If there ever was a "To each his own" subject, it is this one. I think what it really boils down to is finding the basses that truly are the better ones and which are set up correctly. My preference is neck through, but I own great examples of both. No doubt the sustain is generally better in a neck through, but a great bolt on can rival it and certainly surpass a poorly set up neck through. I have been playing Alembic and Smith neck throughs for so many years, that I find a bolt on with a lot of space between the string and top to be difficult to get used to. I like the string to be closer to the top of the bass so that when I go to pop the higher strings, I have the top of the bass to wedge against for leverage. If the fingerboard and strings are too tall, I lose that mechanical advantage as well as a sense of where I am in relation to the fingerboard. That being said, a poorly set up bass of any neck design will create this issue for me, so once again, a dialed in setup is critical. I have a couple of Fenders and a Carruthers bolt on that are set up with slammed action and which do not feel like the strings are too tall from the pickguard. Then again, I have played some neck throughs with extreme neck angles that had huge gaps between the strings and top. That is usually a sign of a poor design and construction, but if you like the gap, we are full circle back to "To each his own".
