I Bought a Les paul Traditional and i kinda regret it...

[BrantleyTc]

I've bought a 2018 Les paul traditional after my previous guitar- 17' model gibson les paul standard fell off one day and i ended up selling it cause i didn't like it anymore and had no time to take it the luthier , my only option was to go for the traditional model and thats what i did because i like gibson's better than all the fenders,ibanez's and all the crap...
so when i played the gibson in the store she sounded great it was a sale so the price was awesome. it had a big/fat neck but it didnt bother me at first i thought that many people have this guitar and they are happy with it so i got myself one too.
So now after 3 months of owning the traditional i must say that the neck of the lp standard i had before was 1000 times more comfortable than the traditional, everytime i play barred chords or just some phyrigian licks on the traditional my hand hurts like hell after it and its much more difficult guitar to play (if your hands arent huge) the neck on std is so smooth and really kinda Invites" to play on it and traditional is just the opposite.
the guitar is also so frickin' heavy and whenever i want to change some settings on the amp my knees hurtbecause the weight of the guitar, nothing of that happend with the standard i had before and only now i realize there's a huge difference between those guitars and it sucks.i wish i could sell this guitar and get myself a standard like i had before.
i know the the traditionals are based off lp's from 60's-50's but the baseball necks they come with it just dont go with today standards i dont understand how anyone feel comfortable and really enjoy this guitar if your'e not a fat person/bodybulider even if the tone and sound of this guitar is really awesome.
B.

 

[smk506]

Sell it and get a chambered guitar with a thinner neck

I love big fat necks personally, and my hands aren’t that big, it’s just one of those personal things.

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

Fat necks are the devils work.

If you believed the internet hype about fat necks (propagated by a tiny number of extremely prolifical forum posters who value historical accuracy way over actual playability) rather than following your gut instinct, well, to bad.

Sell it - there is no way you'll ever get accustomed to a neck that makes your hands hurt.
Or take it to a luthier and have him shave off a couple of mm on the neck.

...also, LP's are heavy - the notion that they should be light as feather is propagated by the very same prolific posters who also endorse fat necks.

I find it hard to believe that those posters actually play the guitars they talk about.

 

[Oranjeaap]

Well good thing then that we are all free to choose a guitar to our liking.
I'm not fat nor a bodybuilder but I'm in good shape and a heavy guitar is no problem for me. I can understand if you're an elderly person or just a weak p***y that some guitars can be too heavy. Its easy to avoid those, ask seller for the weight or just try it before you buy it.
The size of the neck is also personal preference, i got small hands so a big neck just doesn't work for me. Tried it once and sold it.
So instead of coming here crying like a baby and makimg it sound someone screwed you over, perhaps first accept you screwed yourself by picking something based on the opinion of others instead of on your own.
And look at the bright side: now you know you dont like heavy guitars and big necks and you won't make the same mistake a second time

 

[Andre_87]

Well good thing then that we are all free to choose a guitar to our liking.
I'm not fat nor a bodybuilder but I'm in good shape and a heavy guitar is no problem for me. I can understand if you're an elderly person or just a weak p***y that some guitars can be too heavy. Its easy to avoid those, ask seller for the weight or just try it before you buy it.
The size of the neck is also personal preference, i got small hands so a big neck just doesn't work for me. Tried it once and sold it.
So instead of coming here crying like a baby and makimg it sound someone screwed you over, perhaps first accept you screwed yourself by picking something based on the opinion of others instead of on your own.
And look at the bright side: now you know you dont like heavy guitars and big necks and you won't make the same mistake a second time

I'm with this guy hahaha.
I have the same thing once you try multiple guitars you will find out more your personal preference.
Shame you had to get to learn like this, I have the exact opposite.
I got a super light les paul hp-II with a thin tiny neck, killer guitar it just does not suit my style.

 

[redberon2003]

Having owned both the fat neck and the slimmer profile, it's definitely down to individual guitar, and your own preferences. So far I've had:

SG '61 Reissue, The neck was skinny, and I actually found it to be uncomfortable. Sold
Les Paul VM: 50's neck that wasn't as much of a baseball bat as some of the other les paul's I tried, It was supremely comfortable. Sold it and I'm still kicking myself for it.
New Standard 60's: Pretty close to the les paul VM, little thinner but not as thin as the SG. So far I like the profile of this one, but that could change as time goes on and I really get acquainted with it. Thought I liked the SG neck in the store, but long play sessions made my hand cramp. sucks, but that's on me.

If you don't like the one you get, pull your money out of it and get a different one, the necks are all hand rolled. They're similar but none of them are the same, there's thinner and fatter examples of 50's, same with 60's. if you aren't sure, go somewhere like GC and play ten different examples of each neck profile, you'll find examples you're not big on, and others that just seem to really click.............like that damn VM I sold.

 

[Andre_87]

Still ..... selling a guitar with some memories to it is pretty difficult for me... so I will wait a little longer.
When I am ready to pull the trigger or will get a nice deal I will do it.
Fortunately I got a pretty sweet deal on my 2018 Les Paul HP at the time.
it was like 33% off so I only paid 2.000euro (around 2250$) for it.

 

[redberon2003]

That's an awesome deal, and sounds like you've had fun with it along the way. I discovered the same thing with my SG, just ended up not being me. didn't regret buying it, and when the time came didn't regret selling it either.

 

[Oranjeaap]

Still ..... selling a guitar with some memories to it is pretty difficult for me... so I will wait a little longer.
When I am ready to pull the trigger or will get a nice deal I will do it.
Fortunately I got a pretty sweet deal on my 2018 Les Paul HP at the time.
it was like 33% off so I only paid 2.000euro (around 2250$) for it.

Too bad it's blue, I might have liked that one. Light weight, skinny neck, yes please.

 

[Pancreas]

Fat necks are the devils work.

If you believed the internet hype about fat necks (propagated by a tiny number of extremely prolifical forum posters who value historical accuracy way over actual playability) rather than following your gut instinct, well, to bad.

Sell it - there is no way you'll ever get accustomed to a neck that makes your hands hurt.
Or take it to a luthier and have him shave off a couple of mm on the neck.

...also, LP's are heavy - the notion that they should be light as feather is propagated by the very same prolific posters who also endorse fat necks.

I find it hard to believe that those posters actually play the guitars they talk about.

Sorry man, I like the fat necks on both of my LP's. I have rather long, skinny fingers and fat necks just feel more natural to me. I also prefer a heavy Les Paul. It's just personal preference. ✌

 

[MSB]

lol to some responses. "internet hype" about liking fat necks?

neck shape is personal preference, like underwear, pick the wrong size/shape and you'll be sore

 

[redcoats1976]

sounds like it needs to be in the "for sale or trade" forum.theres nothing wrong with the guitar,its just not what you prefer.post pics,weight,and price and move it into someones hands that will appreciate it,and buy what you want this time.

 

[dc007]

Grow some man hands

 

[TorzJohnson]

I love my Traditional, but that's probably because I'm so fat.

 

[ARandall]

I'm a smallish guy at 5'8"....and my hands are small and fingers short. But I like thick necks.....over 1" at the first fret is great.
But I can deal with pencil thin necks like my 75 Custom...which is 0.78 at the first, as well as practically any size inbetween.......because I constantly change guitars and practice diligently. I don't like making excuses.

If you have preferences that's all well and good, but don't assume for anyone else. That's the road of foolishness you're treading down there.

 

[mudface]

I have over 40 years acquired a number of guitars.... not all Gibbys..... with different neck shapes, sizes, scale, finishes, fret sizes, ... all kinds.... and they inspire different kinds of playing.

Love them all.... even so I still kinda lean towards a thicker neck....

You never here about mandolin or cello or banjo players bitching about necks.

Anyways you gotta play what you are comfortable with.... don’t let anyone tell you different..... not even me.

 

[Andre_87]

Too bad it's blue, I might have liked that one. Light weight, skinny neck, yes please.

ohw no hold on it is called a cobalt fade haha.

I don't like excuses either, I am basically not that great of a player so I cannot deal with it unfortunately.
I always played my 2004 les paul studio which basically has a really thick neck too.
Just a couple hours ago I held the new Episode gold top in my hands which has basically the same neck, thick and round.

Until sept 2018 then I bought the HP which is absolute killer, it has an amazing maple top and it has the axes body with the sanded down neck heel and belly carve. Superlight as it weighs 3,8kg which is about 8,4lbs.

For now it is not leaving just yet, but who knows maybe in the near future.
The thing is I don't know what else to get, a different les paul, maybe an es-model.
I always wanted a nice les paul standard though.

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

Sorry man, I like the fat necks on both of my LP's. I have rather long, skinny fingers and fat necks just feel more natural to me. I also prefer a heavy Les Paul. It's just personal preference. ✌

This is of course absolutely correct - neck size and shape are definitely personal preferences.
Some will do fine with big fat necks, others with slim and slender necks and by far most people will prefer something which is somewhere close to the average between the extremes.


However, for many years across a wide array of guitar forums there have been a group of posters (usually with insanely high post counts) who, whenever possible, have touted big fat necks as "having more tone" etc.

Incidentally they usually belong to the same group of people that also happen to prefer huge strings and ultra light weight bodies, not to mention "pure tube tone" - in short, internet guitar connoisseurs whose writings are about as trustworthy as your average marketing material...).

The result of this incessant posting is amongst others that we now have LP's that are neck heavy. Another result is that the more insecure guitar buyers mey have taken their "advice" at face value and have bought guitars that no one but persons with absurdly large hands can actually play fo more than a few minutes...

 

[Bend'n'Slide]

I don’t get the big deal here.

The OP bought a guitar, tried it, and has now decided it’s not for him. Fair enough. This is just another one of those subjective personal preferences. Move on, sell it and get one that you’ll be happier with.

Personally, I have guitars with a wide range of necks; I play them all and none of them bother me. I have everything from slim-C Fender and asymmetric slim taper LP standard right up to various V-profile Fenders and my own LP Trad with a fairly chunky neck but the daddy is an arch-top acoustic with a huge beast neck that will make the OP’s trad feel like a slim SG neck — but that doesn’t make it at all unplayable; in fact, it’s surprisingly comfortable and not at all difficult to get around.

In all honesty, I’d say it’s well worth spending time getting to know a whole bunch of different playing characteristics on different guitars and to work on developing your fretting hand but, if you really have decided you don’t like something, that’s fine — just sell it and buy something that you DO like!

 

[lpfan1980]

Fat necks are the devils work-funniest thing ive seen in awhile. GET BEHINDETH ME YE FAT NECKED GUITAR!