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screw-on (bolt-on) neck vs. neck-through, can you hear the difference?

can you hear the difference?

  • absolutely

  • not at all

  • sometimes

  • undecided, carrot-thru for me, thanks!

Results are only viewable after voting.
#82
sawzalot said:
Well actually the neck-through vs bolt-on debate has always been based on the premise that wood is better sounding when glued to wood, and that one single piece of wood must sound better than two bolted together. In fact this only works when the two pieces of wood are of the same species and contain a similar grain pattern, moisture content, and are genetically within 12 centimorgans of each other. That in turn assumes that there is a corresponding recombination frequency of 12%, and then the only discerning factor is the moisture content, which must be between 6% and 9%, unless the wood has been roasted and in that case it is between 3% and 5%. However, if the wood has been roasted and the genetic distance is similar then we must take into account the chemical composition of the glue used along with of course the grit of the sandpaper used to finish the wood, which generally starts at 150 grit and proceeds through 180, 240, 320, and potentially higher if the wood has an oil finish, or alternatively if the wood has a clear finish the then the finish may be sanded/polished through 12000 grit using a wet sander. This generally affects the tone in terms of "smoothness" of sound. Of course you can't leave out the nature of the screws/bolts (in the case of a bolt on) and whether the bolts are simple wood screws or machine screws that are connected through threaded inserts, and whether those threaded inserts are brass, stainless steel, or some other material. Then there may be the potential of galvanic corrosion between the screw/bolt and the threaded insert, which may cause a varying degree of alteration in the tone over time. This results in tone that is described as "sticky" or "hard" and may result in the use of curse words. If graphite rods are inserted in addition to the standard truss rod there is "less" wood to resonate and this can in turn be mitigated through the use of a "high mass bridge" which may interact with a single cut bass in ways that are different from double-cut basses. The country of origin most definitely affects the tone, as does the year of manufacture and whether a brass nut is involved in the manufacturing process. Finally strings are a huge factor, and "flat wound", "round wound", "pressure wound", or "un wound" strings can drastically affect tone and sustain.
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You forgot to add the percentage of earwax and moisture percentage of said earwax in the auditory canal when performing the comparison between basses. Just sayin’:whistle:
 
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#84
fourstringburn said:
Unless the manufacture made the identical Bass in both a neck thru and bolt on version, i can't see how a true comparison can be made.

It would also take a blindfold test by a listener, not the player to see if much or any difference can be noticed.

It does seem to me that a neck thru might have a bit thicker tone.
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There are too many variables that would make it hard to prove that through or screw makes a difference in tone. Type and age of strings, variance in pots and capacitors, inconsistency in pickups, thickness of paint, day of construction could all have more effect on tone than neck type.
 
#85
Recently, a co-worker told me he just bought a new Paul Reed Smith Silver Sky (the John Mayer Strat). When I asked him how he liked it, he replied by telling me that it was nice to have the combination of a Strat with a bolt-on neck.

I asked, "Um... don't most Strats have bolt-on necks?"

His response: "Bolt-ons are what are on Gibsons, Gretsches and Paul Reed Smith's" ... and that "Strats and Teles have 'screw-on' necks."

:smug:

There was so much wrong in his response, I haven't talked guitars with him since.

Killed_by_Death said:
First of all, they're screwed on, not bolted :smug:
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#86
If it is executed well I prefer neck through. All of the whopping 3 neck through basses I have owned have been able to hold remarkably low action, a multitude of bolt-on’s not so much the case.

I think in my case the neck through basses have been far superior in quality and construction to the bolt-on’s. This would most likely account for me preferring the tone of the neck through.
 
#87
I've had all three - bolt on, neck through, and set neck (think Les Paul). Honestly, I have heard wonderful tones out of each. I don't believe it is a monetary thing - the set neck (for me) had the highest price tag, but I have owned bolt on's in excess of two grand, and the neck through I have seen many well under a grand, but I can see bolt on's when going in a "cheaper" direction for mass production. But, no, I could not hear a difference due to the neck connection.

Just play 'em.
 
#88
roller said:
Recently, a co-worker told me he just bought a new Paul Reed Smith Silver Sky (the John Mayer Strat). When I asked him how he liked it, he replied by telling me that it was nice to have the combination of a Strat with a bolt-on neck.

I asked, "Um... don't most Strats have bolt-on necks?"

His response: "Bolt-ons are what are on Gibsons, Gretsches and Paul Reed Smiths... and that Strats and Teles have 'screw-on' necks."

:smug:

There was so much wrong in his response, I haven't talked guitars with him since.
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That’s just ‘screwie’!
 
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#89
It's probably all been said in 4+ pages, but my sense is that neck thru basses do sound a bit more sterile. But I don't know if I read that somewhere first, or did I actually come to that conclusion based on listening. But that's now my preconception.

There are multiple likely confounders, chiefly that the general build philosophy and approach are probably different. When I think bolt-on, I typically think of a FSO, maple neck, alder or ash body, passive P or J pickups, etc... When I think neck-thru, I think something more modern, boutique even, multilaminate exotic woods, hifi pickups, probably a preamp or some active circuitry of some sort. So what exactly am I comparing?

In the end, I simply prefer bolt-ons because I have relatively inexpensive basses, and I like the idea that I can easily adjust, repair, or replace necks. I happen to like sounds typically associated with bolt-ons too (lively, less sterile, punchy, organic, whatever), so there's no conflict there :D

Here's the most direct comparison I found so far
 
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#91
fourstringburn said:
Unless the manufacture made the identical Bass in both a neck thru and bolt on version, i can't see how a true comparison can be made.

It would also take a blindfold test by a listener, not the player to see if much or any difference can be noticed.

It does seem to me that a neck thru might have a bit thicker tone.
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I think I just read this somewhere else...strange deja vu feeling...
 
#95
Killed_by_Death said:
First of all, they're screwed on, not bolted :smug:
Yes, there is a difference.

Secondly, can you hear the difference?

A while back I was comparing two very similar basses & the thought never occurred to me, at the time, that part of their difference in timbre was due to the neck-through vs. screw-on designs.

Now I'm rethinking every time I tried a neck-through Ibanez BTB & wish I'd taken that into account.
I'm also wishing I could get a SR505E (screw-on) & BTB740 (neck-through), both with Bartolini BH2 pickups, side-by-side for a comparison.

Yes, I know there's been much discussion in the past, I'm reading those threads now.
However, I don't think there was a poll.
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I can’t tell the difference, either live or in the studio. I will notice better electronics long before I notice differences as to how the neck is attached, or finishes, wood, bridges, tort pick guards, weight, and string spacing....
 
#98
Killed_by_Death said:
Wow, that NoVa traffic got you down?
Check out the quantitative results at the top of the page, that's new.
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It’s only getting worse...considering going back to NYC....but I’m afraid that I will very quickly remember why I left in the first place...
But no, my post has nothing to do with the traffic....it has a lot to do with how my personality has been shaped growing up in Brooklyn.
The results seem to be exactly where they were 30 years ago...basically yes and no, depending on who you ask...
 

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