There are too many variables. FWIW, I have deep sounding bolt-on basses with lots of sustain and a few neckthrough basses that are very punchy.
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Is it true that... (neck question)
- Thread starter MisterMagician
- Start date
Sometimes the tone is different. There's ever so slightly more "give" at the neck/body joint on a bolt-on than on a neck-through, simply because the neck and body are 2 pieces bolted together. The neck-thru is of course all one unbroken piece of wood, so that ever-so-slight weak spot of the neck body joint isn't there. That can affect the resonance of the whole thing changing the tone a little.
But that's usually down in the noise of other construction differences like the general size of the neck, strength of the whole thing, etc. Generally this difference is very minor.
To really be able to tell you'd need two identically designed basses, with the only difference being neck-through vs bolt-neck. I bet it'd be hard to tell the difference.
I tend to like neck-throughs because, when I have a choice, I prefer massively strong, non-acoustic sounding instruments. This is easier to achieve on a neck-through because you don't have the massive neck/body joint you'd otherwise have to have. With it all one piece of wood you can make it strong as an ox but still small at the neck/body joint. This one reason I like extended range basses like 5 and 6 strings. They're just more strongly built and give a very flat "whack" kind of tone (less of a "tonk" type tone) which is my general preference.
my carvin bunny 6 is a good example. The tone when not plugged in is almost totally dead with no acoustic kind of properties to it. I love that and it comes through when it's plugged in as well. It's a neck-through and I think that contributes a little bit to that tone.....
LS
NT v's BO.2x Ken Smiths,virtually identical.Only difference is top woods I think.
Close your eyes & see if you can pick which is which.
Close your eyes & see if you can pick which is which.
I liked the bolt-on sound much more, the tone seemed brighter/more defined as well as louder. The neck-through seemed to have a sound more suited for mellow background playing though. But that would probably have to be the top wood, how could a silly little thing like neck construction possibly effect tone?
But for the purposes of not starting a flamefest directed at me, I will say there was no difference in the two and that we all should just hold hands and skip merrily off into the sunset.
The theory is that the neck-through will have more fundamental and sustain. The bolt-on will have more mid-range harmonics in relation to to fundamental, which is really what we are mostly hearing by the way. The human ear [mind] fills in the fundamental, which works out well, because most amplification systems don't produce much fundamental in the lower frequencies anyway.
There are folks that will only consider ever buying bo's,or NT's.I'm of the opinion you should go with what sounds & feels right to you.Limiting yourself,wheather it's technique(picks or fingers)or the type of gear you buy is only going to limit your enjoyment,& that's what it's all about.None of us play coz we have to,we play coz we enjoy it,& if you're young & handsome enough,it can help get ya chicks.
The strange irony of this situation is that I have played and loved the bolt-on Spectors and Warwicks, but I have been considering buying the neck-through for quite some time now even though I have never tried one.There are folks that will only consider ever buying bo's,or NT's.I'm of the opinion you should go with what sounds & feels right to you.Limiting yourself,wheather it's technique(picks or fingers)or the type of gear you buy is only going to limit your enjoyment,& that's what it's all about.None of us play coz we have to,we play coz we enjoy it,& if you're young & handsome enough,it can help get ya chicks.
I like bolt-ons.
I agree that the quality of the bass has more to do with punch, sustain, etc., although I do feel that bolt-ons a little more dynamic vs. the neck-thrus' greater fundamental. The difference, however, is more often than not really miniscule to indiscernable.
Bolt-ons hold another advantage. Weather and humidity vary day to day, and necks warp. It's nice to be able to get a replacement neck rather than have a situation that needs a lot more time, effort, and money to rescue with a warped neck through.
I agree that the quality of the bass has more to do with punch, sustain, etc., although I do feel that bolt-ons a little more dynamic vs. the neck-thrus' greater fundamental. The difference, however, is more often than not really miniscule to indiscernable.
Bolt-ons hold another advantage. Weather and humidity vary day to day, and necks warp. It's nice to be able to get a replacement neck rather than have a situation that needs a lot more time, effort, and money to rescue with a warped neck through.
The strange irony of this situation is that I have played and loved the bolt-on Spectors and Warwicks, but I have been considering buying the neck-through for quite some time now even though I have never tried one.
If you're wanting a maple necked nt that's the Streamer stage 1.In 4 string it comes with a p/j pickup layout,flamed maple body & wenge fingerboard.Although it's almost entirely maple,it's still very much Warwick(growly)tonewise.Everything TM Stevens has done on a Warwick has been on the stage 1,except of course his most recent work which is his signature Warwick bass,that's basically a stage 1 with LED's,inlays & airbrush graphics.Another stage 1 player is Shame Embury from Dapalm Death.The stage 1 is used by players of all persuasions,from country,to metal,to rock,to jazz.You name it & the stage 1 is doing it.
If your wanting to get into a different nt made from exotic African hard woods then the Streamer stage 2's your bass.This is the bass I've settled on & it the epitome of growling Warwick tone.I first started out with a Thumb nt,& while it's dark aggressive tone was sheer heaven,it's weight & balance characteristics let it down.But that's just me,getting old,less fit & finding a lighter bass more attractive was on the agenda.
If I can help out in any way,just lemmy know & you can also join us at the Warwick forum whear there's a wealth of Wick knowledge.
Cheers bro.
This is 100% true,but when it comes to Warwick's multi laminate necks,cut & glued with the grain going in different directions,neck warping/twisting etc is extremely rare.I'm not saying our necks are indestructable,but are far less prone to movement than your typical 1 piece necks.
I'm not going to even comment about any tonal differences, but here's my two cents.
Go and play them both, and see which one feels better. There are so many things you can do to change the tone of a bass after you buy it, but if it doesn't feel right in your hands there isn't a whole lot you can do.
I'm currently rocking a neck-thru. I didn't buy it because I wanted more sustain, I bought it because I loved how it felt. I hate bulky (think Fender) neck heels, and I've never gotten my action as low as I like it on a bolt-on.
I loved the look, I loved the feel, and one set of pickups later I love the tone.
Go and play them both, and see which one feels better. There are so many things you can do to change the tone of a bass after you buy it, but if it doesn't feel right in your hands there isn't a whole lot you can do.
I'm currently rocking a neck-thru. I didn't buy it because I wanted more sustain, I bought it because I loved how it felt. I hate bulky (think Fender) neck heels, and I've never gotten my action as low as I like it on a bolt-on.
I loved the look, I loved the feel, and one set of pickups later I love the tone.
This is 100% true,but when it comes to Warwick's multi laminate necks,cut & glued with the grain going in different directions,neck warping/twisting etc is extremely rare.I'm not saying our necks are indestructable,but are far less prone to movement than your typical 1 piece necks.
I hear ya. I definitely want to own a Thumb someday. Honestly, when I was writing that, I had some basses in mind...Warwick was not one of them.
My only gripe with Warwick is the switch to shedua. It's nice and all, I just like the look of Bubinga
Plus, it's fun hearing people say Boombinga.
I hear ya. I definitely want to own a Thumb someday. Honestly, when I was writing that, I had some basses in mind...Warwick was not one of them.
My only gripe with Warwick is the switch to shedua. It's nice and all, I just like the look of Bubinga
Just promise me you'll spend some time playing a Thumb before you buy one.They arent everyone's cuppa tea.They balance more horizontal than most & this is often missinterpreted as neck dive.
The switch to shedua,or ovangkol was only for the necks.The Thumb nt's body is still bubinga pomelle.The Thumb bo is the one with an ovangkol body.imo there's not enough tonal difference between ovangkol & wenge to be noticable,the main difference is the feel of the open grained wenge.The pre 98 Thumb nt's had a 7 piece wenge neck with bubinga stripes in the c shape,or flat neck.Between 98 & 2009 the necks were U shaped,or baseball bat shaped.We've gone back to the slim c shape from the start of 2009 with the old u shape being an option.You can still get a Thumb nt with the old 7 piece wenge/bubinga neck via the custom shop,or just buy a used pre 98 for as little as $1000US or less.They're cheaper then they've ever been & have a wenge fingerboard as opposed to ebony on later models.
Cheers bud.
I've tried, and I like...a lot. Then again it's always been lap playing, I have not tried with a strap. Thanks for the info...by the way, I noticed that your s/n has the name Greg in it. You aren't Gregory Pasquet, right?
I ask because I spoke to a Mr. Greg Pasquet from Warwick and he really could not have been nicer. He answered a lot of questions for me.
I ask because I spoke to a Mr. Greg Pasquet from Warwick and he really could not have been nicer. He answered a lot of questions for me.
I am indeed Greg,but not Greg Pasquet.He was Warwick's custom shop manager but unfortunalty had to leave for health reasons.I'm Aussie Greg,Warwick forum moderator.
I am indeed Greg,but not Greg Pasquet.He was Warwick's custom shop manager but unfortunalty had to leave for health reasons.I'm Aussie Greg,Warwick forum moderator.
I'm very sorry to hear that he had health related problems. I sincerely hope he has or will overcome them. On a happier note, nice to meet you Aussie Greg.
