Help!

[Mordor]

Convince me that bolt-on guitars are good as neck-thru guitars!I love the dkmgt...but it's bolt on!!Arrgh!I need a cure!!

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Help!

With a bolt-on, you can replace the neck if it's damaged.

In the rare case that your bridge is all the way sunken into the cavity and the action is still too high at the high-fret end of the fretboard, you can shim the neck as a last resort. Can't do that with a neckthrough (or not that I know of).

Many bolt-on necks are unfinished/oiled/gloss/whatever-finished which I prefer, rather than painted like most neckthroughs.

A bolt-on is in no way inferior in construction to a neckthrough. Different strokes for different folks.

[shadowcat]

Re: Help!

I love my DKMGT!!! [img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/drool2.gif[/img]

Just came back late from work and played it for an hour straight, oh my god, what a relief!!! Oh, how I missed it!

I totally got into that zone, you know! Awesome!! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

Hope that helps, it's true! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[shadowcat]

Re: Help!

Originally posted by Number Of The Priest:
With a bolt-on, you can replace the neck if it's damaged.

In the rare case that your bridge is all the way sunken into the cavity and the action is still too high at the high-fret end of the fretboard, you can shim the neck as a last resort. Can't do that with a neckthrough (or not that I know of).

Many bolt-on necks are unfinished/oiled/gloss/whatever-finished which I prefer, rather than painted like most neckthroughs.

A bolt-on is in no way inferior in construction to a neckthrough. Different strokes for different folks.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oh yeah, I totally forgot to present any facts in my post above. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Help!

Originally posted by Mordor:
Convince me that bolt-on guitars are good as neck-thru guitars!I love the dkmgt...but it's bolt on!!Arrgh!I need a cure!!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sounds to me that you've already decided that neck-through is the way to go.

If you need to be convinced that a bolt-on is just as good, then you shouldn't get one.

Perhaps you need to ask yourself why you don't like bolt-ons..

[Mordor]

Re: Help!

So said the the wise! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: Help!

It is a popular misconception among many ill-informed that neckthrough construction is inherently "better" than bolt-on, usually supported by the following statements:

"I mean, come on, the neck is held on with screws"
Yes, and the neck joint is just as stable as a neckthrough, as the bolts are thick enough to support the tension of the strings. As long as you don't sling it around by the neck like a dumbass, the neck joint will remain strong. The only definable advantage neckthrough construction has is that you CAN sling it around my the neck like a dumbass without stressing the neck joint, though you can still warp the neck.

"My neckthrough <whatever brand> has more sustain than the bolt-ons I've played"
Measured, of course, in microns? That's the difference you're talking about - microns. Micro-seconds. Fly farts. Not worth mentioning.

"Neckthrough construction is generally recognized <i.e. popular misguided opinion states> as giving superior tone"
I have yet to see any of these people directly compare a neckthrough and a bolt-on made from the same stack of wood, with the same pickups and hardware through the same setup for proof of that claim. The age and compression of a piece of wood are as important in determining the final tone as amp, pickups, and player.

"Neckthrough=more expensive=better. Bolt-on=less expensive=inferior"
Arbor made neckthrough guitars. For the most part, they suck ass compared to a bolt-on Jackson (import or USA). I've owned one and have also played a few other Arbor neckthroughs. I had an Arbor Star bass. My bolt-on Jackson Concert V bass blows it away. The Fender Mexi-P I had blew it away. Any dipsh1t with a blueprint can make a neckthrough guitar - hell you can buy the neck and body wings from Carvin to build your own - doesn't mean it's gonna be better than someone else's bolt-on.

"Neckthroughs don't have that clunky heel to get in the way of playing"
While I've played a couple of bolted guitars that had difficult neck heels, it is most likely the player's individual mental block that makes this seem true.

Newc

[Newc]

Re: Help!

A few people have also mentioned they don't like painted/coated necks because their hand "sticks" when they try to slide, or they otherwise don't have as smooth a feel as a bare wood/oiled neck.

This is where you learn about Guitar Polish. It's not just for the front, it goes on the back of the neck as well, and you decide how slick you want it to be - you can even get a faster back than a tung oiled neck.

Newc

[mulder1966]

Re: Help!

I started out playing my Les Paul for 5 years, then I got 2 RR customs. When I got my first unfinished maple San Dimas strat, my eyes were opened for the first time. I have played the finished guitars about 5 hours in the last 15 years. I have been thinking about getting my Les Paul neck stripped... [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[lerxstcat]

Re: Help!

It's the quality, feel and sound of the guitar, not whether it's bolt-on, setneck or neckthrough. Why limit yourself? The heel of a bolt-on is not a real impediment to reaching the upper frets; in fact most bolt-on necks have better upper fret access than a PRS for example.
If you run into the heel hard enough to hurt your thumb, your position shifting technique needs real work. When I reach the heel, my fingers basically fall into position to bend on the 22nd to 24th frets anyway. It's an adaptation compared to the neck-through, but it's not any more difficult.

Also, if you want to refin a guitar, bolt necks are a lot easier because you can remove the neck. If you send it off to GMW it's $125 cheaper for this reason too. You can swap necks (if scales/frets and dimensions match) between different guitars to assemble a guitar that may not
be offered by the manufacturer.

If you play the dkmgt and like it, buy it. If you don't, don't. To say
a neckthrough is inherently better than a bolt-on is misguided and incorrect.

[ June 27, 2003, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[GodWentPUNK]

Re: Help!

NEWC-Guitar polish for the back of the neck... Quite interesting. Can you further explain the method of application (how much, how soon before you play, etc) and can you recommend a certain brand that you've found to be effective.

thanks,

joe...

[toejam]

Re: Help!

Originally posted by Number Of The Priest:
Many bolt-on necks are unfinished/oiled/gloss/whatever-finished which I prefer, rather than painted like most neckthroughs.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well, if you can feel the actual paint on a neck-thru guitar, you've got a strange guitar. Sure, there's paint on the neck, but there is a clear gloss over it. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
The import Jackson bolt-ons have a clear gloss on the neck, also. I believe the USA models have oiled necks. I've never had a problem with a neck having a clear high gloss or clear matte satin finish, and I'd actually rather have one of those than an oiled neck, as oiled necks need more care and need to be re-oiled every once in awhile, not to mention they're more prone to warping.

[taxistationary]

Re: Help!

Sorry, i guess i'm the only person here who likes thru-necks better. Sorry, it's personal perfernce to me.

[toejam]

Re: Help!

Back to the original question... I've got guitars with bolt-on, neck-thru and set-neck construction. I like all of them, feel they all have about the same amount of sustain. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Help!

Originally posted by toejam:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Number Of The Priest:
Many bolt-on necks are unfinished/oiled/gloss/whatever-finished which I prefer, rather than painted like most neckthroughs.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well, if you can feel the actual paint on a neck-thru guitar, you've got a strange guitar. Sure, there's paint on the neck, but there is a clear gloss over it. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
The import Jackson bolt-ons have a clear gloss on the neck, also. I believe the USA models have oiled necks. I've never had a problem with a neck having a clear high gloss or clear matte satin finish, and I'd actually rather have one of those than an oiled neck, as oiled necks need more care and need to be re-oiled every once in awhile, not to mention they're more prone to warping. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I guess I wasn't explicit enough. I just prefer the non-painted look of the necks. Painted necks and non-painted necks can feel the same to me, but I've always loved the look of the grain patterns running down the length of the neck rather than having the nice grain covered by paint. Just an aesthetics issue here. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]