SGJ reimagined into a 61 style— New (to me) guitar day!

[Les’s Nemisis]

You know if the 2014 has it too ?

My 2012 bat wing style is fairly chunky. I could get you some measurements if you have a caliper and can compare.

EDIT: Just realized as I posted that this was a Gibson thread. My 2012 is an Epi.

 

[MR D]

You can use cut ends of strings as gauges. Factory relief is typically .010. A high-e measures that. I like it a bit tighter like many here, but that gives you a reference point. It's actually a whole lot easier to measure with and round string vs. a flat feeler gauge anyway when dealing with a rounded fret and round string.

IDK about that, the fret is not used in the method I employ, and .010" ?????......is way to loose for moi. just personal taste though.

The Neck Relief on a 2019 Les Paul CUSTOM I bought arrived from the factory DEAD STRAIGHT, no relief what-so-ever in this baseball bat of a neck !.....I opened it up to .005" @ 9th fret for a month, then checked to see if it moved...and it did not ! So then I closed it back down to .003" where it has pretty much stayed since. It has opened a couple of thousandths of an inch after 6 months in its HS Case so it gets closed back down w almost 3/8Ths of a turn of the TR.

NOTE: I was lucky enough to be friends with a GIBSON employee/Luthier during the '90's and this Man told me that GIBSON makes its Guitars to be played at as close to DEAD STRAIGHT as possible. The exception being 'BOUND' Slim-Taper Necks that can end up with Kinked Bindings if straightened past .005" @ 9TH Fret/half way point. That is just one reason I do not like Slim Taper Necks....as an SG I have did indeed suffer a kinked binding when I set the Neck Relief @ .003" @ 9Th Fret...the Kink appeared on the treble side of the binding at the 3rd fret. I opened it back up and the kink disappeared so no permanent damage occurred. So now that particular SG Standard never goes straighter than .005" @ 9TH Fret.......NEVER !

 

[Gary Gretsch]

My 2012 bat wing style is fairly chunky. I could get you some measurements if you have a caliper and can compare.

EDIT: Just realized as I posted that this was a Gibson thread. My 2012 is an Epi.

Do you mean at one time Epiphone offered more than just slim taper necks? I wish the neck on Epiphones 61 was chunkier that would be my next guitar.

 

[Les’s Nemisis]

Do you mean at one time Epiphone offered more than just slim taper necks? I wish the neck on Epiphones 61 was chunkier that would be my next guitar.

The 2011 batwing I mentioned (not 2012) is a '66 style, not a '61. Definitely chunkier than a '61 slim taper. Significantly. Feels like a Fender Strat neck to me... like a Modern C, but Gibson/Epi wide and flat. Heel is still the '61 style. The neck and larger pickguard are the only differences between the '66 and a '61 that I can find.

If you're a digital caliper kind of guy, we can exchange some measurements. Hit me up in a PM if you want to do that... I don't want to derail the thread and more than I have.

 

[Les’s Nemisis]

I

IDK about that, the fret is not used in the method I employ, and .010" ?????......is way to loose for moi. just personal taste though.

The Neck Relief on a 2019 Les Paul CUSTOM I bought arrived from the factory DEAD STRAIGHT, no relief what-so-ever in this baseball bat of a neck !.....I opened it up to .005" @ 9th fret for a month, then checked to see if it moved...and it did not ! So then I closed it back down to .003" where it has pretty much stayed since. It has opened a couple of thousandths of an inch after 6 months in its HS Case so it gets closed back down w almost 3/8Ths of a turn of the TR.

NOTE: I was lucky enough to be friends with a GIBSON employee/Luthier during the '90's and this Man told me that GIBSON makes its Guitars to be played at as close to DEAD STRAIGHT as possible. The exception being 'BOUND' Slim-Taper Necks that can end up with Kinked Bindings if straightened past .005" @ 9TH Fret/half way point. That is just one reason I do not like Slim Taper Necks....as an SG I have did indeed suffer a kinked binding when I set the Neck Relief @ .003" @ 9Th Fret...the Kink appeared on the treble side of the binding at the 3rd fret. I opened it back up and the kink disappeared so no permanent damage occurred. So now that particular SG Standard never goes straighter than .005" @ 9TH Fret.......NEVER !

I run mine around .005 too typically. That's with a capo on the first fret and holding the low-E down at the 17th.

But the .010 string measurement at least gives you a visual starting point. Then you can drop from there. I believe the GIbson spec is still .010. But I have

There are lots of rumors about Gibson specs. Here's some info: https://forum.gibson.com/topic/88258-sg-neck-relief-specs/

 

[MR D]

I

I run mine around .005 too typically. That's with a capo on the first fret and holding the low-E down at the 17th.

But the .010 string measurement at least gives you a visual starting point. Then you can drop from there. I believe the GIbson spec is still .010. But I have

There are lots of rumors about Gibson specs. Here's some info: https://forum.gibson.com/topic/88258-sg-neck-relief-specs/

Yes, I have seen that thread......it's a semi-oldie...and there is a grammatical error in the 'ACTION' section that is very confusing.IDK exactly what he means about that one particular point.....005" is a never fail, just about perfect,I'd say !

The info I got about set-up's and Neck Relief etc etc...was from a GIBSON Memphis employee that I was pretty good friends with during the mid 90's... This Man told me the one really important part is that GIBSON has always made its guitars to be played as close to DEAD STRAIGHT as possible, the ONE exception being Slim-Taper Necks with Bindings that can become kinked if the Neck Relief is closed past .005" @ 9TH fret....and he wasn't kidding because it happened to an SG Standard I set at .003" @ 8th fret.....I caught it and opened it back up b4 it became permanently damaged/kinked, but he was right, he sure was ! This one guy told me more about GIBSON guitars than anyone else ever did, really good Dude. I made sure I bought him drinks every chance I got.

From what this Man told me, I was able to expand on it and figure out exactly how to get the Open A, D & E chords to RING DEAD-ON in the 2nd Octave, every time.......and....IT TOOK DECADES TO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.