Thanks. I'm about to buy a 50's style neck, and I thought this video was going to bore me, until you came to the realization that you are quite happy with the thicker neck. Good job. My worries have eased. I am about to make the right choice. Non chambered body. Makes perfect sense. Cheers.
I can play both neck profiles, but prefer the skinny 60s neck. I mainly play Gibson SG's and a 2016 Firebird V that has a skinny neck and I love it. Great for playing rhythm on. Trying to play rhythm on a chunky neck guitar cramps my hand up big time.
I have big hands, and I find that slim necks cramp my hand up, especially when playing with my thumb on the back of the neck, rather than wrapping it round. The so-called '59 profile suits me perfectly. Warmoth say "fat neck = fat tone". I'd agree completely.
My had cramps up with thin necks and I have small-ass hands The underdone fat 50s neck on my traditional is closer to a 59 profile than anything else and it feels practically perfect
My first 20 years of music-making were on a classical guitar (two inches at the nut, and dead flat). Then I studied violin for 10 years (24mm at nut, with 42mm radius). Now, I have a hard time getting distracted by the relatively minor variations in guitar necks. If it's a great guitar, you can learn to love it, if you're open to it.
So I totally agree with you as far as when you find one you like the feel is everything. I too have traveled many different Les Pauls and Strats etc. I find the 60's slim taper the best for me on ANY model so there I will stay (for now at least..)
I'm still deciding what to get between a 2016 tribute 50s and a 2017 tribute which has a 60s slim taper. much like my epiphone. I'm leaning towards the 2016 50's. Mainly because much like yourself I played many super Strats. Jacksons, Fenders and Ibanezs. But for some reason I've been drawn more and more to the chunkier neck style. I had a neck thru 70s BC rich that I adored but the neck wasnt doing it for me. Now I can shred on those no problem. Been hooked on Les Paul's my whole life. Never have owned a Gibson tho. I think my first will be a 50s. Thanks for the awesome video.
Just recently discovered the les paul gem series, built in 1996. Has the thick 50s neck. Never new how much I would love it. Definitely prefer thick necks. Good video
Wide & thin= cramps. Thick & round = comfort + longer notes. That's my experience (50+years of playing). You are right regarding a good Gibby. Have to be lucky to find the right combination of woods, aesthetics, pickups, electronics (wiring & caps), neck profile, weight, QC… I recently found a 59 true historic VOS that fits the bill \m/
The wide necks are terrible!! It’s what kept me from getting a PRS !!! Having said that I had a slim 60s profile les Paul classic that was my best playing electric guitars. Then I also had a epiphone every bros signed acoustic guitar with a v shaped neck( very thin also) and was really the easiest playing guitar I ever had!
@@burtonkephart6239 Got the wrong PRS for you. Many different profiles. Pattern thin on the CE24 and Custom 24 cores and maybe 22s would better suit you. I have small hands. But I agree wide thin necks cause cramping to me.
I have a 1982 JV strat 41.5mm / 7.5" radius / slim (bought new in Cardiff when I was a student down there). As I'm now 60+ with the usual joint wear that comes with that age, I find my two EBMM Albert Lee 42mm / 9.5" radius / C profile much more comfortable and less tiring to play. Last year I was looking for a Les Paul but decided to get a cheap Harley Benton SC500ii as a knockabout as it has exactly the same profile neck as the Albert Lee guitars. It's an amazing guitar for the price. Don't think any Gibson LP models have a neck with the same dimensions (but happy to be corrected) so probably won't upgrade unless something really takes my fancy.
I custom made neck for me D-profile, Gibson scale, 12" radius. first fret thickness 22.5mm and 12fret 24mm and nut is 44.5mm. Best neck for blues bending style playing. I made little thicker than I think but it can make thinner later if I want to. First it look huge because it was fitted Ibanez RG-body and its former neck was 19.5mm thick 1fret. But sustain and first position open chords are easier to play. Barre chords are little harder with thick neck but not too hard. I think that guitarists must test every guitar neck what comes up front and find best and choose what best suits hand for.
perhaps when we start out the thin neck is less intimidating ;but eventually we realize the fretting is so much less work with a thick neck ;especially if you have large hands
ive always thought the thinner the neck the better intill i got a sg with a biggerc profile and it actually made my playing faster{once i got used to it} because i couldnt wrap my thumb around the top so i had to keep it on the back like half way in the middle of the neck which allowed me to have my finger in more of a free feeling position
I have 2 Epiphones, a 90's and a 2007. Both have the thinner neck style and they play great. I recently bought a 25th anniv PRS SE, which has more of a fatter neck but not the LP baseball bat neck and feels great. I'm now in the market for a Gibson LP. I played the 50's style necks and they seemed huge! I also played an LP Traditional with the slimmer 60's neck and I seemed to like it more. Maybe I would get use to the 50's neck as I did with the PRS? Of course I want something a great flametop, and for whatever reason, the 50's style LP's had the better tops. One thing for sure is that these Epiphones with upgraded pickups are amazing! I put Duncan JB's in my bridge for both and they sound awesome, esp for playing alt-rock and metal.
If you're a short Asian or person like me that has small hands, then choose the 60s neck. If you're a tall American or European with big hands then get the 50s neck.
I have the Epiphone Traditional Pro II which has a HUGE neck and the Epiphone 1960 Tribute and I have to say the neck on the Tribute is absolutely perfect for me.
I had an old used Epiphone Sheraton with a thick neck and it wasn't enjoyable the fretboard felt slow and the strings (even new ones) felt tight and were painful on my fingers, maybe the action was wrong. Then I got a new 1962 reissue Sheraton with the thin neck and it plays like a dream so I thought thin necks for me but after seeing your video I think I will give a thick neck another try! Your new Gibson Les Paul looks stunning!
I have a Gibson SG Naked. It has an unusual neck for a Gibson. The nut width is 39mm and the rounded neck profile is 22mm. I think the Naked model is based on the SG Extra Slim model. I can really play barre chords using the thumb . I find i can play Pinball Wizard better than on a thick 50 rounded profile where I have to use my whole first finger to barre the chords.
I have a Gibson 1995 SG Special limited edition that has a 50s neck on it (part of why it was "Limited edition" ) ... and Its actually my favorite neck, to me its on the top list of the most comfy necks i ever played (big reason i got this guitar). I have fairly big but skinny hands and I allways feel the opposite of the story you were telling. Maybe its my background that i played a lot Acoustic (especially nylonstring classical guitars and they have VERY chunky necks compared to electric guitars) ... but when i play a more "shredder-metal guitar" (like some ibanez) that has a very thin neck... then my hands cramp up after a while. Coz i feel... especially with bar chords when playing rythm, that i struggle much more to get the right amount of pressure onto the fretboard with my index finger, its much more stressfull for my hands... My 50s neck SG i can play for hours without even noticing i played that thing so long :D (and it does stay in tune as well ;) )
Great Video and I can relate to some of your points discussed. I have an amazing 2015 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with many factory mods which are killer, but but but, the extra Wide neck is a speedbump I just can't seem to get over, the biggest issue with the extra wide neck is that I cannot seem to cover the 6th string with my thumb while playing a full bar chord, I'm not talking about using the index finger as a capo with the traditional bar chord shape but using all five fingers to play the chord, including the thumb which covers the 6th string, Ugh anyone else find these 2015 .050" extra width an issue ? Great Video, Peace !
I have two epiphones a 96 standard and a 2016 custom both with slim taper , although the custom seems very slim with a flat bit in the middle , I had a 50s tribute with slim taper but did not like the whole feel of the guitar compared to my epiphones , so saving for a standard or classic , interested in traditional sand their necks though , have played lots of thin necks like Jackson, ibanez etc and my Kramer pacer tiger stripe had quite a chunky neck . It’s difficult without trying them
I find the thinner neck lends itself to faster playing no matter strats-teles or LP's.. But, the fatter neck lends itself to more of a slower more precise playing. More single note stuff. That said, whenever I'm playing a lot of gigs my old standby is my Clapton strat It's my No fear gear fall back...I've used it on well over 1,000 gigs. Good vid. Thanks
Going from my epiphone les Paul slim taper neck to a jackson soloist which is very thin , I noticed no problem at all so it will be nice if it is true going with a traditional neck is equally no trouble . I have til the end of the year to try some anyway as that is how long it will take to save the rest.
Great video. I have a 60's thinner profile neck and I loved the feel at first. I recently purchased a 2016 standard it has a 50's neck with a compound radius. So not exactly like an old 50's neck but still chunky. I prefer this new neck over my 60's. Im always torn on which to use...my Honeyburst with the 60's neck is soooo beautiful I just want to hold it. My Sunburst with the 50's neck plays slightly more comfortable. Love em both.
Got an '81 Artisan with a big '50s neck.Great sound,great looks,and collectible but I can't bond with it.Just recently got a new Standard '60s(thanks,Wildwood!).A/B'd it extensively with a Standard '50s,but I have small hands and I just plain like thin necks,so the '60s came home.But it was closer than I thought it'd be.
GOLDEN! You hit the key with Les paul's you have to play many to find "The one". One guy i seen tried over 15 of them before he hit on the one that buy me!
I bought a ‘94 Les Paul standard for the sake of reputation and my favorite guitar player plays one...etc. One day I tried my friend’s Les Paul classic and WOW what a difference, loved its feel and playability. I thought there’s no way I’m keeping my Gibson Les Paul Standard so I immediately replaced it with a ‘91 Classic and what a tremendous upgrade mainly due to the NECK feel which made me a much better player as a result. Make sure you do your research before you buy and try before you buy. Go for something that feels right in your hands because you’ll end up playing this thing more and become a better player.
@@sbrave The early classics had the slim 60s necks. The standard at the time had the '59 neck, slightly chunkier. Current classics specs are nowhere near the early 90s. The bottom line, try before you buy.
I have small hands so the slim neck is a must for me. The fat neck I think are comfortable to play until you need to wrap around your thumb across the neck
I traded a 2003 LP Standard Plus (had a twisted neck) for the same Traditional LP Plain Top in your video, best decision ever made. I love the neck profile and I have felt a fat '50s neck, I would say this one has a '60s neck with a tad more meat.
Asian guy here. Les Paul 50's was a big mistake I made, kinda. At first its very hardly for me to reach those19th, 20th frets and so on, of string no1. Let alone the other 5. But the tone made me never quit on reaching for them. Practice makes perfect & never ever quit ever..
I have 2005 Gibson LP premium plus 60'neck and It sounds fatter/bigger than my friend's traditional 2010 with so called 50's neck. How do you explain that if you most of you say that bigger neck has bigger tone?
I play a epiphone standard and it has a slim neck I think it’s a D neck but I played another one just like it but it had a chunky neck idk I thought they would have the same neck
I love a fat neck on a les paul or telecaster. When I put pressure on my fingertips my hands always tended to shake all around and cramp up (medical issue). When I got a strat with a fat V neck it really helped me so I am obviously biased when it comes to neck thickness. Seeing as I hardly play with any band it doesn't really tend to matter unless it comes to 4hr practice sessions. For recording, whatever guitar sounds best and does the job regardless of neck profile is the one.
I find the 50’s neck sounds better. In the early 2000’s Gibson started putting out LP’s with their 61 slim line necks on most models, the also rarely had LP’s with their 59 profile. Day and night difference between those two. The thicker neck sounded better. I think the slim line was eventually adopted as the standard neck Gibson made. Maybe they changed over the last 15 years
I measure the necks with a DIAL CALIPER at a number of locations. (strings need to be off) I avoid any tricks of the eye, so to speak, by doing so. (1) Thickness between the top of the fretboard to the back side of the neck, at the "head' side of fret one (2) same measurement on the headstock side of fret twelve (3) Across the fretboard at fret one, (same spot that I checked "thickness" top to back) (4) Across the fretboard at fret twelve, (same spot that I checked "thickness" top to back)
One is no "better" than the other. It depends strictly on the preference of the individual player. The size of your hands is usually what determines what neck works best for you. Me having smaller hands the 60's slim neck is miles and away better for me and my playing. If I had bigger hands I would probably cramp up like some other players I seen and heard from.
Thin necks are a cheat for intermediate guitar players to play fast. You nailed it when you said as you got better the thick neck felt better. Same here. Went from wizard ibanez 7 strings metal core. To a custom strat and tele with a D neck on the tele and a big C. As My fingers became more comfortable and I became more confident in playing around the neck I now prefer fat necks as I can lower my guitar strap and really get a thick grip under the neck to pick it up for speed licks.
I like chunky wide necks on any guitar... Big hands maybe... I find myself almost squeezing thinner necks and more tension in my fretting hand which is never a good thing... I do also like the compound radius and I like 1 3/4 neck width but usually have to settle for 1 11/16" Big again I agree a good sounding guitar makes any neck more comfortable..
Yeah the first LP I got had a slim tapered neck,the next one had a 50s fat neck, I find both really comfortable to play, takes awhile to get use to the fatter neck, I like both.
Yep, have to agree with you with the LP necks. Between the slim taper and the fat 50's, I really like playing on the fatter neck. It felt funny when I first picked it up, but wow, I just want to keep playing that guitar!
I "thought" I liked the feel of thin necks until I bought an SG Special with a chunkier neck. I want to sell all my other guitars now. :) But yes, you get used to any neck really. Thanks for video.
Hi I have a question Is the thick neck unplayable fore a beginner who have small hands and played Ibanez guitars? I can buy a used Epiphone Les Paul standard 50s for a good price but I'm not sure that the neck is comfortable or not and there is an Ibanez rg 421 as well but I'm not sure witch one to buy
I started out thinking I needed thin necks because they were all the rage when I started playing guitar, but over time, I have gravitated toward thicker necks, and I do not have big hands at all.
Came across your video and found it very interesting, specially as i had a particular experience with a fat neck on a les paul. I will tell you my story if it might interest you. So i finally could afford a les paul custom, I had been saving/dreaming for one for a long time, Bought it on ebay and when i got it i noticed the neck was huge (i later came to the conclusion it was a 50’s reissue black beauty from 1986). At the time i was playing on my schecter hellraiser extreme, i loved the neck on that one and i developed most of my chops on it, my les paul on the other hand was the best sounding guitar i had ever played but i kept wishing that the neck was slimmer. What i did next is something i still regret to this day. So i went to my local hardware store, bought some sand paper and got to work. Yes, i sanded down the neck, i did a great job however, the neck was just the way i wanted it and i even put some nice lacquer on it. I thought i finally had my dream guitar until i plugged it in and noticed that amazing tone was gone!. I eventually sold that guitar because i was heartbroken about it but i did learn a big lesson. i now own a 1987 les paul custom and the neck is just a tad thinner than the 1986 i had but i decided just to deal with it and my hands eventually got used to it. So in conclusion, I know some pieces of wood are probably better than others but having more mass on the neck definitely alters the tone.
I have a Les Paul Traditional. It has a fat D shaped neck and it has a very deep sound. If you strike the low e string hard it's almost like a bass guitar. However, I was never happy with it. I got a Heritage H150 that had an average neck profile. That guitar is much brighter. Now I am working on improving the Gibson. It had 300k volume pots and Classic 57s which made it too dark. I am pretty sure fat necks can actually give you better lower frequency tone because on all my guitars the fatness of the sound seems to mirror the fatness of the neck.
Dani West Where did you find it Bud? I can't seem to find a 50's neck on a tribute. Kinda stupid if you ask me... Why would a 50's tribute have a 60's neck.
@@TempoDrift1480 Did I trigger you with a logical answer to your stupid question? BTW, someone who goes by wizzle is the last person who should make the comment you just did. You like a wizzle in your shizhole i guess, moron. 12 south is the beach road here in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina genius.
i just got an epiphone traditional pro 3 with a 60's style neck..i like it alot but i'm a sitdown player and i find the lespauls don't fit my lap like an RG or S series do from ibanez. Don't care for fenders at all.
Well I have fairly small hands, and I got a Traditional, and even though I am not having any playability issues, the neck just feels not right. It is just a feeling thing, I am used to strats just like you were.
Yes do you're homework when it comes to these and try out as many as possible.I used to care about color shape name ect, but now it's all about the neck.That comes in first
I am SO confused with necks....I wanna buy an epiphone les paul that has a WIDE and FLAT neck...what am i looking for?Any help? I have huge palms and fingers and I've had enough with thin small necks...
I have 8 guitars with 8 different necks .. Fender & Gibson but also PRS, Godin, Guild, Silvertone and even an Airline with a 'baseball bat' neck. I love them all. They all have different necks and overall different shapes. I find I just play them for a month and my mind just takes over and adjusts to the feel. In short. If the guitar sounds good nothing else matters. One just gets accustomed to a different 'feel' ...no big deal! There are great rewards to doing this. My Airline has the fattest neck but it has noticeably more sustain then all my guitars including my "59 reissue LP..
The reason is I think most guitar players don't like the thicker rounded neck yet to a seasoned player would preferred, tho a small neck profile would be uncomfortable to play for sure. If you look at old videos of Jimi Hendrix would play these strats with super thin neck but he has huge hands and he makes it look very easy to fret and bend notes those guitars.
I have fat Italian sausage fingers and prefer the thinner neck. Bought a 2018 Epiphone LP standard and it has the thinner 60’s neck. I prefer it more over the thick necks. If I upgrade to a Gibson I will definitely make sure it has the 60’s thin neck.
Epiphone has been making some great guitars. I would argue the craftsmanship is on par with gibsons now. Tone wise you can't tell a difference. Once you really break in an epiphone they are some of my favorite guitasrs
No, I got a LP Modern last November where the frets were uneven. I got refunded the cost to get it fixed. While in the shop, it had warranty repair because the neck kept going out of adjustment. It’s ok and plays well now, but Epiphone still has a way to go. My 2017 Gibson Classic is flawless.
i think the older we get we realize the thin necks feel like toys and sound thin. and we care more about individual note zoning out groovyness instead of howbfast can i pick and lift my pinky up and down. i cant even make myself fingertap ot whammy anymore. and i used to absolutely love it. idk man vibrato and picking dynamics is all i need these days. u have some really really nice guitar s man. your very blessed. i want to get my first gibson 50z neck as well. i love my epi bit want to see what the rave is about if gibson is really feel that much better.
I'm a Strat and Tele guy mostly, but lately have been hankering after a Les Paul, or something similar. No way I can afford a Gibson, so it's going to be an Epiphone or perhaps a PRS SE... I was leaning towards the Epi Standard '60s, with Slim Taper neck, but then discovered the Sheraton II Pro has the same neck profile, which I personally really don't like on mine. So now I'm leaning more towards the '50s model, with a Medium C profile.
Im a vet who picked up guitar again because my ortho specialist told me I had to start moving my fingers more due to arthritis that made my mid 40s hands look like late 50s ones. I had to have bones taken out of my thumb and wrist from a combat injury so my thumb won't allow my hand to flatten out. The 1st joint of my left thumb is permanently stuck out about 1 1/2" towards my pinky so thin necks are all I can play on now, and that's being liberal when I say play. The reason I'm posting (and subbing) is to thank you for being the 1st person to SHOW the thickenss of necks rather than describing them. As a 100% disabled vet my dream guitar (that I'll never afford) is a 60's standard unburst but wasn't sure exactly what a 60's neck was. I've got an Epi standard with a so called 60's neck but had no reference to what that meant until this vid. Thank you man.
I always told myself I liked the thinner necks but really wanted a LP Trad because I wanted something without any chambering, but it had the 50's neck. I really don't notice any difference. It feels great to me.
Not everyone lives in or near a bigger city where you can try a variety out. You could have a store in a small town, but not have much of a selection, and/or the owner or salesperson is a jerk and you don't want to shop there.
The only neck shape I have ever liked on a Les Paul is the D shape with the somewhat flattened back, like the Epiphone shape that's sort of in between the 50's and 60's neck. Just find it the most comfortable and easy to play. Fat necks don't work for me.
I never played any of the 50s guitars with chunky necks until just a few years ago. My guitars have always had flat radius thin 'modern' necks and I never thought that much about it. Except for one time many decades ago, I got to play my friends Gibson Johnny Smith, which had a chunky neck and a very curved fret radius. That seed must have been planted firmly. Fast forward to a few years ago and I'm again getting interested in guitars (esp Telecasters) and I heard about how old Teles from the '50s had chunky 'baseball bat' necks and 7 1/4" fingerboards. I found a '52 Players Baja Tele and that neck totally did it for me. Now that is the only type I want to play. I now have two new Strats with a big ass necks. So here's to guys like us... slow, but steady learners!
I don't like any Les Paul necks despite always wanting one. Finally I played a 2016 "50s Tribute". It is nowhere near as FAT as the standard expensive 50s LPs. There is something about the shoulder of the neck which I found super comfortable. It is fatter then the 60s slim tapers which feel thin and flat to me but nowhere near the baseball bat 50s. Absolutely perfect I think. I played more expensive LPs side by side, over and over and left with the 1000$ Tribute despite having money for more. The bindings feel extra funny at the edges to me. The no binding tribute is the nicest neck I ever played.
My hands & fingers are average size. When I play my Ibanez RG, almost immediate hand cramps. My 2013 Les Paul Traditional with the fat neck is home for me. Just feels right & sounds great. I have a 1979 Gibson SG with the slim taper neck and forget about playing chords up near the nut! My fingers can't even fit to play a simple D chord!! The guitar sounds great otherwise.
THe new epiphone slim taper D neck is dreadfull coming from a Fender fairly fat C shape on my 62 reissue and a medium to thinner C shape on my squier classic vibe 50 tele.. Feels weird to do a full fretted chords..
got a epiphone les paul studio and a epiphone les paul standard. the epi les paul standard is my main girl. replaces the tune-o-matic with a wilkinson roller bridge, replaced the nut with a new tusq xl nut and replaced the stock pickups (classic 57s) with probuckers.. she is awesome.. and ill put her up against any other les paul..
I hope I learn to like chunky necks more. I guess the more you play the preference goes away. Structure wise a fat neck is beter as well as tone and sustain
