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Products Electric Guitars Les Paul Gibson Custom
Neck and Headstock
Neck Species
The neck of the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom is constructed from three pieces of mahogany for improved strength and resonance. The luthiers in Gibson's Custom Shop carefully match the grains and weights of these guitars' bodies and necks to optimize tone and sustain. Neck Species Neck Profile
The neck on the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom is carved to a "small D Rhoads profile," a comfortable, yet rounded neck shape that accurately recreates the feel of the neck on Rhoads' own '59 Les Paul. Neck Profile Tonal Characteristics
The neck and fingerboard play a big part in the effort of bringing fat, singing tone to the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom, and the angled, classical-style peg head and chunky mahogany neck work together to provide exceptional tonal richness and resonance, with a good string definition and sustain. Joint
Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. This technique creates a joint that is stronger than a single piece of wood, and is a major part of the singing tone and sustain of the instrument. Neck Joint Joint Angle
4.0° (+/- 15 seconds)
Headstock Angle (Pitch)
Just like the most revered Les Pauls, the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom headstock is carefully angled at Gibson's traditional 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain. Truss Rod
Gibson's traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you'll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain. Truss Rod Logo
The traditional, period-correct Gibson logo is inlaid in mother of pearl across the top of a Custom fiber headstock veneer, with the classic split-diamond mother-of-pearl inlay at the center of the headstock face. Logo Adhesive
Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today, is used to join body and neck together. Tolerance
When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a proper tolerance. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.
Fingerboard and Nut
Fingerboard Species
The Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom carries an ebony fingerboard. Long considered an upgraded fingerboard wood, this is a major ingredient of the original Les Paul Custom. Fingerboard Species Frets
The Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom's fingerboard carries 22 medium-jumbo frets, all smoothly dressed and finished with the optimum crowns for easy, precise playability. Frets Tonal Characteristics
Ebony fingerboards are known for enhancing the clarity and definition of an outstanding guitar. Radius
Like the original Les Paul Custom, the 12-inch radius of the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates "dead" or "choked out" notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
Inlays
The Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom fingerboard carries mother-of-pearl block position-marker inlays, just like the original Les Paul Custom. Inlays Nut Material
The nut on the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. This popular synthetic alternative to bone offers a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made in the slotting process. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer, and its nut slots are cut with Gibson's PLEK system to ensure precise fit, break angle, and string spacing. Nut Width Nut Width
The width of the nut on the Randy Rhoads 1974 Les Paul Custom is approximately 1.710", to match the width of the nut on Rhoads' own Les Paul.