15
Firebird or Thunderbird IV bass neck is made of nine-ply mahogany and walnut (or all
mahogany laminates), and it extends completely through the body. Fingerboards are of
ebony or rosewood.
Neck Specifications.
Gibson designs its guitar necks to complement and enhance the
unique characteristics of each model. Neck profiles can be "rounded '50s" or "slim
'60s" (or a slight V-shape available only on the BluesHawk). Scale length (string
length) is 24 3/4" on the Les Paul, X-Factor and SG models, 25 1/2" on the Chet
Atkins, Americana and Hawk models and 34" on basses.
Pickups.
Humbucking (double-coil):
Most Les Pauls have double-coil humbucking
pickups, which were designed to do what their name says: "buck" the hum caused by
fluorescent lights, rheostats and other electrical interference. They accomplish this
with two coils of wire, wound in opposite directions so that they cancel out interference.
Also, they produce a powerful sound that is the foundation of rock and roll music.