Is there a significant difference in tone between neck-through and bolt-on basses?

[Liam Wald]

But I’m still waiting for some solid and undisputable supporting evidence before I sign on to the theory that neck through basses have clearly superior tone purely due to their neck through design.

Please don't take it personal. I was not implying that YOU were in denial.
With regard to the indisputable evidence, you don't need to wait. Go play a few high quality neck-through instruments and hear for yourself. Other than that, if you think that a board that is cut in half and then screwed together with four screws conducts sound waves the same way a solid board conducts sound waves there isn't really much that anyone could say to help you understand what the neck-through thing is all about. You really need to experience it. And please, ten minutes on a neck-trough at Guitar Center ain't gonna do it.
Peace.

 

[smogg]

No offense, I've never had to replace a neck on any bass I've owned, regardless of neck type. It's not quite as bad as the advantage I was once told of having a string through bridge... it would keep the bridge from flying off of the bass.

I've also never had to replace the neck on a bass. And honestly, that benefit to bolt-ons is lost when going custom/boutique anyway. Sure, you can swap a Fender neck easily but with a Fodera (or any hand made build) you'd have to have the luthier(s) craft you a new neck.

I've owned several bolt-ons, neck throughs, and set-necks. There are characteristics that generally hold true for each, but overall it depends on what your goals are. Regardless of tone a dovetail or neck through Fodera offers better upper register access so that's a point worth considering. And bolt-ons generally offer a punchier and more vintage tone.

What is it that you're looking for tonally?

No offense taken guys. I'm simply speaking from personal experiences. I have replaced several bolt necks over the years. One (1) due to necessity (a tragic accident) and several by choice. There is also one more neck swap I plan to due somewhere down the road. Yes they were all production basses so there is that. This is not the only reason to own a bolt neck, but for me personally it's a nice option.

 

[pasi]

Repetition of an opinion about something does not make it true.

(Unless you’re a politician. )

(No i am santaclaus)

 

[40Hz]

Please don't take it personal. I was not implying that YOU were in denial.
With regard to the indisputable evidence, you don't need to wait. Go play a few high quality neck-through instruments and hear for yourself. Other than that, if you think that a board that is cut in half and then screwed together with four screws conducts sound waves the same way a solid board conducts sound waves there isn't really much that anyone could say to help you understand what the neck-through thing is all about. You really need to experience it. And please, ten minutes on a neck-trough at Guitar Center ain't gonna do it.
Peace.

Seriously? You're indulging in a bit of circular reasoning with that:

(a) A boutique neck-through bass is indisputably tonally superior.
(b) If you were to play a boutique neck-through bass you would hear it's indisputably tonally superior.

Therefor:

(c) You would hear a boutique neck-through bass is indisputably tonally superior because...it's indisputably tonally superior!​

FWIW, I owned an Alembic for some years. Lovely bass. Sorry I no longer have it. I've also played a few Foderas owned by bass acquaintances of mine. As well as a couple of Wals - which interestingly enough were not neck throughs. Does that pack significant enough points in your weltanschauung to count for anything?

Or should I just stop trying to discuss this until I currently own something that packs sufficient "woo" points to qualify for...um...whatever it is you're trying to make a case for with the above?

 

[Honch]

But I’m still waiting for some solid and undisputable supporting evidence before I sign on to the theory that neck through basses have clearly superior tone purely due to their neck through design.

#metoo

 

[Jack Butler]

I’d agree if you added strings to that list.

The pickup and amp are the only thing that makes a difference in tone. All the other stuff that gets discussed to death is utter ridiculous nonsense.

 

[Liam Wald]

Seriously? You're indulging in a bit of circular reasoning with that:

(a) A boutique neck-through bass is indisputably tonally superior.
(b) If you were to play a boutique neck-through bass you would hear it's indisputably tonally superior.

Therefor:

(c) You would hear a boutique neck-through bass is indisputably tonally superior because...it's indisputably tonally superior!​

FWIW, I owned an Alembic for some years. Lovely bass. Sorry I no longer have it. I've also played a few Foderas owned by bass acquaintances of mine. As well as a couple of Wals - which interestingly enough were not neck throughs. Does that pack significant enough points in your weltanschauung to count for anything?

Or should I just stop trying to discuss this until I currently own something that packs sufficient "woo" points to qualify for...um...whatever it is you're trying to make a case for with the above?

I respect your past experience and the instruments that you have owned/played. Given that, it is just kind of surprising that you couldn't notice a difference. Of course it could be that there really is no difference. Or it could be that some people just can't tell that there is a difference. Either way it is all good. Whatever you believe is fine with me. It doesn't really matter anyway. Best regards.

 

[Two-Spirit]

I have a neck through and I'm the only one who gonna play it. It wouldn't be too hard to replace my bass because I haven't bought something I can't afford.

 

[40Hz]

I respect your past experience and the instruments that you have owned/played. Given that, it is just kind of surprising that you couldn't notice a difference. Of course it could be that there really is no difference. Or it could be that some people just can't tell that there is a difference. Either way it is all good. Whatever you believe is fine with me. It doesn't really matter anyway. Best regards.

I've noticed differences between instruments. And I'm never anything but amazed at how different some high end basses take on so much of their character from the person who is playing them. Wals in particular seem to enter into an immediate symbiotic relationship with a player's individual technique. And I've never heard a Fodera or Alembic sound exactly the same in two different sets of hands.

But I've heard the same phenomena with many other models and brands of bass as well. Hence my reluctance to fully agree with the opinion that neck though construction is more than incidental to what we're hearing - provided the bass is well made and the neck is properly attached.

That's about all I'm saying here. So please don't read any more into it than that.

 

[capnjim]

I’d agree if you added strings to that list.

I stand corrected! Strings have a much bigger impact on tone than body wood or neck construction, which, in reality, have zero point zero effect on tone.

 

[Doner Designs]

I would say no difference in tone but somewhat a difference in sustain but I doubt the sustain difference would make much difference to most players.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

By "can be easily replaced" I meant "can't be easily replaced"

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Please don't take it personal. I was not implying that YOU were in denial.
With regard to the indisputable evidence, you don't need to wait. Go play a few high quality neck-through instruments and hear for yourself. Other than that, if you think that a board that is cut in half and then screwed together with four screws conducts sound waves the same way a solid board conducts sound waves there isn't really much that anyone could say to help you understand what the neck-through thing is all about. You really need to experience it. And please, ten minutes on a neck-trough at Guitar Center ain't gonna do it.
Peace.

Ideally the sound waves are in the string, not the neck. Waves that enter the board are likely to be almost entirely lost as heat.

It wouldn't be too hard to get some sort of handle on the effect of neck joints by putting a chunk of rubber in the neck pocket and replacing the neck, and obviously adjusting the saddle.

 

[Two-Spirit]

Better instruments are more resonant. I like wood and I think it is an important part of tone. Pickup pickup little from the wood but the wood affects the vibration of the string, it is what keeps it vibrating.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Bolt on neck is easy make ,nt doesn’t
Thats why companies make bolton’s

There are cheap neck throughs.

 

[bassbenj]

I haven't made enough popcorn to go through this entire thread, but I do want to mention the effect of the bolt-on neck joint. I am talking here, of course about CRAPPY bolt-on neck joints. As a matter of fact I"m talking about the SX "handmade" neck joints with the crooked screws jammed into holes that are the same diameter for the neck and body. Can you dig it? I knew that you could.

So the question was does a bad neck joint make a difference? In fact the actual question was do installing threaded inserts make a difference? And for SX "handmade" neck joints the answer was a resounding YES! And don't take my word for it, it was scientifically proved right here in TB labs! Find the right thread and it's all there with oscillocope traces and the whole nine yards. The difference is CLEARLY visible. And on top of that no matter what negative nancys say threaded inserts give a low budget SX bass a really solid "boutique" feel. This is why ALL my SX basses (and I have plenty of them) all have threaded inserts installed now. But before you start making urban rules for threaded inserts let me say also that my own experience is that if the bass already has a great bolt-on attachment with properly tensioned screws and even more than 4 screws, installing threaded inserts does not do a thing because the joint was already making great contact.

So the bottom line is an improved neck joint can improve a bass with a bad one, but will be a waste of time and money on a bass that has a proper joint.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Bolt on neck is easy make ,nt doesn’t
Thats why companies make bolton’s

There are high-end (read: expensive) bolt-ons.

 

[GretschWretch]

Not trying to start a flame war but TB 's search function is a bit hard to navigate when looking for this topic.

Don't use the TalkBass search function.

talkbass bolt-on vs. neckthrough tone - Google Search

 

[Sid the Kid]

Even using google search can bring up a quagmire of information not pertaining to the specific question. This forum is well traveled.

Don't use the TalkBass search function.

talkbass bolt-on vs. neckthrough tone - Google Search

 

[GretschWretch]

Even using google search can bring up a quagmire of information not pertaining to the specific question. This forum is well traveled.

Perhaps, but in this instance the germane question is which search function is better: TB or Google; and that is OP's call to make.