2004 Les Paul Custom necks?

[ricky bobby]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 04 Custom online and I wanted a little advice or opinions on the thickness of the necks and general playability. I love my slim 60s neck on my 04 LP Standard and the feel of my 04 SG's, however I played 3 Customs up at the local GC over the weekend and had 3 very different experiences. The 68 reissue was one of the thickest necks I've ever played on a Gibson besides some of the newer traditionals and faded studios. Great tone just not for me. The 14 Custom had a slightly thinner neck yet still on the girthy side, great sustain, yet just boring to play. The 73.. dear Lord this guitar flat out had it! It's neck was thin like my standard, the low frets played fast and the guitar just had that tone and mojo juicing through it unlike anything I've ever felt in an instrument before. Unfortunately I'm not about to drop 4k on an guitar that's been refretted, missing most the paint on the back, neck, and is twice the price of the Custom I've been looking at.

So have any of you had experience with 2004 Customs? Are the neck dimensions pretty consistent across recent years? Or should I just beat down the sales guys and try to snag that 73 at a reasonable price? I usually never buy a guitar unless I get to play it so I'm alittle out of my element picking one up online.

 

[scott 351 wins]

I'd go try to get the 73 for cheaper if they wont play then keep looking.

 

[ricky bobby]

Yeah I really wish the seller knew what neck profile it has, it would make life a hell of a lot easier.

 

[crazytrain513]

My experience is that they vary from year to year. I think Customs kind of have their own profile going. '57 reissues will have the fattest necks followed by the '68 Reissue necks (unless you find a Guitar Center version which came with a slimmer neck and flame maple Triburst top).

For the regular USA Customs, I think you kind of have to try them out.

My 2011 was advertised by the seller as having a "60's-style" neck. When I got it, I was surprised to see how thick it was compared to my Traditional with a slim-taper neck (and a bit disappointed). However, after playing it a bit, I noticed that the ebony paired with the lower frets made it easier to play despite the fatter neck.

I would characterize mine as either having a "fat 60's" or "thin '59" style neck. Below are measurements my luthier took for me, neck measurements on the 1st and 12th frets of 1969 Les Paul Custom he owned vs. my 2011 on the bottom (you can see mine is slightly thinner than a '69 Custom's neck).

I don't think they have made Customs with slim-taper necks since the late 70s and 80s so if you want one like that one you played, you may be SOL unless you get an old one.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Felix79]

Would a "Classic Custom" be a possibility? I know people don't see them as a real custom, more a normal black Les Paul with the Custom bits added on and a baked maple fretboard. They all came with the slim 60's profile neck both you and I seem to love.

I paid £1200 for a mint example and spent another couple of hundred putting gold parts on it and the 490/498 combo humbuckers. They came with the Classic '57s, which are a really low output humbucker, but I thought they sounded pretty kick ass. I only went with the 490/498 as I want to be as close to a normal custom as possible. Bar the lack of the binding on the back, I see now difference with the much cheaper classic custom and pricier custom.

 

[ricky bobby]

Would a "Classic Custom" be a possibility?
.

I'm not really into the look of those. There's just something about those customs with the double binding and ebony fretboards that I can't seem to get out of my head.

 

[GibsonKramer]

2015 True Historic BB - Baseball bat. Fastest, rounded neck I own.

2001 Ebony Custom (BB) - I wouldn't call it a bat. Same profile, slightly narrower.

2006 '68RI Triburst - wide flat fretboard, neck isn't as rounded, not as much girth.

The '68 has the easiest playing neck, of the bunch.

P.S. Holding a seller to a neck profile, is a bit unreasonable. I don't know the profiles, of some of my necks. I know them by feel. I can usually pick one up, and tell you. But, there's plenty of Gibsons out there with this supposed "slim-taper," that are all over the map.

 

[irocdave12]

Should be on par with the 2014 Custom you tried out. It's described as more of rounded 50's neck but certainly not a full 50's neck. Sort of a hybrid and my personal favorite profile

 

[GibsonKramer]

Should be on par with the 2014 Custom you tried out. It's described as more of rounded 50's neck but certainly not a full 50's neck. Sort of a hybrid and my personal favorite profile

Gibson's infamous "kinda" necks.

I honestly couldn't tell you my favorite Gibson neck, by its name designation. I know which ones I have, that are 60s Slims, and I like them... but it's probably the '68RI neck I like most, which I was told was a '60s Slim (GC Exclusive), but it most certainly isn't. I love the banjo neck on the Angus. You just have not got to experienced the full range, until you've played that neck. It's not my favorite guitar, it's close... but that neck, is special. No freaking clue what they call it. "Angus Anorexic?" The 50s baseball bat, its blatant. Can't miss them.

The only real consistency I find, is in the 60s Slim. I can always tell, one of those.

 

[Felix79]

I'm not really into the look of those. There's just something about those customs with the double binding and ebony fretboards that I can't seem to get out of my head.

I get what you're saying. I adore the ebony and gold of the Custom, which is why I went to great lengths to make my classic custom to look that way. In my eyes the only difference now between my classic custom and a custom, is the binding on the rear of the guitar.

Last September, I had the funds to buy a 2016 Custom and when I tried it I was just blown away. It too had a lovely slim style neck and I was given a discount that dropped the price down to "only" £2700 from the £3300 price tag.

I want to get another custom in either white or the really nice cherry burst finish they do them in.

 

[mudface]

2006 and up regular LPCs (not Historics reissues or True Historics) have a '59ish with a taper to the nut, sort of hybrid, that is very comfy.

I have a 1978 LPC sunburst that is super skinny (Ibanez skinny) and 1979 BB that is chunky and they're only made weeks apart.So.......

My 2011 LPC and 2012 are identical in neck carve.

 

[ricky bobby]

The only real consistency I find, is in the 60s Slim. I can always tell, one of those.

Out of the four Gibsons I've owned the ones with the 60's slim seem to be the ones I've held on to. And even those two vary a bit. I can appreciate a guitar having its own character, and that's what makes these Gibsons a thrill to play. I just have short fingers and my fatter neck and longer scale guitars rarely get played because of this.

I guess in a perfect world I'd take that 12 hour round trip just to check it out myself, but I can't even find time to play for more than a few hours a week. That's definitely out of the question.

 

[Felix79]

2006 and up regular LPCs (not Historics reissues or True Historics) have a '59ish with a taper to the nut, sort of hybrid, that is very comfy.

I have a 1978 LPC sunburst that is super skinny (Ibanez skinny) and 1979 BB that is chunky and they're only made weeks apart.So.......

My 2011 LPC and 2012 are identical in neck carve.

I had a '79 Les Paul Deluxe last year and it had a really slim neck now that I think about it. I stupidly traded it for a '93 Strat Plus Deluxe, which never gets played because I just prefer my "Classic" Custom.

 

[mudface]

I had a '79 Les Paul Deluxe last year and it had a really slim neck now that I think about it. I stupidly traded it for a '93 Strat Plus Deluxe, which never gets played because I just prefer my "Classic" Custom.

Don't be hard on yourself Felix, i traded my '77 Deluxe for an original '62 Strat back in 81/82 and everyone said i got robbed. That may have been the ONLY good trade i ever done.
All the other times, i DID get robbed!
I truly suck at trading......

 

[Felix79]

Don't be hard on yourself Felix, i traded my '77 Deluxe for an original '62 Strat back in 81/82 and everyone said i got robbed. That may have been the ONLY good trade i ever done.
All the other times, i DID get robbed!
I truly suck at trading......

I'm hoping to sell my Strat Plus Deluxe pretty quickly as I "need" to own another classic custom or "normal" Les Paul. I have found a faded '67 Flying V with the crescent moon inlays for just £700.

 

[mudface]

Felix it sounds like you have a dilemma.....

Best of luck

 

[timgman]

For the record.. I have a 2004 custom sop custom.. the neck is what I'd call a thinner neck.. thinner than a trad 50's.. MUCH thinner than a r8... thicker than a classic...