Guitar construction.

[Oddkid]

The lowest end models of any guitars tend to be bolt on, higher than those are set neck. I've always understood that through neck construction is the best type of guitar build. However today i read that 'set through' is superior.I thought set through was a half arsed imitation of through neck.

Can anyone explain it to me please?

I recently discovered Fernandes do a line of V guitars (Vortex and V-Hawk), these are set through.

 

[FL-Gtrs]

Hi,
I think this topic greatly depends on how you define things. I personally think that there is no methode that is absolutely superior. I have built guitars with set in and thru neck so far. Bolt on is not really my taste from an aesthetic and ergonomic point of view. I like the little more sustain that you sometimes get with a good thru neck. Set neck might have some more than bolt on, but I think that is very subjectiv and a matter of taste. Especially between the latter two it's mostly a decision about what kind of sound you want to have. I'm under the impression that many bolt ons (e.g. Strat) have a little snappier sound, with louder attack and lower sustain. The effect is not so prominent if you consider other factors like choice of wood, body construction hardware and don't forget the electronics department and good setup with the right strings.

I've seen a few guitar companies make quite interesting approaches to neck construction, even though I don't consider that all of them make sense. Framus in Germany bolted some necks on not just from underneath but also from inside the neck pickup cavity. Various bass manufacturers use multible bolt designs with sometimes more than 10 bolts dispersed on a greater surface.

I think one should choose the type of neck from different points of view. First: Is it playable enough? Or does the neck joint and neck shape disturb me in a way while playing, visually or physically?
Second: Does the neck joint match the guitar it's built on? Does it make sense conceptionally? Or can it make sense acoustically?
Third: (if you want to build guitars) What do your sources, materials and abilities permit you to make out of it? Will it be stable enough (always important!)?

Hope that wasn't to complex and was of some help.

 

[Oddkid]

To my knowledge, neck through construction will always give you better sustain. Frankly it makes sense, if there is no join, then there's no gap (however small) for the vibrations to be lost in. Sustain comes from resonance. I completely understand that much.

However, i have always been told that neck through is superior guitar design to set neck, on the internet, 'set through' a hybrid of the two is described as even better to that. This is the construction used by manufacturers like Schecter and Fernandes and i just wondered if, indeed it is superior to neck through.

I am looking at building guitars myself but i will not be making them any of these traditional ways. I'm keeping my design under my hat though

 

[FL-Gtrs]

I respect that. Like I mentionned before, I don't think that set thru is superior. Anyways there are a lot of ways to do things in luthier business. If I can be of any more help, just let me know.

 

[Oddkid]

I might take you up on that if we struggle to find a solution to any problems!