changing the profile of a neck

[goddamn electric]

can anybody tell me how much of a job it is to modify a guitars neck profile? im after a certain les paul because its a cheap deal and has a particularly great top but its a 50's neck and i'd prefer the slim taper profile. How much would i be looking to pay for this sort of thing and are there any possible problems which may result from doing this?

cheers

[Philly Q]

As a dedicated fan of the big '50s neck shape I'd say please don't do it!!  :(

It's a fairly major piece of surgery - removing the finish, reshaping the neck then refinishing it; could be difficult matching the colour of the existing finish.  If it was a maple neck, you could maybe leave it unfinished (Zakk style) or wax it, but mahogany's a lot more porous and I'd guess it's unwise to leave it unfinished.

In theory, the thinner neck will be less stiff and therefore may not stay in tune as well, but that's no more of a problem than with any existing slim-taper neck.  And of course it'll devalue the guitar, a lot.

I have no idea what it'd cost, but it can't be cheap.  I'll be interested to see what Feline and Wez have to say.

Unless it's a really spectacular bargain price, I'd have thought you'd be better waiting until something similar with a '60s profile turns up.

[Will]

Make sure you don't leave it unfinished.

I had a lecture from a local guitar dude (employee of fender - good or bad? :P) about unfinished necks, although I can't remember all the reasons, the moral of the story was 'DON'T DO IT!' always suggested waxing or some sort of car stuff over the bare wood

[WezV]

my tip of the day... dont do it!!!  its never nice to meet your truss rod

but now we have that out the way here is the helpfull and potentially dangerous info.  First off i dont do these unless

1.  Its a neck i made
2.  I know exactly where the truss rod is, depth and width
3.  I have a side x-ray of the neck confirming the above

tbh if people ask for a slimmer neck i wont touch it because it usually works out two ways.  either i cant safely remove as much wood as they want me to and they are still not happy with the neck shape.  or i get it bang on the right shape for them and the neck is too flexible and unstable.

remember that companies that make really skinny neck like ibanez use maple for increased stability.  I wouldnt do a solid mahogany neck that thin in a hurry  (actually i would but i carbon reinforce and laminate most of my necks)

So slimming down the neck can be done but generally isnt the best idea.

but if people are finding a neck too chunky one job i will do is shave the cheeks of the neck profile down  creating a subtle v shaped profile.  This can make a huge difference to the feel of the neck without compromising its stability.  

oh and yes, put some kind of finish on it even if its just oil/wax - but you willneed to redo it often on a mahogany neck untill it builds up a patina - better to get it resprayed properly

[goddamn electric]

thanks for the advice guys, looks like I'll have to keep searching for a 60's neck with a top that nice! probably have to pay more because the 60's profiles seem to cost more but at least my guitar wont fall apart on me!