Gibson Les Paul Standard 50's neck VS Fender Custom Clic Strat?

Hi! Although I am a die-hard Fender Stratocaster guy, I have owned a Gibson Les Paul in the past. My biggest issue with the Les Paul was the scale length of 24 ¾, as opposed to the 25 ½-inch of the Stratocaster. I was (and still am!) just not accurate (or small fingered) enough to hit the strings consistently in the upper registers. The Les Paul is also quite a bit heavier than the Stratocaster, which although not in itself a problem, it felt like a boat anchor at the end of a long gig! Nonetheless, the Gibson was a truly exceptional guitar, and produced unique overdriven tones that were unmatched by any of my Stratocasters. In looking at the particular Les Paul you reference, it does feature all the best parts and workmanship, and will definitely offer you many years of dependable service. For playing hard rock, metal, jazz, punk, or anything in between, you can’t go wrong with a Les Paul! In consideration of the Fender guitar, you would be getting many of the best Stratocaster features, including the upgraded two-point bridge embly, heavier ash body (more dense, compared to alder), and the comfortable “C”-shaped neck. Although recognized by both rock and blues players for accommodating the widest range of guitar styles, the Stratocaster can cover just about any musical genre with the right pickups! Worthwhile noting is the fact that there are many pickup choices from the aftermarket for either the Gibson or Fender instruments; however, if you are paying $2000 or more for a guitar, you want it to be pretty much to your liking right out of the box! If it were me buying the guitar, I would opt instead for the Fender American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster (a href="http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-American-Deluxe-Ash-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=511143)," rel="nofollow"http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/produ…/a which features the S-1 switching system (a href="http://www.fender.com/products/s1/," rel="nofollow"http://www.fender.com/products/s1/,/a totally subtle and totally cool!), locking tuners (no string slip!), a modern “C”-shaped neck (faster and easier to fret than the clic shapes), and samarium cobalt noiseless pickups (which you will really appreciate, if you use much overdrive!); as an added bonus, you would save yourself over $600! If you haven’t already, you should try out these instruments to get a hands-on check of the individual tones, playability, and level of construction and component quality. And yes, the last picture of the Stratocaster is the same guitar; the smaller pictures are just not detailed enough to show the grain appearing through the translucent body color. Best regards, Dana