Gibson and Fender were pioneers who took two different roads on their way to fame and fortune.

The LP was based on traditional acoustic guitar-making techniques. The result is a hard-to-build, labor-intensive (expensive) guitar. The fact that it sounds as great as it does is thanks to the co-operation between Gibson and Les Paul. (Yes, he's a real live person; he still plays in New York).

The Strat was born of Leo Fender's 'clean page' design approach. The result is a guitar that is very easy to build in a production environment. It sounds as great as it does because Leo got advice from a lot of working musicians while he was developing his design. That's why this instrument is relatively light, and the contours make it comfortable to play either sitting or standing.

Both companies got 'locked in' to their early design choices by their success.

You won't see a Les Paul with a Strat-type bridge because then the neck would have to be positioned parallel with the body, and then you'd lose the 'wrap-around' effect that brings the neck to your fertting hand when the forearm of your picking hand is resting on the guitar body.

You won't see a Stratocaster with a high bridge (which would get the strings away from the body where they're easier to get at), because then the neck would have to be angled back, and that's a tricky proposition for a bolt-on.

The Gibson SG was their shot at a low-bridge straight-neck. They screwed it up big-time, because there is not enough 'meat' between the neck joint and the pickup. This area is so weak that the guitar is hard to tune. Any tension change on one string causes the other five to wander off.

All of the Gibson line has another weak spot in the transition from the neck to the headstock. Repair shops stay in business because Gibson's "lose their heads" so often.

I suggest some open-mindedness is in order. The music is the main consideration: everything else comes down to making it happen. If you play complicated jazz chords, you need a relatively short scale length, and the Gibson may be a good choice for you. If you have large hands, or you spend a lot of time at the high end, the Gibson scale length is likely to cramp your style.

If you like a particular sound, shut your eyes and let your ears do their thing. I've owned 'Pauls, an SG a '62 Strat, and a Jaguar. I haven't kept any of them. I still play the Yamaha SBG-1000 I bought back in '77 (for 1/2 the price of a Les Paul Custom). I've put DiMarzio pickups in it, and it sounds so good that when I was short of rent money, I sold my '62 Strat, and kept the SBG. I've also got an old Washburn A-20. It looks plug-ugly, but I don't see much of it when I'm playing it, and it sounds so good, I don't care what it looks like.

'Nuff said