Do neck plates have a purpose?

[Kabal]

Do they have any real measurable function? Do they keep the screws from loosening or keep the neck together better?
Do they add sustain???
Is tone really all in the neck plate?????

I wanna hear from YOU!!!

[Bread Knife]

I would say they probably reduce the risk of cracking the screw holes in the body by distributing the force of the screw heads over a much larger area.

[Foamy]

Yes, they certainly do.
For the reason above. The screws could not be tightened into the neck with (almost any) body wood alone.

[gradim]

To me it's like a mix between a big washer and a license plate;-)

[GeneralElectric]

Laklands don't have neckplates. They came about as a place to toss in the serial number.

[bottomend!]

The spread the torque of the screws out across a larger area than would be afforded by just the head of the screw.

[kenfxj]

Combined with a "Fender" headstock decal they're great for "upgrading" your Squier.

[CapnSev]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

Laklands don't have neckplates. They came about as a place to toss in the serial number.

They have individual nuts for each neck screw though, instead of the neck plate which acts like one giant "nut".

[T-Bird]

Hi.

My guess would be that Leo put a plate there as the screws sunk into the pine body of the prototype Broadcaster, and the trend continued from there.

From an engineering standpoint, the single piece neck plate offers no advantage over individual washers/ferrules.

Regards
Sam

[SLaPiNFuNK]

bling?

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

Laklands don't have neckplates. They came about as a place to toss in the serial number.

Early Fender Precision Basse and Telecaster guitars had neck plates but the serial number was on the bridge plate.

[Hopkins]

I would guess that its less time consuming to just drill four holes and use a neck plate than it is to recess four ferrules into the body.

[Electricblue]

Try standing on some muddy ground. The first time, stand on it in shoes. The second time, stand on a plank of wood. Which sinks in (cracks your body's finish) first?

Think of it like that.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by Hopkins

I would guess that its less time consuming to just drill four holes and use a neck plate than it is to recess four ferrules into the body.

Not really, they could just use a different bit with two steps, one for the through hole and one for the ferrule recess.

[GrapeApe]

So, I guess I should ask... what is the best "tone plate"?

[Kabal]

Are there any physical differences in the various plates you can buy or do they all follow a pretty standard measurement? Besides finish

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by Kabal

Are there any physical differences in the various plates you can buy or do they all follow a pretty standard measurement? Besides finish

On all the "Fender style" plate blanks I've purchased over the years, the only dimensional differences between them I've ever found was a slight difference in the thickness of the plate, if any.

[scottbass]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi.

My guess would be that Leo put a plate there as the screws sunk into the pine body of the prototype Broadcaster, and the trend continued from there.

From an engineering standpoint, the single piece neck plate offers no advantage over individual washers/ferrules.

This would also be my educated guess. /\

[groooooove]

my basses dont have them.. my fender does.

i'd imagine any bass with a painted finish it'll help prevent cracking. thats really all i can think of.

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by GrapeApe

So, I guess I should ask... what is the best "tone plate"?

The best sounding neck plates I have heard are a few I found made of bell-bronze. Really hard to find and EXPENSIVE. But worth their weight in gold from a resonance standpoint.

Sure.