thick neck ,thin neck ?

I have read over the years that the tone of a les paul comes from it having a thick neck is this true or just an urban legend , one could use the arguement that the sound that originally became the holy grail of what the right combo of amps and les paul was created by eric claptons beano leas paul which had a thin neck!

My own view on this is that it's not just the neck thats matters, it's the particular combination of everything - neck, body, pickups strings, player, pedals, amp, everything - that makes a great sound.

I've heard great sounds from thick neck guitars and lousy sounds from thick neck guitars - same with thin neck guitars. I don't think there's any special magical ingredient or predictable, replicable 'recipe' for a great guitar sound - some combinations just 'work', others don't

ponte wrote:My own view on this is that it's not just the neck thats matters, it's the particular combination of everything - neck, body, pickups strings, player, pedals, amp, everything - that makes a great sound.

I've heard great sounds from thick neck guitars and lousy sounds from thick neck guitars - same with thin neck guitars. I don't think there's any special magical ingredient or predictable, replicable 'recipe' for a great guitar sound - some combinations just 'work', others don't

Great answer!
Whilst their is no doubt Claptons Beano was indeed an Iconic Guitar....It is generally considered the Holy Grail is the 1959 les Paul (like the orginal Lemon Drop) which had a thicker neck...... Erics Beano was a 1960

Thanks rev48. As you might be able to tell from my avatar one of the guitar sounds I'm a *leetle* obsessed with is Claptons 'Beano' sound. While it may be impossible to replicate, I reckon I've got fairly close with my modified v100cs and a Fender Blues Deluxe amp - it's a great setup to play along with the Clapton/Bluesbreakers album with, anyway

Thick for me - I have big hands.

In terms of which gives best tone, neither. The resonant frequency of the wood is most important.
Tip: when you buy a guitar, try a few and buy the one that vibrates your ribs the most - without an amp. I never try them through an amp - very few places stock my gear, so what's the point. If it's good acoustically, it'll be good through an amp. Feel and resonance are all that matter for me. Pickups and hardware are cheap enough to replace, but a good piece of wood is golden.

I don't think there's any special magical ingredient or predictable, replicable 'recipe' for a great guitar sound - some combinations just 'work'