I have the opportunity to buy a fender custom shop strat or a Gibson LP standard.

They are the same price and i would like to grab one.

I feel like the custom shop will be a great investment.

The gibson is pretty and will also keep it's value pretty good.

I like playing both equally.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Narco!

Which one calls out to you? If you already have a Strat or two, grab the Gibby........... Mike

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

+1

That'd be the way I'd play it as well.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Definitely, one of each is the way to go.

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Support your local guitar shop.

What CS model is it?

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I'm a Strat man, through and through as to me, it is the most tonally versatile and comfortable guitar ever made. OTOH, it can perceived that Les Pauls all play inherently easier than Strats and are a, "one trick pony" tonally; indeed, an exceptionally nice, "one trick pony" at that. The only thing I can say to help you with this kind of investment is for you to consider this:

If you could only own one guitar many years down the road and based on what you can only presume will be your stylings then, which of the two guitars will still give you that 'warm and fuzzy' feeling all over like you've [still] only had it for 2 days? Herein lies your answer.

Good luck either way!!!

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You dig?

To tell the truth, I love both guitars. I own an epiphone lp and I love the sucker. I have always had a love hate relatioship with strats. I love the way they look, love the tonal diversity. Didn't like the way the cheaper ones feel on me, and my other fender tele goes out of tune so easily. Hopefully the locking tuners will help with that.

Leaning to get the fender. Love the cherry burst.

All us Strat die hards will tell you that the truth is, playing a Strat, especially to the point where it is your #1 guitar is an acquired skill. Although LPs play easier, in the final analysis, Strats feel more substantial. There is an adjustment period but once mastered, you're hooked. I know this makes no sense but once you're part of the 'club', you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

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You dig?

Ok but then an Epiphone Les Paul is also a budget Les-Paul.

If you are considering a guitar solely based on value, driven by future demand, you might be wiser to look into Fidelity Index Mutual Funds, park your capital there for a much better risk to return ratio.

I didn't buy my 59 LPC in 74 because I thought it was a great future investment, I bought it because I wanted to play Savoy Brown, Foghat, Ten Years After.. in short Boogie Blues. Had I known the value for today, I may not have sold it in 93.
Anyway I sold it simply because it was incredibly heavy, did not fit the style of Music I was now playing (90's Mahogany Rush, Trower, Beck with a J.) and I wasnow mostly playing a strat hybrid, humbucker in the bridge with single to dual switch and single in mid and neck,(still have that guitar, about to undergo stripping and a major rehab).

Get the guitar that fits you today, you cannot create great music with a poorly matched instrument. Fighting your guitar every night gets old very quickly.
As far as the tuning problem, get new tuners from any of the reputable suppliers discussed on these forums.

Personnally I find a Strat is a bit more difficult to play than a fretless wonder Les-Paul, the Strat requires a better technique to get what you hear out of it.
It comes down to which glove fits best....

Personally I wouldn't consider a Fender Custom Shop an investment unless it's a very special run. You can get used CS's all day for $1500. Not saying the Gibson is a better "investment" but they'll probably both be worth the same amount in the end.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

So is the Gibson a Traditional or a Standard? Traditional I would take in a heartbeat over the CS...the Standard, if a newer speced one, I would likely pass.

If you don,t have a CS strat get the strat. Its a whole new world. LP,s are nice but not what I like and I have tried many times.

WTF ?????? GRAB A GIBBY??? IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A STRAT ???

This is a FENDER STRAT forum, if you ALREADY a strat you shold BUY another one , or at least DREAM about buying one.

Please, no more comments of this nature on this forum.

BTW buy the custom shop, but play it first. Lots of people think that any CS will fit their personal needs and style just because they are CS.

Although a CS is never a bad investment.

"GUITARS ARE NOT INVESTMENTS"

UNLESS.... they are vintage,(50's-60's) are extremely rare, that is high demand small number (under 50) of pristine originals or are master built Custom shop one off's or limited edition under 100 Custom Shops.

Guarneri's are investments, Stradivarius's are investments, a Michael Gurian acoustic ( which i played today ) may possibly be an investment.
A black fretless wonder 59 Custom Les Paul (2pups) was an investment (didn't know it at the time).

But for the rest, NO....NO....NO...

There's too many and too many variations of them around, therefore, no intrisic value other than what they are, a preowned instrument whose value is estimated by false reasoning.
Resale wishful thinking.

Buy a particular strat because it is an instrument which fits you and allows you to be musically creative like no other, price is secondary, if it is the right instrument for you at that moment, most serious musicians find ways to pay for that instrument.
Buying that instrument believing it will increase in value, Wellll..... there's a whole line of unemployed real estate agents that would love to speak with you...

Some of this is really Silly

" Was that year a good year for MIM strats ? " THat question clarifies the absurdity that we've gotten ourselves into.

We are discussing musical instruments and how to improve-ise said instruments or compare hardware, woods, etc..etc...

Could we PLEASE return to intelligent debates, discussion, help and advice to others who got ripped off online or from a shop..

WHEEEW...

I love that observation about technique! That's something that should be discussed more often! I never really took to using a pick so I just use my fingers, it makes a world of difference to me at least how I pick the strings. Whether I flick, pick, pull, attack from above or below whatever it changes the sound tremendously! I'm 3 years in playing guitar and it's still just me, the guitar, the amp, and clean setting with volume knob.