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

[Brad Johnson]

Like I said, Brad, we’re both a little nuts.

Copy that.

 

[CryingBass]

I believe that people believe what they're saying when they say they can hear the difference.

Yeh just like "audiophiles" claim that can hear a big difference between a $200 interconnect cable and a $2,000 one ( or a $20 one, for that matter ). We hear what we want to hear is right!

Like right now, for instance, I hear "shut up dude"!

 

[fourstringburn]

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.

Agreed, even wood density and moisture content from different trees can make the same production models sound slightly different if everything else is essentially the same.

But, for the purpose of this thread, the only way to compare is to have a neck thru and bolt on version of the same model.

To my knowledge, nobody makes them.

 

[bassballs27]

I buy used often, with the caveat that if it doesn't work I won't take a hit or there's a good return policy. Many of my favorite basses were bought used, so were some of my best flips. I like surprisingly good gear.

All of my basses I currently own are used. I completely agree with this mentality. Take less of a financial hit and continue the experience. I just found out I paid $2400 CAD in shipping of basses this year alone. Some was recovered from the sales...but a fair bit came from “experience”. I guess they get you to spend money either way...just depends on how much experience you want to have!

 

[fourstringburn]

I think I just read this somewhere else...strange deja vu feeling...

Yeah, but I said it more eloquently…

 

[Leo Thunder]

But, for the purpose of this thread, the only way to compare is to have a neck thru and bolt on version of the same model.

To my knowledge, nobody makes them.

Obviously not. It would give away the game.

 

[bassballs27]

When comparing a bolt on and neck if the only part changed is the actual bass and all else is equal (same bass rig with the exact same settings, same strings, similar setup, same listening position, and the same room), I’ve experienced a discernible difference between the two.

Having compared a huge number of basses in the same way, I’ve come up with these generalizations:

Bolt ons / screw ons are perceptibly louder as oppose to Set neck and Neck through basses. It’s a very rare occurrence that a neck through will sound louder, possible, sure.

Players need to compare basses more often. It opens up a world to Mother Nature’s Atomic Level Randomness which is embedded into every piece of wood. Even from the same tree!
After all, if all basses were created equal, we’d all be playing the same one. And how boring would that be.

The explanation of why a bolt ons are generally found to be perceptively louder over a neck through is due to greater harmonic content provided by the neck joint. There’s a mating of two different materials combined with metal screws. Neck throughs are generally built with one piece necks that extend into the body with the wings glued on to the neck. And guess what Neck throughs produce more of? Fundamental! The fundamental is the string’s tuned frequency. Some of this frequency gets lost in translation to the pickup(s).
This happens in bolt ons too. And this loss is actually compression. Compression on the overall perceived volume. Neck throughs are much more heavily compressed as opposed to bolt ons which tend to be more “open” sounding.

Now, the above analysis can be applied when comparing basses with the same neck joints or perhaps more strings.
You’d be surprised how comparing a 4 string Bolt on to a 6 string Neck through might uncover. And then you might play a 5 string bolt on too.

I’ve personally experienced all of the above. As I tell everyone, play the bass!!! Play as many as you can get your hands on without necessarily having to buy them. Such a fun journey.

I did miss one aspect when comparing different basses here which is Active VS Passive. If you were comparing a Passive 4 string Bolt on to an Active Neckthrough 5 string, some could argue when I turn on the Active preamp, it’s just as loud as the 4 string. My comparison in perceived volume is to ensure that Active preamp is off to make a better comparison. However, even when comparing some passive basses to active...some may be surprised that passive basses can be perceivably louder, especially bolt ons.

 

[bassballs27]

Agreed, even wood density and moisture content from different trees can make the same production models sound slightly different if everything else is essentially the same.

But, for the purpose of this thread, the only way to compare is to have a neck thru and bolt on version of the same model.

To my knowledge, nobody makes them.

Fodera makes Bolt ons, Set Neck (Deluxe), and Neck through (Elite) of their Emperor and Monarch Custom Models.

 

[Jazz Ad]

To my knowledge, nobody makes them.

Ibanez, Music Man, BC Rich, Cort, pretty much everyone who does neckthru also does bolt on of the same.
There also were instruments specifically produced for this testing purposes. I remember Fodera and Marleaux did.

 

[bassballs27]

Ibanez, Music Man, BC Rich, Cort, pretty much everyone who does neckthru also does bolt on of the same.
There also were instruments specifically produced for this testing purposes. I remember Fodera and Marleaux did.

And we can hear Foderas testing of a Monarch built with 3 Neck configurations right here:
Neck Joints

These were the infamous Alder / Brazilian Rosewood Bolt on, Deluxe, and Elite they made for comparison.
Matt Garrison played and recorded them.

 

[lfmn16]

Secondly, can you hear the difference?

If you pull ten "identical" brand new fender jazz basses (or any instrument really) off the wall, they will all sound a little different. People attribute sound differences to whatever they want. I remember the old days when you played a really heavy instrument because it "gave great sustain." Despite no bass player ever not having enough sustain. [hyperbole alert].

IMHO, these differences are way over blown. BUT, if it sounds good to you, there is no reason not to believe it. It doesn't really matter what someone else hears.

 

[bassballs27]

If you pull ten "identical" brand new fender jazz basses (or any instrument really) off the wall, they will all sound a little different. People attribute sound differences to whatever they want. I remember the old days when you played a really heavy instrument because it "gave great sustain." Despite no bass player ever not having enough sustain. [hyperbole alert].

IMHO, these differences are way over blown. BUT, if it sounds good to you, there is no reason not to believe it. It doesn't really matter what someone else hears.

Fantastic post!

 

[gregunit]

First of all, they're screwed on, not bolted
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.

I can hear the difference and I like both sounds. I prefer neck thru but I play a bolt-on because it is lighter. At 66 weight is a factor.
Incidentally, I still love the tone of and old 4 string p-bass with flats. However, I need more versatility and my Ibanez SR-505 with Barts does everything else I want. AND, it's light

 

[fourstringburn]

Ibanez, Music Man, BC Rich, Cort, pretty much everyone who does neckthru also does bolt on of the same.
There also were instruments specifically produced for this testing purposes. I remember Fodera and Marleaux did.

Didn't know that!

Well has anyone tried both?

 

[Gorn]

If you pull ten "identical" brand new fender jazz basses (or any instrument really) off the wall, they will all sound a little different. People attribute sound differences to whatever they want. I remember the old days when you played a really heavy instrument because it "gave great sustain." Despite no bass player ever not having enough sustain. [hyperbole alert].

IMHO, these differences are way over blown. BUT, if it sounds good to you, there is no reason not to believe it. It doesn't really matter what someone else hears.

You could even tell people the ten regular bolt on Fenders are three bolt on, three neck through, three set neck and one is that stainless steel bass thing and people will claim to hear differences inherent to the bass's construction.

 

[B-Mac]

Yeah, but I said it more eloquently…

Two times as eloquently

 

[Jim C]

The only neck through I've owned was a Spector NS2A so no way to compare apples to apples.
I'm going to vote undecided just to see what you guys think.

 

[Passinwind]

Beethoven was deaf and more inspired than any of the tone freaks posting here.

Maybe so, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't mailing it in, and he was probably more inspired than most if not all of the non-tone freaks here as well. If a metalflake paint job or a plastic pickguard inspires someone and the audience responds in kind I'm all for it, whether those things matter to me or not. Our filters seem to be calibrated a bit differently, but I'm all for that too, as it makes discussions a lot more interesting.

 

[Ric5]

If you have a neck thru bass and the neck goes bad … you have a real problem

 

[Blazer]

Didn't know that!

Well has anyone tried both?

I have owned Aria SB series basses and their acoustic sound is VERY different from for example my Music man bass. Which also translates into how they sound electric.

This clip shows Bernard Edwards slapping on a G&L bass and John Taylor on an Aria SB bass, the difference in sound is striking.


People discovering that neck through body basses don't have that Oomph that a good Fender has is actually almost as old as the bass itself is. Why did players like Roger Waters and Mike Rutherford abandon their Rickenbackers in favor for bolt on neck basses such as the Fender P-bass (Waters) and the Shergold modulator (Rutherford)?

John Pattitucci has played Ken Smith Basses prior to him working with Yamaha, why do you think his Yamaha Signature model has a bolt on neck?

Heck, prior to getting the Yamaha Attitude series, Billy Sheehan played BB-series basses with a neck through body construction, so why does the Attitude have a bolt on neck?

But it also happens the other way round, players who find out that bolt on neck basses don't have that "Ping" that a neck through bass has. Mark King for example played JayDee, Alembic and Status, all with neck through body construction. So when he started playing Fenders, his complaint was that the sound wasn't right, a bolt on neck bass simply does NOT have that sound that a neck through body construction bass has.