for me it would be a toughie. if i already had a good selection o fenders, i'd go for the les paul. i've always wanted one. my first two guitars were cheap replicas. and i've always loved the sound and look of them. a les paul and a marshall is one of my favourite tones. but that tele just looks mmmm mmmm. so, dunno, toss a coin when ya get there i think lol. or whichever one ya fall in love with on that day of purchase.

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thought of you tonight, in simple twists and turns, incarcerated here, i'm handcuffed to your world, your innocence is cruel, coquettish and arcane, but i need it all the same

Why not split the difference and get a '72 Telecaster Deluxe? It's the best of both worlds!

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

I would go for the LP. I've gassed for a silverburst LP for awhile. But the price of the really nice models and now the fact that they arent all solid anymore bothers me.

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I'm a Fender guy through and through. I had an LP once...while I appreciate them...I am not a fan of them. I feel that they are over priced for what you get...but...they are nice guitars. Just give me my Teles..and of course my Strat for variety and I am a happy man...but that said...you have to get what is going to make you happy. I will forewarn you..LPs are a heavy guitar and the difference in action...well..they play loose in my opinion....going from a Tele or a Strat and playing an LP you will feel like you are playing rubber bands..not a criticism of the LP...just how it felt to me..bending was so easy that I had a tendency to over bend... but...they do have a beautiful sustain!!!

In this case I say get the Gibson. A little variety will be nice. I'll always be more of a Fender guy, but since you have several Fenders why not branch out a little. I have an SG among all my fenders and although I dont play it as much as the others I really like the contrast between it and the Fenders when I want to play certain things.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

you should get the les paul for variety.

If all you have is Fender you deserve the right to know if you have collected the right brand. Get the Gibson and decide.

The big mother-of-toilet-seat position markers on the Les Paul Standard always made me a Les Paul Custom fan (real mother-of-pearl). I swear the tone of a Les Paul Custom with a maple top and humbuckers is clearer than a Standard. The only reason I could figure was the ebony fingerboard.

Me, I would always get one more Fender.

Please don't order that high-end Gibson online!!!!!! Take a three day vacation and go find the one that speaks to you.(Mojo not included)... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

We'll all be looking forward to your pics of said new axe... Good Luck.... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Epic Dilemmas call for epic solutions: Buy both

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

On the opposite end, here is a list of questions to help conquer G.A.S. and it's related disease, G.M.S. (Guitar Modification Syndrome)

1. Consider for a moment the karmic implications of owning all those guitars. Picture yourself dragging your $@! through eternity with all those guitars strapped to your back. In hardshell cases, not gig bags.

2. Who's gonna tune those buggers? Who's gonna change the strings? (this won't work for guys who are buying and selling with great frequency, i.e., if you don't keep them long enough to change the strings)

3. Imagine that your wife finds out how many guitars you actually have ("Is that another new guitar?" "Oh, no, honey - this one's about twenty five years old!")

4. Pretend you are a clarinet player - how many clarinets do you own?

5. Ask yourself: would I like to be thought of and remembered as a guitar player or as a guitar owner?

6. Imagine that you are in whatever vintage guitar shop you visit frequently and are dealing with the owner of the shop. He is of course severely stricken with G.A.S. Now imagine that you are taking on his personality,with each new purchase you become more and more like him. This one exercise, done properly, will do more to stem the tide of new G.A.S. sufferers than anything else I can think of right now.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

I'd go with the Telecaster, but then again I am a fanatic for Telecasters. Can't go wrong with either!

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I got a black cat bone, I got a mojo too.