Les Paul Neck Profiles

[rjwilson37]

OMG, there are so many different sized neck profiles, and even the same model/year can differ from guitar to guitar. I thought that a 50's Rounded neck was closer to the Vintage 50's necks and not something in between a Medium C neck and a Slim Taper 60's neck. Or.... could I have just gotten a 50's Rounded neck that is small, or an anomaly for other Les Paul's that are the same year/model?

 

[searswashere]

Welcome to hand carved necks.

 

[BDW60]

Yes. You can easily get a generic 50s neck that is in reality a medium size neck. You can also get one as big as an R8. This is not scientific. If you want consistency, buy a PRS. They nail their necks with relentless perfection.

 

[Phillycheez402]

50's rounded C is sooooo comfy to me.

 

[searswashere]

Yes. You can easily get a generic 50s neck that is in reality a medium size neck. You can also get one as big as an R8. This is not scientific. If you want consistency, buy a PRS. They nail their necks with relentless perfection.

If the wildwood lists are to be believed, maybe not as often as you think.

 

[BDW60]

If the wildwood lists are to be believed, maybe not as often as you think.

it could be that Wildwood demands more consistency on their exclusive Standards, at least. They certainly demand and receive better maple.

 

[searswashere]

it could be that Wildwood demands more consistency on their exclusive Standards, at least. They certainly demand and receive better maple.

I mean all their 594s seem to have varying thicknesses. Not a bad thing but with hand made one should expect some variation.

 

[BDW60]

I mean all their 594s seem to have varying thicknesses. Not a bad thing but with hand made one should expect some variation.

For the most part, they’re about as on .88/.89 to .98/.99 as anyone could expect. They’re not going to surprise anybody on delivery unless they have caliper hands.

 

[rjwilson37]

So... My 2014 Les Paul Signature with a 50's Rounded neck profile, for it being almost exactly the same as the new Les Paul Standard 60's, maybe just a tad thicker, but not by much. Is that on par with what a 50's rounded neck profile is on most Gibson Les Paul's would be?

 

[noodlingguitars]

OMG, there are so many different sized neck profiles, and even the same model/year can differ from guitar to guitar. I thought that a 50's Rounded neck was closer to the Vintage 50's necks and not something in between a Medium C neck and a Slim Taper 60's neck. Or.... could I have just gotten a 50's Rounded neck that is small, or an anomaly for other Les Paul's that are the same year/model?

It's weird because during the 2014-2019 era, the so-called "50s style" rounded C necks in the USA line are exactly as you described: something closer to a Medium C neck but with a bit of variety and sometimes near a 60s neck. I really like that shape and to me, they feel very similar to certain Epiphone artist models of that era (i.e. Joe Bonamassa, Tommy Thayer) i.e. thicker than 60s, but not quite R9, let alone R8.

Contrast post-2019, I think on the 50s models, it feels like they've bumped up the thickness slightly so that it's somewhere between a '59 and '58. Though my current line-up 50s Standard, it feels almost just as thick as a Chunky-C (I know it's not advertised as such, but it feels that way).

 

[danzego]

Welcome to hand carved necks.

Gibson doesn’t hand carve their necks, haha. They’re rolled on a sander to finish them off, but the actual carving process is all CNC.

 

[searswashere]

Gibson doesn’t hand carve their necks, haha. They’re rolled on a sander to finish them off, but the actual carving process is all CNC.

CNC to start then hand carved, like most production high end guitar companies. CNC didnt do the whole thing so there’s the variety I mentioned.

 

[BDW60]

So... My 2014 Les Paul Signature with a 50's Rounded neck profile, for it being almost exactly the same as the new Les Paul Standard 60's, maybe just a tad thicker, but not by much. Is that on par with what a 50's rounded neck profile is on most Gibson Les Paul's would be?

No. Unless you’re comparing the 50s to an unusually large 60s Standard. Most of the 50s Standards are going to be in the .87-.90 range at the first to .97-1.0 at the 12th. My former 60s Standard was bang on a 60s Gibson carve at .82-.91. I have seen a couple 60s Standards out in the wild that had smaller end 50s size necks, but never seen a 50s being almost exactly like a normal 60s.

Really need to measure these things so you can put a concrete number on it.

 

[danzego]

l

CNC to start then hand carved, like most production high end guitar companies. CNC didnt do the whole thing so there’s the variety I mentioned.

No, they’re NOT hand carved. Go watch some video demonstrations of how to make actual hand carved necks, then go watch the Gibson “The Process” videos number 2 and 6. You’re going to learn about two very different processes for making a guitar neck.

All Gibson employees do to the necks by hand once the CNC machine does its thing is the final sanding using a belt sander. That’s NOT “hand carved”, as much as you want to be able to say it is. They do the same thing at Fender…and most other large production guitar companies, for that matter.

Rant time: the most “hand carving” that occurs on Gibson necks is when the little old ladies that scrape the binding carve the shit out of it and create the annoying ridges on the side of the neck because they hacked away too much binding. There’s your “hand carved” necks at Gibson right there.

 

[searswashere]

Seems I touched a nerve by mentioning the human touch aspect. Oops.

 

[danzego]

Seems I touched a nerve by mentioning the human touch aspect. Oops.

Oh please, don’t give yourself so much credit.

I explained what hand carved necks really are and told you where to find information to learn what hand carving actually looks and doesn’t look like. Now you’re trying to press buttons over it? Calm down.

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

I prefer thin necks. Generally, at or under .860 at 1, less than .920 at 12. And I prefer a D shaped neck over a C shape. Though as long as it's thin, either works. So, obviously, the modern Slim Taper is my favorite.

I have one GLP made in recent years that's a super thin D. Barely over .820 at 1, and barely over .850 at 12. It appears to have had a lot of sanding due to a bad knot in the neck wood. I didn't need that guitar, but when I found the thinnest neck I'd ever found on a GLP, especially a brand new one, hanging on a wall in a guitar shop, it was going home with me.

Personally, I don't care about how many different necks. I don't care how much is by hand, how much is by machine. I know what I like and I'll only buy one that feels good in my hands. Or, is within my preferences if I'm buying one I can't hold first.

I have 8 GLP's. Some D, some C. All thin. No two are exactly alike.

I love playing them all.

 

[searswashere]

Oh please, don’t give yourself so much credit.

I explained what hand carved necks really are and told you where to find information to learn what hand carving actually looks and doesn’t look like. Now you’re trying to press buttons over it? Calm down.

Ah my favourite part about forums.

1. I was not specific enough in my first response.
2. I got new information regarding the Gibson CS process
3. You think im actually picking a fight about this.

You were more riled than me. It’s a conversation about necks. It’s not a big deal.

 

[danzego]

Ah my favourite part about forums.

1. I was not specific enough in my first response.
2. I got new information regarding the Gibson CS process
3. You think im actually picking a fight about this.

You were more riled than me. It’s a conversation about necks. It’s not a big deal.

I think you read it as riled. How you read it and how I wrote it are two different things. But if that’s how you want to believe I was coming at it, whatever. You seem to be more concerned about it than me.

 

[ArchEtech]

Yep they vary a lot. That good or bad. It is fun because it adds to the uniqueness of each guitar. It’s a pain if you’re really neck picky.