Gibson Les Paul vs Fender Stratocaster: what made them legends

One of the most heated discussion between guitarists is between Gibson and Fender, and more specifically between their two flagship guitars: the Les Paul and the Stratocaster.

Both guitars have a very rich history and have very different ideas behind their models. 

I am not going to go too much in-depth as I am sure many of you will know most of their history and what famous guitarists use which guitar. 

Instead I am going to focus on the actual reason why they were created and what tones they produce.

A brief lesson of history

The Les Paul has been created in 1952, when the president of Gibson , Ted McCarty, decided to co-create with a man named Lester Polsfuss, better known as Les Paul. Les Paul was known as an innovator and inventor; he liked to experiment with things that were ahead of his time, such as sound-on-sound techniques, tape delays, phaser effects, etc.

The Les Paul was created initially to reduce the feedback guitarists often get from hollow-body guitars. He did so by taking an Epiphone guitar, sawing it open and putting a piece of massive wood in it. The end-result was a guitar that caused less feedback and had way more sustain, something the Les Paul models are still known for.

The sustain on the Les Paul models is what makes them special. Yes, it causes them to be very weighty, but it also generates a huge versatility, which has made the Les Paul the best overall guitar according to some guitarists. 

The Stratocaster on the other hand was first seen in '54. It has made its appearance thanks to a cooperation between Leo Fender, Freddie Tavares and George Fullerton. 

What made this guitar so special is its feel and its cut-out. The average Stratocaster ranges between 7.7 lbs to 8.6 lbs. In terms of kilograms, that would be 3.5-4 kg.

The average original Les Paul however could go anywhere between 9 and 12 pound. Even though the diffence may not seem like a big deal, every guitarist that has had the opportunity to play both will say that this makes a huge difference when you are playing during long periods of time.

The cut-out is the second and main reason the Strat is such a popular model. It is the bit under the neck of the guitar towards the higher notes. As you could notice there is no wood present (as opposed to the Les Paul). This greatly improves high note action and playability. Something to keep in mind for some, redundant detail for others. Truth is it made the Stratocaster one of the best selling models of all time.

Little fact: Leo Fender quit Fender (due to an influction and disagreements with other stakeholders in Fender company) and started Music Man once he had been cured. After selling Music Man, he founded another new company together with George Fullterton called G&L (after George and Leo).

This company has since produced guitars according to the vision of Leo Fender and his companion and has become a brand that has also been producing Stratocaster-like guitars.  

Round up: If you ever wonder which feel is best, there is no real answer. You will just have to try them both and see which you like best. It mainly depends on what tone you are looking for and what other preferences you might have (playability, weight, sustain, aesthetics, etc.) .

Tone

As stated earlier on, what makes these guitars legends is the sound they produce. They are both great guitars, and just looking on YouTube for the differences in tone will probably be a bad idea. YouTube is very handy, but also compresses. A lot. 

So, it would be better to find out the differences in tone by looking on other websites and maybe even head over to your nearest guitar shop and give them a go.

Not only the way they are shaped makes the very different. They also use different kinds of pick-ups.

I am not going to go too much in-depth as far as pick-ups are concerned as I assume you know what advantages single-coils have over humbuckers and the other way around. 

I would however like to say that it is really important later on to decide which you like better, because certain effects as well as amps cope with one better than the other. I will mention which cope with which better in separate reviews, but it is something worth noting.

That is why I am giving you a last bit of advice in this article: do not buy an effect or amp, simply because your favourite artists uses them.

Unless you are willing to completely recreate their rigs, the best thing you could do is at least try them before you buy, since you might find out that that effect does not sound that great on your current amp with your guitar, etc.

As always, please leave a comment down below if you have any further questions.