68 Authentic Custom Opinions

[drspencer1]

What is the neck profile on this guitar, thin or fat like the '58 & '59's?
How about weight, light or heavy?
Any other comments?
Who has them in stock?
Thanks.

 

[lespaul506]

i have heard that the necks on '68's are true baseball bats, very large. i could be wrong, though, haven't played one. I'm pretty sure Garrett Park has them, or had them, but i don't want to start another war about that dealer...

 

[Chad]

I haven't played one either, but I have also heard that the necks are GIGANTIC HUGE....bigger than the R8s and R9s. And they generally are very heavy guitars. I may be wrong, but overall it appears the the 68RIs aren't terribly popular on this forum.

 

[Crazy Carl]

I briefly owned a '68 RI Custom & yes, the rumours are true. HUGE neck- think telephone pole cut in half w/a fretboard slapped on it. Not unplayable, but deffo takes some getting used to. Heavy? Mine was 12lbs! Youch! That guitar is the reason God invented chiropractors. I don't know if the '68 Authentics have the Burstbuckers or not, but the '57 Classics in mine weren't great. The neck p/u was nice, but that bridge p/u would shatter glass. Icepick in the ear treble.

They're decent enough, I guess, if you can handle the monster neck & weight, and don't mind swapping pickups.

 

[KennyY]

I've tried an 68 Reissue Custom in cherry sunburst and natural. The necks are huge, like gripping a baseball bat. The necks seem to be bigger than the 57 profile ( huge). The necks make the 59 profile seem small. Plus they weigh a ton too, clearly over 10 pounds. Plus they have an ice pick sharpness in the tone. I opted to get a 57 Goldtop instead because goldtop had a warmer tone and was lightweight. However I do like look of a flamed top Customs. However they cost around the $3 K level

Ken