Intro & R9 Neck Profile Question

[Chopped49]

Hello everybody ! I'm new to this forum.Been lurking for quite some time.Very cool and interesting stuff to see.Already have a couple guitars (mostly Fender,Gretsch,Tokai and custom-built 50's style Strat's & Tele's) and now think it's time for my first Gibson.I no longer can resist the beauty of a R9 Les Paul !

I already went through the archive and found out R9's came with different neck profiles through the years although they all are basically the same model.I need some input here.How do those profiles differ and why did Gibson do this ? Is there any year I especially should look out for ? Btw,I want a '59 VOS in Lemonburst or Sunset Tea Burst/Ice Tea.Any kind of help on this is greatly appreciated.Thanks in advance !

[djlogan33]

I already went through the archive and found out R9's came with different neck profiles through the years although they all are basically the same model.I need some input here.How do those profiles differ and why did Gibson do this ? Is there any year I especially should look out for ? Btw,I want a '59 VOS in Lemonburst or Sunset Tea Burst/Ice Tea.Any kind of help on this is greatly appreciated.Thanks in advance ![/QUOTE]
================================
I have larger than normal hands.
As a result, I feel I have more control with larger guitar necks.
My first guitar was an Eric Clapton spec Strat with an "extreme V-neck", which felt better than all the other Fender necks.
Once I played a Gibson Les Paul, with the larger necks, I had to have one.

When I decided to get my first Les Paul, I bought a 2006 Standard 50’s neck, which was the thickest neck Les Paul neck I had seen, at the time.

About a year ago, I played a R8 and realized that it had a larger/thicker neck than my 50’s neck.

Because it is hard sometimes to feel the difference, I use a thin metric tape measure.
I measure the necks @ the 3rd, 7th & 12th frets, from one edge of the fingerboard, underneath the neck to the edge of the fingerboard on the other side of the neck.

Compared to my first LP (Std-50's-neck), my R8 is about the same thickness @ the 12th fret, noticeable thicker @ the 7th fret and much thicker @ the 3rd-fret...
My Lucille's neck is advertised as a "50's rounded", exactly the same thickness @ all three frets as my Std-50's-neck....but feels small compared to my R8.

The R9's are slightly thinner @ all three frets than the R8's.

The R0’s neck (60’s) is real thin...way too thin for me...

I've told by many that the original '50's Les Paul necks vary a lot because they were manually/hand shaped and sanded and that the modern day Reissues are made consistently using CNC-machines. I have measures many R8 and R9 and they vary very little.

[Chopped49]

Thanks much djlogan33 ! Really appreciate the given info.Would you mind to measure the neck of your R8 like you describe so I can compare it to my guitars to get a feeling for the Gibson necks ? Would be cool.I also have a '57 RI Strat (VanZandt PU's) with V-shape neck and that one feels and sounds very,very good.

Maybe some R9 owner can take the above described measurements too and share them with me.Would be of great help.Thanks !

[djlogan33]

[QUOTE=Chopped49;678022]Thanks much djlogan33 ! Really appreciate the given info.Would you mind to measure the neck of your R8 like you describe so I can compare it to my guitars to get a feeling for the Gibson necks ?
============================================

I know measuring the neck at different locations is a bit extreme, but trying to determine if the neck is bigger and by how much, by just feeling the neck, is really hard to do.
Purchasing a nice Les Paul is a major expense to me, so I want to get the best sounding, best looking and best feeling LP possible for my $$$.

I like switching back and forth between my R8, with the real "fat-neck" & my Lucille, with the "50's-neck". I can really tell the difference in the neck sizes.
The Lucille neck feels so loose in my hand and harder to control (at first), compared to the R8.

That’s why I decided to measure all the LP's @ the 3rd, 7th & 12th fret, using a small 3-foot metric flexible tape measure.

Again, in general, the modern necks are about the same size @ the 12th fret and get much thinner going toward the nut.
Reissues stay much thicker going toward the nut (7th & 3rd fret).

Hopefully tonight, if I have time, I will give you the exact metric measurements @ the three frets (and maybe a photo attachment) of my R8 and Lucille.

[djlogan33]

Again, in general, the modern necks are about the same size @ the 12th fret and get much thinner going toward the nut.
Reissues stay much thicker going toward the nut (7th & 3rd fret).

Hopefully tonight, if I have time, I will give you the exact metric measurements @ the three frets (and maybe a photo attachment) of my R8 and Lucille.[/QUOTE]
================================================== ===
Attached are two PDF-version graphs I created from measuring the different thickness of the Les Paul necks at the 3rd, 7th and 12th frets on the neck profiles:
• 60's neck profile
• 50's neck profile
• '59 Reissue neck profile
• '58 Reissue neck profile

These are average measurements.
Unlike the hand made and sanded necks of the original 1958 & 1959 models.
The modern day necks are made consistently the same approximate size by machine and vary very little.

As you can see the 50's-neck & R9-neck are close in thickness, but the R8-neck has a significantly larger neck profile than the other three, especially the 60's neck profile.

[zoso777]

Nice job man! Congrats!

[Chopped49]

djlogan33,thanks MUCH for posting this,greatly appreciated ! Don't want to be a smart-ass but the measurements are in Centimeters.Thanks again for doing these diagrams and for posting them.Cool !

[djlogan33]

Originally Posted by Chopped49

djlogan33,thanks MUCH for posting this,greatly appreciated ! Don't want to be a smart-ass but the measurements are in Centimeters.Thanks again for doing these diagrams and for posting them.Cool !

=============================================
Thank U for the correction...

[Exluthier]

Not sure what the measurements or profile for the RIs are these days but it used to be (around 2000-01) that the measurements for both the R8 and R9s were .9" at the first fret and 1" at the 12th with the R0s with something like .8 and .9. All of the necks have considerably more "Shoulder" to them than the vintage necks.

[djlogan33]

Originally Posted by Chopped49

djlogan33,thanks MUCH for posting this,greatly appreciated ! Don't want to be a smart-ass but the measurements are in Centimeters.Thanks again for doing these diagrams and for posting them.Cool !

=============================================
I corrected the graphs to centimeters.
Thanks again.