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Unless your guitar has been modified I would start with whatever the manufactor has recommended...Light gauge is recommended for my guitar but that's because that's what it was originally set up for. Mediums are a good choice for sound and playability and if you are into slide work then heavier the better. Heavy strings can put a bit of strain on a light guitar and some people find them harder to play...one way around that is to tune down a step reducing the overall tension. Also be aware of the difference in the guitar's set-up...ie: if the guitar is set-up for light strings then the heavier gauge might not fit in the nut properly...light strings in a nut for a heavier set-up might rattle or buzz. Checking with the manufactorer's web site will often give lots of good information and/or taking it to a shop and having a profession restring is often worth the minimal investment...   Hopefully that will give you some starting points and then you'll be able to try and find out what works best for you...

I'm sorry...that probably didn't really answer your question. If you log onto the Fender website and follow the links...you can have them check your serial number and tell you what the original configeration was...

A Gibson Les Paul is a remarkable instrument but will cost a lot more than $225...  Epiphone also makes a Les Paul that would be much closer to that price range...   Try   www.musiciansfriend.com
and do some price comparisons and see the different models...   I see that you are in Oklahoma...guitar center has stores in Oklahoma City and also Tulsa...they usually will have a large selection of Both the Gibson and Epiphone if you can get a chance to go in and check them out...  I hope you get your Christmas wish!

I've bought several cheap guitars off of ebay and then hotrodded or simply got them into working order...then would give or sell them (without profit) to some of the kids in our youth group and stuff. The Yamaha Pacifica is a good guitar as is and can also be upgraded easily...some of the Fender Squires are fun and easy to mess with...as is the many Gibson Clone. Tons of aftermarket parts, pickups, guards, tuners, and stuff....also finds lots of stuff on ebay.

Put a bit of gum or double tape on a pencil eraser and reach in and get it...

I've spent lots of money and tried just about everything over the years and have narrowed down to some effects that work for me and the sound that I like... It depends on what you are wanting and one way is to listen to your favorite artists and then find out what they are using. If you have access to one of the larger Guitar stores (we have Guitar center here) you can go in and plug into an array of effects pedals and try each one individually or linked togather for different sounds.

For me? I use a Boss Delay and Chorus...I play mostly fingerstyle with electric and Acoustic/electric and those pedals really "fatten up" my sound. I get my reverb from the amp. I also use a Boss Distortion pedal for blues and to "dirty" or "crunch" up the sound for blues/rock. The first pedal in line is a Boss TU Tuning pedal that keeps me in tune!

Remember that a lot of you sound can and should be shaped first by your guitar and amp...some rooms have lots of natural reverb, some don't. Guitars have different sounding pickups and different settings, ditto for the amp. Once you find the sound you want from the guitar and amp then you can shape it further with the pedals...even then the combinations are numerous!

I hope that helps...   I think some of the websites for effects units now have sound samples that you can check out...

I agree that one should learn the limits of their basic set-up...whatever guitar and amp that you are using. Then one can use effects pedals or rack unit to shape the sound from there. My effects set-up is a Boss TU-2 tuner, Boss Delay, Boss Chorus, and Boss Distortion... I use the chorus and a slight delay to really "fatten" up finger style playing. For blues I'll crank up the reverb on the amp and that often depends on the room acoustics and volume...I don't use the distortion pedal much...I normally like a little overdrive from the amp...just enough to give a little "bite" to the sound.

For me the finish depends on the wood...I have a Les Paul with a red transparent finish that is awesome! But the wood has a beautiful grain structure. I've always liked the standard sunburst for strat type guitars...I bought my Telecaster new (twenty five years ago) and got it with the yellow finish. Everything else was used and bought for sound and value rather than color choice.

I'm not too crazy about Gold Tops but do have a Wolfgang with the Gold...don't particularly like the finish but love the guitar...this might be a custom paint project later.

I guess everyone has a preference...Purists swear by the tube amps! I have a peavey Classic 30 that sounds absolutely great with every guitar that I've got! Especially cranked up with the telecaster. I also have a peavey transtube Bandit (solid state) that sounds great too. I think the solid state sounds better at the lower volumes...seems that the tubes need some volume to sound best. One of the best sounding amps that I have at small room volume is a tiny little Roland Micro Cube... I'm simply amazed at the sound of this little amp.

I think a lot of the early guitarists like Hendrix linking multiple amps was more about volume than sound...todays speakers are much more efficient!

Check out Frank Zappa (lots available on youtube) to see an extraordinay guitar player...his cross picking techniques are phenomenal!

Fender makes at least 50 models of the Stratocaster (seriously) and it's awfully hard to pick just one. If you are fortunate enough to live near a large music store like guitar center then go by and try them out. Tell the sales people what kind of music you are into, then just try different ones. Yes, the humbucker models sound different than the single coil models. Different models have different sounds, neck radius, tuning and bridge options, and more.

My preference if you can afford the $1000. range would be an American Stratocaster with the three single coil pickups. This is a very versatile guitar with an amazing range of sounds. If you decide later to change things then it's easily modified with different pickups, etc.   For less money you can get the Standard Strat which is made in Mexico...it's and excellent guitar in the 400-500 dollar range.

I think that a lot of people want to make a Fender sound like a Gibson and try different combinations of humbuckers...others like Van Halen took an old Fender body, put a Gibson Humbucker, and created his own distinctive sound!

giraardocphil made some excellent points and choices...

It's always best if you can actually play the one you want and see how the neck fits...how it sounds...and even the color that you like...

I agree with Bootleger about the SD pickups...anytime I run into pickup replacements I've had really good luck replacing with the SD...  Yes, they are expensive, but you get what you pay for. Some of the Epi pickups sounded great, others sounded pretty bad...I've had the same experience with the Import Fenders...