Bolt-On vs Neck-Thru

[Pat]

Based on this, I'm guessing you've never played a hollowbody electric with magnetic pickups. Body vibrations absolutely affect the sound.

I'd probably liken hollowbodies more to acoustics than solid body electrics - i.e. a slab of wood (like an electric guitar) is not going to be as affected by vibrations the same way a hollow piece of wood is, so tone woods for electrics don't really impact the sound - it's more to do with the rest of the rig.

 

[Tuned]

1.

a slab of wood (like an electric guitar) is not going to be as affected by vibrations the same way a hollow piece of wood is

so
2.

tone woods for electrics don't really impact the sound

3.

it's more to do with the rest of the rig.

As much as I second pt.1 and do agree that in pt.3 you have a point, I can't agree with pt.2 nor with the 'so' between pt.1 and pt.2

Sure thing,a slab of wood is not going to vibrate like a hollow piece of wood. Nor will a slab of wood vibrate like a bigger or a smaller slab of wood, or a slab of wood of the same size but different density and weight. That said, a semiacoustic doesn't vibrate like a full acoustic as well, and not even like a semiacoustic of a different construction. There is a reason behind Gibson using a massive 'rough' mahogany center block on the hollowbody ES-Les Paul, a noticeably smaller mahogany contoured 'spiderblock' running the full length of the ES137, a chromite centerblock with only head- and tailpieces of mahogany on the Howard Roberts model, and no centerblock at all with a tail and head blocks only in the body of the ES-175. Mind you,we're talking about solid pieces of tone wood (tone material) inside the bodies of semiacoustic guitars [of the same builder in one and the same Memphis factory].

If this isn't enough to change your mind yet, then try to explain this: if the tone woods for electrcis don't really impact the sound, does the acoustic chamber of the semiacoustic really impact the characteristics of the electromagnetic field and the current?

In the LAKLAND Bass official site, older version, they had sound samples of the same model basses but in ash, alder and with maple, rosewood or ebony. I just checked and, unortunately, they have changed everything. But before, I am sure, you would be able to tell the difference blindfolded. If not like, 'ok, I am positive this is swamp ash body and maple fretboard', then at least like, 'ok, this sample is snappier and a bit on the brittle side than the previous one'. Does this count?

And not only tone woods. Tone materials. I used to play a luthite-bodied Ibanez ErgoDyne back in the day, and a Zon Sonus with a graphite neck. There is a good reason why Ibanez later changed to tonewood bodies on their Ergodynes, and I guess any guitarist can tell a graphite instrument blindfolded. Just turn on the 'SMV' album and you can tell each and every time Stanley Clarke is in the game without knowing who he is, what his manner of playing is, or what instrument he uses. 'Oh, here's that odd sound again!'

I do agree there is more you can do to your sound through your rig (and, I feel obliged to mention, with the pickups and strings of your choice). The tone woods, however, are inherent to the construction of the guitar and as such are characteristic of the nature of your sound. If you cut out a substantial part of the body (i.e. change its mass), or replace the body, the neck or both with those made of different woods you will definitely hear the difference.

 

[Bandersnatch]

This again? Look.. it's on page 2 of this section of the forum..

 

[NoodleFace]

I've felt that bolt-ons have a bit more attack and a quicker sonic fall-off, something that I like better in a guitar personally. I have a couple neck throughs and they're definitely different sounding and feeling.

 

[IbanezDaemon]

I prefer the feel of set necks or neck thru. Have found they sustain slightly better and I mean slightly better. Most of my Bolt on neck guitars do suffer from finish cracks (apart from the mighty J Customs) and some of them do look quite alarming but they are mostly lacquer cracks. If you bust the neck on a neck thru you're screwed and you have less leeway for adjustments on set necks or neck thru guitars. Bolt on neck's are usually a good thing:

 

[HungryGuitarStudent]

This again? Look.. it's on page 2 of this section of the forum..

Although thread titles are almost the same, my original question was specifically about tone. That being said, I should have done my homework and foreseen that this thread would degenerate and that both threads end up having similar discussions.

 

[Kruegmeister]

No one is "lying", if you can't hear a difference that's an Amp or Gain thing. When I used an AxeFX II for a year, I couldn't tell a difference between my Guitars.
Now that I use a Tube Amp (Diezel D-Moll) and all Analog effects save for Reverb I can hear a Huge Difference between my Guiars.

Now given all the Above I made 2 Identical "Parts Casters" All woods are identical. Differences being Old Firestorm Body has a Swimming Pool Route & is early 90s, My Guitar #1 is a newer HSH routing. Both Alder. Electronics identical down to String spacing to pickups. I ended up changing a Neck on the Firestorm to one of the Same Age & that brought them much closer.

So if you think Stuff like wood makes no difference then you:
A) Play with a Ton of Gain (Not uncommon here)
B) Use a Modeler & have no valid opinion cause you're tone deaf which is why you think a Modeler sounds the Same as a real Amp... on a Recording sure, but on Stage it lacks

 

[Emperoff]

Well, for starters. Neck-thru construction "more sustain" is a myth marketed by companies around the 80s. Neckthrus were far more expensive to produce and they were very few models on the market compared to bolt ons. It was a way to set them apart as high end instruments. The seamless feel and high fret access did the rest. Remember than until Ibanez's AANJ, bolt-on neck joints were atrocious.

Nowadays there is much more information available and we know this just isn't true. Bolt ons have smooth joints which made them desirable for lead players again. What it really does make a difference is the bridge. A fixed bridge has heaps more sustain than a tremolo, and don't get me started with the "fat block" nonsense, because that myth is busted as well. I have three neckthru guitars. The ones with fixed bridge sustain forever, the one with the Floyd does not. All three sound great to me so unless you're Gary Moore reincarnation who cares.

I always loved neckthrus, because I just love the "one piece" feel they give (instead of two things bolted together). It gives me more of an "entity" feeling, like a violin. An extension of me when I'm playing.

That being said, bolt-ons are definetely snappier than neckthrus and in my experience neckthrus tend to have more midrange focus. The moment I pick my bolt-on bastard strat it changes my playing style into a more SRV vibe. Can't help it. So if you're tracking guitars in the studio and need a certain tone, you should choose your weapon wisely.

 

[Voron]

if you want more attack use PUPs with less output, they have more dynamics. If you need more sustain use high output PUPs they have more compression. It can help to compensate bolt-on or neckthru construction problems if any.

 

[Merrekof]

I own several bolt-ons and one neck thru. They almost all sound different because they are different guitars. Different pups, different body, different strings,.. I can't really point out a big advantage over one or the other. Next to no one shims a bolton neck, the Ibanez AANJ is imo just as good as neck thru fret access..

Just pick a guitar that you like and sounds good. Neck construction is a tiny variable in the equation.

Also:

There will be people who will tell you they can hear they difference between a rosewood fretboard and an ebony fretboard.

They fall into 2 camps: those who are lying and those who don’t know they’re lying.

Same goes for guys who only want the original TS808 because it is so much better than...

 

[TheRealMikeD]

Lots of good comments here. I’ll throw in a little anecdotal/ absolutely inconclusive evidence. I’ve owned a few bolt-ons and set/glued neck guitars that I have loved. I recently bought the only neck-through guitar that I have ever owned - a Jackson SL2H Soloist. I absolutely love the way it feels and plays, but it has been a struggle to corral the tone into something that fits my style. I’ve tried a dozen different pickups, and with all of them, there is too much muddy low end and more twangy high end than I care for. Now it’s totally possible that the tone has nothing (or only a little) to do with the neck construction. It could be any number of other factors. But so far, in my sample size of one, my survey says neck-through feels vastly superior, but doesn’t sound as good (for my musical tastes).

 

[Aewrik]

Here are two reasons why I GAS for neckthroughs, even though I've never owned one. If Strandberg releases a neck-thru 8 string, that may change though. I have nothing practical to contribute.

 

[Emperoff]

Lots of good comments here. I’ll throw in a little anecdotal/ absolutely inconclusive evidence. I’ve owned a few bolt-ons and set/glued neck guitars that I have loved. I recently bought the only neck-through guitar that I have ever owned - a Jackson SL2H Soloist. I absolutely love the way it feels and plays, but it has been a struggle to corral the tone into something that fits my style. I’ve tried a dozen different pickups, and with all of them, there is too much muddy low end and more twangy high end than I care for. Now it’s totally possible that the tone has nothing (or only a little) to do with the neck construction. It could be any number of other factors. But so far, in my sample size of one, my survey says neck-through feels vastly superior, but doesn’t sound as good (for my musical tastes).

Alder body I suppose. What pickups you have in there? I have a Pegasus/Sentient set on my Soloist and it sounds bananas. Moderate output and pretty balanced and tight.

 

[Flappydoodle]

My opinion: yes it matters to the tone and feel, but since you won't have two guitars identical except for neck joint, it's not worth worrying about. The wood, scale length, bridge type and every other aspect of the construction and electronics impacts the tone.

The only time it matters is if you're having a custom guitar built, in which case you just need to pick which you generally prefer.

The more important thing is whether you enjoy the whole instrument.

 

[Splenetic]

I like some neck-thrus, some set-necks and some bolt-ons. It's not even close to being a deciding factor on how I feel about a guitar. They all have their positives and negatives.

 

[dspellman]

I’ve owned and worked on a lot of guitars and basses too.. and really haven’t noticed a difference between neck attachment styles with guitars. The mythical, longer sustain with neck-thrus just isn’t there.. In fact, my longest sustaining instruments are bolt-ons. The main advantage neck thru has is upper fret access.
On Basses though..I HAVE noticed a tonal difference. Neck-thru basses seem to have a softer, slower attack..which I don’t like. Bolt-on basses have a faster, snappy attack..which for fast, precise playing is ideal for me.

I'm not hearing a major difference (despite the "There’s a massive difference between neck constructions, anyone with a remotely experienced ear should be able to pick up on the differences" assertion) that I can ascribe to neck attachment construction. I've got both neck-through (Carvin) and bolt-neck (Fender) basses, and honestly, there are far too many other differences that contribute. I don't hear "softer, slower attack" on neck-through basses at all.

I have neck-through guitars with awesome sustain (SBG-2000, Ibanez AR300, Travis Bean), but I think that has to do with other things as well, including the very heavy and solid mahogany body and the 10-ounce brass sustain block bolted to the body (and the bridge is bolted to that) on both the Yamaha and the Ibanez, and the fact that the Travis Bean has, essentially, everything bolted to a solid aluminum neck.

In the end, I have LP-type guitars with both neck-through and set-neck construction, and they both do well, though the neck-through guitars have an edge in strength (I think) when they have carved neck heels. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Kobalt]

Never heard a difference. Never had a preference for neither of them as I like both.

 

[Politics of Ecstasy]

Bolt on is better. Period. Why? If the neck breaks, you just bolt on a new one....AND apparently it makes a snappier twang to your brights!

(But neck through looks better, feels better, and just is classier in general, so neck through all the way lol)

They are both awesome, but I like bolt ons, IDK why....specially i like the AANJ, but idk why

 

[Merrekof]

Bolt on is better. Period. Why? If the neck breaks, you just bolt on a new one....

No one does that, usually broken necks get glued anyway. Getting a new replacement neck is hard to find and if you do, in most cases it'll cost you more than glueing or buying a new guitar alltogether. It is however better to buy a bolt on if you ever think about taking it all apart and go DIY on it. Like some dudes and me on this forum. Throw away the Ibanez RG body and buy a body black on the internet.
Imo you should start thinking about this dilemma when you are going to get a custom.

 

[Politics of Ecstasy]

No one does that, usually broken necks get glued anyway. Getting a new replacement neck is hard to find and if you do, in most cases it'll cost you more than glueing or buying a new guitar alltogether. It is however better to buy a bolt on if you ever think about taking it all apart and go DIY on it. Like some dudes and me on this forum. Throw away the Ibanez RG body and buy a body black on the internet.
Imo you should start thinking about this dilemma when you are going to get a custom.

Merekoff, my American sarcasm wasn’t clear, i was kidding about the bolt on.....ALTHOUGH, I have seen many people with Ibanez buying new necks for their old RG bodies FWIW, as you said, DIY type

But absolutely, if you are referring to MY custom, I am totally with you on that, I am getting neck through for sure......Like, I love the sound of bolt on, but i wouldnt buy one (def not a custom)

Thanks for the pointers dude