If you have ever played a vintage electric guitar, you know that electric guitar necks have evolved over the years.
1950’s
Fender electric guitars have narrow, #6230 “banjo frets”, a curvy 7 1/4″ radius, and a narrow 1 5/8″ nut width.
1950-1955: Neck shapes have a large and chunky “D” profile.
1956: Necks changed to a large and chunky “soft V” profile. This allows the neck to be slightly smaller and retain vertical stiffness.
1957: The famous strong “V” shape is introduced.
1958: Back to a conventional “D” neck profile. This is the profile used on Fender reissue electric guitars.
By 1950, Gibson had standardized on 1 11/16″ as their standard neck width measured across the nut
Around 1959 Gibson changed to wider, #6130 .106″ wide frets, except for the Les Paul Custom, which retained the .070″ frets. Fretboard radius is typically 10″. Gibson electric guitars have a 17 degree peghead angle at this time.
The Gibson 1950’s necks are round, large and comfortable without being huge.
1960’s
Lighter gauge guitar strings became more common in the 1960’s, resulting in less string tension on electric guitar necks. This allowed Fender and Gibson necks to become smaller and flatter in the 1960’s.
The cutting of Rosewood trees in the Brazilian rainforest ended in 1968. Like most guitar manufacturers, Fender and Gibson used Brazilian Rosewood fretboards until around 1966, and then switched to the slightly harder Indian Rosewood fretboards. In order to import Brazilian Rosewood today, it must be harvested prior to 1968, or the tree has to have fallen down.
Fender dropped maple fretboards in the 1960’s, because on the 1950’s models lacquer wear showed rather easily.
Gibson electric guitars:
1960-1962: Very thin neck back shape.
1963-1964: Thin neck back shape.
1965-1967: Narrower neck widths, 1 9/16″ or 1 5/8″.
Gibson changed the pedhead angle on their electric guitars in 1966, to a shallower 14 degrees. Many collectors prefer pre-1966 Gibson electric guitar models and vintage guitar prices reflect this.
1968-present: Nut width increased back to 1 11/16″ and back shape changed to 1963-1964 dimensions.
1970’s
In 1970, Fender released updated models, and along with this came wider, #6150 frets on Fender electric guitars. Fender also re-introduced ther maple fretboard, as lacquers had improved since the 1950’s. The neck radius is now a flatter 9 1/2″ radius, more like Gibson electric guitars.
In 1973 Gibson changes the peghead angle back to 17 degrees, like in the 1950’s.
The 1970’s sees improved quality in Japanese made electric guitars. Ibanez electric guitars typically have a 12″ fretboard radius.
1980’s
Fender reissue electric guitars and their related curved fretboards became more common. At the same time, new designs appear with a 12″ radius, such as the Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster.
From 1980 - 1982, Fender produced The Strat, which was available with three neck shapes: U shape, D shape and C shape.
Korean manufactured electric guitars become more common. These guitars usually have a very flat 16″ fretboard radius.
In the 1980’s, asymmetrical necks from Fender (SRV Stratocaster) Ibanez (Wizard neck) and Peavey (Wolfgang) are introduced. Some manufacturers experiment with aluminum (Kramer) and graphite (eg. Moses Graphite) necks. Today, a 2009 Gibson Les Paul Standard also has an asymmetrical neck.
Warmoth, an aftermarket manufacturer, introduces the compound radius fretboard in the late 1980’s. The compound radius flattens out towards the 12th fret. This is probably the best compromise between chording and soloing. The Gibson Tony Iommi SG had this feature and the radius varied from 10 inches to 16 inches.
Today
What is the trend here? Electric guitar players have more choices now than ever, with both vintage neck designs and modern neck designs readily available.
