Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

[LLL]

Your preference, why, and an example from your collection.

I dig neck-through... why?

To quote Mr. Tufnel (although he is describing a Les Paul; regardless...):

"the sustain; listen to it"

and

"ahhhhhhhhhhhh and you can go and have a bite ahhhhhh and you'd still be hearing that one."

Example - 2013 Gibson Elliot Easton Firechicken

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I prefer bolt on because of this poor neck-thru axe (Jackson SL3) that was unceremoniously broken by a former clumsy music pastor who rammed into the neck and was just like "sorry bro"

View attachment 69424

For me, my Warmoth bolt on has more sustain than either of the Gibson Les Pauls I had.

View attachment 69425
View attachment 69426

 

[uOpt]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Length of sustain has very little to do with quality of sound.

Not that I consider NT guitars to always have longer sustain in the first place.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Id have been like Sorry Bro as I was impaling him with the broken neck....

Hard call on this.. I prefer neck through due to the access at the heel. I have had some set necks that have been made this way tho. Washburn wm526 and mg 130 models. I do like the sustain of a set neck like a LP, but my Charvels which are bolt ons, ring about as well since I have the big blocks on them and all.. So, mixed bag. I like em all, but for feel, neck thru

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Id have been like Sorry Bro as I was impaling him with the broken neck....

Haha! :lmao:

It was at Church...so not the best place to be impaling people

Hard call on this.. I prefer neck through due to the access at the heel. I have had some set necks that have been made this way tho. Washburn wm526 and mg 130 models. I do like the sustain of a set neck like a LP, but my Charvels which are bolt ons, ring about as well since I have the big blocks on them and all.. So, mixed bag. I like em all, but for feel, neck thru

I do like 'em all but neck thrus are awesome! I still debate about getting another SL3, lighting doesn't strike twice right?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Haha! :lmao:it was at Church...so not the best place to be impaling people

Unless you are...

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Dudn't matter...

 

[LLL]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Unless you are...

I must admit, I didn't quite expect that.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I must admit, I didn't quite expect that.

NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!!!

:wringshands:

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Unless you are...

Haha! I should have converted! :firedevil

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Neck-Thru is my favorite.
In my mind/ears it really lets the guitar get full ring/resonance/sustain even.
But I feel string thru is just as important.

My best sounding guitars have been string thru, here is my example of a neck-thru baddass-summmmbyotch
BCRich Jr V Deluxe: Neck-thru, Ebony board, OFR, big-scale, EMG81, Possessed MuddaFkkkka.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I really like bolt ons.... easy to work with.... and the Jackson neck knows no equal...

here's my example:
Jackson Bloody Warrior Custom Beast-snatch

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I really like Glue'd necks too! Set up properly, they can wail!
ESPECIALLY if its one that slipped thru the dreaded incompetence monkeys of the Gibson QC guys....

This Gibby must have been built on a Wednesday... knowutI'msayin?

gosh I'm such a camera poser!

 

[orpheo]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

The argument of a bolt on having bad upper fret access or bad sustain is a dead horse. I can make a guitar sustain as much with a bolt on as with a deep set neck.

That being said. I hate neckthru. IMHO it simply doesn't sound right. Never heard a neckthru I really could get it along with. I've got my own hypotheses about it and I am willing to bet my left nut that you guys are going to laugh me in the face about it but... this is what I believe and what helped shape my design philosophy. So far, with 50+ guitars I build under my belt, my philosophy hasn't been proven wrong so...


yeah. no neckthru. I love bolt on, I love bolt in, I love glued in.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I prefer neck-through. I love guitars of all types, but to my ears a neck-through usually does a better job of rendering even response from fret to fret and from string to string. I like the way they feel in my hands, with the strings vibrating. I don't know why any of this is; I just like the way they sound and respond.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Can't stand neck through tones, same for set neck.

I feel I get more vibrations and a more immediate attack with a good bolt-on guitar. I prefer my notes to peak quickly. Playing any set or neck-through guitars always feels like I forgot to turn off my compressor...
Neck through = sustain is not something I believe it. Too many variables. And until someone is willing to chop a neck-through axe down and re-bolt it, I just will go with what I've heard and felt while playing.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

My guitars are set necks, don't like bolt-ons except with Fender basses. I do like the tone and sustain of neck-thru Thunderbirds.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I have all.......and there is certainly no engineering principle that would make me discount any from an 'ability to make a great guitar' point of view.

But I'm a traditionalist, so basic guitar designs are where I'm at.......50's layout Strats, teles, LP's semihollows etc.

However I am doing a NT build with a tele, but it will still have the traditional heel.....just no neckplate or bolts.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

Honestly, I've owned all 3 and I've liked them all. They all have something different to offer to the resulting sound and feel of the instrument and as always, it is in the hands of the builder to decide which one complements the rest of the specs the most.

All 3 can sound, feel and play great and all 3 can be made to suck big-time.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Bolt-On / Glued-On / Neck-Through

I've had several neck throughs-MIJ Charvels and USA Jacksons from the 80s, early 90s, Never got along with any of them, tonally.

I've no issue with Bolt ons or Set necks though. Bolt ons have a certain pop/punch I like. Sets have a high midrange thing that is "my" tone. I'd love to have one guitar that had both,