Gibson or fender

Think it depends on the style of music you play... These links may help.
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/fender_vs_gibson.html
http://www.theguitarfiles.com/guitarforum_viewthread-913.html
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic49567.html
http://www.helium.com/knowledge/66388-gibson-or-fender-which-do-you-prefer

FENDER

If you go for a Gibson with coil-taps on the pick-ups you'll get the best of both.
I find Fender too brittle sounding but it's purely personal taste.
Try a couple of each in the shop bearing in mind your playing style and physical build as Gibson have shorter scale length they're easier to play if you have small hands but are often heavier than Fenders.

I prefer Gibson. It just has a more authentic sound to me. I love my Les Paul.