Choose Your Language / Location
USA: 1-800-4GIBSON
Europe: 00+8004GIBSON1
GibsonProductsStoreNews-LifestyleLessonsCommunity24/7 Support
Products Electric Guitars Les Paul Gibson USA
Neck and Headstock
Neck Species
The neck of the Les Paul Traditional is constructed from one solid piece of quarter-sawn, lightweight Grade-A mahogany. This superior cut offers improved strength and resonance, and coupled with Gibson's acclaimed glued-in neck joint contributes to outstanding tone and sustain. Neck Species Neck Profile
The neck on the Les Paul Traditional is carved to a comfortably rounded ’50s “D” profile. Neck Profile Radius
Just like that of the original ’Burst, the 12-inch radius of the Les Paul Traditional fingerboard provides smooth note-bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses, and is another feature that has helped to make this guitar a blues-rock legend. Tonal Characteristics
Every detail counts in the effort of bringing authentic ‘60 Les Paul tone to the Les Paul Traditional, and the angled, classical-style peg head and fuller mahogany neck work together to provide exceptional tonal richness and resonance from the neck, with a good string definition and sustain. Joint
Gibson uses what is known as the Mortis & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. For optimum strength and precision, both the body mortise and neck tenon are programmed and machined with CNCs to ensure a tight fit for optimum resonant transfer efficiency Neck Joint Joint Angle (Pitch)
5° (+/- 15 seconds)  
Headstock Angle (Pitch)
Just like the original Les Pauls of ’50s, and many classic Gibson models, the Les Paul Traditional headstock is carefully angled at Gibson’s traditional 17 degrees. This subtle yet crucial element of the guitar’s design 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. Headstock Angle (Pitch) Truss Rod
Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in nearly 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 classic Gibson logo is inlaid in mother of pearl across the top of the headstock, with “Les Paul Model” silkscreened in gold along the center of the headstock face. The traditional truss-rod cover is engraved with the “Traditional” model name. Logo Adhesive
The adhesive used to join neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today. Average Weight
The average weight of the neck is .98 lbs. Joint Angle
5° (+/- 15 seconds) 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 tolerance within .005 of an inch. 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 Les Paul Traditional carries a Grade-A rosewood fingerboard, the traditional fingerboard of the original Les Paul Standard. Rosewood is both hardwearing and sonically superlative, adding sweetness and depth to the guitar’s overall sound. To enhance the guitar’s classic look and feel, this fingerboard is trimmed in antique cream binding. Fingerboard Species Frets
The fingerboard carries 22 medium-jumbo frets made from traditional nickel-silver wire. Frets Tonal Characteristics
Rosewood fingerboards are known for their rich, round tone, which contributes added depth and dimension to the overall complexity of the Les Paul Traditional’s voice.
Inlays
The Les Paul Traditional fingerboard carries acrylic trapezoid position-marker inlays, echoing the traditional look of the original Les Paul Standards. Inlays Nut Material
The nut on the Les Paul Traditional is made from Corian, a dense, hard material known for its outstanding ability to transfer the strings’ vibrational energy. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard and its nut slots are cut with Gibson’s PLEK system to ensure precise fit, break angle, and string spacing. Nut Width
The width of the nut on the Les Paul Traditional is approximately 1 11/16”, the traditional nut width of Gibson electric guitars. Nut Width