• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Thinner body 2018 Historics?

questfor

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2018
Messages
15
I have a 2013 R9, another from 2014 and I have jus t bought another from 2018.

The edges of the body of the 2018 one are thinner than the edges of the 2013 and 2014 ones. The 2013 and 14 are 51 mm thick, but the 2018 is 48 mm thick, measured on the same point.
Have you experienced the same issue on the moder reissues? Is Because they have changed the carved of the top, or recent historics has less wood?
 

Gold Tone

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2002
Messages
6,825
Carve differences

The body is tapered now about 1/16” thinner from top (neck joint) to bottom
 

questfor

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2018
Messages
15
Thank you. Is there any reason for that, or they are taking another burst as a reference?
 

Tommy Tourbus

Active member
Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
871
are we talking the thickness of the body, or a difference in the radius of the curved edge?
 

questfor

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2018
Messages
15
I do not have tools to mesure the center of the body, and actually this is my questions about. Does newer huistorics has less wood due to a thiner body, or it is just that the carved of the top has changed resulting in thiner edges of the body?
 

GotTheSilver

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,433
I just grabbed a pair of calipers and measured my 2013 R8 and my 2020 R9. These measurements are taken at the bottom end of the guitar, where the strap button is.

2013 R8
Body + Top = 2.00"
Body Only = 1.74"

2020 R9[
Body + Top = 1.94"
Body Only = 1.65"

So the overall difference in thickness (body + top) is 0.06". The difference in the thickness of the mahogany body is 0.09", which is not insignificant.

Keep in mind, these are two particular guitars. I don't want to extrapolate this to say all 2020 bodies are thinner than all 2013 bodies.
 

Gold Tone

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2002
Messages
6,825
I just grabbed a pair of calipers and measured my 2013 R8 and my 2020 R9. These measurements are taken at the bottom end of the guitar, where the strap button is.

So the overall difference in thickness (body + top) is 0.06". The difference in the thickness of the mahogany body is 0.09", which is not insignificant.

Keep in mind, these are two particular guitars. I don't want to extrapolate this to say all 2020 bodies are thinner than all 2013 bodies.

Could I bother you to measure the thickness of the mahogany body of your 2020 at the neck end?

I don’t want to be making sh*t up but it “should” be thicker at that end
 

GotTheSilver

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,433
Could I bother you to measure the thickness of the mahogany body of your 2020 at the neck end?

I don’t want to be making sh*t up but it “should” be thicker at that end

No problem. I measured just next to the neck, on the bass side of the neck.

2013 R8
Body + Top = 2.00"
Body Only = 1.76"

2020 R9
Body + Top = 2.02"
Body Only = 1.78"

So bearing in mind some level of inaccuracy in my measurements, the 2013 R8 is the same thickness at the neck end as it is at the bottom end. The 2020 R9 measures 0.08" thicker (body + top) at the neck end than the bottom end. Also interesting is that the 2013 and the 2020 are the same thickness at the neck end, but the 2020 is a bit thinner at the bottom end, so the 2020 seems to have a bit of a taper whereas the 2013 does not have this taper.

Again, there is a bit of slop in the measurements as I am having to eyeball the transition from body to top, using the line where the binding starts. Also, since there is a roundover on the back of the body, I am putting a metal ruler over that portion to give me a flat area to measure against, then subtracting the thickness of the ruler. Still, I think we can generally take these measurements as being pretty accurate.
 

Gold Tone

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2002
Messages
6,825
No problem. I measured just next to the neck, on the bass side of the neck.

2013 R8
Body + Top = 2.00"
Body Only = 1.76"

2020 R9
Body + Top = 2.02"
Body Only = 1.78"

So bearing in mind some level of inaccuracy in my measurements, the 2013 R8 is the same thickness at the neck end as it is at the bottom end. The 2020 R9 measures 0.08" thicker (body + top) at the neck end than the bottom end. Also interesting is that the 2013 and the 2020 are the same thickness at the neck end, but the 2020 is a bit thinner at the bottom end, so the 2020 seems to have a bit of a taper whereas the 2013 does not have this taper.

Again, there is a bit of slop in the measurements as I am having to eyeball the transition from body to top, using the line where the binding starts. Also, since there is a roundover on the back of the body, I am putting a metal ruler over that portion to give me a flat area to measure against, then subtracting the thickness of the ruler. Still, I think we can generally take these measurements as being pretty accurate.

Thank you!! Kind of you. As I was led to understand the 2015 and later bodies are tapered slightly from neck to butt end. I believe this replicated vintage and is intended to allow for a shallower neck angle without the bridge bottoming out

OP, this may be what you’re measuring as a difference
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
What you measure is the thickness of the mahogany body up to maple cap and thickness of maple cap at center line inside pup routs. The nature of changing carving patterns and variable degrees of hand applied slack belt sanding means a variety of edge of body measurements due to the changing dish carve most affected on the rear, back rout. The area from waist to end pin.

I know '50's LPs varied in that manner as I had a friend obsessed with "the drop of the dish". He made me crazy, asking for specific measurements of all the shops LP's and every one that we had axcess to. He gave me a special caliper to do specific measurements. I wish they had digital then. He was equally obsessed with neck profiles. If I wasn't such a dumbass I would have kept copies of all that for myself.
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
I've just been looking at the specs recorded in the BOTB, and a rough approximate of body thickness at the neck, bass side and body thickness at the end strap button goes as follows : neck 50.3mm. end 48.4mm.

Those with the book could work it out exactly, as I say this is approximate, but it is interesting given the previous posts.
 
Top