Advantages of a Neck Thru guitar?

[ELicari]

What do you think are the advantages if any of a neck thru guitar?

[neotoxin]

easier access to upper frets?
Sustain?

[Sam D.]

first off would be the increased sustain, the second would be the smooth neck heel for fret access. the bad part would be if you crack your neck, game's over

[CityofBlindingLights]

Well, you'd get better sustain on a neck through because there's no gap between the neck and body, offering a more direct transfer of tone from the neck.

You'd also have better access to upper frets, as there'd be no need for a heel, offering you unlimited access to all frets.

However, if you have any neck problems, aside from the truss rod and nut adjustments you can't do anything.

EDIT: just noticed, this has been posted by the guy above me

[Dino]

Actually I was recently told that a bolt on has the best sustain, set neck second place and Neck-thru the least amout of sustain in a scientific experiment. Same guy told me that a larger/heavier headstock improves sustain.

[ELicari]

Originally Posted by Sam D.

first off would be the increased sustain, the second would be the smooth neck heel for fret access. the bad part would be if you crack your neck, game's over

Right! If you break the neck time to get a new guitar,but i`ve had probably over 40 guitars in my time and i never broke a neck!

It`s interesting how some people say the sustain is better on neck thrus and some say it`s not as good!

[DavyH]

Originally Posted by Dino

Actually I was recently told that a bolt on has the best sustain, set neck second place and Neck-thru the least amout of sustain in a scientific experiment. Same guy told me that a larger/heavier headstock improves sustain.

Apparently the plan behind the body-sized headstock on a certain manufacturer's guitars?

No-one else seems to think so though and I doubt neck-throughs got the reputation for endless sustain without cause...

[jim777]

Things get reputations for all sorts of stupid and valid reasons; it doesn't mean those reputations are valid.

[ColinMmmmm]

Maybe the rep for having poor sustain comes from neck-thrus with poor quality/badly set up floating bridges? Otherwise it's a no-brainer. Although a bolt-neck can have comparable sustain if the neck joint is snug (in my opinion).

[DEADTUNES666]

Well the big advantage is that when the truss goes, or the neck breaks you're screwed and have to shell out more money for a new guitar...But that's only an advantage to the guitar manufacturers.

[Pickles_the_Drummer]

Originally Posted by Dino

Actually I was recently told that a bolt on has the best sustain, set neck second place and Neck-thru the least amout of sustain in a scientific experiment. Same guy told me that a larger/heavier headstock improves sustain.

hmmmm............had he recently experimented with peyote?

[Pickles_the_Drummer]

Originally Posted by ELicari

What do you think are the advantages if any of a neck thru guitar?

I've got 5 guitars. A UV777BK (bolt on), a Jackson rr24 (neck thru), Fender Strat (bolt on), Dean ML (neck thru) and a Squier Tele (bolt on).

Of my guitars, the neck thrus have without a doubt the most sustain. They also seem to have a "fuller" tone, like none of the vibration is going to waste. True sustain is a combination neck thru/string thru IMO, but I like floyds, so neck thru will have to do

[Triggerman9]

In near 20 years of playing neck thru's, the only breakage ,cracks or warp I've seen was from a music store dropping something very heavy on mine. Other than that, how exactly do you go about breaking the neck on any guitar? Yes Vai broke Evo's neck once, but he acts quite a bit more aggressively on stage than I do.

Otherwise, I've played some of the finest bolt neck guitars around and I'll tell you IMHO, none of them sustain as good as a finely crafted neck thru.

Yes there are crappy neck thrus just like there are both excellent and crappy bolt neck guitars.

The upper fret access, combined with the brightness (I said bright not brittle) and the sustain of my neck thrus is second to none...

And yes I do own a jem (a 7DBK) and it is a top notch guitar... but I believe my neck thrus play and sound a bit better.

[kotornut]

Neck throughs have those obvious advantages people listed in the thread. But I have to be honest after own/playing all the types of guitars I feel that usability of the sustain is the thing people forget. I don't mean that something can sustain for too long I mean that usually bolt-ons that are well made sustainlong enough for almost any playing situation. Before you shell out extra cash just for a neck-through ask yourself "Do I currently on my bolt-on really lack sustain?"

I just don't see why I need to get double the sustain I already have. It'll never be long enough naturally to become like a sustainer pickup's usability and almost every note I let sustain sustains for long enough for anything I can think of. How much does one really need?

On the subject of tone I can't comment because that is too subjective. So if you think the tone is better on a neck-through guitar then go for it.

My point is simply if I had to pay a ton more to get a neck through just for say an extra second or so of sustain that'll probably turn into feedback with distortion then I wouldn't do it. I've never had any lack of sustain on a bolt on.

[Drew]

I actually prefer bolt ons, FWIW. It's something about the harmonic content - there's a bit more in the midrange on a neck thru whereas the fundamental and upper harmonics on a bolt on are a little more prominent by comparison, because of what's not there... It translates into a clearer tone with a bit more sparkle and snap to the attack. Likewise, the body wood comes to play more of a part in the sound with a bolt on, whereas the neck through's construction means the neck wood tends to dominate.

I'm a Strat guy from way back, so I just sort of dig the sound of a maple necked bolt on with an ash or alder body. Personal taste, I'll admit, but it's what I like.