neck mounting in electric guitars and basses

Hello again, and welcome to the seventh installment of Luthier’s Corner. For this issue, I’d like to discuss the pros and cons of the 3 main types of neck mounting in electric guitars and basses: bolt on, set neck, and neck through body, and a bit of their histories.

When you think bolt on, you think Fender Stratocaster, set neck: you think Gibson Les Paul, and neck through: you think Rickenbacker. These are, of course, the companies and models that not only exemplify their respective designs, but also are where the 3 different neck mounting approaches originated, in terms of mass production.

To understand the bolt on neck, we need to go back to 1948, and the little radio repair shop of Leo Fender. It was then that Leo came up with the prototype for what would become the prototypical rock, country, pop, guitar-the Fender Broadcaster, which would later be rechristened the Telecaster. It was the first bolt on neck guitar and is still, pretty much, the industry standard by which all others are judged. Whether you play a Tele, Strat, Kramer, or various other “superstrat” type guitars, it very likely has a bolt on neck design, which is usually 4 wood screws that fasten the neck to the body. The advantage to this design is that, should the neck get damaged or broken, it can easily be removed and replaced with very little work. The disadvantage to the majority of bolt on guitars is that the neck joint is fairly bulky which can inhibit easy upper fret access, unless you have a newer type of bolt on guitar, like those made by ESP, Schecter, etc, that is either sculpted or shaped in a tapered manner to make upper fret access easier. Another aspect of a bolt design is that the tightness of the cavity, as well as how tightly the neck is bolted on the body, can have an effect on the sustain and resonance of the guitar. Most 70’s Fender guitars were notorious for lacking sustain and resonance due to having neck joints that were not very snug at all and the necks could actually move around in the cavity.

Bigsby Headstock	Bigsby Merl Travis	Broadcaster Prototype	Fender Telecaster
Gibson Les Paul	Rickenbacker 330	Gibson ES-150	Rickenbacker Frying Pan

Next we have the set neck design that you have seen on the Gibson Les Paul, SG, Flying V, etc, as well as other , Gretsch, Guild, and many others. This design has been around since the first acoustic guitar was ever built, hundreds of years ago, and is the most common type of neck joint out there. Whether you have an acoustic guitar, classical, archtop, or solibody SG, chances are, it’s a set neck. But the first real electric guitar to use this design was the Gibson ES-150, commonly known as the Charlie Christian and debuted in 1936. The first solidbody, set neck guitar, was the Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, which debuted in 1952. What’s nice about this design is that it gives the guitar a certain look of class and sophistication, as well as being sleek. The advantage is that a set neck design, with a good sized tenon that’s tight fitting, produces excellent sustain and resonance. Just listen to any Gibson Les Paul plugged into a Marshall stack to verify that statement! Or course, should the neck get damaged or broken, replacing it is more involved, usually requiring steaming the neck off, to loosen the glue and remove the neck, which is recommended to be done by a professional luthier. The other disadvantage is that most set neck guitars tend to have a somewhat bulky neck joint, almost as bulky as a traditional bolt on, save for the slim set neck guitars like the Gibson SG. Of course, many newer set neck guitars have revised the neck set design, which has virtually done away with the bulky neck heel altogether, like the Gibson Neal Schon Les Paul.

Finally we come to the neck through body design, the first of which debuted in 1931, by Rickenbacker, was called the A-22, and was known as the Frying Pan because of its obvious shape. It was actually the first lap steel guitar built and it wasn’t until 15 years later, in 1946, when the first solidbody electric guitar, as we know of them today, was actually built by a motorcycle repairman known as Paul Bigsby, who is more well known for the vibrato tailpiece that bears his name than for the one piece maple, solid body electric guitar that he built for Merle Travis. What’s interesting about that first Bigsby guitar is that you can clearly see that it really did inspire at least 2 other companies with certain designs. The body is shaped very much like a Gibson Les Paul. The headstock looks like the Strat headstock of the 70’s, big and round. Bigsby hand made every guitar that he built, and so, of course, he could not compete with the mass production approach of the day of companies like Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, etc. Many higher end companies, such as Carvin, ESP, Rickenbacker, and others, use this design. The main advantage of this design is that there is virtually no bulky neck heel in the way of upper fret access. The other advantage is that, since you have one long piece of wood from head to back, tonal consistency is usually superb as the resonance is consistent from one end to the other. The main disadvantage to this design is that, should the neck get damaged or broken, you could not replace the neck, and it would have to be repaired or rebuilt. Any experienced luthier, however, would be able to accomplish this task, and I have had numerous neck through guitars, and set necks for that matter, come through my shop that needed a break repaired or rebuilt. So don’t worry about the risks, if you own such a guitar.

Well, now that you know, in a nutshell, about the 3 different neck mount designs, you’re probably wondering which would fit your style more. Well, that, my friend, is really a matter of taste and preference. There are those that swear there is no better guitar in the world than a bolt on Strat or Tele. There are those that would thumb wrestle you into submission if you dared scoff at the superiority of their set neck Gibson Les Paul. And there are those that would only ever own a neck through body Carvin DC400. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Exactly. That’s what makes the electric guitar so much fun, yet frustrating at the same time. There are so many infinite choices and possibilities that, if you’re like me, you never get enough, and you probably own at least one of each type, if nothing else than to satisfy your curiosity.

OK so, I hope you enjoyed this month’s Corner and feel a bit more informed. If I have answered any questions or curiosities that you had prior to reading this, then I did my job.

Once again, thanks for reading my column and remember no task worth accomplishing is ever achieved if not pursued with fierce dedication. Believe in yourself, and make happen that glorious noise called music! Until next time, remember, there is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it! Cheers!!