Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
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jmh151
Active member
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
3 piece necks are stiffer and tend to be brighter.The 3 pieces generally run lengthwise with the neck.
If you have a 1 piece neck made out of good, stable wood, then it should be strong enough. However, to made the neck even stronger and resistant to warping, a guitar manufacturer, such as Hamer, may cut that same piece into 3, take the middle piece, reverse it, so that it opposes the grain of the other 2 outside pieces, making the neck stronger.
However, some guitar manufacturers (like Gibson in the 70's), either run out of high quality wood to make a stable 1 piece neck, use cheaper wood that would normally warp, but if it is laminated into 3, the opposing grain patters strengthen the neck to make the neck usuable. This is done on doem low end Ibanez guitars. Ibanez used to use solid quartersawn maple on their super thin Wizard necks, but with time switched to a 3 or five piece construction, to make a neck that was just as strong, but cheaper to make as they used cheaper wood.
3 piece necks are stiffer and tend to be brighter.The 3 pieces generally run lengthwise with the neck.
If you have a 1 piece neck made out of good, stable wood, then it should be strong enough. However, to made the neck even stronger and resistant to warping, a guitar manufacturer, such as Hamer, may cut that same piece into 3, take the middle piece, reverse it, so that it opposes the grain of the other 2 outside pieces, making the neck stronger.
However, some guitar manufacturers (like Gibson in the 70's), either run out of high quality wood to make a stable 1 piece neck, use cheaper wood that would normally warp, but if it is laminated into 3, the opposing grain patters strengthen the neck to make the neck usuable. This is done on doem low end Ibanez guitars. Ibanez used to use solid quartersawn maple on their super thin Wizard necks, but with time switched to a 3 or five piece construction, to make a neck that was just as strong, but cheaper to make as they used cheaper wood.
jmh151
Active member
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
The Schecter imports are great guitars for the money. However, most imported guitars don't use true mahogany, it's usually some other form of mahogany, like phillipine mahogany. Whether it's a better or worse wood is subjective- Basswood is a cheap wood, but many guitar makers swear by it.
You could have a 3 piece neck on an American made Schecter guitar- a 3 piece neck made out of high quality wood would be strong as steel, but may not have a true "vintage" tone, and may be a little brighter due to the added stiffness. A guitar maker I know built a Les Paul '59 reissue replica, but with a 3 piece neck. The neck was more stable and slightly brighter than its Gibson counterpart.
On an import guitar, since they tend to use cheaper quality woods, I would prefer a 3 piece neck for stability. If you compare a 3 piece mahogany Schecter neck to a 1 piece mahogany neck on an Epiphone SG, you'll see the defference in stability. On the Schecter, it's their way of "overbuilding" the guitar to make it better. Schecter has to compete with Epiphone and LTD, and while Epiphone has Gibson name and LTD has the ESP name to rely on, Schecter weren't as well known and had to build better guitars to compete.
The Schecter imports are great guitars for the money. However, most imported guitars don't use true mahogany, it's usually some other form of mahogany, like phillipine mahogany. Whether it's a better or worse wood is subjective- Basswood is a cheap wood, but many guitar makers swear by it.
You could have a 3 piece neck on an American made Schecter guitar- a 3 piece neck made out of high quality wood would be strong as steel, but may not have a true "vintage" tone, and may be a little brighter due to the added stiffness. A guitar maker I know built a Les Paul '59 reissue replica, but with a 3 piece neck. The neck was more stable and slightly brighter than its Gibson counterpart.
On an import guitar, since they tend to use cheaper quality woods, I would prefer a 3 piece neck for stability. If you compare a 3 piece mahogany Schecter neck to a 1 piece mahogany neck on an Epiphone SG, you'll see the defference in stability. On the Schecter, it's their way of "overbuilding" the guitar to make it better. Schecter has to compete with Epiphone and LTD, and while Epiphone has Gibson name and LTD has the ESP name to rely on, Schecter weren't as well known and had to build better guitars to compete.
larry_emder
New member
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
same....i always assumed that more pieces of wood = generally worse
same....i always assumed that more pieces of wood = generally worse
jmh151
Active member
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
Some argue that a 3 piece neck is not as good tonally as a 1 piece neck, but it's a matter of peronal preference.
Multi laminations are always stronger than a single piece. That's why Marshall uses 11 ply birch plywood on their cabs rather than the cheaper 5 ply.
I think G&L, or some other manufacturer, actually cuts the neck in half diagnally, flips one of the pieces, installs the truss rod and glues it all back together- the opposing grains create a stronger neck that's less susceptable to warping.
Some argue that a 3 piece neck is not as good tonally as a 1 piece neck, but it's a matter of peronal preference.
Multi laminations are always stronger than a single piece. That's why Marshall uses 11 ply birch plywood on their cabs rather than the cheaper 5 ply.
I think G&L, or some other manufacturer, actually cuts the neck in half diagnally, flips one of the pieces, installs the truss rod and glues it all back together- the opposing grains create a stronger neck that's less susceptable to warping.
T
TheArchitect
Guest
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
Glue
Glue
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
My '88 Kramer has a 3-piece maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. In the 10 or so years I've owned it, it has rarely ever needs a truss rod adjustment. Very stable neck. My Warmoth neck is at least 2 piece (maple fretboard glued on) and is also very stable. It rarely ever needs a truss rod adjustment as well. My Fender Strat has needed the most adjustments.
Several very experienced luthiers that I have talked to in person have stated that multiple piece necks (2 or 3) are stronger than one piece. The tone difference is minimal to non-existant. We may hear it because we want to believe it's there.
My '88 Kramer has a 3-piece maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. In the 10 or so years I've owned it, it has rarely ever needs a truss rod adjustment. Very stable neck. My Warmoth neck is at least 2 piece (maple fretboard glued on) and is also very stable. It rarely ever needs a truss rod adjustment as well. My Fender Strat has needed the most adjustments.
Several very experienced luthiers that I have talked to in person have stated that multiple piece necks (2 or 3) are stronger than one piece. The tone difference is minimal to non-existant. We may hear it because we want to believe it's there.
frankfalbo
In Fluence Y'all
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
The "ideal" neck construction would be from one extremely stiff, stable piece. you can't do that in a factory. You can't blow too much time finding the right piece, which leaves the dilema of what to do with the other pieces. In Ibanez' case, they always used a scarf joint, but on the new multilam necks they don't, and there's a volute. Hardly a downgrade IMO.
G&L doesn't flip the piece to my knowledge. They just let the pieces sit awhile to get out any inherent stress that was in the original piece, then when they put the pieces back together (after re-planing) they are more stable than without the center cut. Sometimes it looks like the grains don't match up on a G&L but it's just the width of the blade and planing. The pieces are rejoined in the same orientation. Every time I've seen a two piece neck with clearly different pieces, or with one of the pieces flipped, there's an asymmetry to the bow pattern. They're more prone to twists, because one piece wants to move differently than the other. A three piece on the other hand generally self-corrects. It's kind of like a table needs at least three legs to stand. The Hamer style three piece method is great. The outer two pieces are standardly oriented, and only the middle is flipped.
Tonally, a stiffer neck sounds different than a rubbery one. So laminations aside, stiffness alone can be responsible for a large sonic difference between the construction styles. I have a 3-piece Barrington neck here from Japan, that's a total rubber band and sounds that way too-like a rubbery one-piece. It's a quality neck, and I keep it because it's painted to match the guitar. But the laminations sure didn't save this piece/pieces of Maple. I have another neck I made with 3pcs. Maple and 1/4" Ebony strips in between. That's extremely stiff and it attacks that way, but no moreso than a stiff one piece Maple neck for that matter.
As for what the factories do, I don't try to analyze their decisions. They're rarely rooted in any tone quest. They are usually economic in their entirety. If good quality larger boards are becoming more scarce, they'll switch to a 3 piece lamination and gain consistency. Remember, besides their US product, these brands aren't "building" anything, it's a lot more like ordering from a menu. So that's how I analyze it at the guitar store. I don't look at one 3-piece as "more value for the money" because a good 1-piece is my favorite. Likewise, the 3-piece is not "less value for the money" either, because perhaps it's more stable over the years than one lousy piece.
The "ideal" neck construction would be from one extremely stiff, stable piece. you can't do that in a factory. You can't blow too much time finding the right piece, which leaves the dilema of what to do with the other pieces. In Ibanez' case, they always used a scarf joint, but on the new multilam necks they don't, and there's a volute. Hardly a downgrade IMO.
G&L doesn't flip the piece to my knowledge. They just let the pieces sit awhile to get out any inherent stress that was in the original piece, then when they put the pieces back together (after re-planing) they are more stable than without the center cut. Sometimes it looks like the grains don't match up on a G&L but it's just the width of the blade and planing. The pieces are rejoined in the same orientation. Every time I've seen a two piece neck with clearly different pieces, or with one of the pieces flipped, there's an asymmetry to the bow pattern. They're more prone to twists, because one piece wants to move differently than the other. A three piece on the other hand generally self-corrects. It's kind of like a table needs at least three legs to stand. The Hamer style three piece method is great. The outer two pieces are standardly oriented, and only the middle is flipped.
Tonally, a stiffer neck sounds different than a rubbery one. So laminations aside, stiffness alone can be responsible for a large sonic difference between the construction styles. I have a 3-piece Barrington neck here from Japan, that's a total rubber band and sounds that way too-like a rubbery one-piece. It's a quality neck, and I keep it because it's painted to match the guitar. But the laminations sure didn't save this piece/pieces of Maple. I have another neck I made with 3pcs. Maple and 1/4" Ebony strips in between. That's extremely stiff and it attacks that way, but no moreso than a stiff one piece Maple neck for that matter.
As for what the factories do, I don't try to analyze their decisions. They're rarely rooted in any tone quest. They are usually economic in their entirety. If good quality larger boards are becoming more scarce, they'll switch to a 3 piece lamination and gain consistency. Remember, besides their US product, these brands aren't "building" anything, it's a lot more like ordering from a menu. So that's how I analyze it at the guitar store. I don't look at one 3-piece as "more value for the money" because a good 1-piece is my favorite. Likewise, the 3-piece is not "less value for the money" either, because perhaps it's more stable over the years than one lousy piece.
jmh151
Active member
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
I called Warmoth a while ago because I wanted a quartersawn maple neck to resist warping. They told me that due to their dual action truss rod and the design of their necks, quartersawn maple isn't needed it's teh same as hard rock maple but a different cut, the dual action truss rod prevents the neck from getting up bow or back bow, and the glued on thicker fretboard (which appears to be opposing grain) prevents the neck from twisting.
ErikH said:
I called Warmoth a while ago because I wanted a quartersawn maple neck to resist warping. They told me that due to their dual action truss rod and the design of their necks, quartersawn maple isn't needed it's teh same as hard rock maple but a different cut, the dual action truss rod prevents the neck from getting up bow or back bow, and the glued on thicker fretboard (which appears to be opposing grain) prevents the neck from twisting.
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
My rickenbacker uses walnut/maple/walnut/maple/walnut for it's neck. (The 2 outter pieces of walnut are the headstock wings, so It's really only 3 piece.)
It's a very fat neck also...
I would venture to say it's probably one of the strongest necks of any production guitars. It doesn't seem to make it that bright, for a all maple guitar it's very netrual-almost dark.
I had an ibanez, and in it's case it seemed to have a 3 piece neck for wood reasons. Basicly there's a general rule of thumb in all this, you get what you pay for.
My rickenbacker uses walnut/maple/walnut/maple/walnut for it's neck. (The 2 outter pieces of walnut are the headstock wings, so It's really only 3 piece.)
It's a very fat neck also...
I would venture to say it's probably one of the strongest necks of any production guitars. It doesn't seem to make it that bright, for a all maple guitar it's very netrual-almost dark.
I had an ibanez, and in it's case it seemed to have a 3 piece neck for wood reasons. Basicly there's a general rule of thumb in all this, you get what you pay for.
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
Hi,
Sorry, I know its an old post but this is very interesting. I didn't know any of this. Can you point to any literature on the subject? Thanks.
Hi,
Sorry, I know its an old post but this is very interesting. I didn't know any of this. Can you point to any literature on the subject? Thanks.
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Difference between a 3-piece neck and a 1-piece neck...
Engineers shouldn't work with wood.
Engineers shouldn't work with wood.
