Members Santuzzo Posted October 31, 2012 Members Share Posted October 31, 2012 Hi, I have been wondering what are general thoughts on a neck-through-body construction versus a bolt-on neck? What are the pros and cons of each? I have only ever owned guitars with bolt on necks (and set neck), but never a neck-though-body. As far as I understand the pro of a neck-through-body would be longer sustain and maybe better access on the higher frets. But what else would come into account? Are there any cons to a neck-through body? Thanks, Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flintc Posted October 31, 2012 Members Share Posted October 31, 2012 General thoughts? OK, in general, it doesn't matter a bit. In more particular, bolt-on necks have certain advantages - you can trade them out easily, you can shim them if necessary. But some body designs (like acoustics and jazz boxes) don't mesh with bolt-on necks. About the only advantage to a neck-through is that if the neck warps or cracks beyond recovery, you aren't stuck with the same old body, you get a new guitar from end to end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Santuzzo Posted October 31, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 31, 2012 Originally Posted by Flintc General thoughts? OK, in general, it doesn't matter a bit.In more particular, bolt-on necks have certain advantages - you can trade them out easily, you can shim them if necessary. But some body designs (like acoustics and jazz boxes) don't mesh with bolt-on necks. About the only advantage to a neck-through is that if the neck warps or cracks beyond recovery, you aren't stuck with the same old body, you get a new guitar from end to end. Thanks!I always thought that a neck-though-body neck would be harder/impossible to 'fix' if it's warped or badly set-up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted October 31, 2012 Members Share Posted October 31, 2012 A bolt-on allows a light and resonant body with a hard neck, which is something you can't do with a neck-through. This is why I prefer a bolt or set-neck vastly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Bolt on offer better sustain than neck through. Counter intuitive I know..but true based on the one controlled study I've seen on line. You can google it somewhere if you like. Also...and this is a personal opinion based on the one's I own....I find neck through's to be a bit "stiff" in terms of resonance and sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Santuzzo Posted November 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by koiwoi A bolt-on allows a light and resonant body with a hard neck, which is something you can't do with a neck-through. This is why I prefer a bolt or set-neck vastly. Originally Posted by soundcreation Bolt on offer better sustain than neck through. Counter intuitive I know..but true based on the one controlled study I've seen on line. You can google it somewhere if you like.Also...and this is a personal opinion based on the one's I own....I find neck through's to be a bit "stiff" in terms of resonance and sound. Thanks, guys. I appreciate your input I'm GASing for this 7-string, which has a neck-though-body, and since I have never owne a neck-though body guitar I'm a bit hesitant..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by Flintc But some body designs (like acoustics and jazz boxes) don't mesh with bolt-on necks. Dunno, Bob Taylor would disagree. Originally Posted by soundcreation Also...and this is a personal opinion based on the one's I own....I find neck through's to be a bit "stiff" in terms of resonance and sound. I've heard that, and I think it's somewhat true, at least. At least in my experience. They are also a little more sensitive to weather, apparently. Originally Posted by Santuzzo Thanks, guys. I appreciate your input I'm GASing for this 7-string, which has a neck-though-body, and since I have never owne a neck-though body guitar I'm a bit hesitant..... Is that a long scale? That complicates the issue even further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Santuzzo Posted November 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by honeyiscool Is that a long scale? That complicates the issue even further. It's 25" scale What issue would that complicate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Well lot of seven string guitars are 26" or greater scale, which combined with the overall general stiffness of some neck-through designs and the added string, will make it feel even stiffer. If it's standard scale, though, at least you won't be fighting that element. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Santuzzo Posted November 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by honeyiscool Well lot of seven string guitars are 26" or greater scale, which combined with the overall general stiffness of some neck-through designs and the added string, will make it feel even stiffer.If it's standard scale, though, at least you won't be fighting that element. Ok, I get it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind Riot Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by Santuzzo Thanks, guys. I appreciate your input I'm GASing for this 7-string, which has a neck-though-body, and since I have never owne a neck-though body guitar I'm a bit hesitant..... WOW. I don't normally like the LTD's I see around, but that guitar is flat out gorgeous. One thing to keep in mind when considering a neck through is that the pickups and bridge are going to be mounted essentially on the neck wood, so it's possible that the neck wood will have a stronger influence on the sound. On bolt on or set neck the neck wood ends where it meets the body, and the body wood can influence the sound more. So if your neck through has a neck of hard maple and that goes all the way through the middle of the guitar it might be a brighter sounding guitar with a bit less low end. If your neck wood is mahogany and goes clear through it'll likely have a warmer, beefier tone. But these are somewhat minor concerns. A pickup change would have WAY more of an effect on the sound, for instance. But I would definitely rock that guitar, no matter what it's made of. That thing is hawt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwire Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by soundcreation Bolt on offer better sustain than neck through. Counter intuitive I know..but true based on the one controlled study I've seen on line. You can google it somewhere if you like.Also...and this is a personal opinion based on the one's I own....I find neck through's to be a bit "stiff" in terms of resonance and sound. I seem to remember when that study showed up that several people on this board kind of took it apart. I can't remember the details, but it wasn't a clear-cut result.Having said that, I don't think a well-made bolt-on neck guitar with a good fitting pocket in the body sustains any less than a set-in neck. I haven't had my hands on enough neck-through guitars to offer an informed opinion on those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PrawnHeed Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 The main advantage of a neck through is the absence of the heel. I like this concept. The disadvantage, unless you use a lot of wood, is there is no angle between the body and the neck. To me, this makes it less comfortable. Then there are McNaughts. They are set, nearly through, necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Generally Sustain and heel transition are better on neck thruTone can be better on bolt-ons. If I wanted a more vintage tone, I wouldn't go "neck thru". For higher gain stuff, it don't matter. It's just that the center of the body being the neck, it generally makes for a bit denser center of the guitar, either from the material or from the fact that it's another piece of wood glued in there.I have a few neck thru guitars and I like them well enough, but for my personal preferences, I won't be pursuing any more of them. But everyone should have at least one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flatspotter Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 This right here is the main advantage of neck-through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sgt mukuzi Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Grover Jackson said in an interview reciently that he regrets making so many neck through designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members genesis3 Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 I had a Schecter C1 classic..with the vine fretboard, neck-thru...most sustain of any guitar I've owned. It was so cool because the notes carried well even into even big bends...I just can't jibe with anything other than bolt-ons for some reason though, dunno why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Originally Posted by soundcreation Bolt on offer better sustain than neck through. Counter intuitive I know..but true based on the one controlled study I've seen on line. You can google it somewhere if you like.Also...and this is a personal opinion based on the one's I own....I find neck through's to be a bit "stiff" in terms of resonance and sound. Not counter intuitive at all if you understand basic physics and the law of the lever. Screws work with inclined plane tech just like your basic law of the lever. That means that the tighter you crank on the screws, the more force they apply. In that light, it means that you can apply much more compression force between the neck and the body than you can get from either a thru neck or a set neck. It only stands to reason that a bolt neck is the most likely method of having the best sustain and tone transfer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 I prefer Neck thru best they do sustain very well and have a strong mid tone still is artitulate string to string . I own all 3 types of guitars. Bolt ons seem to have a snappier tone probably from phase cancellation between the body and neck vibration. Set necks are inbetween but closer in sound to Neck Thru.Pickups make a big difference as well as your amp and the volume at which you play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted November 1, 2012 Members Share Posted November 1, 2012 Pickups make a big difference as well as your amp and the volume at which you play YA THINK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted November 2, 2012 Members Share Posted November 2, 2012 Originally Posted by Funkwire I seem to remember when that study showed up that several people on this board kind of took it apart. I can't remember the details, but it wasn't a clear-cut result.Having said that, I don't think a well-made bolt-on neck guitar with a good fitting pocket in the body sustains any less than a set-in neck. I haven't had my hands on enough neck-through guitars to offer an informed opinion on those. I don't remember that....the source is: R.M. Mottola, published in the Fall 2007 issue of American Lutherie,http://www.liutaiomottola.com/myth/neckJointSustain.htmEssentially the guy took a piece of wood, put some strings on it tested it, then cut and bolted the same piece of wood and tested again and then set neck the same piece of wood and tested again. Bolt > set > neck throughSounds pretty controlled to me. What any of us 'think' is the best neck joint is totally irrelevant if science tells us otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted November 2, 2012 Members Share Posted November 2, 2012 Originally Posted by Belva Not counter intuitive at all if you understand basic physics and the law of the lever. Screws work with inclined plane tech just like your basic law of the lever. That means that the tighter you crank on the screws, the more force they apply. In that light, it means that you can apply much more compression force between the neck and the body than you can get from either a thru neck or a set neck. It only stands to reason that a bolt neck is the most likely method of having the best sustain and tone transfer. Interesting.....thanks for that!My basic physics is pretty basic....lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted November 2, 2012 Members Share Posted November 2, 2012 A lot depends on how much oil you can squeeze from your snake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members genesis3 Posted November 2, 2012 Members Share Posted November 2, 2012 Originally Posted by soundcreation What any of us 'think' is the best neck joint is totally irrelevant if science tells us otherwise. that's a bit of a silly statement , for starters science couldn't possibly identify 'best' anything. Best is subjective. Even if you only meant which neck joint type has the most sustain and are using someone else's findings, that STILL doesn't make things you hear and feel by actually playing the instrument irrelevant, given that what you think is generally shaped by experience. Particularly if what you hear and feel runs counter to any study, unless you have no plans to actually play your guitars and you simply want to own them and compile 'scientific' research on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PrawnHeed Posted November 2, 2012 Members Share Posted November 2, 2012 Originally Posted by Belva Not counter intuitive at all if you understand basic physics and the law of the lever. Screws work with inclined plane tech just like your basic law of the lever. That means that the tighter you crank on the screws, the more force they apply. In that light, it means that you can apply much more compression force between the neck and the body than you can get from either a thru neck or a set neck. It only stands to reason that a bolt neck is the most likely method of having the best sustain and tone transfer. So would you get better sustain if you drilled holes half way through your neck through and then screwed in some screws? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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