Different angle....
Ye Olde Brown SG Club
- Thread starter Sérgio
- Start date
Col,
I love your posts and I think you have some of the most meaningful things to say about nearly any topic that comes up on the forum.
<Bill Lumbergh impression on>
But, I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you there.
</Bill Lumbergh impression off>
I sincerely doubt Gibson's method of building a neck and its transition to the headstock in SGs, Les Pauls, etc. has much to do with purposeful "design." I rather think it's more a matter of manufacturing expediency...a holdover from how Gibson always did it. Unless I miss my guess, that method was pretty much the way most guitars were done, as well. It's just the traditional method. No big whup.
But, in today's world, it seems an inexcusably wasteful method to use at the mass-production level.
Look at these two videos. The first shows Gibson's neck build line. You can see several cut-out necks at the beginning of the video. While they don't actually show them being cut, you can get a sense of how much wood has had to be cut away to make the blank.
Contrast that with Taylor's method, and you can see how much more efficient use they make of the wood.
Absolute agreement, Smitty...
I'm using my Gibson more now (and letting other band members play it) and it has garnered many comments for its very, VERY unique tone. I do like it, particularly the upper fret access, but the practical side of me still admires the MECHANICAL aspects of the Stratocaster - Keys all in a single row, straight string pull through the nut, all things I find very important, not just from an economy of movement standpoint, but tuning stability as well....
Thanks, Goo...It looks different every time I look at it...This shot was taken last night at an outdoor venue...Looks almost red here...
Another shot, this one taken indoors a few months ago...Light brown here...
And another indoor shot...dark brown here...
Personally, I really like Gibson guitars. But, when I see how much more efficiently Taylor (and Fender) use the wood just to make the neck, I can't justify supporting that kind of waste that we see in Gibson, and other manufacturers.
But, while Gibson may be responsible for how they build a guitar, they aren't at fault. Those who are at fault are the guitar players who insist Gibson must build a guitar the way it's always been done, regardless of how inefficient and wasteful it may be. Gibson could make more efficient use of wood, but you know it would be guitar players who would make a stink because of Gibson's departure from traditional build methods.
I too noticed that. You know, on my 2016 Gibson SG T Series, the ends of the pegboard are glued on like a PRS. I never paid this area any attention until now.
Traditional build methods - Gibson, in my conversations with them, are quick to cite that as a prime reason for some of their imperfections and anomalies....
ivan H
Ambassador of Tubes & Grooves
I don't think there is so much waste in cutting the Gibson neck blanks. Some time ago I saw a pic or video showing how they are cut from the raw timber. They are arranged fretborad side of the neck against back of the neck across the piece of timber & to accommodate the 17 degree headstock each neck blank is moved down the piece of timber a little. They are then cut using two different angled cuts, one for the neck, one for the headstock. So the only large offcut is from the back of one neck blank on the end which, I believe is cut into headstock wings. There is no great wasteage "across" the necks as the headstock blank is the same width as the neck blank. That said, my Jackson has a scarf jointed headsock & is the best neck of all my guitars. Cheers
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I can envision what you're saying, but it seems to me that the initial cut-out still needs to accommodate the thickness of the heel of the neck. So, the initial neck blank would be as thick as the heel from the tenon end to the headstock end. Then, Gibson would still have to cut a recess out of the back side to form the thinner portion of the playing portion of the neck. That's the wasted portion I'm mainly talking about. IF they do end up making good use of that wood, then I retract my statement, but I still think Gibson's neck construction is inferior insofar as the neck/headstock "joint" is concerned.
If you can remember the location of the pic or video you saw, it would be cool to see.
ivan H
Ambassador of Tubes & Grooves
Ah yes, I see what you mean. Looking at my SG, which has the 60's thin taper neck, there is maybe a cm that, unless they find a use for, is wastage. Looking at my LP traditional, there is much more. I could maybe see them sanding the SG neck down that much (which is still a lot of waste so I hope not) but would really hope that that they cut that area out of the LP neck & find a use for off cut because it is considerable. I'd like to think that Gibson makes the most efficient use of these timbers possible. Either way I take back what I said earlier, at least until we know more on subject. Re the pic or video, I'm thinking it was something linked from the my Lester forum, from back a while, though I'm not sure as it was a good while ago I saw. I'd like to look at again so will look for & give you a yell if I find. Cheers
I wish I didn't dislike this SG so much. I prefer its thick, non tapered neck to the slim profile ive seen on others....
The SG got some miles put on it last night and the bandleader put the Les Paul Custom Replica through its paces...
Well, I have be intentionally limiting my posts lately, but the guys were really happy with the replica. They seem to favor the slim taper neck while I prefer the SG's clubby profile, but they were impressed with how it played. Even the Epiphone Probuckers sound decent...
Gahr
Ambassador of Blues & Brews
Mini hubuckers, yes. Single coil-like brightness. Johnny Winter would have approved of the sound.
RVA
Ambassador
I will post again too, even though I put it back where originally posted. Hey, I like this ax, what can I say!
This started life as a G-400 worn brown finish, but I polished it up. Then I put in a graph tech nut, BKP Mule neck and Riff Raff bridge pups, and installed A500 push-pull pots for splits
This started life as a G-400 worn brown finish, but I polished it up. Then I put in a graph tech nut, BKP Mule neck and Riff Raff bridge pups, and installed A500 push-pull pots for splits
