Originally Posted by Ricochet~kun

a strat, yes, and i think you could do it with a paul, but its sound is much beefier and thicker becase of its humbuckers. (as opposed to the strat's single coil pickups)
i woudl say, if you leaning more toward jazz (funk) do strat and for rock go les paul. thats just personal preferance though, either guitar can do either.

Originally Posted by Burning Down

When you've narrowed down your choices (so far it seems to be either a Strat or a Les Paul), go to a store and spend some time trying them out. That's the only way you can really get a feel of what the guitar has to offer. Sound and weight should be things you're thinking about as well. Are you going to be standing or sitting with this guitar? Probably sitting for the most part since you're a beginner, but you still need to take weight into consideration. IMO Les Pauls are heavy. I don't own either guitar (I have a Rick and a Gibson SG), and have rarely ever played a Strat or LP so I can't give you info on the sound of each guitar. Thankfully other posters have done that

The size of amp you get depends on where you're going to play your guitar. Most likely you'll be playing at home so you don't need anything like Marshall stacks , you'll just need something simple. Talk to a store employee.

You're in Toronto like me, so I recommend buying from Steve's or Long & McQuade. I know L&M offers financing as I was able to finance a $3500 flute from them two years ago. Since your budget is $1K, you can probably get a low end Strat. Not sure about a Les Paul though, but if that's what you're looking for, you can probably finance it or get a lower-end Gibson SG. Good luck!