Neck Thre vs Set Neck vs Bolt On

[ze kink]

I haven't noticed a difference in sustain personally, but I do obviously notice a difference in tone. The bolt-on guitars I've owned have had a sharper, "snappier" tone, and more attack overall. Acoustically, they don't usually sound as loud and don't resonate as much, but plugged in, there's no difference. Set-neck and neck thru guitars I've had have been pretty much the same, but on neck thru guitars, the neck wood seems to affect the tone a lot more, which is probably because everything (=pickups, bridge) is essentially mounted on the neck. Neck-thru and set-neck guitars usually have a better upper fret access, but it's not like bolt-on's are hard to play up there, especially if it's shaped well (like on my friends Ibanez J-custom RG7). Both neck-thru and set-neck are sort of "crunchier" and have a "fuller" sound, but less attack. They are usually louder acoustically too, and seem to resonate better.

This is just IMO and subjective, and based on what I can remember of the guitars I've had.

 

[ACEvilmuffin]

Please explain this "sustain" stuff... Remember, we play metal, and besides some of the doom-freaks, we usually go around or above 100 BPM and we like to play triplets...

Personally, I don't like the feel of NT's. I've tried and tried, but I very much prefer bolt-ons.

The quality and the matching of the wood and the construction is way more important than the type of neck joint.


And my bolt-on Tom Anderson has more sustain than my NT jackson SL2

 

[Metaltastic]

in my opinion the sustain is not really an argument.
the overall quality of the guitar (woods, hardware) does more affect the sustain then the neck/body connection.
Every decent guitar i played had a sustain more than enough, i think more important is how does the neck/body connection affects the tone and sound of the guitar.

i have 5-set neck guitars, 2 neck-through and one bolt-on, even with a floyd rose.
and guess what, the bolt-on with the floyd-rose got not lesser sustain then the neck through, also often tremolos are called sustain killers, i dont know that argument because i cannot understand it.

+1 also that the setup of the guitar can make a huge difference.

Since my guitars got different tunings, different strings, different string tensions, different pickups, different woods, different hardware (Original Floyd Rose, Schaller Floyd Rose, Stop-Tail w. Tunomatic, and Aluminium Wraparound) a comparision does not say anything,

On each guitar, i have some notes that have lesser sustain than others, no matter which specifications they are, but i assume this has to do with the frequency of the note and somehow it crashes with some components of the guitar and the ring-out dies earlier. when i detune the string a little bit, then the sustain is fine on the same fret position.
altough its not noticable when you usually play the guitar, but when you take your guitar and hit every note on the fretboard and let it ring out you can hear what i mean.

Playingwise, i like neckthrough guitars very much, because of the smooth change on the higher frets:
http://www.revivalband.at/SC607B/DSC00036.jpg

but for repairs etc. bolt on is also very good, if the neck is damaged or broken, you can easily replace it.

+1, great post

 

[Keregioz]

I really find funny this argument about set-necks and neck-throughs that if the neck is damaged you have to change the whole guitar instead in bolt ons you only have to replace it...
How the hell to you break a guitar neck?!

 

[Metaltastic]

I really find funny this argument about set-necks and neck-throughs that if the neck is damaged you have to change the whole guitar instead in bolt ons you only have to replace it...
How the hell to you break a guitar neck?!

Haha, yeah, I've always thought that, but then again I've never toured!

 

[LSD-Studio]

I really find funny this argument about set-necks and neck-throughs that if the neck is damaged you have to change the whole guitar instead in bolt ons you only have to replace it...
How the hell to you break a guitar neck?!

well.....plenty of ways to do that.
are you a touring guitarist?

 

[nwright]

I really find funny this argument about set-necks and neck-throughs that if the neck is damaged you have to change the whole guitar instead in bolt ons you only have to replace it...
How the hell to you break a guitar neck?!

Knock an LP off it's stand so it hits the top backside of the headstock...Snap city. For a lot of setneck guitars in the Gibby vein, breaking necks isn't difficult.

My experience in the guitars I've owned has flown in the face of everything I was told regarding neck joint design.

Of my current guitars, 2 are set neck, 1 neck through, and 4 bolt-ons.

The best comparison I can make as to design is my ESP and LTD Vipers and my Max Cavalera sig LTD Viper. Same electronics and hardware in all of them.

Same body shape and body wood, but different necks and design (the Max C Viper is maple neck through and alder wings, though).

My 2 Mahogany LTD Vipers are set neck and sound pretty similar.

The Max C LTD is heavier and a little more resonant (maple NT, alder wings) but same overall sustain I guess.

However, my 90's era ESP Viper is a bolt-on. It has more attack, and waaay more sustain than my LTD's.

Obviously everything in the chain has something to do with the guitar's sound.

The ESP has a thinner finish, 1 piece mahogany body and a 1 piece maple neck. The LTD's have no doubt cheaper multipiece bodies, a thick plastic like poly finish and a 3 piece mahogany neck.

All of them have Gotoh bridges and tailpieces with GraphTech String Saver saddles, single EMG 81's with single volume, etc. So, that's as close a comparison I can make among the same type of guitar, but the quality differences and woods can't be denied.

In comparison my 90's era ESP Eclipse is a bolt-on resonates MUCH more than my 1976 Les Paul Custom (pancake body)...The Eclipse is also a 1 piece mahogany body and 1 piece maple neck, and weighs about half that of the LPC (hehe, the LPC is HEAVY).

My MIM poplar body strat gets a great amount of sustain as well, and has a nice bright attack.

I'm not much of a lead player, so bulky neck heels aren't much to me. The ESP's have contoured heels, though, so that does help a bit.

Maybe I got lucky, but my ESP's have a ton of tonal "mojo", more so than any other guitars I've owned, let alone played.

Also, in the past, I've always been told that a nice heavy guitar will have a ton of resonance and sustain, but my lighter guitars are always the ones that have the best resonance.

 

[JonWormwood]

Haha, yeah, I've always thought that, but then again I've never toured!

Same with playing out alot, venues or house parties or something. You set it down for 2 seconds, some drunk fuck comes in and knocks it over or some shit.

Or you're simply rocking so hard and smashing the cymbals with your guitar and shit.

 

[Keregioz]

well.....plenty of ways to do that.
are you a touring guitarist?

Well, no to be honest. I admit that chances increase if you're a touring musician, but still it seems difficult. It has to be a pretty hard fall.

 

[nwright]

Well, no to be honest. I admit that chances increase if you're a touring musician, but still it seems difficult. It has to be a pretty hard fall.

Not really, for some guitars.

Seriously, I've read a ton of stories that start like this..."I accidently raninto my LP on it's stand in my bedroom and the headstock snapped off."

 

[J.DavisNJ]

I agree that the construction of the axe will do more for the sustain than anything. I have a parts strat that I put together from various Fender parts. It sustain as much if not more than my Les Paul. I was really surprised. I do have a fantastic bridge with a nice solid block though. That helps for sure.

As far as preference, I don't have one because I like different types of axes for different things. I can get along with any neck type.

I'll base my preference for a guitar on the type of music being played and what I prefer for that particular style.

-Joe

-Joe

 

[JoshSylosis]

In the old guitar shop I worked in we had a PRS factory tour dvd we used to play in the shop.
There was a question and answer sesh with the main man Paul and someone asked 'why don't you do any neck through models'

His response was that it disrupted the tone of the body by having three seperate pieces of wood glued together as opposed to one solid piece which resonated more.

Since then I'm more into bolt on's but thats mainly because there are very few neck through guitars out there that don't have finished/painted necks - and I cant be arsed to sand them down. They get too sticky live.

 

[JonWormwood]

Since then I'm more into bolt on's but thats mainly because there are very few neck through guitars out there that don't have finished/painted necks - and I cant be arsed to sand them down. They get too sticky live.

Srsly How the fuck can anyone play a finished neck live?

 

[MT01]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses guys

I'm a bit busy at the moment but I'll take some time to digest all of this properly over the weekend.

 

[Kadmium]

How the hell to you break a guitar neck?!

Leave it in your car on a hot day. Necks don't break very often, but with temperature and humidity changes, they can warp.

Ed Roman has an article about neck construction. He's a bit of a pig-headed git but he seems to know what he's talking about.