NorioDS
Why would Satch want a bolt-on instead of a thru-neck? Sure I could Google for his reasons but I'm ACTUALLY looking for the technical reasons (other than they're easier to repair).
If there is no good reason then how hard would it be to get a JS-like guitar custom-made for me? I haven't played one for long enough to know for sure if I'd prefer a thru-neck but I'm thinking that the extra comfort plus sustain would sell me in any case.
Thoughts?
Mr-M
As far as I recall, in one of the Musciansfriend interviews, he said he played a bastard Strat hybrid with humbuckers for years before getting the signature model from Ibanez. Maybe he just likes the tone of a bolt-on 'cos that's what he's used to?
NorioDS
That makes sense. Despite creating (and popularising) such new and crazy sounds, Satch always seems to strive for vintage tone and sounds.
So, technically speaking, a thru-neck (neck-thru, whatever) should be possible?
[me=Norio]has a cunning plan[/me]
AlanRatcliffe
I've always been scared someone was going to ask me this question. They are different sounds, but it's difficult to define. Through necks are always touted as having more sustain, but more sustain doesn't always equate to more tone (or less for that matter) - they are just different. A Strat wouldn't be a Strat with a through-neck, a JS wouldn't be a JS either.
Oh well, I have to try explain this sometime soon (necks is the next chapter), so here goes...
Through necks have to be stiffer than bolt ons, so they are almost always (or rather, should be) multi-laminates or quarter-sawn wood. The added stiffness makes them brighter and compresses the dynamics a little compared to a more flexible neck. This is as the more flexible neck vibrates more, and some of this vibration feeds back to the strings out of phase, cancelling out some of the high frequencies, making it sound warmer. A stiff neck like a through neck (or one with harder woods) vibrates less, so less frequencies are cancelled.
As tuners, nut, bridge and pickups are all basically mounted on the same piece of wood, the tone of a through neck guitar is also primarily from the neck itself, with relatively little from the softer wood body, and this all adds to the brightness, punch and articulation. They do also have a good low end, but it's very tight and punchy, not as warm and full as many like.
They do resonate, but it's what I can only describe as a more consonant resonance (if that makes sense). It's a purer tone with less odd overtones. Bolt-ons have a thicker, rounder, more of a "water drop" tone (listen to the first few notes of the first Shine On You Crazy Diamond solo - that's "water drop" tone)
Harmonics sing out with absolute ease with a good through-neck - in fact on some guitars they can be difficult to control, where left hand muting results in accidental harmonics.
Because of the brightness, you are limited to warmer sounding pickups - which usually tend to be hotter. All together, this kind of adds up to a guitar made for metal - articulate, compressed and higher output. It took me a long time to settle on pickups for my through neck, none of the traditional choices worked (especially as I was chasing lower gain sounds - but I loved what I heard acoustically from the guitar, so I just kept on trying), and I went through a lot in two years until settling on a pair that worked. On the plus side, once I found the right pair (DiMarzio Air Zone at the bridge and a modified Multibucker at the neck), the guitar became magical and stayed that way for a decade.
The Multibucker has since moved on in favour of a Lollar Imperial, which kind of reflects the fact that I don't want the guitar to do a bit of everything anymore, but rather want it to do fewer things, but do them better. Surprisingly, it's just as flexible now, just different.
BTW - The reason not many manufacturers make through-necks is there is a high reject rate (about one in five).
NorioDS
Wow, thanks Alan. I wouldn't have imagined it to be so complex but then that's been the case for a lot of things. It's great having you around ? You pick up things that would take me years to figure out for myself.
Thanks ? ? ?
AlanRatcliffe
Yeah, that and they are the most comfortable when you're going "widdely-widdely-widdely" up at the top of the fretboard, the way metal players like to do. ?
