1 piece vs 2 or 3 piece body on an electric

eyema_believer

eyema_believer

Bondservant
What say you guys..... will it make a difference in tone or resonance, or anything else?
How about you guys that own a neck-though electric guit.... do you think that makes a difference? If so, in what way(s)?

Please discuss.

~Shawn
 
eyema_believer said:
What say you guys..... will it make a difference in tone or resonance, or anything else?
How about you guys that own a neck-though electric guit.... do you think that makes a difference? If so, in what way(s)?

Please discuss.

~Shawn
Click to expand...


Well, with a neck through the body is by definition at least a three piece body.


But to answer your question, no, you will not hear any difference in sound. A good glue joint is plenty solid.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Hello eyema_believer,

A guitar with a neck through the body will generally have noticeably good sustain compared to a guitar with a bolt on neck. The increased surface to surface area between the guitar body and neck makes it resonant more like a single piece of wood. I think the one or two piece bodies are more about cosmetics than sound.



Deeply,

The Big Red Hot Dog
 
eyema_believer said:
What say you guys..... will it make a difference in tone or resonance, or anything else?
How about you guys that own a neck-though electric guit.... do you think that makes a difference? If so, in what way(s)?

Please discuss.

~Shawn
Click to expand...
Same timber, not likely. Diffrent timbers a little more debatable. Neck through quite possibly as opposed to what?
 
The type of wood used and quality control during manufacturing are more important than the variations in design. Body styles and shapes have some effect on tone and sustain but it is the wood and how well the pieces are glued together that makes the most difference. The issue of bolt on necks Vs. set necks has been debated ever since the two designs were conceived and is likely to continue for as long as the makers continue to make both.
 
eyema_believer said:
As opposed to a bolt on or glued on neck. I guess I should have seperated those questions out to different threads.....
Click to expand...

The problem,if that is the right word, is that they are completely different construction methods. Just about everything on a guitar has an effect on tone to a greater or lesser degree. It is impossible to construct two the same because of the anistropic nature of timber, no two pieces can ever be the same.

You'll hear big differences in tone when comparing set, straight thru, and bolt on necks. You'll also hear differences in guitar tone that can ba attributed to the timber used. Pinning down what is going on is too hard. All descriptions about these things can only be general. They will hold true in many cases but there will always be exceptions.

Start here
 
muttley600 said:
The problem,if that is the right word, is that they are completely different construction methods. Just about everything on a guitar has an effect on tone to a greater or lesser degree. It is impossible to construct two the same because of the anistropic nature of timber, no two pieces can ever be the same.

You'll hear big differences in tone when comparing set, straight thru, and bolt on necks. You'll also hear differences in guitar tone that can ba attributed to the timber used. Pinning down what is going on is too hard. All descriptions about these things can only be general. They will hold true in many cases but there will always be exceptions.

Start here
Click to expand...

Right. Well, it will certainly be a bolt on. I was just trying to decide if I should save for a one piece body for my next Tele project. I think I will, so at least that way I know I've done my best, at least in the crap shoot that is tone-seeking.

The last Tele I built has a six saddle bridge. The saddles are aluminum, with steel roller saddles. When I was done, I thought I would never build another guitar with aluminum saddles. I love the sound of it, but figured I could get a better sound with stamped steel. Then, I seen Taylor's new electrics have a solid aluminum bridge..... go figure!
 
Light said:
Well, with a neck through the body is by definition at least a three piece body.


But to answer your question, no, you will not hear any difference in sound. A good glue joint is plenty solid.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...

+1
icon14.gif


I don't know what else could be added that pretty much sums it up in a nutshell.
 
Oh, that was two questions.

Well, a 1 or 2 or 3 piece body doesn't change the sound, but the neck attachment method DOES. But as with all things, it is a trade off. A neck through guitar will have more sustain than most others, but it does so at the expensive of the attack. Or rather, it also changes the attack. For some people, that is a good thing. A bolt-on neck will have, typically, a much sharper and more aggressive attack.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I have one of each (neck through and set), and the difference in sustain is very noticeable to me. It might be partially due to the quality of instruments themselves, though. The set neck I have is a cheap LP knock-off, and the neck through is a Schecter C-1 Classic. I think the most noticeable difference is in feel though. I can actually feel the string vibration better even without an amp when I play the schecter. (Light, Muttley, any other luthier...feel free to tell me it's all in my head. You know the mechanics of this better than I do)
 
It's probably not "all in your head", but you have no way of knowing whether the difference is a result of the neck joint.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top