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Post subject: Re: Question for builders and DIYers
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:14 pm
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This thread has been quite interesting. I have read and heard discussed so many theories about sustain and design, my poor head hurts. :shock: So then came the personal testing. I have owned quite a lot of guitars. I had for a long time an old Gibson Firebird with a neck-through design. I have various neck set Gibsons—Les Pauls, 335s, and others. Then of course, good old Fenders which have bolt on necks. I have played them, compared them, all using the same amp and settings and frankly—the tone difference seemed to have more to due with scale length and pickups than the woods and neck joints. IMHO. And not to mention my mood at the time! :lol:

For years I heard heavy wood sustained better. But then I also heard lighter wood sustained better (ok not getting into a tone wood war here, but just pointing out that after a lot of personal testing I have not figured it out which is really better.) Example I have a super light Basswood customized JD Tele and when plugged in, the thing sustains all day (as they say!). And unplugged is also very resonate. I have what is apparently a very heavy "butt cut" Ash Strat that holds a sustain when plugged in all day long as well. Ummmm. One heavy, one light. For some reason the Les Pauls really have great harmonics (scale length again and pickups?) and are often heavy.

Sooooo, I guess I have some doubts about neck joints really making all that big of a difference. I know some guys will disagree, but just sharing my observations. (Gibson says one thing, that of course defends their design. And then someone else will say other, that defends their design as well.)

So I have said a bunch of nothing here! :shock: But in closing, their seems to be some kind of magic to it all. One can have 5 guitars that are nearly identical and one will have that special feel and tone that the other 4 will not have. And then one of the 5 will be a lemon.

While these guitars look REALLY cool I do not think I would fork out that much to buy one. Now if the builder would like me to test it and post my results, I would be happy to do that! :lol: :lol: I promise to give a full report. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Question for builders and DIYers
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:24 am
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53magnatone wrote:
^^ Then you are going to be thinking about the body to neck joint.... There is no way to " Have Your Cake And Eat It Too " in this....
A smooth neck like a set neck demands a completely different approach in fastening the neck to the body, but if it has to be compatible with a standard Strat body, then that is not going to work.
The mechanics of where the neck and body are fastened becomes the problem... if it is a 4 screw/bolt system, then you must have a certain thickness for the neck heel and for the pocket or the guitar will be like a Rickenbacker or an SG and you will have intonation issues from the neck flopping around like yesterday's catch.... :wink:

Seriously this isn't an easy solution due to being restricted with / to the standardized Fender neck body bolt system.. You have to rethink the entire system, I don't have an answer yet but there are quite a few potential fastening systems that could work. I would will think and work on this but a lot of people have thought over this one and there are pros and cons to all the solutions...

I specifically said everything other than the neck and body. The pickguard, tuners, bridge, pickups, jack plate, wiring, etc could all be compatible.

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Post subject: Re: Question for builders and DIYers
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:28 am
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
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Xhefri wrote:
This thread has been quite interesting. I have read and heard discussed so many theories about sustain and design, my poor head hurts. :shock: So then came the personal testing. I have owned quite a lot of guitars. I had for a long time an old Gibson Firebird with a neck-through design. I have various neck set Gibsons—Les Pauls, 335s, and others. Then of course, good old Fenders which have bolt on necks. I have played them, compared them, all using the same amp and settings and frankly—the tone difference seemed to have more to due with scale length and pickups than the woods and neck joints. IMHO. And not to mention my mood at the time! :lol:

For years I heard heavy wood sustained better. But then I also heard lighter wood sustained better (ok not getting into a tone wood war here, but just pointing out that after a lot of personal testing I have not figured it out which is really better.) Example I have a super light Basswood customized JD Tele and when plugged in, the thing sustains all day (as they say!). And unplugged is also very resonate. I have what is apparently a very heavy "butt cut" Ash Strat that holds a sustain when plugged in all day long as well. Ummmm. One heavy, one light. For some reason the Les Pauls really have great harmonics (scale length again and pickups?) and are often heavy.

Sooooo, I guess I have some doubts about neck joints really making all that big of a difference. I know some guys will disagree, but just sharing my observations. (Gibson says one thing, that of course defends their design. And then someone else will say other, that defends their design as well.)

So I have said a bunch of nothing here! :shock: But in closing, their seems to be some kind of magic to it all. One can have 5 guitars that are nearly identical and one will have that special feel and tone that the other 4 will not have. And then one of the 5 will be a lemon.

While these guitars look REALLY cool I do not think I would fork out that much to buy one. Now if the builder would like me to test it and post my results, I would be happy to do that! :lol: :lol: I promise to give a full report. :wink:


Always good to get your feedback Xhefri.

My primary interest is in the comfort and ease of upper register access. My style of playing doesn't actually require a great deal of sustain and my poor ears probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway.

Cheers,

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