I like the sound of a Stratocaster but the feel of a Les Paul

Usually it is the opposite players wanting their Strat to sound more like a Les Paul.

I am the opposite and scoured the web for answers and have come up with nada.

So I put this out there. Is there are guitar that comes close to sounding like a Strat but the feel of a Les Paul?

Interesting question. What exactly do you like about the feel of a Les Paul? The neck? The heft/weight? The body shape?

Find or make what they call a "Paulcaster". Three single coil pickups on a Les Paul body. I'm sure it's what you are wanting.

For ease of finding one prebuilt, you may want to try the Les Paul Jr they made with Single Coils. Maybe find a used Gibson Marauder.

A cheaper route would be to build a custom guitar with the Les Paul body and neck with have 3 single coil pup holes cut out.

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2016/USA/Les-Paul-Junior-Single-Coil-Limited.aspx

nah, 25.5" scale is both a part of the strat's feel and a huge component of its sound, the different string length from nut to bridge really differentiates fender and Gibson, particularly on the wound string.... want to hear an example? most quality acoustic manufacturers offer upwards of 3 neck scales, compare the tone of a 25.5" scale to 24.75" acoustic with the same construction and it'll jump out at you with the extra variables removed....

I am loathe to say it as I dislike mr smith's guitars as a general rule, but there are a number of PRS models that offer a good compromise between the strat and paul utilizing the unusual (on electric) 25" scale... there are also a number of Hamer models that attempted to marry the paul to the strat and/or tele with varying degrees of success. A 25" scale bolt on will likely give you a degree of spanky, ringing wound string fender goodness and a richer twang than Gibson has while maintaining the slinky les paul feel to a degree. And yes, from there you could go with 3 strat style pickups.

I believe USA customs offers drop-in 25" replacement necks for the strat, so you could take your stock strat and just swap the neck and set her back up. Bingo, compromise tension for fender tone and Gibson comfort with a bolt-on for extra percussiveness and glassy fender pickups. If that's not what you're seeking you can always go back to the old neck and return the 25" conversion neck.

But there's also the bridge differences with their very different break angles at the saddle and different amounts of contact with the body... those variables both effect feel and tone substantially too.... the tune-o-matic will always feel easier to bend because the tension on the string isn't cmletely perpendicular, therefore you will get less 'fight' from the string when bending. And then there's the strat trem's sustain block! just change materials and you change the sound....

The fact of the matter is that the paul doesn't sound like a strat partially because it plays like a paul and vice versa. The electronics are another part, but if you listen to a super strat with 2 humbuckers, a set neck and les paul woods (like everyone wanted in the 80s) you know you don't hear a Gibson. Even if its one with a tone-omatic or classic strat trem over the ubiquitous Floyd rose. The super strat isn't a little bit of both, its neither.... simply its own thing. Neck scale, wood choice, neck attachment. It all plays a role, but that neck scale is a bigger deal in both feel and sound than one would think.

I am interested to read the OP's responses to Gchiaren's questions though....

Let's start by saying the oblivious, Wood, string length, and pups are factors. The feedback on this subject is what I expected concerning the fore mentioned. However in this modern world I may have overlooked so innovation and was looking for a different viewpoint.

So why Les Paul well, to start with the position of the volume and tone controls. On a Strat those poking studs annoy me when palm muting and added with the volume control in my way makes it awkward. The Strat seems congested (having the jack on the faceplate) and is why l bought a Brian Moore I. However, I didn't care for the split coil thin sound the Seymour Duncans. I would also add the feel of the bridge against my palm would be a issue. Which the Floyd Rose worked out great but setting up/string changing/fine tuning was a pain.

Neck: I favor a wider neck which is why I bought a PRS Tremonti model. I like the weight and shape of this model. I has great sustain but I don't play metal which this model is geared for. The neck yes, on a Les Paul it suits me better, which is why I bought a PRS Tremont which seemed wider but is a little thin for my likes.

Scale: I have small hands so string tension and finger position come in to play. I have tried short scale Fender products and did care for the sound, feel, or the shape/style.

I have never been a modder (not from a confidence standpoint or lack in ability-just don't like to mess with guitars in that way) other than replacing pots or a nut that needed replacement. I have been holding off of that direction for a while but thinking of it lately to find the solution. I don't know much about P-90's/Soapbars from personal experience and don't know anyone that uses them.so in a attempt to create a strat-like/ single coil sound I might be looking to change pups in Monoprice Route 66 (Basswood LP Style guitar) or the BM i9 with P-rails or P-90's It was not a route I wanted to go but I have to find a P-90 guitar to play with first.

Thank you, I will look in to that.

I believe USA customs offers drop-in 25" replacement necks for the strat, so you could take your stock strat and just swap the neck and set her back up. Bingo, compromise tension for fender tone and Gibson comfort with a bolt-on for extra percussiveness and glassy fender pickups. If that's not what you're seeking you can always go back to the old neck and return the 25" conversion neck.

Interesting, I may become a modder after all..... I thought PRS 25" scale would be a solution but what I gathered from this was it plays/feels more like a fender but sounded like a LP on the Tremonti I own.

Scale: I have small hands so string tension and finger position come in to play. I have tried short scale Fender products and did care for the sound, feel, or the shape/style.

A fairly articulated answer to why one prefers a longer scale length... I have the same preference, but just because I grew up with longer scales, so using something like a Les Paul feels a bit off to me (even if the sound is pretty great).

your #1 electric is a Gibson scale LP copy

I will try to be brief this time:

1) customizing your guitars is not wrong, they are tools, make them work the way you want unless you are worried about resale (and then just keep the original parts)

2) P90s are un-stratty, like a toothier humbucker with single coil openness... great pickups though, I used to swear by them much to the annoyance of sound and lighting guys allover the USA. Hum city!

3) I think the tremonti is just the wrong PRS for you, its mostly LP and LP jr DNA, you are looking for a PRS with some actual fender style singles with pole piece magnets (this is the difference between a fender single and a soapbar, P90 style pickups have bar magnets under the coil whereas 90% of fender pickups use magnets as the poles and vintage correct ones don't even use a bobbin, the wire is wound directly on the poles) maybe a bolt-on, possibly a trem and DEFINITELY fender type woods... I don't know all of his models, but if you ike the feel of the PRS you have already you might want to just find another model that has a stratty sound.... so, you know, stay away from signature models next time...

4) if you buy a neck to put on a strat you will probably want a '59 Gibson type profile and 50s Gibson nut width on a 25" scale.... the current Mexican 'classic' series is an excellent value on the used market and great for modifications... I am not sure what's poking you when you palm mute on a stock strat, maybe the strats are set up wrong or you are muting too hard because the little saddle screws shouldn't dig into your hand.... I have only had issues with cheaply made and badly set-up strats, with my own Stratocasters I've been able mute and chug away all night without issue

5) have you considered getting a gutted Gibson SG special with the late-period batwing pickguard and then building a new pickguard up with strat pickups and switching?Gibson actually made an SG with 3 strat-size blades too

http://archive.gibson.com/Files/USA/2007/SG3BFICH1_.jpg

but if you go SG special it'll be cheap, you can get the strattiest electronics possible, and you are guaranteed a wide and chunky neck feel. Only downsides of the 3 pickup SG is the scale and that all mahogany guitar are on the dark side, but if its way too dark plugged in you can always raise the potentiometer values to let more treble through. It won't make it a strat but will get closer.

okay, that wasn't brief

oh yeah, I forgot to mention the 3 mini-hum equipped firebirds as a great cross between an LP and strat (to my ear)....even the 'bird minibuckers are a weird hybrid of Gibson and fender ideas having 2 bar magnets with the coil of wire wound right onto them

Thanks to all that responded. On reflection some great suggestions on all your input I took some time to meditate and process. I also did some more research on this and came up with few options so far going to Warmoth or Rondo and having a custom built.

Rondo is the cheaper (some what) option and would not be made until next April 2017 according to their site.

Either way I will be able to choose the wood, pup config, bridge, and color.

Warmoth makes a stellar product across the board, I have heard people complain about Rondo's detail work. Go Warmoth. If cost is a problem then assemble the guitar yourself.

If I still had a bunch of strat parts laying around I would order a 25" conversion neck and build you a guitar like you want, but I traded all my bridges, pickups etc last year to a friend who has been building a lot of partscasters lately.

I mean, I would build the guitar for you to your spec if you send parts to me if you live in the USA. It'll take me a weak to build it, wire it and set it up. I'd do it for like maybe $10 an hour bench fee.