how was the headstock changing

speedking · Jun 14, 2002

hy

everytime, when I see a "normal" LPC, I ask myself if the headstock was changing through the years...

has someone here have any pictures of how it was changing??? ...I think that in '50s it was a little bit different...

I have a '74 LP and it has a different headstock from '50s LPs and from todays'...

was it changing with the Gibson owners(directors)???

bOr

Johnnytone · Jun 15, 2002

Oh yeah they have changed

I'll start, and the rest of the forum can "dogpile on the rabbit" with more accurate info.

Normal LPs: 52-60, small shape, small taper in middle.

68: same

69: Ouch, boat paddle city. They got WAY wide up through the
70s (my 70s LP Deluxe had a huge one).

circa 1980: size got a little smaller but the tuners are in a slightly different location. Still not same shape as the originals.

90: Classic is released with VINTAGE SIZED HEADSTOCK. Ufortunately it is too small, too narrow and the tuners are too far south.

93: Historic Series tries to get it right. Comes close to original, but no cigar.Production LPs keep the other size/shape (same as early 90s)

93: Classic headstock is widened to be about the same as the Historics.

99 Historics: MOST ACCURATE SHAPE YET says Gibson
2000: See above.
2001: see above.

I'm sure I missed a lot of dates/details, but you can get the general idea.

Ed Driscoll · Jun 15, 2002

Speedking,

>> has someone here have any pictures of how it was changing??? ...I think that in '50s it was a little bit different... <<

Just to add to Johnnytone's notes, "The Beauty of the Burst" book has several photos showing how the Gibson logo was moved closer towards the edge of the headstock when the Standard went from a goldtop to a sunburst in '58.

Ed

Tonefiend · Jun 15, 2002

Headstocks changed throughout the '50s also. ALl were small, but slightly different. Who knows ho many there were.

speedking · Jun 15, 2002

i think that in '50s they had a little bit higher "crest" then others...the historics are trying to get closer,...

but i like the head of mine '74 LPC...it is a small one...

the newer LPC seams to had BIG ones...

Ronny · Jun 15, 2002

Here's a link that Wilko posted a while back.

Headstock shape comparison

Also try the search function with "Headstock Size" or "Headstock Shape" as the search word(s)

daze · Jun 15, 2002

I think speedking is refering to Les Paul Custom headstock sizes
Has the "Custom" size changed over the years??? I've always wondered that myself. Hasn't the Custom always had a larger headstock than the "Standard" ???

Wilko · Jun 15, 2002

About the Headstock size/shape issue.

It was another bean counter move. The Headstock were different, so in order to save money on tooling and shaping costs the Norlin folks decided to make the standard and custom necks from the same shape.

The custom shape has sayed fairly consistent. Subtle differences due to hand finishing.

Educk · Dec 5, 2017

I have a '75 delux/standard and a 2007 double cut. The delux has a larger headstock. I didnt notice right away; I play a lot and didnt really check out the differences till later on.

how was the headstock changing

speedking

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Johnnytone

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Ed Driscoll

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Tonefiend

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speedking

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Ronny

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Wilko

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