Gibson/Fender necks?
doug L.
Many have used both, etc.
Technical question:
Why do Fender necks feel so different from Gibsons,
in general? I remember when I was a toddler. I had a Hagstrom
with a shallow neck. It felt comfortable. My first Gibson was
an L6s, which seemed a little less "clunky" than
Les Pauls. Then I moved on to a Strat, which felt good- a bit
like my old Hagstrom. Two years ago i ran across an old
L6s and it seemed really "clunky", as did an old heavy Firebird.
What is it with the necks? Are Gibsons generally deeper,
or wider, or what? -just curious, -doug
(No, please don't claim the "superiority" of a particular
brand. Just tell us the technical differences between
Fender and Gibson. Thanks.)
Guest
> Why do Fender necks feel so different from Gibsons,
> in general?
Or maybe the question is why do Gibson necks feel so different from
Fenders?...
> What is it with the necks? Are Gibsons generally deeper,
> or wider, or what? -just curious, -doug
I don't know exactly what it is, Gibsons always felt awkward to me. I love
the tone, but hate the feel (and the price, but that goes both ways).
J. Gross
> You know, some of us like Gibsons over Fender, etc.
> Many have used both, etc.
>
> Technical question:
> Why do Fender necks feel so different from Gibsons,
> in general? I remember when I was a toddler. I had a Hagstrom
> with a shallow neck. It felt comfortable. My first Gibson was
> an L6s, which seemed a little less "clunky" than
> Les Pauls. Then I moved on to a Strat, which felt good- a bit
> like my old Hagstrom. Two years ago i ran across an old
> L6s and it seemed really "clunky", as did an old heavy Firebird.
>
> What is it with the necks? Are Gibsons generally deeper,
> or wider, or what? -just curious, -doug
>
> (No, please don't claim the "superiority" of a particular
> brand. Just tell us the technical differences between
> Fender and Gibson. Thanks.)
From my experience, Gibsons have bigger necks & tend to run towards a
flatter fretboard than your average Fender.
Bolt on VS. set necks have a lot to do with feel as well.
My first good guitar was a 66 Strat w/ a whammy that I bought for $180
in 1973. Really had a nice neck, then some asshole stole it. Bought a
(new) 76 Gibson Explorer. Nice wide, shallow & damn near flat neck. It
played great, but didn't have a particularly outstanding tone. Stolen.
Recovered & stolen again! Bought a 68 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with P90's
& a blue sparkle top. MAN! What a nice guitar. Gobs of tone, and such
beautiful action, I often changed my pants after playing it. I foolishly
traded it for an Ampeg head & 4x12 cab (plus a bunch of other stuff)
that I still have (wish I had the guitar instead, now).
Currently playing an 85 Fender Stratocaster 'Strat' HM. Sounds like a
strat, plays kind of like my old Explorer, and bone stock except for the
Roland synth controller taped on it. This guitar will likely never be
worth even a fraction of what my past axes are, but it fits my playing
style to a 'T'. Even when I pick up my other guitars in the studio, the
engineers & my band mates always start yelling at me "NO, NO, PLAY THE
STRAT"! My other guitars are nice, but they aren't 'Patsy' (the Strat).
Maybe I got lucky and got the only good one in existence of this model,
but it's just an outstanding guitar. The only other guitar that I have
that compares to it is my 1954 Gibson ES-150, which is a world apart in
characteristics, but has a voice unlike anything else I've ever played
(and I will never get rid of it, either).
Which guitar for the job at hand, overall sound, sustain
characteristics, etc.?
Fenders seem to be better at clean tones. Even when overdriven, they
seem to 'cut through' better than Gibsons do, but moost bolt on necks
are like that anyway. You can hardly beat a Gibson for chording though,
but it depends on your entire setup, not just the guitar. I play rhythm
with my Fenders & solos with my Gibsons, but not the majority of them.
Flame away!
I have my asbestos underwear on, anyway.
Later,
Jeff
http://www.littlebrother.net
--
If there's ever an obscene noise to be made on an instrument, it's gonna
come out of a guitar! ... The guitar makes a stink noise, that's why I
like it!!
- - Frank Zappa