hhcave - I don't want to start a Strat v LP war here... but :P (!)
LONG POST - sorry folks...
(and gibsongaz, I do have something for you at the end if you're still awake when you get there!)
I think the "versatile argument" all depends on a) which of the two types you started on and b), more importantly, some sort of personal "mojo" about what you want from a guitar.
A strat player will argue to the death that the strat is far more versatile - you can always thicken the thing up to some extent depending on what sort of amp eq or pedals/etc you've got. In fact, just using the guitar's tone controls takes you into "gibson" territory" if your amp is set right, the extra brightness goes and you can get it to growl. The strat player will also say that, while the strat is less forgiving of your technique, it always allows your own "voice" to come through - whereas the thicker sound of a Les Paul turned up always sounds like an LP turned up...
On the other hand a Les Paul player will talk about warmth, chewy tones, sustain, tight crunch, etc, etc. The Les Paul player will argue that yes, a Les Paul turned up does always sound like a Les Paul turned up, but that's where the skill comes in - honing your technique so that the way that you use it gives you a distinctive voice...
There are two truths though:
* You'll never make a Strat sound like a Les Paul.
* You'll never make a Les Paul sound like a Strat.
When I was growing up musically, Ritchie Blackmore's sound on Made In Japan was it for me. Hank Marvin's sound was pretty scrumptious, and when I found Rory Gallagher, that was it... (Hendrix and SRV are in there as well somewhere)
I became a Strat player when I was about 17. I was in my first band at around 19, and I had the same drummer on and off until I stopped playing live 10 years ago (35). By the end, I was using an LP and an SG because it suited what I was doing and because that drummer's favourite sounds always were Paul Kossoff and Thin Lizzy's Jailbreak album.
Right at the moment, with BKPs and a bunch of new guitars, I am playing mainly an LP and an Explorer - I absolutely love these things and the tones I am getting.
BUT!! If I was told I could only keep one guitar, can you guess which one it would be? My favourite strat... And why? Because, in my hands, it's far more versatile than the others - it can get very close to Paul Kossoff, Thin Lizzy, etc, etc, but the humbucking guitars cannot (for me) do early Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, etc, etc...
If I was playing slightly more up-to-date metal type music, it might be a different story of course!! :lol:
So- I don't think versatility's the point in this case...
gibsongaz - even though I'm a strat player at heart, I am inclined to agree with everyone else. Unless... maybe you turn out to be a strat player after all??
Have you played the thing? What does it feel like? Does it speak to you?
Also, are you worried about investment or do you want a guitar? My favourite LP is a Tokai Love Rock, I got it for just over £500 a few weeks back. My favourite guitar ever is my Strat - a Japanese "Export only" 62 re-issue, my wife got it for me just over a year ago for, again, just over £500 - I don't think they've gone up much, but you have to hunt.
So another option is sell the gibbo (why are you selling by the way?) buy a decent playing LP and Strat - then you've got them both, with possibly some spare cash to put BKPs in at least one of them!
