Neckthrough guitar and Woods

[7 Dying Trees]

Right

I need some advice on neckthrough woods and the like as I may be getting some kind of custom built and I'd like it to be neckthrough.

So, fire away and if you could give some ideas of what the sound is like (players and the like).

I'll be back later to elaborate, but for now ideas and suggestions are good!

(I know I am not being particularly clear, but am in a bit of a rush)

[Vaibanez]

Neck wood is usually going to be maple or mahagony...I've seen rosewood used aswell. This will run the entire length of the body.

The body itself consists of "wings" that are glued to the neck wood.
I suppose that could be anything you like.

Then you could top it with some exotic, fugured wood to hid the glue joints.

[frankfalbo]

Many players like a maple neck through, but I don't. In a neck through, the neck wood is your body wood, too. I know there's wings, but its that main piece of wood down the center that is taking the strings vibrations from end to end. With a bolt on or set neck, you have the complexity of two different vibration sources that aren't locked in to eachother. The neck through unifies and therefore cancels a lot of those open midrange frequencies. So maple is a really thin and nasal sounding neck through. It has good sustain, but any neck through will. My choice is mahogany, because it is as open and warm of a sound you can get from a traditional neck through. If you like screaming harmonics, or EMG's the maple will be fine. But if you want a more traditional and versatile sound, go with mahogany.

[JESTER700]

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

Many players like a maple neck through, but I don't. In a neck through, the neck wood is your body wood, too. I know there's wings, but its that main piece of wood down the center that is taking the strings vibrations from end to end. With a bolt on or set neck, you have the complexity of two different vibration sources that aren't locked in to eachother. The neck through unifies and therefore cancels a lot of those open midrange frequencies. So maple is a really thin and nasal sounding neck through. It has good sustain, but any neck through will. My choice is mahogany, because it is as open and warm of a sound you can get from a traditional neck through. If you like screaming harmonics, or EMG's the maple will be fine. But if you want a more traditional and versatile sound, go with mahogany.

Or alder. Carvin makes Alder neck thrus. Nice & light, I'll bet. But you need a hard finish...

[frankfalbo]

Carvin only does alder because they have the graphite rods running down the neck. It won't hold up without them IMO. I haven't played a Holdsworth yet, but I'm sure it's a great way to add warmth and resonance to the neck through design.

[7 Dying Trees]

Okay... Right, I have a bit more time now so:

Basically when it comes to wood i have very little clue unfortunately :/

Well, here's my thoughts so far:

1) I am gunning for a neckthrough for the sustain

2) I don't understand neckthrough construction that well, as in whether you should stick to one wood or if it's possible to layer 2 together and if so what a good choice wood be.

3) Then there's the wings, which kind of confuse me as to their function as in how much they will affect everything

So far I am leaning towards maple for the neck with korina wings, but was wondering if it is possible to have korina as the neck through wood? This is off advice from a friend who had himself a korina body with maple neck built, which was a bolt on, and advice that korina isn't quite as dark as mahogony can be...

God, i sound clueless don't I?

[Jammy]

That pic shows neck thru construction very well. The neck is maple and has a darkwood strip running through it (like the modern RG's), this is there to add strength to the neck - to keep it straight. The wings are the dark wood glued onto the sides of the neck piece, and in that guitar, they seem to be mahogany. I dunno if this helped but you seemed a little confused - so I thought I would go back to basics.

-better shred than dead-ANDY

[7 Dying Trees]

oki Cheers Andy I knew that was kind of how the construction went, bar the bit of strengthening wood down the neck.

Man, this wood stuff is doing my head in Any advice? I really don't want to go for maple+magony as I could buy that.

Basically, i quite like mahogony, but would like something, well, lets put it this way Somewhere in between basswood and mahogony really, as to me basswood has that nice "grit" to it while mahogony is smoother.

I hate woods. If I could just grab an eq curve and say: do that! I'd be happier

[The Madness Here]

http://www.rampartguitars.com/Tonewoods.htm

go here for ideas for tone woods.

most necks are made from maple (occasionally with bubinga strips in the middle) or mahogany. There are more exotic necks, but maple or mahogony is the most common.

[BCShredder]

Purpleheart and maple make a great neck, especially on a mahogany body.