Im looking to buy my 2nd guitar after a Fender Strat and was wondering what I could expect from the following?

Question

http://www.gear4music.com/Epiphone_Les_Paul_Standard_-_Ebony7.html?gad=CLOg5PoBEgiuYNWjjl_P5Ri0mZL_AyD7pZAR

and

http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12/pages/mod_1.12.1/pages/mod_1.12.1.1/pages/index.php?sku=1.1.1.1.1-7-40

Answer 1

They're both good guitars, though very different. Epis are reasonable budget copies of real Gibsons, & the Highway 1 Strat is good too, although I haven't tried one. As alternatives, look at Fender's Japanese range, they're better made than the standard USA models in my opinion, they do some lovely custom shop copies, & they're about £300-£500, good value.
Final tip.. Although I love my USA Custom Shop '62 re-issue, my £400 Ibanez S-series is much easier to play.

Answer 2

Well if you already have a strat a Les Paul would make more of a change - the Epiphone models are pretty good. There are loads of others in the same or similar price bracket, the best way is get into a music shop & try a few out. If you're thinking about Gibson/Epiphone, also try an SG, or for something completely different, possibly a s/h Rickenbacker.

Answer 3

after playing a strat and strat types for many years i bought a epiphone les paul a few years ago. i still have it and would not go back to strats, plays and sounds beutiful, takes a while to get used to the extra weight, but well worth it.