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Construction methods
Here we are going to consider some of the different construction
methods that are available. The construction method refers mainly
to the neck to body join on the instrument. These can generally
be lumped into three different areas and apply similarly to both
guitar and bass - bolt-on (as on Strats and Teles), set-neck (as
on Les Paul, SG, etc.) and through-body (as on Firebird, some Rickenbackers,
etc.).
The Custom Guitar and Bass page has
links for each type of construction method with some more pictures
and specifications. Below is some additional information on each
method.
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Bolt-on Neck
Very common method of attaching the neck to the body. Leo Fender
decided to go with this method for the majority of his instruments
(Strat, Tele, P and J basses) as it had the virtue of being easy,
quick and cheap. When Leo began making instruments on a production
line, easy, quick and cheap were high on his list of priorities.
Most often executed with a plate and four screws on the instrument
heel, the neck fits into a cavity in the body and is screwed tightly
into place. A bolt-on neck will generally give a brighter, snappier
tone.
Pros: Brighter, snappier tone. Usually
cheaper, easy to replace neck if it gets damaged.
Cons: All things being equal, sustain
is not so good as the neck and body do not vibrate as one
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Set-neck
Also known as a glue-in neck. As the name suggests, this neck is
fitted to a cavity in the body and is then glued and clamped in
place. When the glue sets, it generally produces a strong neck to
body joint that is tonally sound.
Gibson are frequent users of the set-neck design. The Les Paul's
neck is glued into the body as is the SG, EBO, Explorer, etc.
Pros: Good tone and sustain as the
body and neck resonate together better.
Cons: More difficult to execute well,
difficult to repair if neck is damaged, can affect design as sufficient
gluing area must be available to provide strong joint.
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Through-body neck
This is quite literally how it sounds. The neck is carried on
to the entire length of the guitar and body 'wings' are glued
on either side of the neck to form the body of the guitar.
Gibson used this on some of their instruments - for example the
Firebird and Thunderbird. Rickenbacker have also used through-body
necks on a number of instruments (most notably the 4000 series
basses and the 600 series guitars). Through-body necks used to
be most commonly found on higher end instruments. This is not
quite so much the case now, but the bolt-on and set-neck are still
more common in the market.
Pros: Good tone and sustain, usually
better access to higher frets
Cons: Repair of damaged neck more
difficult.
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Construction often depends on the type of sound
and the type of feel you want. Some designs will lend themselves
better to one method than others. Have a think about it - we can
still go through the options available during design.
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