Classic 50's vs Classic 60's neck

50s is a U shape 60s is a medium C shape.

 

Nope. They're both "C" shape.

 

Really? Guess I'm thinking of the 52RI then. My bad.

 

No, they are different. The 50s profile is a much fatter "U". I had both... didn't like either.

 

The '52 RI is supposedly a U as well. But it really feels like a fat C to me more than a U. I guess it's technically a U though.

 

The '50s classic that I had was more of a chunky C shape, noticably smaller than an AVRI 52 but very nice. I haven't played a Classic '60s.

 

There are 3 different neck profiles that have been used on the 50's Classics so your gonna get lots of different opinions. First they were a U shaped when they first came out then a soft v for a short time and now they are C.

I had a U shaped one and a soft V one. My 50's Classic Esquire was a C.

The 60's Classic is quite a bit thinner and has a different feel than the 50's Classic they are all thicker than the 60's Classic is.

 

They all vary from one guitar to another, even within the same model. I've played three Classic 50's, and two of them measure 0.880" and 0.860" thick at the first fret. No noticeable "U" shape. I didn't get to measure the third, but it felt as thick or thicker than the 0.880" one. I've only played one 60's Classic and it was noticeably thinner than all the 50's Classics.

In my experience, the "U" and "C" and such that Fender uses means nothing. I've played a new 2009 MIM standard and a 52RI back-to-back, and the neck profiles felt the same. The necks are routed on a CNC machine and sanded by hand, so the final thickness and profile will vary.