Les Paul 50's neck vs. Fender/ JS necks

[SilverSurfer2]

I have not played a Les paul guitar, but I am thinking about getting one as a back up to my Ibanez Js

Can anyone tell me what a 50's LP neck feels like compared to a fender or Js neck?? If a JS neck plays very easy for me, how will a 50's LP play?

What is the radius on the LP's? And are you stuck with the humbucker sound on a LP standard, meaning that you can't get a single coil tone?

I am eyeing a Les Paul standard limited edition.......but it has a 50's neck on it, and i'm not sure if that will even be close to the feeling of my JS neck.

Or am I better off with a Les Paul with the 60's neck?

[eelblack2]

57, 58, and 59 neck profiles are all a bit thicker than just about any Jem or JS model. Think deep "D" shape. 57 and 59 are considered "big" by most guitar players and the 58 is the biggest of all. 60 is the year Gibson switched to the Slim Taper neck and the reason why Les Paul Classics (modeled after a 1960 roughly) will have some of the slimmest Les Paul necks you will see. Later in the 60's the necks got thicker again as the SG and Les Paul lines diverged.

Also remember the fretboard radius on an older Gibson will be flatter than the typical Fender American Strat of the same period or the compound of the JS.

Hope this helps,

Lee

[David McCarroll]

Totally agree with last post - the '50s big neck is a beauty, and while it feels big at first it is incredibly comfortable when you get used to it - only thing is you MAY start to find the more modern Ibanez profile just feels too insubstantial after a while - if you are looking for a Les Paul closer in feel to a JEM, go for the 60's profile, I'm pretty sure the Les Paul Classic also has this profile, but they looka bit ho-hum compared to the flametop Standards, and you get a nice thick poly finish on the classic, compared to nitrocellulose lacquer on the Standards.

[frankfalbo]

And you'll have to install a coil cut, they don't come that way. So make sure the pickups that you're getting in the guitar have 4-conductor cabling. The 4xx series all have 4-conductor if I'm not mistaken, while the '57x series have braided single. Thre might not even be an LP with covered pickups out there with 4-conductor. But I'm no LP buff so don't quote me. There are some LP's with coil cuts, like some signature models.

[SilverSurfer2]

anyone stick in PAF pro's and Fred's with a coil split in a LP?? I just purchased a sweet LP Standard limited Edition with the 60's neck (i've got small hands), still in shipping though.

How versatile are LP's tonewise??? They have two tone and two volume controls, but i dont know how many different tones you can get with these...if there is no coil splitter. I mean, can you make LP's sound anything like Fender single coil tones, with a stock LP? How do the tonal changes sound like when using the 3 way switch??

[buddroyce]

Why not rewire your Les Paul like a JS?? ditch the two volume two tone setup and go with a master volume master tone with push-pulls to do the coil tap and the high pass filter. Then you have two more pots to play with. Maybe a low cut and a mid cut filter?

[shredfreak]

Originally Posted by SilverSurfer2

anyone stick in PAF pro's and Fred's with a coil split in a LP?? I just purchased a sweet LP Standard limited Edition with the 60's neck (i've got small hands), still in shipping though.

How versatile are LP's tonewise??? They have two tone and two volume controls, but i dont know how many different tones you can get with these...if there is no coil splitter. I mean, can you make LP's sound anything like Fender single coil tones, with a stock LP? How do the tonal changes sound like when using the 3 way switch??

Stock Les Paul will sound way different from Strat or Tele, it has mahogany body/neck so that effects to sound also alot. Without coil split you won't sound anything like Strat.