• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

60 slim taper vs 58 C vs 59 C vs 57 C necks

Gretev1

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2020
Messages
31
Out of all Gibson neck shapes is there a shape you most prefer and/or any that you absolutely do not gel with?

60‘s slim taper are known to be relatively slim and flatter.

58 C necks are mostly very chunky

57 C found on Les Paul Customs are mostly even larger than other necks

59 C can vary but are known to be rather chunky to medium-chunky

Do you have experience with other Gibson neck shapes? Which ones do you love? Which ones do you dislike? Why?
 

DutchRay

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2015
Messages
872
I tend to steer clear of the really big necks, other than that anything goes. The largest neck is on my CC3, the smallest on my CC18, the rest are in between. The neck on my '55 Goldtop is my favorite, very slight V and very comfortable with the braz board.
Tone wise there are some differences, my R0 and CC18, both with skinny necks, are significantly brighter sounding, more agressive than the others.
 

jb_abides

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
5,276
Favorites are Real Feel Music Machine, and 30/60!

I tend to grab R0, Slim Taper, and R9 rather than baseball bats, but have a small variety of those too.

Favorites are Real Feel Music Machine, and 30/60.
...Then 60-V2, R0, along with Slim Tapers and asymmetrical.
...Then R9 depending on shoulder, along with R7s with the soft-V. Also Customs which tend to be flatter.
...Then R4/R6.
... Finally the big bat 65 SG Jr!

I like variety, and cycling through them -- even going with my mood -- and now as I age: how my hands feel, arthritis, etc.

🍑
 

somebodyelseuk

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
454
My only experience of Gibson necks are Reissues and 70+ instruments.
My R9 and R7 have the same neck profile/dimensions. I love 'em.
70s/80s/90s neck were... 'meh'.
Don't like the 'slim taper 60s' neck.
 

Señor Verde

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
621
I can't get along with any type of slim-taper neck. My R7 and R8 necks feel exactly the same to me. They are fine, but I'd really prefer an R9 type neck.
 
Joined
Aug 1, 2022
Messages
91
Modern had an asymmetrical slim neck.
Deluxe has a "rounded c"

I find the slim necks too slim for my sore hand. The vintage 50s neck is my preferred. The rounded C is somewhere in the middle.
 

mdubya

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,020
I like 'em all if they aren't too narrow at the nut.

I could probably live with a "full" 1-9/16ths nut, but not a "narrow" 1-9/16ths. BTDT.

As far as the classic necks, I have a Firebird with a wide and slim 60's neck and a Dot Reissue ES 335 with a similar neck but maybe a bit more round. Both are a joy to play and a great way to get a break from a fatter, rounded config.

My '59 RI ES 335 has the fullest roundest neck of all of my guitars. It is never uncomfortable, but you are aware of it, in hand. It makes my ES 330 neck feel modest and square-ish in comparison. The 330 "feels" plenty big and round unless you are coming off of the '59 RI 335.

Then I've got 2 Custom Shop Non-Reverse Firebirds and an SG Classic with what I consider variations of a chunky '64 style neck. One Bird is more medium sized and more round with just a slight flatness to the back around the 12th fret. Feels chunky on its own, pleasantly comfortable compared to others. ~ .88" to .98"

The next Firebird is about .88" at the first fret then grows to full big R8 sized neck with a fair bit of shoulder as you get up near the 12th fret, again with just a hint of flatness to the back of the neck when it gets big.

The SG Classic is a Custom Shop neck on a production line guitar. Get one. .88" and round at the first fret, 1.0" with slight shoulders and that same slghtly flat feel on the back when it gets fat.

^^^ Those 3 are just awesome necks.

Everything else falls some where in between all of that.

Viva la difference! I love them all.
 

Any Name You Wish

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
Messages
493
I love the neck on my R9, .87" at first fret, C shape, not a lot of "shoulder."

My ES 335 is too big for me personally at .93" at the first fret, also a C shape and not a lot of shoulder.

I've been shopping for a Custom Shop SG and have played a whole bunch of them. The '64 RI's had slightly larger neck profiles at .89" and just a little large for my taste. The '61 RI's were in the .82" neighborhood, BUT some had a chopped off C (zero shoulder) and some had a good amount of shoulder. The ones with a good amount of shoulder felt better and had warmer tone. Seems some shoulder can make up for the feel of lost thickness and also help keep the guitar from having a thin or too bright tone (one of many factors).

Up until recently I played anything and had no preference for neck size/shape. But something changed and now I struggle with fat necks. I am also paying a little more attention to where my thumb is in relation to my index finger while playing bar chords. I guess I am losing a little strength in my left hand. Probably due to all the typing:)
 

LeonC

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2002
Messages
799
I like all the "main" ones.

The '61 ES-335 had a wide, but super-slim taper. Notably thinner carve than the LP '60s carve...but it's still really nicely rounded. The carve on my 2013 '54 Oxblood RI is a little different...seems a bit like some '68 LP Customs I've owned. Not as chunky as a '59, but similar.

I find I play best on the slim carves and am most comfortable on CC28 (a '58 sn guitar, with a carve more like a '59). The big base-ball bat necks feel really nice in my hand...but man, I just don't play that well on them. I really like the carve on the '54 Oxblood, really comfortable for my hands.

The one carve I didn't dig was the carve on the CC18 I had for a year or so. It was an absolutely gorgeous guitar...but the carve just didn't really work for me. It wasn't that it was too big or to small...I didn't like the feel of shoulders (what there were of them). Total a personal-preference thing, the guy who bought it from me loved it.

The early '60s Melody Makers have a cool carve. Not that thick at the nut, but pretty chunky around the 12th fret. I find them very comfortable!
 
Top