After years of playing a Les Paul, I've bought a MIA '04 Strat. I love the sounds I get at home, and the tones on stage. I'm playing a lot more country stuff, and the Strat does the trick. I'm having problems getting used to it tho. When I gig, I take the Strat and the LP with me. I start out playing the Strat, but after the first set set, sometimes the 2nd set, I feel like I need to play the LP. The Strat is set up and feels so much different, and the pickups are not as punchy as the LP (they're the noiseless ones), I just don't feel as comfortable with the Strat as I do the LP. I don't know whether to trade the Strat off, put it away for a while, or force myself to bond to it. I'm torn between my love for the tones of the Strat and the being comfy with the LP. What to do?

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Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

Personally I would find a few songs that the Strat is really great for in your sets. Play the Strat for those songs, then go back to you LP.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I found that the MIM Std Strat w/ Rosewood was pretty much a direct fit in terms of 'feel' to my Gibson LP. But my MIA MN V Dlx Strat feels different, not sure if it's the color/length/shape of the fretboard playing tricks on me or if it's the neck shape. The SCN's are definitely quiet, but I agree they have less 'punch'/'fullness' than the 490/498 humbucker combo. It just takes some practice with your songs on the new guitar to get used it, or you could try one of the other Strat models.

From what I've witnessed over the years, it seems that players tend to be drawn to one over the other but still use the other albeit, sparingly due to each being two totally different instruments, tonally improbable to duplicate. I've also noticed that a lot has to do with which was the individual player's first work horse between the two.

FWIW, I, myself favor Strats. Of course, I LOVE the rip that can be had out of Les Pauls. (Who wouldn't?) Notwithstanding, even after over 40 years of playing, I just can't warm up to playing Les Pauls and I knew decades ago, I'd never be able to bond with one. So inversely, you're not alone. What to do? All I can say is this: There's no point in trying to circumvent the inevitable.

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You dig?

Give it some more time and you'll get used to the Strat. Personally, I like the variety of having more than one kind of guitar because it would get boring with all Les Pauls or all Strats. The differences between them inspire me, not hinder me.
I like CAFeathers' idea of playing some songs that suit the Strat. Maybe cover a Hendrix song to help bond with the Strat.

And about Strat pickups being lower output than the Les Paul...well that's the way it has always been between single coils (even the Noiseless ones, which are rather lifeless anyway in my opinion) and humbuckers. Either adjust the volume knob on your amp when switching guitars, use a volume pedal, plug the LP into padded Input #2 if your amp has one, use a boost pedal for the Strat, or just enjoy the natural differences between the pickups like we have been for the past 50 or so years.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

What amp do you play through?
It makes a difference,single coils vs. humbuckers.
I went through the same thing as you after years of playing a LP through early Tweeds but mostly Marshall,Peavey,and at the last a Mesa Boogie.When I went back to a Strat (I had started on a vintage '65 years ago) same thing as you,I wanted to play the Strat but always switched back to the Paul but was not happy with the tone I was getting with either.
So...I searched for a Blackface Deluxe Reverb ,whamo! a '66 DR and an AS Strat and there it went,mojo tone.
From there several Strats later and several BF amps,with a few pickup changes here and there and I can't believe how great the tones are.
The guitar is part of the package,a big part,but don't scrap a Strat until you let it breathe through several different amps.

Play what you like best and get a Telecaster for that Country music. Still won't feel like a LP and a Strat will never feel like an LP the necks play totally different.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

It's amazing to me how something like a guitar neck whose measurements vary in such small amounts from model to model can feel so different. My first main guitar was an Epi LP and when I bought my Strat it was a different world. One which I now love. I would have to say that even after about 3 months I am still finding that the Epi is like a comfy pair of old jeans when I pick it up. The more I play my Strat the more I get used to it but I'm not a gigging musician so I can take my time. I assume that with the amount that you play you would get used to it quicker than most but I also think that when you've put that many hours into a LP than it could actually take you longer to get used to the Strat. It's an interesting situation.

Keep bonding with it. I was in the same situation. In my case, I found using the same gauge on my strat was harder then my LP. I had to move my strat down to .10's . Many guitarists out that play the guitar that best suits the song... If a strat doesn't work with the LP, switch. But if its just a feeling or tone thing, you can make changes to the strat. Such as making it a double fat strat (two humbuckers)....

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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Send it to me right away and I'll let you know exactly how long it takes to get used to!! I'll send it back with a full report, but it might take quite a while to get it just right

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your ears and hands will tell you what to do. i switch between a strat, LP and a charvel. i love em' all. i would keep it and do some adjusting on your amp for the differn't guitars.

Try putting the LP up and force a relationship with the Strat. The truth is that you may never be comfortable with it. You may have to dump her. I wish I had all the money I spent on one night stands with beautiful guitars!

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Fender 50th Anniversary Strat
Fender Road Worn '50s Strat
Fender Highway One (HSS) Strat (D standard tuning)
Fender '72 Tele Deluxe
Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212

Play them both. I play my strat for some and my SG for others.

I took to Stratocasters pretty easily. My first guitar was a Strat copy back in the 80's, since then I have played Gibson V's, Jackson V's, BC Rich Warlocks, and many Super Strat-styled guitars before my first Fender Stratocaster. I bonded with it before I left the store with it...that is my mandate now when purchacing a new guitar. I have bought one too many guitars on impulse and regretted the purchace after the honeymoon phase is over.

I hope you can bond with it. I really like Stratocasters and could not picture myself not having one.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I was a heavy Gibson guy, too. When I got my '04 Strat (because I always wanted one) I was surprised how difficult it was to get used to. I went cold turkey, though -- nothing but the Strat for many weeks. I was not going to let it beat me. It was not long, though, until I could float back and forth effortlessly between the Gibson and Fender ... but I was determined. (haha)

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...