Gibson USA Rounded 50's neck profile?

[Rex_Rocker]

So I've got this neck profile on my Les Paul Tribute. Some days I like it, others not so much. Today is one of the days I like it. I don't think I'll ever like it as much as the 60's Slim Taper on my Modern Lite, but I play this guitar so much that it feels so familiar, and I feel right at home.

Seems like it's middle-of-the-road leaning towards thick. Not super thick to where it's too much, but definitely far from an Ibanez. It's kinda like how the 60's is middle-of-the-road leaning towards thin. Still not an Ibanez, but definitely thin.

But I guess what I wanted to discuss is what is this neck profile based on? I've read the '57/58 neck profile is much thicker than this. Is it more '59-ish, then? What would be the CS equivalent? Is it considered a U shape or a C?

Also, anyone know the specs? Are these hand-carved? Do they vary?

 

[Sam SG]

I dunno if its really modeled on anything. My 2022 SG Tribute has the same neck. Were as my 2017 has a very thin well tapered neck.
I think Gibson did the bigger necks to push people toward thier standards in the post bankruptcy guitars. I dont think they are a vintage profile...maybe I dunno.

 

[beaubrummels]

I read an article about this a while back. I recall there were three variants in 1960; a thicker late 59/early 60 (thick but less than a 58), a mid-1960 (too thin), a late 1960 (I believe this is the thin 60s neck ever since). I thought the rounded 50s profile was based on the late 59/early 60 neck? I'd have to find the article.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Yeah, I dunno. I was under the impresion the "50's" neck is more like very late 50's. I'm aware some of those 57/58 necks are almost an inch thick.

 

[Snake Aces]

I love the late 50s profile for some reason. The first Gibson Les Paul I owned had the 50s neck. So did the Epiphone Les Paul I owned before that.

All my currently finished Warmoth LP-style guitars have the 59 Roundback neck profile. I have short pinky fingers so I'd probably love the 60s slim taper, but I'm so used to the 50s round profile now that it just feels like home to me.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I love the late 50s profile for some reason. The first Gibson Les Paul I owned had the 50s neck. So did the Epiphone Les Paul I owned before that.

All my currently finished Warmoth LP-style guitars have the 59 Roundback neck profile. I have short pinky fingers so I'd probably love the 60s slim taper, but I'm so used to the 50s round profile now that it just feels like home to me.

One of my first guitars was an Epi LP Special II, and that one had the 50's neck too. Couple of guitars later, I got an Ibanez Prestige RGA. So it's kind of almost embedded in my brain that "Fat neck equals bad guitarr and thin neck equals good guitar", and I find it hard to break away from that. But like you, I play my LP Tribute so much that its neck, even if it's not my favorite, feels so familiar. So it's kind of an internal conflict for me, LOL.

I've got smaller hands too. Like not tiny, but I don't think that has much to do with it, at least for me. I used to play 5 string bass, so Idon't really have trouble adapting to any neck I've tried. I just prefer ones over others.

 

[Snake Aces]

One of my first guitars was an Epi LP Special II, and that one had the 50's neck too. Couple of guitars later, I got an Ibanez Prestige RGA. So it's kind of almost embedded in my brain that "Fat neck equals bad guitarr and thin neck equals good guitar", and I find it hard to break away from that. But like you, I play my LP Tribute so much that its neck, even if it's not my favorite, feels so familiar. So it's kind of an internal conflict for me, LOL.

I've got smaller hands too. Like not tiny, but I'm a small dude overall. But I don't think that has much to do with it, at least for me. I used to play 5 string bass, so Idon't really have trouble adapting to any neck I've tried. I just prefer ones over others.

I hear ya. I tried several thinner profiles, especially Fender's standard thin necks, and still preferred the 59 roundback.

I'm average sized but with big bones. I have short fingers for my height with thick bones. Yet, I like a fat guitar neck. Maybe that will change someday, but it hasn't yet.

I have one unfinished Warmoth Strat routed for a Schaller Floyd with a standard thin 25.5" scale bocote neck. I've never finished it though. I need to order the Floyd and a Duncan 78 for it. One of these days I'll do it, but that will be the first thinner profile and the first 25.5 scale guitar I've owned since 2007.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I hear ya. I tried several thinner profiles, especially Fender's standard thin necks, and still preferred the 59 roundback.

I'm average sized but with big bones. I have short fingers for my height with thick bones. Yet, I like a fat guitar neck. Maybe that will change someday, but it hasn't yet.

I have one unfinished Warmoth Strat routed for a Schaller Floyd with a standard thin 25.5" scale bocote neck. I've never finished it though. I need to order the Floyd and a Duncan 78 for it. One of these days I'll do it, but that will be the first thinner profile and the first 25.5 scale guitar I've owned since 2007.

That finish looks killer!

 

[Snake Aces]

That finish looks killer!

I agree. I do love swamp ash, no doubt about it...

 

[Mincer]

I like the slimmer 60s necks, as well as the early 80s and early 90s necks (which weren't defined yet as '50s or 60s).

 

[Securb]

The thick 50s neck on my Traditional sustains forever and the tone is amazing. I love my slimmer Gibson necks but the thick ones really sing. There is a give and take.

 

[jeremy]

im a fat neck guy for the most part. my favorite gibson necks are like my old r6, 1" from nut to body

 

[ehdwuld]

My Gibson LP has what they called the
60s slim D
My Epiphone Florentine has one called
60s slim C

The shoulders on the Gibson makes it feel dramatically different even though it is very similar in actual depth

The slim C on the Epiphone feels almost like the Wizard II on my RG2
Just minus the flat spot in the center of the Wizard

Very similar to me

 

[hamerfan]

I own a Gibson R8 and a Tribute 50 in cherry sunburst. The Tribute is similar to the 58 Reissue but has even more shoulder. This is why i stripped the back of the Tribute‘s neck and scraped the shoulders to a thicker V neck. That means the thickness more or less the same, but the shoulders are off. I filled the back with red filler and resprayed it with rattle can nitro.

 

[Sam SG]

The thick 50s neck on my Traditional sustains forever and the tone is amazing. I love my slimmer Gibson necks but the thick ones really sing. There is a give and take.

I feel the opposite of my guitars.
I play my 22 SG with the big honkin tree trunk and I think yea it sounds pretty good. Then I pickup my 17 with the thin neck and it only takes a couple notes to realize its clearly a superior sounding axe.
Same with my strats the one with the big momma tree trunk neck just dont get it done like the others.

 

[EmiAba]

I have always had an hard time with Gibson neck shapes. They are still confusing me. I have three les pauls and the neck shape is different from one to another. The 2003 Classic has the slim taper neck as per specs. The 2004 standard has the 60 neck and the 1990 standard has the 59 rounded neck (as per specs sheet). The classic and the 2004 have similar neck shapes but they feel different to me. As far as I know while for each year 57, 58, 59 there are well defined dimensions, under the name of 60s neck you have different shapes. They vary by era, model, and hand-sanding. Variations include the 1960 Slim Taper (various, mostly thinner and flatter), 1960 V2 (C-shape) and V3 (thinner/flatter than V2). I am still not able to understand if the 2004 standard has the V3 or the V2. But for sure is the neck I prefer the most sit-in more or less in between the other two. The 1990 is comfy till the 9th fret. After that fret it is a bit hard for my hand. That is the reason why I am thinking to sell it. the Guitar is a beauty, with a plain bird eyed maple top, and sounds pretty good too but I play it rarely and a guitar is intended to be played regardless its beauty

 

[Securb]

I feel the opposite of my guitars.
I play my 22 SG with the big honkin tree trunk and I think yea it sounds pretty good. Then I pickup my 17 with the thin neck and it only takes a couple notes to realize its clearly a superior sounding axe.
Same with my strats the one with the big momma tree trunk neck just dont get it done like the others.

I can see that there are probably a lot of other factors, pickups, overdrives and amps.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I feel the opposite of my guitars.
I play my 22 SG with the big honkin tree trunk and I think yea it sounds pretty good. Then I pickup my 17 with the thin neck and it only takes a couple notes to realize its clearly a superior sounding axe.
Same with my strats the one with the big momma tree trunk neck just dont get it done like the others.

I have a similar experience as yours. Not quite the same, but along the lines.

My Les Paul Tribute has the 50's Rounded neck. My Modern Lite has thte 60's Slim Taper. The Modern Lite rings out louder acoustically, and it also has fuller lower mids. Honestly, if I had a gun to my head, and I had to choose one for tone, I'd say the Modern Lite sounds "better". It also plays better to me too because of the neck profile.

That being said, I feel more attached to the Tribute because it was my first Gibson Les Paul, and I feel it also looks slightly prettier... or rather, more Les Paul-y. It also sounds pretty damn good, and it has the "advantage" that it has more bite, a more snappy attack, and a faster low-end, albeit slightly quieter (but still loud and lively in context of all other guitars I've owned).

Not apples to apples, though. The Tribute has a Maple top and a Maple neck. The Modern Lite has no Maple whatsoever.