Introducing the Heavyweight Contenders
In the left corner, we have the Gibson Les Paul, and in the right, we have the Fender Stratocaster. For comparison let’s not mess about with the myriad of different versions and go for the latest versions of each Standard USA model. Both champions, but which one is better? Firstly the case for the Les Paul…….
Gibson Les Paul Standard
1. Scale length
The Gibson has a shorter scale length to the Fender, meaning looser string tension and therefore easier playability, particularly on bends. You also have the option of upping the string gauge to 10’s or 11’s which give you an even bigger tone and more stable tuning, whilst still being manageable. With the Strat higher string tension means you have fewer options as a higher gauge becomes unplayable, so you have to compromise your tone by using lighter gauge strings to save your fingers.
2. Construction
The Gibson Les Paul is constructed with ‘tone woods’ e.g a thick slab of mahogany with a maple cap and a glued-in mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. On the flipside, the Fender Stratocaster features a thinner alder body with a bolt-on maple neck and choice of rosewood or maple fingerboard. The Gibson is ‘crafted’ using the finest materials in the traditional way. On the other hand, the Fender is bolted together just like any budget guitar you care to mention.
In fairness to Fender, the Stratocaster was designed to be easily constructed, easily upgradeable, and serviced, which is why the Fender feels more like a ‘tool’ and the Gibson more like an ‘instrument’.
Guns ‘n’ Roses: November Rain Solo
Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms
3. Tone/Sustain
Because of the construction, a Gibson Les Paul Standard with its more powerful humbuckers will out-sustain a Fender Stratocaster (and just about anything else) all day long, with no single coil-hum. Note’s won’t die out on you like on a Strat so you can be as expressive as you like with a bit of overdrive. A Gibson Les Paul bridge pickup is your archetypal bread and butter crunch/rock tone that can take you anywhere you want it to for rhythm/lead applications. It’ll punch through with all the authority you could want. And with the neck pickup the classic ‘Woman Tone’. Nothing else can pull off the classic ‘November Rain’ solo.
Manipulation of the volumes/tones gives a wide palette of textures. Listen to ‘Brothers’ In Arms’ and ‘Money for Nothing’ by Dire Straits. A masterclass in Les Paul volume/tone manipulation by Mark Knopfler.
With a Strat, you’ll be constantly trying to emulate these tones, you’ll be piling on the overdrive, experimenting with pedals, pickups, strings, setups, and end up with a noisy thin unusable facsimile of the real deal.
The Fender Stratocaster needs work, patience, modifications, time, experimentation, and outboard gear to get it to sing, The Gibson Les Paul just sings.
Some will say the Gibson Les Paul’s tone is too dark and/or full sounding, too indistinct, not clean enough, and with not enough cut, but as you can see in point 5, most of the Les Paul range now incorporates coil-splitting options, so now you have access to thinner, brighter tones if need be.
4. Issues with the Fender Stratocaster
Here’s a list of problems associated with the Fender Stratocaster that you’d never hear about on a Gibson Les Paul.
- The Bridge Pickup is too Bright. Although the newer Stratocasters have a solution to this in that the tone control is now wired to it and can also be bypassed.
- The Neck Pickup sounds like a ball of wool. Under gain and with a tone setup to tame the bridge pickup, the neck pickup as a result becomes very woolly.
- Single Coil Hum. Not a problem on the Humbucker equipped Les Paul. Fender’s ‘solution’ to this are the hum-cancelling positions 2 and 4, which forces you to use these clean friendly positions when gain is applied. Obviously the bridge pickup would benefit from hum-cancelling the most as 2 and 4 mush out under gain anyway.
- String Breakage. Higher string tension and less break angle over the bridge leads to more breakages.
- Control’s are easily knocked while playing. Get carried away on a strat and rest assured the volume will get knocked.
- Impossible to create a stuttering affect with the volume. Only one volume control on a Strat as opposed to the Gibson’s two.
- Not enough output. You’ll find a lot of players replacing the single coils with higher output humbuckers or single-coil sized stacked humbuckers to try and emulate the Gibson sound. Why not just buy a Gibson?
5. Control Layout and Tone Options
As mentioned above. even though the Gibson Les Paul has one less pickup, the control layout of volume and tone for each pickup is a lot more versatile than the Fender Stratocaster, Here’s why:
- Ability to setup 2 distinct, switchable tones with the tone selector. E.g, a rhythm/lead tone with two different volumes.
- Ability to create a stuttering affect. Turn one pickup off and rapidly switch between them. This effect is used on many records (e.g. Down by the Tubestation by the Jam). Impossible on a Strat.
- Kill switch. Similar to the above, Just turn one pickup off.
- Other hidden extras. A newer feature of Les Paul Standards is the ability to achieve single coil tones via coil-taps, an out-of-phase setting and a ‘blower’ setting on the bridge pickup where (similar to old Strats) the pickup is wired directly to the output jack to give the purest tone possible.
6. Setup
The Gibson Les Paul Standard has a compound radius fingerboard of 10″– 16″, whereas the Fender Stratocaster has 9.5″. In other words, the Les Paul has a flatter radius neck, which becomes even flatter towards the higher frets. A flatter radius equates to a lower action and better playability. On top of this Gibson utilizes a ‘plek’ machine when setting up new guitars, meaning the action is set up as low as possible.
7. You get what you pay for
Look at workmanship and features on a Gibson Les Paul Standard compared to the cheaper Studios, Epiphone’s etc. You can tell the difference in quality.
Now, look at the bewildering array of Fender and Squier Stratocasters. Yes, the American Pro series is the standard, but the difference in quality is much narrower here. Rumour has it that even old ’80s Squiers were on a par with USA Fenders at the time. This says a lot.
The case for the Gibson Les Paul rests.
In summary, the Gibson Les Paul has better playability, construction, sustain, and tonal options than a Fender Stratocaster, but none of the problems. You’ll try and emulate the classic rich sustaining Les Paul sounds on a Stratocaster but I’m afraid you’ll never get there with a maple bolt-on necked guitar with single coil pickups designed to be produced quickly and easily modified.
I know, because for 20 years I’ve tried.
You make some valid points here but, I do think you miss it in a few places. The standard fretboard radius on a Les Paul is 12 inches. It’s not generally a compound radius like what you described. As for the neck pickup sounding wooly on a Strat, I have only heard this with some Mexican and American Standard strats with Rosewood fretboards. With Maple fretboards or just about any Custom Shop Strat you won’t have such a thing taking place.
As for the argument that Les Pauls are too dark, sometimes they are. I have had Les Paul type guitars that just wouldn’t cut through a live mix no matter how you EQ’d them. If you wired the middle tone control to the bridge pickup it becomes a lot more useful. I am honestly not a fan of Gibson’s regular production guitars. However, I am a fan of thier Custom Shop guitars. They will have the best woods and be the best sounding Les Pauls. But they vary quite a bit and you need to play a few to find the one that speaks to you. Les Pauls and Strats both have their quirks. A Les Paul is very clunky to play on the highest frets. Unless it’s an Axxess model. And they’re known for having tuning issues at times. The nut has to be cut absolutely perfect or you’re in for a nightmare. I will say this though, when you find the right one, nothing and I mean nothing beats a Les Paul. The way it resonates and responds to how you play, the way you hit the strings etc. I have a 2018 59 reissue and I think it’s an amazing guitar. With my fender tube amp I can get tones that hearken back the classic era of blues and rock. And it’s also excellent for my Fusion adventures. I like Strat too, Custom Shop ones but even with them I have to be picky as they can be very “steely” sounding. Just uncomfortably ear piercing. But, I am a Les Paul guy anymore. And the current Gibson Custom Shop reissues are as close as most of us can get to having a late 1950s Les Paul. Thank you for your article.
Thanks for reading. I thought I had finally settled on a Fender Player Stratocaster, but out of curiosity picked up an Epi Les Paul Junior which I have previously slated. It was love at second sight I tell you.
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Thank you… although opinions seem to rub people up the wrong way sometimes 🙂
If it please the court? Your honor at this time the State rests and would like to have it released now to the jury foreman
I see several comments knocking Les Pauls for an inferior clean tone but Les Paul spent his whole career trying to create the cleanest possible sounds with zero distortion so while opinions are subjective of course I’d say the LP, specifically developed to be a clean machine, certainly can sound great without being distorted. The intro to paradise city sounds excellent and is clean for example.
Agreed. You ‘can’ get great cleans out of a Les Paul.
Truth! That’s why you need both!
An interesting article. Truth of the matter is, the best guitar is the best one for YOU. Strats do some things better that LPs, and vice versa. I prefer Strats overall because: 1) they are generally lighter and more comfortable to play, 2) they are a bit more versatile, 3) they do way better clean tones and 4) they are almost always more affordable (although I’ve noticed many of the newer Epiphones are pretty nice and won’t cost you an arm and a leg). That being said, there is something about the overdriven Les Paul tone that is just magic. Just glad they’re is room enough in the world for both of them!
Thanks for your thoughts Steve. I’ve been happy with my strat for a while until last night when I was putting together some thick sounding lead. Couldn’t help thinking how it would’ve sounded on a Les Paul. Provably better and with less background noise for sure.
I have been a Stratocaster player for 48 years. I have tried to buy a Gibson Les Paul, it’s correct it can sing has a very fat sound when distorted. But that was it, clean sounding it sounded dull and when I played it, it fell apart. The one switch you have started moving on me, when I was playing it. It didn’t stay in tune. My Stratocaster that I have had for those 48 years stays in tune even if I have it sit around for weeks. It sings and cries on clean tone or distorted. I usually play with clean sound and it performs like a dream, when I distort it, it cries and sings like Clapton or SRV was playing it. On another note I even tried purchasing a Gibson ES-355. On delivery there was even flaws on the craftsmanship. It was a $6000 dollar guitar and it didn’t even stay in tune. You are paying for the name. Gibson…
Fender all the way every day, More options more sounds for many types of Music
Wrong Fenders Make you want to play them Les Paula Don’t …they can’t …they don’t have that feeling like a Strat or Tele Does. more rock was recorded with Fenders than Les Paula strats have a huge array of Sounds. People think Stairway to heaven was recorded with a Gibson it wasn’t Jimmy used a 22 String Fender Strat and a Tele for the solo Guess why THEY WORK BETTER THEY SOUND BETTER FENDERS ROCK 110%. So much more versatile too HAHA Jeff Beck Eric Clapton Jimi Hendrix Richie Blackmore STEVIE RAY. I’M sure you’ve heard of them There’s s a reason for their choice of Guitar IT CAN DO ANYTHING THEY WANT IT TO
Well put “Truth”
Well put “Truth”
Hendrix, SRV, Robin Trower, David Gilmore, Blackmore, Eric Johnson, Rory Gallagher etc, all have fabulous tone playing Strats. Anyway, an SG2000 is better than anything Gibson has made outside of maybe the custom shop stuff.
While I prefer a Gibson Les Paul Standard, I think the Fender Stratocaster is an excellent guitar. In my opinion, It’s just a matter of personal preference.
Interesting article. I’ve tried playing several strats, and regardless of the price point, they all felt cheap and sounded thin. I own 2 Les Paul’s, a Tribute and a Traditional. Both play and sound great, but I’ve played guitars with the same scale length as Fender’s, so I get tripped up on the higher frets. So, in come guitars like Jackson, Ibanez, ESP/LTD, to name a few. The hand made BC Rich guitars of the 70’s to early 80’s are arguably some of the best, most versatile guitars ever made. You can’t find them, and if you do, they’re as much as a new car. Digressing, there are so many types of guitars with so many different options. It’s about what feels and sounds the best while you’re playing it.
I hope no one puts too much faith in this article. A lot of these “points” aren’t facts as much as one person’s opinions
Your sustain comment is bunk and based on common lore.
I will make this easy. I have been playing gigging and recording for over 50 years.
Currently I have two
Am Std Strats, an Am Std. Tele and a Strat SSH Ultra. I had a Gibson LP Classic for ten plus years which I really tried to like and played a fair amt for a few years but never really bonded with it. I hage played a number of other LP and they are simply not my thing.
Mine ended up gathering dust because it just didn’t inspire me. I ended up trading it in on the the Strat SSH Ultra which I have bonded with and love So it’s not a question of which guitar is better it’s about what fits the player and their style. The premise behind this comparison is ridiculous. They are both world renowned designs that have stood the test of time.
Les Paul, = no divebombs
Someone is jealous
Thanks for your side of it. I already covered most of your points with ‘The Case for the Strat’ though.
Couldn’t agree more. Strats are made for the poors. Les Paul all the way! And maybe a prs too.
Surely the whole thing is personal preference
Basing an argument on what one individual prefers is immediately flawed. There is no ‘better’, there is merely what you like to play and that’s it.
When I hear someone who plays a Les Paul I don’t think ,”oh they’re playing that cos it’s better” I listen to what they’re playing, same goes for any Fender player , or any other make someone is hacking the crap out of .
That’s like saying,”You can’t write a brilliant novel cos you only have a pencil and paper”…
1: Scale Length has a sound, therefore it is a preference and an artistic choice which has no better/worse. There is no such thing as “compromising” tone. Different string gauges have different sounds, again, preference and/or artistic choice. Most people play 9’s or 10’s and if they feel like compennsating for the scale length, it is only a gauge away, which is not a world of difference. Looser bends can mean the guitar can feel too loose and the player has difficulty for the fine tuning and micro intonation of their bends.
2: As Yngwie was already putting it. Fenders are guitars, Gibsons are furniture. This point is completely childish. There are goldtops from late 50’s aka the best era Gibson which have mismatched Maple caps. One side plain one side flamed, or any other example. No wood, in no way is better or worse than any other, all different tools for different jobs. Again, preference and/or artistic choice. There are people who played Strats and could keep playing with half the headstock being broken off the guitar during performance. Unlike a gibson where the headstock is just waiting for is retirement globetrotting away from the rest of the guitar.
3: Most Les Pauls, unless they have mini humbuckers or P90’s have the usual les paul sound, with the only difference being how hot the pickups are. This whole point is invalid, it is only a premature gibson ad.Ask your grandmother to draw a guitar, she’ll draw a strat. Ask anyone for a guitar player, they’ll say Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmour, SRV. Guess what? All strat players. And if anyone knows about anything, it is surely them rather than random people writing articles on the internet. Fender Stratocaster is a compromise for the long run, with less sustain, you get like a %30 lighter guitar which keeps you in the music business for a longer time before you have to sit down.
4: All the tones from 50’s 60’s and early days of overdrive are too bright. The strat is from 1954, remember that. Throwing shade on the neck pickup, calling a strat wooly while holding a les paul, I won’t even respond to that. Yeah, hum, because we all dime our amps and leave our guitar with the volume pots all the way on, turn it down to 0 and it is quiet. Plus thanks to that design a strat sounds the way it does. Break angle? If there is one thing Fender is better than Gibson it is headstock design, at least one of them stay on the guitar. A strat is a *player*’s guitar. That is articulate and needs the controls right under, I’m sorry if you want to treat it like an acoustic guitar with a mixing board at the corner, that’s not what an electric guitar is. Stuttering effect aka the Killswitch thing is a trick, if you really want it you can really mod your strat, it is the Best mod platform guitar on the market. What can you do to a Les Paul again? Besides putting on/removing a bigsby and pickup swap? Yeah. Low output is where the magic is at, it allows you to turn your amp up louder where the tubes get hotter and all that natural juicy overdrive start happening.
5: Yeah you don’t set up tones and switch, it is not a pedalboard. The volume pot is right inside your palm, learn to use it. Going onto modern guitars land? Fine tell me a more versatile guitar than an HSS Strat with clever switching, I’ll wait.
6: Only new les pauls have compound radius, back then it wasn’t even proper 12 although most sources say it was. If you can find a vintage one with the frets out, measure it. It is a different feel with the radius. If you really want to argue, the hand is, and the fingers naturally curved, a flatter fretboard literally makes you fight your own physiology. Low action isn’t always better, the guitar needs more maintenance because with the smallest change it can start buzzing. And do you want to play guitar or look up set-up tutorials?
7: This is all coming from the company whose beloved humbuckers (PAF) were all over the place, and I mean ALL over the place in terms of DC resistance. A Les Paul by design, is difficult to make, it simply isn’t as smart from a production standpoint. So yeah you can get a Strat cheaper due to the smart decisions that make building one easier. Plus try finding anywhere better than the Fender Custom Shop, top Fender artists often couldn’t even tell the difference between instruments they had for decades and their reissues just out of the factory.
The case:
Les paul has a weirdly thick neck that is often too narrow if you have big hands. Glueing wood, of course the best option when you can bolt them together and have a guitar you can both carry, and repair easily. Never getting different sounds out of a Strat? Or you think you know your les paul? Try a blind test with me, you’ll love it when you like a squier with humbuckers better than a historic gibson.
Note: Guitars are different and there is that, you pick what you like and play. Simple as that, no need to get as crazy as the things here. I had some free time and decided to answer this piece of crap to make sure people aren’t misinformed like they often are at the era of post-truth. I love all guitars, and won’t let anyone bash any one of them to praise another.