Stratocaster vs Les Paul

Yes, it’s the age-old guitar debate, which one of the two is better: the legendary Fender Stratocaster or the equally-legendary Gibson Les Paul?

Fender and Gibson are without a shadow of a doubt, two of the largest, most widely-recognizable names in the guitar playing world. Second to none, these two have made and manufactured some of the best guitars ever, and hence, are directly responsible for some of the greatest rock tunes that have ever been produced in the last 50 years or so!

The Stratocaster and Les Paul are arguably, the biggest names in the guitar playing world and two of the most desirable pieces of musical instruments.

It is no surprise then, when one discovers that all great rock music that has been made ever since the 60s, has been made on either the Les Paul or the Stratocaster!

Every rock legend since the 60s has donned one of these guitars in their lifetime. Iconic stars such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Black, Buddy Guy, Malmsteen, John Mayer, and Ronnie Wood were and have been Stratocaster players their whole life. While rock heavyweights including the likes of Slash, Jimi Page, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Tony Iommi, Brian Jones, Angus Young and Carlos Santana have donned Les Pauls their whole careers and virtually their whole lives!

It is therefore, safe to say that these two guitars, and their many variants, have been responsible for producing, hands down, some of the best music in the history of mankind!

Which is Better?

The question then really is: which of the two – the Gibson Les Paul or the Fender Stratocaster – is better?

I’ve been the proud owner of a Gibson Les Paul SG and a (now-discontinued) Fender VG Stratocaster, and while I am far from having the expertise to say which is better, I can tell you that both have their strengths and weaknesses, and none really is superior or better than the other!

Both guitars have different tones, produce different sounds and are hence suited to different types of music. The strat, for instance, is preferred for blues, rock, country and indie music, while the Les Paul is more suited for Rock n’ Roll, and hardcore rock music genres such as hard-rock and metal music.

In terms of looks, the jury’s out once again. Both Gibson and Fender make some extremely attractive-looking guitars. But personally, I think Les Pauls look a tad better than any Stratocaster I’ve ever seen, but that’s just me, feel free to disagree.

As for the price, Les Pauls usually cost a lot more than the Strats, although that’s not to say that some Strats too won’t cost an arm and a leg, but generally, Stratocasters can be bought on the cheap. But generally speaking, be prepared to shell a couple thousand of your greens for Les Paul models and its variants, especially the signature ones!

All-in-all, both of them are two excellent music instruments, which are simply suited better of different genres. That is not to say that both cannot be used interchangeably. You can pick up any of the two and use them to make just about any sort of music.

My Preference

The important thing is to know which of the two you feel comfortable using, before shelling out two or three grand of your greens on either.

For me, I prefer the Les Paul, mainly because I grew up worshipping Metallica, watching Hetfield and Hammett produce the best music on their Les Pauls all their lives.

I remember picking up my first Les Paul a few years back and immediately ‘felt at home’ using it. That is really the most important thing when it comes to guitar-playing, choosing one that feels comfortable to use, since your axe is something you’ll probably be using for a long time.

However what I really dig about the Stratocasters is their complete superiority to produce better bluesy music, especially blues-rock. Any Strat, if tuned just right, will produce great blues tones. Another thing that goes in favor of the Stratocaster is its ability to be able to produce diverse music.

In the end, it all really comes down to personal preference. My recommendation? Get both, get one of each. If you’re a serious guitar player, and music’s your passion, it would be criminal not to own two of the best guitars ever made!

Amps

Amplifiers are just about as important as the guitars themselves - you might spend thousands on a great Les Paul or a Strat, but it would be a big mistake to pair it up with a cheap amp. I won't go into details about amps in this article, instead, I recommend reading up on LearnGuitar.org.

Additional Read

If you’re into technicalities and want to know how exactly Les Pauls and Strats differ in terms of features, sound and build quality, this is an excellent read!