How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

[Agileguy_101]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

I dunno. The only reason I'd ever swap a neck is if I really liked the way the guitar sounded but I didn't get on with the profile/nut width/etc. Whenever I've seriously considered ordering a new neck for a guitar I've had it would usually have the same tone woods but perhaps with a different radius, stainless frets, or perhaps binding (If I'm ordering a new neck, why the hell not?)

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

Not enough for the audience to really give a care about it.


I think they affect tone but I'll sacrifice that small amount of tone difference for a comfortable playing neck.

+1

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

Not enough for the audience to really give a care about it.

So if the audience won't notice it, it's not worth buying?

What about people that don't play for an audience?

 

[uOpt]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

It is really not a small difference at all.

Just the two Warmoth necks I ordered for my black korina Tele sounded drastically different.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

I look for a good neck with an overall tone I like. Medium thickness. I don't think you can pick up a guitar and blame the overall tone on just the neck.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

Well it kinda depends on the whole thing, in the end.
The neck is just a part of it all.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

No noticeable tonal difference, but prefer thick necks for comfort

I've never really been able to make a fair comparison, as I've never been able to completely isolate neck thickness as the main difference in tone.

I doubt the difference is as big as some people make it out to be. For all I know, there could very well be a difference, but I can't see it being a factor that completely ruins the sound of a guitar, which is how quite a few people make it out to be. I doubt anyone can go to a live show, and say: "Wow, that guitarist had great tone. He must've been playing on a thick neck!".

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

I've never really been able to make a fair comparison, as I've never been able to completely isolate neck thickness as the main difference in tone.

I doubt the difference is as big as some people make it out to be. For all I know, there could very well be a difference, but I can't see it being a factor that completely ruins the sound of a guitar, which is how quite a few people make it out to be. I doubt anyone can go to a live show, and say: "Wow, that guitarist had great tone. He must've been playing on a thick neck!".

People imagine all sorts of stuff, especially that which is impossible to test. It's nice to imagine that thick necks sound better due to some "science" you have going on in your head. However, in real-world experience (which includes playing literally thousands of guitars of all ages), the best sounding guitars I've ever played are all over the map in terms of specs – wood type, pickups, neck dimensions, etc. They share no real common element except that they usually have lower-output and/or stock pickups, which I tend to prefer.

 

[uOpt]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

You know, that just reminded me of something.

In the set of best sounding Strat/Tele necks I ever had (the ones that are all #1 and just sound different, not better or worse) is the 2008 AmStd Strat neck I sold next to nothing because of the stripped truss rod nut (I hated the profile, that's why I didn't go through with my original plan of repairing it).

What if the broken truss rod played a role in sound?

 

[The Dali]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

Comfort and ease of play is more important than any change in the tone that a neck would impart, IMO.

 

[The Dali]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

I agree with the first part of your statement, and would even go farther to say that the tone is subjective and what you like in terms of tone may well suck for me.

... the best sounding guitars I've ever played are all over the map in terms of specs – wood type, pickups, neck dimensions, etc. They share no real common element except that they usually have lower-output and/or stock pickups, which I tend to prefer.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: How Much Do You Think Strat Necks Affect Tone?

The bigger elements of tone are the amp, speakers, pups, and guitar body (wood type and shape/thickness).

I think that the neck thickness may contribute to tone one way or another, but it is way too insignificant to sacrifice playing comfort for. My hands are small and my fingers short and stubby, so it doesn't matter if there is a tiny bit of tone difference in a thicker neck... I can't play it.