind of a clunker.

Personally, I'm real real fond of the Ibanez RG series. They make some cheapjack stuff in this series, but they've got some fine instruments here too. And even the good ones are affordable, unless you're nuts enough to pay an extra six hundred bucks for Satriani's or Vai's name on the thing. And the RG has humbucker sized routing, so you could put a set of nice burstbuckers into the axe. Me, I put a pair of humbucker sized P90 reissues into mine and I love the sound I get out of it.

Still want a legendary brand name? Look into an SG series, either by Gibson or Epiphone.

Answer 4

I have owned both. With todays effects so heavily in vogue, sound isn't the issue. I can easily make a Strat sound like a Gibson, and the reverse is true. Which guitar make you feel as though you can "speak" through it. You'll know it when you feel it. Personally, I like the Strat. The reasons may suprise you. The Les Paul is a true work of art. I feel inhibited with it away from home. The Les Paul is to heavy for me to hold for 4 hours of jamming. The Strat can easily be replaced, if stolen. It's lighter, thus feels better on the back. And remember,everybody love the Fenders too.

Answer 5

Having played both, I really like the feel of the Strat. However, the LP almost hugs your body when you hold it. As far as the sound, the LP is really better than the Strat. The only way to tell the difference is to get them both together, using no effects play one and then the other on the same amp with the same settings. I think personally the Strat has a more "buttery" tone to it and that is what I like, plus you can really get the punch you need out of it when you want it. The LP's I have played were really good but my preference would be the Strat.

Answer 6

The answer to this question is that neither one is better than the other - it depends on what you like to play. They both feel different, react differently, and give different tones. You can use a Telecaster for the blues... or a Yamaha, or an Ibanez. The blues is a STYLE of music - whatever guitar you like best is the one that is the right one for YOUR blues. As a blues-rock guitarist, I use Strats and Les Pauls depending on what kind of sound I want to get. Lately I've been using a Hamer Artist and a very nice Yamaha Les Paul copy, but i usually do prefer Gibson Les Pauls. However, I will use whatever I like as long as it is a QUALITY well-adjusted instrument. I also like McInturff, Brian Moore, Paul Reed Smith, U.S. Masters... anything of quality works for me.

Answer 7

I have to choose Fender's guitars, compared to Gibsons.
The Tele and Strat, with those single coils, convey the feeling better than Gibson's, other than sustain. Music needs to sound raw to be truly effective, so Fender single coils can actually be an advantage.
There are always some exceptions (Albert King's Flying V, B.B.'s 335, or Clapton's 345)....but Fender consistantly sounds more rootsy and bluesy to my ear.
Fender fits the body contour better, has 5 pickup sound settings, and weighs far less than Gibson's LP, 335, or SG. The Fender's won't wear out your shoulder or neck like any Gibson will, and I simply like playing them more.
I've been playing guitar standing up for almost 3 hrs. a night for years....give me a Telecaster or Strat any long night.

Answer 8

Both are great the Strat may be better for the newer sound the Gibsons for the older, listen to Albert Collins to hear great use of the Fender Telecaster. No matter what go with the single coil pick ups and most importantly get a tube amp.

Answer 9

That's like Coke or Pepsi, Burger King or Mac Donald's.
For me , no question, the Strat. But that's totally a personal preference. Strats have more tones available and make you work a little harder to get what you want out of them, but the Les Paul has a singing voice, many great blues guys have used them including Gary Moore, peter green. Its purely a matter of taste

Answer 10

Gibson Les Paul .