REAAALLLLLLLLLY DIG THAT! nice work man. See thats what Im wondering. Its a classy look to have a uniform top and fretboard.. the construction should be for the player not random people to ask questions while playing it.
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Do Neck-Through Basses Need Tops
- Thread starter VegasCustom
- Start date
Fwiw, I'm in agreement about stripey basses, they just kind of leave me cold. In fact I'm also not convinced there's any tonal difference between a neck through and a (well made) bolt on, it's borderline tonewood territory for me.
I was skeptical when I first started building but I've found that neck through vs bolt on makes a more noticeable and consistent difference to the tone and feel than any other aspect of construction when it comes to the actual woodwork. It's one of the first 3 things I ask a customer about when initiating a build after "fretted or fretless?" and "how many strings?". I've spoken to a couple of builders that are far more well known than me and they both came to the same conclusion on their own years ago. I don't say this to dismiss your opinion, it's just been my own experience after doing this for a while.
On the subject of Tone Effects From The Wooden Frame, yes, there is a big difference between bolt-on and neck-thru frames. Neck-thru construction limits what you can do with the body structure. In a neck-thru, that spine of neck wood down through the middle of the body is a strong structural reinforcement. That spine almost guarantees that the body will be very rigid and stiff, regardless of what you do with the construction of the wings.
When we're building basses to have a warm, rich sound down in the midrange, the main thing we do is to soften up the body. Softer woods, chambers, internal structural tricks, to weaken the body and make it flex more with the vibration of the strings.
If you are trying to build a bass with the emphasis on bright high end pinging and panging, then overall frame stiffness is your goal. Build the neck and body very stiff and bring on those screaming pickups. Neck-thru construction makes it easier to build it stiff, because of that strong spine running through the body.
If you are trying to build a bass with a warmer, richer tone, then bolt-on construction allows you to use softer woods and weaker structural design. The neck and body are two different structures and you can adjust the design of them separately.
Now, these aren't absolutes, because there are a lot of variables and other structural tricks. You can make a soft, warm neck-thru with some extra effort. Like seriously chopping away that spine to weaken it. And you certainly can make a very stiff body on a bolt-on, if that's what you want. Heavier wood, extra thick, internal bracing, maple back, etc.
But, in general, a bass with neck-thru construction will have a stiff frame and bright tingly sound. That may be what you want.
If you are looking for more mid-range richness and less tingle, you are probably better off building bolt-on or set-neck construction. That will give you more options in the construction of the body.
(I removed my grouchy old man comment)
When we're building basses to have a warm, rich sound down in the midrange, the main thing we do is to soften up the body. Softer woods, chambers, internal structural tricks, to weaken the body and make it flex more with the vibration of the strings.
If you are trying to build a bass with the emphasis on bright high end pinging and panging, then overall frame stiffness is your goal. Build the neck and body very stiff and bring on those screaming pickups. Neck-thru construction makes it easier to build it stiff, because of that strong spine running through the body.
If you are trying to build a bass with a warmer, richer tone, then bolt-on construction allows you to use softer woods and weaker structural design. The neck and body are two different structures and you can adjust the design of them separately.
Now, these aren't absolutes, because there are a lot of variables and other structural tricks. You can make a soft, warm neck-thru with some extra effort. Like seriously chopping away that spine to weaken it. And you certainly can make a very stiff body on a bolt-on, if that's what you want. Heavier wood, extra thick, internal bracing, maple back, etc.
But, in general, a bass with neck-thru construction will have a stiff frame and bright tingly sound. That may be what you want.
If you are looking for more mid-range richness and less tingle, you are probably better off building bolt-on or set-neck construction. That will give you more options in the construction of the body.
(I removed my grouchy old man comment)
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More than fair, I've only built one neck -through and a couple of bolt-ons so it's a very small sample size I'm basing my opinion on.
Appreciate your knowledge and experience, but not sure there's any need to be condescending. All these threads are here for all of us to read and learn from
Subjectively, I would say that the sustain that my neck-through guitars and basses have is superior to even my set neck ones. (I don't own any bolt on builds)
An interesting experiment would be to build a neck-through mockup, set-neck mockup and bolt-on mockup all using the same woods and see what the differences were.
An interesting experiment would be to build a neck-through mockup, set-neck mockup and bolt-on mockup all using the same woods and see what the differences were.
I'm sorry, Flying B, I didn't mean to sound condescending. But that comes from frustration. I've been trying my best to explain this stuff here on TalkBass for more than 10 years. But every time the subject comes up, there's a line of people jumping in and claiming that it's all a bunch of phony, imaginary snake oil that hasn't been proven and can't be proven. I'm sick of it. I hesitated before spending an hour writing the post above, wondering if I should even bother.
- Apr 18, 2008
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- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
I didn’t read it as condescending at all Bruce. Just another of your usual well-written, objective, and quite informational posts. Which I always appreciate!
Thanks for the reply! good information. I was under the impression that a neck through would make a warmer and fuller sounding bass, and the bolt on would make it more pingy. But I can see your point and itll help me on my next build
A neck-thru bass will usually have a wider frequency range, clearer brighter pingy sound, and longer sustain. A bolt-on will usually have warmer mid-range, more background coloration, less frequency range, more attack curve. Compare a Ken Smith bass to a swamp ash Fender. Those are classic examples.
Usually. But, of course, there are exceptions where builders have softened the bodies of neck-thrus or stiffened the bodies of bolt-ons.
I suspect this is one of those things where it makes a real difference, but it's in the grey zone where the difference is perceptible to some people but not to others.
I'd be interested in examples/pics/walk-throughs on how to get a top on a neck-thru. Particularly, simpler methods that don't involve CNC, lasers, etc.
One method I've used (on one bass so far) is to use a fingerboard that extends all the way to the end of the body (like a Diva), but that's not exactly simple or easy. I also can't recommend it, since I still haven't finished and played the bass, so not sure if it's comfy to play. But,.....if you play with a ramp between the pups, I imagine it's the same feel.
I'd be interested in other ways to get a top on a neck-thru, though. Sometimes it's a better look and I don't think I'll want an infinity board on every bass, moving forward.
One method I've used (on one bass so far) is to use a fingerboard that extends all the way to the end of the body (like a Diva), but that's not exactly simple or easy. I also can't recommend it, since I still haven't finished and played the bass, so not sure if it's comfy to play. But,.....if you play with a ramp between the pups, I imagine it's the same feel.
I'd be interested in other ways to get a top on a neck-thru, though. Sometimes it's a better look and I don't think I'll want an infinity board on every bass, moving forward.
Here are a couple of posts that cover this. But essentially it takes 2 main processes. The first is to allow for the thickness of the top by notching, or stepping down the neck beam thickness by the thickness of the top. The second step is to fit the top around the neck and get it glued in place.
Cutting the step in the neck beam for the top:
SBO 2022 - Cheaper by the Dozen - 12 String Bass
Fitting the top and gluing:
SBO 2022 - Cheaper by the Dozen - 12 String Bass
Of course, these are just the methods that I use, there are many ways to do this. But, hopefully it is helpful.
I love the idea of a fretboard extending all the way to provide a continuous fretless aspect as well as the thumb board or speedramp whatever you call it. Looks dope in my book.
Also, Im going to check the links below but my current method is to use a router sled and the chisel the fine details
