A lot of my musical influences played Les Pauls (Duane Allman, Jimmy Page). And I’ve always thought they are one of the most beautiful guitars ever built, but the price kept me away. Eventually I found an LP Classic for a reasonable price. I never play it. It sits in its case under my bed. Sure it plays nice and it looks great, but I don’t use it. With Gibson’s skyrocketing prices, it’s probably a good investment. But when it’s time to play, I grab a Strat, or a Tele or a Ric or even another Gibby, but not the Paul.
So here are the reasons why I prefer Strats:
Reason 1 – A MIA Strat cost less than half what a LP Standard cost. I’m basing this on MF prices of $2,119.99 for a Gibson Les Paul Standard ’60s Neck (List Price: $3,178.00) and $949.98 for a MIA Strat (List Price: $1,356.99).
With a deluxe or a signature Strat you can get up to $1300-1400. With a Les Paul you can get up to…well what does a Jimmy Page sig. LP cost, $12,000? And worth every penny I’m sure.
So I could have one Les Paul or two Strats; or one Strat and one of something else; or one Strat and an extra grand in my pocket. I think even hardcore Les Paul players would have a hard time convincing people that a Les Paul is twice the guitar a Strat is.
Reason 2 – I’ve never heard of anyone breaking the neck on a Strat (excluding abuse). But a Paul with a snapped neck is very common. Which leads me to number 3.
Reason 3 – Bolt on necks. If you did happen to snap a neck, anybody with a screwdriver could replace it. Setting it up would be more difficult, but still nothing compared to removing the neck on, pretty much, any Gibson. Which leads into number 4.
Reason 4 – Interchangeability. Want to put this neck on that body? If it’s a Strat, no problem (or a Tele). If it’s a Les Paul, big problem. There are also plenty of aftermarket Fender products available (necks, bodies, etc.). So someone with intermediate skills can build anything they want (within reason). Apparently Leo had this in mind when he decided on the bolt-on neck for his Fenders. He wanted people to be able to swap out parts, or mix and match parts to get what they wanted.
Reason 5 – Wood. Les Pauls are built primarily of Mahogany. A beautiful and great sounding wood, which grows in the rainforests and could be clear-cut right out of existence. Strat necks are made of Maple. Strat bodies are made of Ash, Alder, Popular... All these woods grow in the U.S. and are renewable.
Reason 6 – Variety. You can buy Strats with three single coils or two singles and a double, or two doubles, or HSH… Strats come with 7.25” radii or 9.5” with V-neck, or C-neck profiles, maple or rosewood fingerboards, hardtail or softtail.
Not that you don’t have a choice with an LP. You can have a 50’s neck or a 60’s neck, your choice, although apparently not for the same price anymore.
O.K. LP fans, fire at will.
I hope you Strat Cats have my back.
So here are the reasons why I prefer Strats:
Reason 1 – A MIA Strat cost less than half what a LP Standard cost. I’m basing this on MF prices of $2,119.99 for a Gibson Les Paul Standard ’60s Neck (List Price: $3,178.00) and $949.98 for a MIA Strat (List Price: $1,356.99).
With a deluxe or a signature Strat you can get up to $1300-1400. With a Les Paul you can get up to…well what does a Jimmy Page sig. LP cost, $12,000? And worth every penny I’m sure.
So I could have one Les Paul or two Strats; or one Strat and one of something else; or one Strat and an extra grand in my pocket. I think even hardcore Les Paul players would have a hard time convincing people that a Les Paul is twice the guitar a Strat is.
Reason 2 – I’ve never heard of anyone breaking the neck on a Strat (excluding abuse). But a Paul with a snapped neck is very common. Which leads me to number 3.
Reason 3 – Bolt on necks. If you did happen to snap a neck, anybody with a screwdriver could replace it. Setting it up would be more difficult, but still nothing compared to removing the neck on, pretty much, any Gibson. Which leads into number 4.
Reason 4 – Interchangeability. Want to put this neck on that body? If it’s a Strat, no problem (or a Tele). If it’s a Les Paul, big problem. There are also plenty of aftermarket Fender products available (necks, bodies, etc.). So someone with intermediate skills can build anything they want (within reason). Apparently Leo had this in mind when he decided on the bolt-on neck for his Fenders. He wanted people to be able to swap out parts, or mix and match parts to get what they wanted.
Reason 5 – Wood. Les Pauls are built primarily of Mahogany. A beautiful and great sounding wood, which grows in the rainforests and could be clear-cut right out of existence. Strat necks are made of Maple. Strat bodies are made of Ash, Alder, Popular... All these woods grow in the U.S. and are renewable.
Reason 6 – Variety. You can buy Strats with three single coils or two singles and a double, or two doubles, or HSH… Strats come with 7.25” radii or 9.5” with V-neck, or C-neck profiles, maple or rosewood fingerboards, hardtail or softtail.
Not that you don’t have a choice with an LP. You can have a 50’s neck or a 60’s neck, your choice, although apparently not for the same price anymore.
O.K. LP fans, fire at will.
I hope you Strat Cats have my back.
... and i'd like one of each some day ...
