Are there any SGs that are not neck heavy and fat necks?

[dark]

I love the sound of an SG, but the fat, round necks and propensity for the neck to dive to the floor is something I cannot overcome. Is there a Gibson SG model that has a slimmer necks and are balanced correctly?

[Shaker]

Which SG model do you have? I think the current SG 61 reissues have slimmer necks than the current SG standards. My SG 61 RI does have a much slimmer neck than my SG standard.

 

Although I do not have any direct hands on experience, I can see those SGs with Bigsby units being more "balanced" albeit the total weight is greater.

[modoc_333]

the 61 RI has a slim neck, but it tends to feel very wide..

being neck heavy depends on the individual chunk of wood.

the best overall seems to be the historics LP/SG with the Maestro Vibrola. the neck is thinner than a standard, but doesn't feel flat and wide like a 61RI. the maestro helps balance the weight.

[deelaz]

go for the 61 RI, you will feel the different, & use wide strap

[dark]

Thanks, I had a major hand injury (surgery, etc.) and I can't play a fat neck without pain. I love the neck 60s? on my 1993 Standard LP, as far as Gibson necks go. My neck of preference is a thin U shape, akin to a Jackson or ESP. But I love the sound of a Gibson SG, I have played several new models and the necks are very round, which is very painful for me to play

 

My hand injury affects my left hand's strength, and the added stress of having to hold the neck up while playing sucks as it is extremely painful, and that is why I can't play neck heavy. I sit down with the guitar, if the neck dives down, I put it on the rack, as I just can't do it.

 

But, I so want an SG, so everytime I go in a music store I will play a few hoping to find one I can play that is not painful.

 

I will have to check out the 61 reissues, sim and wide is perfect. Kewl. :-$/

[vomajeff]

Thanks' date=' I had a major hand injury (surgery, etc.) and I can't play a fat neck without pain. I love the neck 60s? on my 1993 Standard LP, as far as Gibson necks go. My neck of preference is a thin U shape, akin to a Jackson or ESP. But I love the sound of a Gibson SG, I have played several new models and the necks are very round, which is very painful for me to play '](*,)

 

My hand injury affects my left hand's strength, and the added stress of having to hold the neck up while playing sucks as it is extremely painful, and that is why I can't play neck heavy. I sit down with the guitar, if the neck dives down, I put it on the rack, as I just can't do it.

 

But, I so want an SG, so everytime I go in a music store I will play a few hoping to find one I can play that is not painful.

 

I will have to check out the 61 reissues, sim and wide is perfect. Kewl. :D/

[vomajeff]

I've got a 67 that's perfectly balanced. What I've done with neck heavy guitars in the past, is place a lead weight under the pickguard. It doesn't help the overall weight, but it will help balance it. Also, talcum powder on your left hand will ease the pain as your hand will slide better even with the neck heavy situation.

[Marcelo]

I was going to suggest the same as Jeff above. You might want to try the lead weight that are used to balance some SUV tires. They are long, not too thick and you can bend them and cut them as the metal is very soft. You can drill a couple of holes in them and screw them down into the guitar so they don't move (wherever there is space). I would wrap it in electrical tape to prevent shorts if anything shifts, just in case. You are making a see-saw lever here, so the further away from the neck you place the weight, the less material you will need to make it balance.

 

You can also make a custom mold of the inside of the guitar and melt some lead into it. It does not take too much heat to melt lead.

[80LPC]

To ease pain in hands, have you tried soaking your hands in warm water before playing ? Regarding the imbalance, the lead is a good idea, and I remember a wide strap that I bought years ago had a pocket sewn into either end of the strap. If you had something similar, you could put the lead into the pocket at the rear of the guitar, and it would keep your guitar completely stock. I think wrapping the lead in tape would be best to avoid contamination etc. I suppose you could just tape the lead straight onto an ordinairy strap that does not have a pocket.

[RStabe]

Neckheavy- move the rear strap button up and move the front to the horn. Big difference!

[Dynadude]

The lead in the strap is a great idea. Never heard that before, but it's simple and elegant.

 

I would think that most SGs modeled after the early versions would have the slim neck. My 62 is very thin and comfortable. The only drawback is the instability.

 

I have found this profile to be very tiring to play for any length of time though, and prefer the thicker profile of my LP Studio.

 

I understand that you would prefer the slim neck to accommodate your injured hand, but be aware that your thumb will have to work harder with the slim neck,

 

One trick I use is to shorten the strap. It allows me better control, with less hand fatigue.

[dark]

Thanks for all the GREAT tips. My left hand was severely fractured and I had 6 screws, and 2 surgeries. So it has limited strength. After years of physical therapy and the 2 surgeries I can play but I have limitations that will never go away. The guitar is the best exercise and rehab, unfortunately I can't reach far so I need the slim neck. And even slight neck heaviness puts immediate stress right on the fracture/scar tissue, as it feels like its pulling the injured metacarpals apart = very painful. I can pickup a guitar and in a second know whether I can play it or not...it sucks, because there have been times when I have had the money, and loved the guitar, but had to put it back on the rack as it hurt my hand. Guitars with huge heels, or limited access to higher frets like on bolt-ons or acoustics are out too. I have to adjust the strap so the angle of my wrist is ergonomic, so playing too high or too low is also painful. I have to take all these things into consideration which sucks, but I can play guitar again/when I got injured I couldn't play for years, and it took years to get strength, etc back. Still, my pinky is weak, but I am working on it.

 

I own a 1993 Gibson Les Paul Standard that is perfect for my hand, I can play it for hours on end. It has the 60s slimmer neck. So it totally makes sense I need to check into the 60s SGs. I don't know why didn't I think of that. I will be checking out all the music stores looking for 60s SGs to play. Kewl...do they make them all in cherry? any ebony...or white? I love the looks of black and white LPs & SGs. If I found a white SG with a slim neck that wasn't neck heavy I'd buy that bad boy in a second. =P~

[saintzband]

I bought an SG Supreme a couple of years ago. It has an amazingly fast, slim neck plus the added bonus of 24 frets. The ebony fretboard is pure butter. It also has a AA flame maple top like LP Standards (albeit much thinner), no pickguard, and Classic 57's as stock pups. It's a great guitar except for the neck heaviness. Check one out. They're great axes.

[80LPC]

I shaved down and refinished this SG's neck.

 

[Dynadude]

Thanks for all the GREAT tips. My left hand was severely fractured and I had 6 screws' date=' and 2 surgeries. So it has limited strength. After years of physical therapy and the 2 surgeries I can play but I have limitations that will never go away. The guitar is the best exercise and rehab, unfortunately I can't reach far so I need the slim neck. And even slight neck heaviness puts immediate stress right on the fracture/scar tissue, as it feels like its pulling the injured metacarpals apart = very painful. I can pickup a guitar and in a second know whether I can play it or not...it sucks, because there have been times when I have had the money, and loved the guitar, but had to put it back on the rack as it hurt my hand. Guitars with huge heels, or limited access to higher frets like on bolt-ons or acoustics are out too. I have to adjust the strap so the angle of my wrist is ergonomic, so playing too high or too low is also painful. I have to take all these things into consideration which sucks, but I can play guitar again/when I got injured I couldn't play for years, and it took years to get strength, etc back. Still, my pinky is weak, but I am working on it.

 

I own a 1993 Gibson Les Paul Standard that is perfect for my hand, I can play it for hours on end. [img']http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c83/triedthemall/3.jpg[/img] It has the 60s slimmer neck. So it totally makes sense I need to check into the 60s SGs. I don't know why didn't I think of that. I will be checking out all the music stores looking for 60s SGs to play. Kewl...do they make them all in cherry? any ebony...or white? I love the looks of black and white LPs & SGs. If I found a white SG with a slim neck that wasn't neck heavy I'd buy that bad boy in a second.

 

I'm not real familiar with the latest models, but I know the '61 reissue only comes in the heritage cherry. I'm almost certain it's the only new model with the slim taper neck too, but I could be wrong.

[dark]

Definitely, I am interested in the 61 reissue and hopefully the neck heavy thing won't happen. I just love that SG sound.

[Dynadude]

Here's a used white three pup on Ebay.

 

Item #230295217421

[DiamondJig]

better than lead, you can buy a small sheet of brass about 3/16 think, place the rear electronic cover over it, trace it then cut it out, sand to make it fit, looks cool too.

[80LPC]

Nice idea, but the lead on the strap means that you can easily add/remove material to create the perfect balance point. Plus, your guitar remains standard.

[MI_Canuck]

My SG Standard has a very slim neck. It's a 98 that I bought used a few months ago. I measured the width and thickness and it's far closer to the '61 RI and even Angus model than a Standard. It's why I like it so much. (Plus it sounds amazing too!) I have smaller hands so it very nice in my hands and I find the playability to be awesome. Not neck heavy at all. With manufacturing variation, it's possible to find SG with a small and light neck. I'd image the more modern smaller headstock SGs have less neck dive than the '60s large headstock models.

 

 

cheers

 

EDIT: some measurements...

 

my '98 SG Standard:

width nut: 1.656

width 12th: 2.000

thick 1st: 0.781

thick 12th: 0.875

 

 

(From everythingsg.com http://www.everythingsg.com/current_models.htm )

 

Standard:

width nut: 1-11/16 (1.6875)

width 12th: 2.062

thick 1st: 0.818

thick 12th: 0.963

 

'61 RI:

width nut: 1.6875

width 12th: 2.062

thick 1st: 0.800

thick 12th: 0.895

 

Angus model:

width nut: 1.625

width 12th: 2.032

thick 1st: 0.775

thick 12th: 0.875

[dark]

My SG Standard has a very slim neck. It's a 98 that I bought used a few months ago. I measured the width and thickness and it's far closer to the '61 RI and even Angus model than a Standard. It's why I like it so much. (Plus it sounds amazing too!) I have smaller hands so it very nice in my hands and I find the playability to be awesome. Not neck heavy at all. With manufacturing variation' date=' it's possible to find SG with a small and light neck. I'd image the more modern smaller headstock SGs have less neck dive than the '60s large headstock models.

 

 

cheers

 

EDIT: some measurements...

 

my '98 SG Standard:

width nut: 1.656

width 12th: 2.000

thick 1st: 0.781

thick 12th: 0.875

 

 

(From everythingsg.com http://www.everythingsg.com/current_models.htm )

 

Standard:

width nut: 1-11/16 (1.6875)

width 12th: 2.062

thick 1st: 0.818

thick 12th: 0.963

 

'61 RI:

width nut: 1.6875

width 12th: 2.062

thick 1st: 0.800

thick 12th: 0.895

 

Angus model:

width nut: 1.625

width 12th: 2.032

thick 1st: 0.775

thick 12th: 0.875

[/quote']

 

That is great, I have played some of thenew ones and they are neck heavy, sounds like I need to go used o reissue. Thanks for the info! Cheers!

[80LPC]

Partly influenced by a Frank Zappa interview where he said that his 'pudgy' Gibson necks were shaved down, I did the same to my SG in 1982. I then refinished the entire guitar in high gloss cellulose, (originally had been matt finish). The neck is 0.8" at the first fret, and still a slightly pudgy 0.97" at the 12th. Looking back, maybe I was a victim of the 'thinner must be faster' syndrome. As the years passed I came to appreciate the qualities of standard, and deep V neck profiles (the F word). I found that playing 'thumb over' rhythm felt better with a chunky neck because there was a sense of being better connected somehow. The tone benefits are obvious, as the neck is both stronger and stiffer. Ultimately, I try to adapt to each guitar's neck profile.

 

[Murph]

Another idea is to get a drill and drill some "cheese holes" into the headstock.

 

It's not actually an original idea, but I don't remember where I heard about it.

 

Murph.

[Boston004681]

I love the sound of an SG' date=' but the fat, round necks and propensity for the neck to dive to the floor is something I cannot overcome. Is there a Gibson SG model that has a slimmer necks and are balanced correctly?[/quote']

 

 

 

I have a standard, mine isn't top-heavy.

[80LPC]

Another idea is to get a drill and drill some "cheese holes" into the headstock.

 

I think 'cheese hole drill/guitar incidents' stink. (Pun intended). Especially the ones carried out on LP bodies by the factory.

 

mmmm.....to drill, or not to drill. That is the question.