I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

[oilpit]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

This whole thing is kind of absurd...

The OP is saying that he likes x-guitar better than y-guitar and ignoring all the other variables...

If anybody can find a 25.5 inch bolt on mahogany body/necked SSS guitar or a 24.75 inch set neck alder body/maple necked HH guitar, I will be thourougly impressed.

Me?
I'll take a tele over an SG but a 335 over a Strat (and an LP over all of em :naughty I could give a crap how the neck is attached...

 

[dr. ad]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

If anybody can find a 25.5 inch bolt on mahogany body/necked SSS guitar or a 24.75 inch set neck alder body/maple necked HH guitar, I will be thourougly impressed.

Me?
I'll take a tele over an SG but a 335 over a Strat (and an LP over all of em :naughty I could give a crap how the neck is attached...

nice one

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Yes, but not for the same reason...

I once went through an open-air soundcheck at 3pm, and I couldn't keep my LP in tune to save my life. My bandleader kept giving me the evil-eye. My H-H strat saved my neck that afternoon.

Ever since then, I don't bring a set-neck unless it's a cool evening and we're indoors, however much I love my lp and semi-hollow.

There's no tuning stability difference between set neck and bolt on guitars. Just like with a bolt on guitar you need to have your LP properly setup and the nut lubed if you keep going out of tune.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

The thing is, with an electric guitar all that really matters is the amplified sound. Who plays on stage or records with an unplugged electric guitar? It's not even relevant.

I do most of my playing and practicing these days with an electric guitar, unplugged. Why? My wife is pregnant, so she goes to bed really early, and my acoustic is too loud, and so is an amp. So I grab a guitar and play the night away.

I am not in a band or gigging right now, but I still love to play guitar. So I do, with one of my electrics, unplugged.

Just like with an electric plugged in, a better tone makes you want to play more, and better. If I'm not getting a pleasant tone out of the guitar, I'm more inclined to put it down and surf the web or something.

I just hope no one took a picture.

If I had that picture, I would make it my profile picture, sig picture, and avatar!

I think it's hard to make a final judgement since most bolt-on guitars have a tremolo with sustain block, a steel bridge holding the pickup or at least string-through-body. Whereas most set-neck guitars have a TOM and stop tailpiece, or some other post-mounted thing.

I think this requires that I play more PRS guitars with trem.

As a tendency I agree, though. For the weak data available, I can say that e.g. the Music Man Steve Morse model, which is a TOM on a bolt-on neck, sounds very good.

Good point. Although my bolt on guitars are as follows: Toploader bridge ('51), Tele bridge (STL 50), and Strat trem, 5 spring'd and locked (Strat). So, 1/3, and that 1 is a little modified.

My set neck guitars are Wilkinson TOM (335) and PRS Wraparound (Soapbar).

i'd never played my LP unplugged before! but i just sat down and played it acoustically, and then a strat and my tele.

the LP is kinda muddy unplugged.

the strat is very clear by comparison, its also got a frequency hump, but its a higher frequency, and its not a big width, if that makes sense. its a narrower frequency band than the LP. it sounds pretty natural unplugged, almost like the tone plugged and unplugged is close

the tele is in between id say. it sounds nice acoustically too

interestingly sustain between all 3 is close enough to be the same unplugged.

plugged in is different. i basically have an amp for the single coils and an amp for the HB's...

mike

Thanks for reporting in - this is just the kind of feedback I was looking for!

i'm thinking this is a scale length, and possibly also a wood/finish/construction thing, but could be well off the mark here

my question is: where does your SE one fit into this, I6?

The SE is the mid-heaviest of the bunch. I'm not surprised, it touts it's prominent midrange right on the product page, but while this guitar is incredible plugged in, and probably my best playing guitar, it sounds really "moan-y" unplugged. It has a mahogany body and a mahogany set neck.

Alright I tried this with the two closest guitars I had available. I used a Gibson SG carved top and a Godin CT signature.

They both have mahogany bodies, mahogany necks, carved maple tops and tune-o-matic bridges. Both are hardtails with the Gibson using a standard tailpeice and the Godin has a string through design.

The SG has a 24 fret ebony board with a set neck. The Godin CT has a 22 fret rosewood board with a bolt on neck.

The Godin is far and away the better guitar unplugged.

Again, thanks for reporting in! This is just what I was looking for - folks to compare theirs and let me know if they are perceiving something similar.

 

[blueman335]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

I do most of my playing and practicing these days with an electric guitar, unplugged. Why? My wife is pregnant, so she goes to bed really early, and my acoustic is too loud, and so is an amp. So I grab a guitar and play the night away.

Have you tried one of the amPlugs or a CD guitar trainer? You put on headphones & no one can hear you wail away, and you have nice amplified tones. Play alone or with a CD. Great for when you have people in the house you don't want to disturb. Check it out.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Have you tried one of the amPlugs or a CD guitar trainer? You put on headphones & no one can hear you wail away, and you have nice amplified tones. Play alone or with a CD. Great for when you have people in the house you don't want to disturb. Check it out.

Yeah, I think I would really get good use out of an AmPlug --- do want!

I have a Line 6 TonePort, but it needs the computer to run (think POD, except your computer does the processing, not the box itself) so it's a little too cumbersome.

AmPlug would be perfect for me.

In the meantime, I will have to keep playing my axes unplugged.

Of note, my main go-to right now is my 335. I dropped it super hard yesterday (leaned it up against the wall and it landed pickups-down on the hardwood floor) and it didn't break, which was amazing to me, because it looked and sounded like huge impact. It was hard enough to shock the speed knobs of the split shafts. The first day I got it, I traveled to my parents' house, and as I was showing it to my mom, it got dropped from waist height RIGHT ON THE HEADSTOCK and came out like it never happened. That guitar must be sending me the message that it wants to be around for a while. So I'm extending it some courtesy and playing it a lot.

 

[jcthejester13]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Yeah for quieter playing just grab a cheap little micro-cube. I use that all the time when I am in a place I need to be quiet. Then I can run my pedals through it and everything. And it models relatively well. I don't think the actual speaker of that little amp has been used in some time lol.

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

This is all about unplugged sound - not ease of travel or swappability - just the sound, and I mean the inherent sound, not the sound as influenced by pickups and electronics.

I am just curious if anybody else hears the difference as notably as I do - not necessarily which is better or worse.

I never feel enough low end vibration on my set necks.

I misread the OP...tone wise, it makes no difference to me. I think that factors such as woods used, pups, how tight the neck is in the pocket affect the tone. Either method of neck attachment can have quality, or lack quality.

It just so happens that Strats and Teles have other attributes which make me prefer them.

 

[kramer.geetar]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Some of the best tones were played through a Strat or Strat-shaped guitars. David Gilmour, EVH, Eric Johnson to name a few. I'll never understand the cork sniffing. Just because its a bolt-on doesn't mean you can't cut through the mix or will sound thin or like crap. Maybe its all the Gibson owners trying to justify their $3000 LP purchases, who knows. I prefer bolt-on guitars yes, but that doesn't mean I'd turn my nose up if I had a chance to purchase a nice LP even though I do prefer the 25.5in scale and bolt on setup. Besides, the whole sustain issue is bs. A properly done bolt on will sustain the same as a set neck or neck through, there was a test done recently. If I find it I'll post it here.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Hmmm

I think for every person who gets a really good clear tone from a Gibby, there are fifty that make mud.

For every person who gets a really good full tone from a Strat, there are fifty who make razor blades and glass for the ears.

Neck attachment is a very small part of the equation.

PS...I'd love to see BM335 with a Tele.:firedevil

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

I make razor blades

 

[Stef]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Some guys just don't get it. Plugged tone is the goal, what we all hear and chase, but the acoustic tone is the core, it's foundation. PUPs, cords, effects and amps+speakers are other important parts of the Tone, but the starting point is the acoustic tone (body, neck, bridge and strings).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZnQt9yiBMg

 

[blueman335]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Just because its a bolt-on doesn't mean you can't cut through the mix or will sound thin or like crap.

It's not the neck attachment, it's SSS PU's in a bright wood vs HB's in mahogany or a warm body design. Since the average Strat player I see doesn't know how to get anything but treble from his guitar, he's a disadvantage if the other guitarist on stage has an LP or 335. Treble disperses quickly and doesn't penetrate as far as mids & lows do.

 

[blueman335]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

I think for every person who gets a really good clear tone from a Gibby, there are fifty that make mud.

For every person who gets a really good full tone from a Strat, there are fifty who make razor blades and glass for the ears.

Neck attachment is a very small part of the equation.

True, a lot of it is our perception of tone; on stage, it's hard to even know what the audience is actually hearing with everything else going on. You hear one thing next to your amp, they hear something very different in the crowd. To my ears, the average LP sounds much better than the average Strat, but then, there's many more Strat players out there. I've heard many songs ruined by shrill, piercing Strat solos (live & on CD), but relatively few ruined by muddy LP's. Set or bolt-on necks wouldn't have much impact on that. It's PU's, wood, and hardware.

 

[kramer.geetar]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

It's not the neck attachment, it's SSS PU's in a bright wood vs HB's in mahogany or a warm body design. Since the average Strat player I see doesn't know how to get anything but treble from his guitar, he's a disadvantage if the other guitarist on stage has an LP or 335. Treble disperses quickly and doesn't penetrate as far as mids & lows do.

Well ok I'll sorta agree with ya there but not all S-S-S Strats sounds thin, its up to the player to set it up properly of course. I prefer humbuckers in the bridge and well thats it! No neck or middle pickups :bigok:

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

We know how you feel, blueman335, believe me :laughing:

 

[blueman335]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Well ok I'll sorta agree with ya there but not all S-S-S Strats sounds thin, its up to the player to set it up properly of course. I prefer humbuckers in the bridge and well thats it! No neck or middle pickups :bigok:

Hey, some local guys get their Strats sounding pretty good. I'll be the first to admit it. Unfortunately this tone thing seems to be a secret that many of them never figure out. And yes, odds are an HSS Strat is going to sound better than an SSS. Playing blues, and having seeing hundreds of blues bands over the last 20 years, I gotta say, it's the guys with the SSS Strats who insist on playing relatively clean that usually get the dogs howling...OMG. Ear pain squared! Doesn't matter how those Strats sound unplugged, amplified in the wrong hands, they're 'razor blades and glass.'

 

[RealtyViking]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Remember, every piece of wood is unique in density, grain, mineral content, water content, etc, even if cut from the same tree. Which guitar do you take to a gig, and play unplugged all night? Or is the amplified sound the only thing that matters on stage.

Understand I prefer Gibson guitars. I was just giving an honest opinion of what I hear.

The Godin (LG actually not CT) is very reactive and plays best when handled with care as it is naturally loud. The fact that it is louder is more than likely the reason it sounds better without an amp. The SG carved top needs a strong player and like many tube amps sounds better the harder it is played.

It is like comparing the best running shoes to the best hiking boots.

(BTW - I am tempted to put an acoustic bridge transducer on the Godin now that you mention it.)

This whole thing is kind of absurd...

The OP is saying that he likes x-guitar better than y-guitar and ignoring all the other variables...

If anybody can find a 25.5 inch bolt on mahogany body/necked SSS guitar or a 24.75 inch set neck alder body/maple necked HH guitar, I will be thourougly impressed.

Me?
I'll take a tele over an SG but a 335 over a Strat (and an LP over all of em :naughty I could give a crap how the neck is attached...

The Godin LG signature is a 25.5 inch bolt on mahogany body/ necked HH guitar with split coil Humbuckers. I will have to find a tele or strat to compare as I don't even know of anyone who has one anymore.

I actually bought the Godin at a music store when I went there to purchase the owner's 1986 LPC. I even had the store instructor play both to verify that I was hearing the guitars clearly since I wanted that LP and could not have both. The SG was purchased by a freind while looking for a strat since he likes Fenders. If you ever get a chance to play a diablo or carved top SG I highly recommend the experience.

I have proven to myself that I do not know what piece of equipment I would take over another until I hear both comparatively.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

No preference here, I think I buy more bolts than sets.

If it rocks I don't care how the neck is attached either.

I don't know if I have ever played my guitars unplugged.... does not compute.... cannot divide by zero......

 

[DoronEsh]

Re: I Like Bolt-On Guitars Better Than Set Necks

Good point. Has anyone come across a set maple neck, alder body guitar?

I played a set neck Tele once and didn't hear that much of a diff. Woods (body, neck and fingerboard), scale length, and pups have more influence IMO. I6, the guitars you speak of have more than just the set neck to make them sound 'muddy'.

If anything, the set neck should influence sustain more than sound.