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Why is it called "bolt on neck" when they all use...
- Thread starter longfinger
- Start date
A bolt on neck is describing the method used to attach the neck to the body as in two pieces joined by a threaded fastener.
A screw on neck would mean the neck was threaded and was screwed into the body, like a threaded barrel is screwed into a receiver so the pieces being joined have the fastener(s) integrated into the parts rather than being seperate parts of the assembly.
A bolt generally refers to a fastener requiring some sort of wrench to manipulate while a screw generally refers to a fastener requiring some type of ( manual) driver to manipulate, but the meaning changes when describing methods of fastening parts to one another.
And if you think about it, a bolt on neck is actually pretty accurate as it describes the joining of a body to a neck using a fastener and a very specialized nut that is an integral part of the neck, and trust me, there are endless styles of nuts in the fastener world so thinking of a neck heel as a gang nut is not that much of a stretch.
A screw on neck would mean the neck was threaded and was screwed into the body, like a threaded barrel is screwed into a receiver so the pieces being joined have the fastener(s) integrated into the parts rather than being seperate parts of the assembly.
A bolt generally refers to a fastener requiring some sort of wrench to manipulate while a screw generally refers to a fastener requiring some type of ( manual) driver to manipulate, but the meaning changes when describing methods of fastening parts to one another.
And if you think about it, a bolt on neck is actually pretty accurate as it describes the joining of a body to a neck using a fastener and a very specialized nut that is an integral part of the neck, and trust me, there are endless styles of nuts in the fastener world so thinking of a neck heel as a gang nut is not that much of a stretch.
Michael Bolton with cork-screw hair.... ha ha...
Well, in Swedish and in Sweden we always and forever have said "screwed neck" = "skruvad hals" (Time for language class, folks!) . No one ever said "bultad hals", which means bolt-on neck. No music store, no luthier. But so it is with all things. Tremolo arm on guitars or "trem" systems is a misnomer too. Tremolo is amplitude only, not pitch so the proper name would be vibrato bar, vibrato system. Atom is a misnomer too. Originally meaning "un-dividable" or "un-splittable" we all know today, that it bloody hell isn't. Actually I do have seem some old eastern bloc attempts at guitars which actually had true bolt on necks. Acoustics, which you could peep into the soundhole and see the hideous neck assembly that was made. It was there the facepalm emoji got created.
You couldn't even try to make it turn because it wasn't a hex wrench or allen key or anything like that.
Well, in Swedish and in Sweden we always and forever have said "screwed neck" = "skruvad hals" (Time for language class, folks!) . No one ever said "bultad hals", which means bolt-on neck. No music store, no luthier. But so it is with all things. Tremolo arm on guitars or "trem" systems is a misnomer too. Tremolo is amplitude only, not pitch so the proper name would be vibrato bar, vibrato system. Atom is a misnomer too. Originally meaning "un-dividable" or "un-splittable" we all know today, that it bloody hell isn't. Actually I do have seem some old eastern bloc attempts at guitars which actually had true bolt on necks. Acoustics, which you could peep into the soundhole and see the hideous neck assembly that was made. It was there the facepalm emoji got created.
You couldn't even try to make it turn because it wasn't a hex wrench or allen key or anything like that.Simple there are screws holding the neck to the body as apposed to neck through,you must be bored
I really must have no life. I actually came by to see how this thread is doing. 
I heard Usain Bolt on necks are the fastest.
Sorry, Just Jamaica'n a little humor.
I know, I'm a little screwed up, but I'm no nut case.
Ok, I'll stop now.
Sorry, Just Jamaica'n a little humor.
I know, I'm a little screwed up, but I'm no nut case.
Ok, I'll stop now.
1977. Junior High Gym Class. The players: Pete the Student and Mr. Reichel, the ancient Gym Teacher.
Pete: Man that's screwed up!
Mr. Reichel: Fouled up, son. Fouled up.
This thread is screwy.
Pete: Man that's screwed up!
Mr. Reichel: Fouled up, son. Fouled up.
This thread is screwy.
The quickest road to insanity is in the attempt to try and make sense of the world and other people.
My Wals (and all other Wals) DEFINITELY have bolt on necks...
If the threaded inserts were rotated to assemble the neck to the body it would be a bolted on neck.
These necks are attached to the bodies using machine screws.
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I can tell you as a mechanical engineer with more than 30 years professional experience that there is no standard terminology or standard way to distinguish between "bolt" and "screw".
Of course there are wood screws, pointy with a slotted or Phillips head, and everyone calls those "screws". But pretty soon after that it gets weird.
Lag bolts are nothing more than big wood screws with a hex head, but they are called "bolts" - although I have also heard "lag screws".
For fasteners with machine threads, some people define "machine screws" as the smaller ones and "bolts" as the larger ones.
Some people claim that if it goes into a nut it's a bolt and if it goes into a female thread in another component it's a screw, but in that case what is it when it's lying on the workbench? Are you going to seriously tell me that in a bag of 50 pieces, 27 of them are bolts because I'm going to put them into nuts and 15 of them are screws because I'm going to screw them into other components, and the other 8 pieces don't have an identity till I attach them to whatever I end up attaching them to? What about cylinder head bolts for your car, which definitely do not screw into a nut, but which everyone calls cylinder head bolts?
"Socket head cap screws" - i.e., with a head for an Allen wrench - are generally called "SHCS" at all sizes and positions. But put a hex head on it and some authorities call it a bolt and others call it a screw.
If you are talking about putting a threaded fastener into wood, "screw" tends to imply a wood screw i.e. the female threads are formed directly in the wood, and "bolt" would to me imply either that you are putting a nut on the far side, or that there is a metal insert with machine threads. But, see all the above.
All of the above only applies in the US. I have no idea about the other English-speaking nations, nor about other languages.
Heaven preserve us.
Of course there are wood screws, pointy with a slotted or Phillips head, and everyone calls those "screws". But pretty soon after that it gets weird.
Lag bolts are nothing more than big wood screws with a hex head, but they are called "bolts" - although I have also heard "lag screws".
For fasteners with machine threads, some people define "machine screws" as the smaller ones and "bolts" as the larger ones.
Some people claim that if it goes into a nut it's a bolt and if it goes into a female thread in another component it's a screw, but in that case what is it when it's lying on the workbench? Are you going to seriously tell me that in a bag of 50 pieces, 27 of them are bolts because I'm going to put them into nuts and 15 of them are screws because I'm going to screw them into other components, and the other 8 pieces don't have an identity till I attach them to whatever I end up attaching them to? What about cylinder head bolts for your car, which definitely do not screw into a nut, but which everyone calls cylinder head bolts?
"Socket head cap screws" - i.e., with a head for an Allen wrench - are generally called "SHCS" at all sizes and positions. But put a hex head on it and some authorities call it a bolt and others call it a screw.
If you are talking about putting a threaded fastener into wood, "screw" tends to imply a wood screw i.e. the female threads are formed directly in the wood, and "bolt" would to me imply either that you are putting a nut on the far side, or that there is a metal insert with machine threads. But, see all the above.
All of the above only applies in the US. I have no idea about the other English-speaking nations, nor about other languages.
Heaven preserve us.
I can only hope no one photoshops a Michael Screw-On
More information from the Internet: Invalid Link Removed which acknowledges that there is disagreement on the subject.
This is a screwball discussion.
I must have a screw loose to argue about this subject.
This is a screwball discussion.
I must have a screw loose to argue about this subject.
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Or the body extends thru the neck !! HAA !! HAA !!
Things that don't bother me:
bolt on instead of screw on
tremolo instead of vibrato
input jack instead of output jack
Squire instead of Squier
valve instead of tube
tube instead of valve
I'm sure there are others. When a technical term is not commonly used and I see it being misused I generally try to defend the proper use. When a technical term has been misused for so long that the misuse has become the new norm I generally let it slide. New habits can be broken, old ones probably not. Bolt on conveys the essence of the thing with a degree of clarity that is sufficient for all practical uses.
bolt on instead of screw on
tremolo instead of vibrato
input jack instead of output jack
Squire instead of Squier
valve instead of tube
tube instead of valve
I'm sure there are others. When a technical term is not commonly used and I see it being misused I generally try to defend the proper use. When a technical term has been misused for so long that the misuse has become the new norm I generally let it slide. New habits can be broken, old ones probably not. Bolt on conveys the essence of the thing with a degree of clarity that is sufficient for all practical uses.
