Austrian type of guitar neck fastening. Guitar neck. Guitar neck mount

CHOICE OF GUITAR, THEIR VARIETIES AND DIFFERENCES

So, electric guitars are divided into several categories, each of which is determined by one or another model, which at one time became so popular that all other manufacturers practically simply imitate it. The four most notable electric guitar archetypes include the Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Gibson ES-355, and Gibson Les Paul. All these models are presented in Fig. 1.

Rice. 1 Four archetypes of electric guitars. From left to right: Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Gibson ES-335 and Gibson Les Paul.

Each of these models has a unique body shape and its own individual tone. The importance of these models also lies in the fact that they influenced rock music in general so much that their names became household names (just as the name “copier” was firmly attached to all photocopiers, regardless of their manufacturer). For example, in a music store you might come across a guitar made by Yamaha that is shaped exactly like a Stratocaster, or an Ibanez guitar with a Gibson ES-355 design. Other important but less popular archetypes also include models Gibson Explorer, Flying-V and SG.

Rice. 2 From left to right: Gibson Explorer, Gibson Flying-V and Gibson SG

Quality control

When assessing the quality of a guitar, it makes sense to look at its individual components.

The main four factors are:

1. The design style of the case and the wood from which it is made.
2. The dimensions of the neck and its faceplate, as well as the materials from which they are made.
3. Design, materials and workmanship of the stand, nut and tuning mechanics.
4. Electronics quality.

If you understand how all these components interact and how they affect the overall sound quality of the guitar, your choice will be informed and more accurate.

Checking the case

Due to the specifics electric guitar devices The body has a significant influence on the tone of the instrument. Guitar makers use various materials to create guitars, including specially prepared tinted wood: alder, ash, mahogany, maple, etc., as well as synthetic materials. Each of the listed materials has its own resonant characteristics, which gives the sound of two identical guitars made from different materials(for example, one is made of alder, and the second is made of ash), different (sometimes completely different) colors.

Be very careful when choosing a body, because you are going to spend many hours with the guitar in your hands, both in rehearsals and (who knows?) on stage. Therefore, you should feel comfortable both when playing in a standing and sitting position, and the movement of your left hand along the fingerboard should not restrict anything. Well. Naturally, you should not only feel “cool,” but also look “stylish,” so when choosing a guitar, it’s a good idea to look at yourself in the mirror.

Case types

Based on the design of their bodies, all electric guitars are divided into the following three categories.

Solidbody. Such guitars are called solid body because their body is a piece made of solid wood, without any holes or cavities. Solid body guitars are the most common type of guitar in rock music. They usually have excellent sustain and well suppress the occurrence feedback at a high volume level. Examples of solid body guitars include Gibson models such as the Les Paul and SG (which, by the way, stands for Solid Guitar - i.e. a guitar with a solid body), Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster models, the Paul Reed Smith Standard model and many others.

Full-body (hollowbody). Fullbody guitars are more often associated with jazz than rock, although there are exceptions: Ted Nugent plays a fullbody Gibson Byrdland, for example, and Steve Howe of Yes plays a Gibson ES-175. Because full-body guitars have higher resonant properties than solid-body guitars, they are more susceptible to feedback at high volume levels. In addition, they have less pronounced sustain. than solid body guitars, and the sound has a noticeable “woody” tone.

Semi-hollowbody. The class of half-body guitars includes solid-body guitars, the bodies of which have one or more acoustic chambers. These chambers enhance acoustic performance and depth of tone, but since the guitar is a solid body, the resonant characteristics remain within an acceptable range, reducing the chance of feedback. The most popular model is the Gibson ES-355, but companies like Rickenbacker. Guild, Ibanez, and others also made significant contributions to the design of half-body guitars. Half-body guitars are instruments with a very wide range of applications: they are well suited for jazz, archaic rock, fusion, funk and country.

Checking the fretboard

The neck is the most important part of the guitar, and it largely determines how well your fingers interact with the strings. Therefore, the bar should lie in your hand as if it were a natural extension of it.

Like the body, the neck itself and its front part (as well as decorative inserts indicating the main frets) can be made from a variety of materials, which, naturally, affects not only the appearance of the guitar, but also its sound. Most often, maple and mahogany are used for the neck itself, and maple, rosewood and ebony are used for its front part. Try how the same guitars sound with necks made of different materials - you will definitely be surprised at how much the material of the neck affects the playing technique and sound of the instrument. Check that the color, grain and texture of the wood are uniform, and also be sure that there are no cracks or chips. But the most important property of the fingerboard is that the fingers of the left hand do not experience difficulties moving along its surface.

Neck parameters

Like all objects in the material world, the neck of a guitar has some parameters, objective testing of which can help you determine whether this guitar is suitable for you or not. First, you should be able to reach all six strings without discomfort and play the upper frets without resting your hand on the body of the guitar or the heel of the neck. Secondly, the neck must be firmly attached to the body (if it moves, the guitar will quickly go out of tune). Thirdly, the distance from the strings to the face of the fingerboard should be as small as possible, but the strings should not touch the frets when playing.

Neck width. The width of the neck at the nut is the main factor determining the subjective perception of ease of playing a guitar. The wider the neck, the harder you need to stretch your fingers towards the strings. But. on the other hand, the more space there is for your fingers.

Mensura

The scale is the distance from the top sill to the stand (see Fig. 1). Scale is one of the main factors influencing the sound of a guitar. In general, you can find guitars with a scale of 603 mm (23.75 inches) and 648 mm (25.5 inches). The first scale is also called the Gibson scale, because this is exactly the scale most Gibson guitars have, and the second is the Fender scale. because it is typical for Fender guitars. The longer the guitar's scale, the greater the tension on the strings. Playing a guitar with a large scale requires more effort than playing a guitar with a small scale. However, on the other hand, the sound of the strings of a guitar with a small scale has a more pronounced percussive tone than the sound of the strings of a guitar with a large scale.

Rice. 1 Mensura

Radius. Under a radius of in this case refers to the radius of curvature of the front surface of the fingerboard. The larger the radius, the flatter the front surface. The radius can vary from 191mm (very round face) to 406mm (virtually flat face). The most commonly used radius is 305 mm. Whether one or another radius is considered ideal is a matter of taste, however, traditional rock performers prefer necks with great value radius, since it is easier to play chords on such necks. Heavy metal and neoclassical rock players tend to prefer necks with a smaller radius, as such necks are better suited for performing virtuoso passages.

Form. When guitarists talk about the shape of the neck, they are talking about the shape of the back of the neck - the tone. along which it moves thumb left hand. The back of the neck can be round, flat or even V-shaped. There was a time when all manufacturers produced guitars with necks same shape, however, today you can already find the same model with necks of different shapes.

Frets and saddles. There are usually 21 to 24 frets on the neck of an electric guitar. The more frets on the fretboard, the more notes you can play. A guitar with 24 frets on the neck allows you to play two full octaves on each string. It would seem that the more frets, the better, but in practice, most players are quite happy with guitars with 22-fret necks. This is because frets beyond the 22nd fret are difficult to reach. Additionally, the two extra frets leave less room on the guitar body to accommodate pickups. As for the thresholds, they also come in various types: thin, medium and wide. Each type of threshold has both its advantages and disadvantages. The choice of one type of nut or another is a matter of taste and musical tradition.

Screwed, glued or neck-through?

The neck of the guitar can be connected to the body by three different ways. As the name suggests, the screw-on neck is attached to the body using a few screws. This design allows the neck to be easily removed for repairs, adjustments or complete replacement. Screw-on necks are most commonly used on solid body guitars, especially those made by Fender.

A glued-in neck is a more traditional design than a screw-on neck. In this case, the neck is attached to the body of the guitar using glue. It is no longer possible to replace such a neck. Examples of set-neck guitars include the Gibson Les Paul and Gibson ES-335.

In cases where the neck is made through, it forms one whole with the body without any joints or connections. Typically, such a neck, continuing, forms the central part of the body, to which the so-called wings are attached on the sides, giving the body a traditional guitar shape. Because neck-through guitars have no neck heel, this makes it easier to access the upper frets. Thru-neck guitars give the player a surprisingly comfortable and liberating playing experience. allowing you to master more virtuosic forms of rock music. If you plan on playing the top of the neck a lot, especially at high speeds, be sure to find a guitar with a neck-through design and give it a try.

The bridge, nut and tuning mechanism, often referred to collectively as guitar hardware, play an important role in shaping the sound of a guitar and also largely determine its range. expressive means. Therefore, all three components listed above should be considered as three interconnected components of a single system.

Stands

Today there are many stands on the market with a variety of design solutions. However, they can all be divided into two broad categories: floating and fixed stands.

Floating bridges are fixed in a neutral position by springs, which allows you to use a lever (vibrato bar, whammy bar) to change the tension of the strings. Floating stands can be made according to various design schemes. Most often, such stands belong either to the class of non-blocking systems (sometimes they are jokingly called vintage (vintage), since they first appeared back in the 50s) or to the class of blocking ones. The latter includes not only the stand itself, but also the top threshold. Such systems are often called Floyd Rose systems, since the Floyd Rose company was the first to release them:

Although today you can find blocking floating stands from other manufacturers on the market. The advantage of locking systems is that they hold the guitar in tune better during intensive lever work than non-locking systems of similar quality. However, there are also disadvantages: blocking systems are more difficult to regulate and. in addition, they slightly change the sound of the guitar. But if you're looking to consistently use powerful lever vibrato in your rock masterpieces, the tuning stability provided by Floyd Rose systems should take precedence over other considerations.

Fixed bridges are fixed in a single, once and for all specified position. They do not allow you to change the tension of the strings, like movable stands, but they provide a more reliable hold of the guitar’s tuning:

Guitar nut

The nut is probably not high on your list of guitar features. But. however, it should not be underestimated - it influences the sound quality of the instrument no less than other elements of the guitar. Like stands, tops are also divided into two categories: standard and interlocking.

Standard nuts can be made from various materials: nylon, other polymers, brass, etc. If the saddle is made of nylon, the sound of the guitar is closer to traditional, and if it is made of brass, the sustain increases. When inspecting the guitar before purchasing, make sure that the slots in the nut are not too deep, since in the latter case the strings may “pink”, hitting the nuts on the neck when vibrating.

The locking nut is fixed to the strings, preventing them from moving. It works in conjunction with a Floyd Rose bridge to keep the guitar in tune during intense plying. Blocking top sills, as a rule. are installed on high-end rock guitars and, naturally, require the presence of a Floyd-Rose guitar on the instrument, i.e. floating) stand:

Pegs mechanism

Guitar tuning machines also come in two types: standard and locking. Locking tuners hold the guitar in tune and are used for the same purpose as locking bridges. Using a locking tuning mechanism can improve tuning retention on a guitar equipped with a non-locking floating bridge:

When assessing the quality of a guitar's workmanship, be sure to check the quality of the nut and tuning mechanism: perform bends, operate the lever, and also rotate the guitar's pegs to first detune it and then try to tune it. Ignore the salesman if he starts throwing angry looks your way - chances are he spent the entire morning getting this guitar in tune. But since you choose your instrument, you have the right to know what it is. Therefore, if a guitar doesn't stay in tune or is difficult to tune, don't buy it.

©2015-2019 site
All rights belong to their authors. This site does not claim authorship, but provides free use.
Page creation date: 2016-04-11

Electric guitar is a universal instrument and can be played in any style, from classical to the heaviest metal. Let's take a closer look at this tool:

Electric guitar body

Guitar neck mount

The simplest and most common method is “bolt-on”.

Tailpiece

There are three main types of electric guitar bridge: Tune-o-matic, Fender tremolo and Floyd Rose. All of them have the ability to adjust the scale and height of each string separately.

The simplest bridge and at the same time the most reliable. It is impossible to lower or raise the tuning on it, but at the same time it transmits the vibration of the strings to the body as much as possible and maintains the tuning of the guitar.

Standard bridge type for many guitars. Allows you to only lower the pitch within a small limit. Simple design and good tuning - an ideal solution if you don't know if you need to lower the tuning at all.

The most powerful tool in lowering or raising tuning. This type of bridge is complex in design, quite bulky and requires skill to set up and use. In inept hands, it often causes headaches due to problems maintaining formation.

It’s worth noting a couple more points right away. The problem of keeping in tune depends on many factors, from the quality of the bridge itself to proper tuning. Due to the strong lowering of the guitar's tuning by the machine, there is a possibility that the strings will fall out of the grooves of the nut. Therefore, guitars equipped with systems like Floyd Rose is put special top sill, which fixes the strings.

Pickups

There are various kinds pickup combinations and such combinations have designations like S-S-S, H-H, H-S-H, etc. I think it will become more clear if you look at the pictures below.

Locking pegs

It is worth noting that locking pegs pay off if the guitarist bends a lot (tightening the string with the fingers of the left hand) and works as a machine. Locking pegs They maintain order better than regular ones. Although this also depends on how the strings are wound. With proper winding, ordinary pegs do not “walk”.

Electric guitar strings

0.08 - the thinnest strings, they are easy to play. The sound is not the densest or most transparent. Good for solo lovers.
0.09 - the sound is denser.
0.10 - is considered the golden mean. Good for solos and rhythm.
0.11, 0.12 and 0.13- are considered thick and are mainly used for rhythm and very often in lower tunings. The sound is dense and powerful.

It is worth noting that, as a rule, a guitar is “sharpened” for a specific gauge of strings. It’s not worth using 0.12 strings on a rifle sharpened for 0.09 caliber. Firstly, such strings will not fit into the nut, and secondly, the neck will not like this. So take this fact into account when purchasing strings.

Electric guitar bodies

Stratocaster

The Fender Stratocaster is played by such musicians as Yngwie Malmsteen, Vladimir Kholstinin (Aria), Ritchie Blackmore and etc.

Telecaster

Les Paul

S.G.

Flying V

Explorer

Randy Rhoads

This guitar is played by such famous musicians as Randy Rhoads ( Ozzy Osbourne) , Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Vinnie Vincent from Kiss and etc.

Superstrat

Conclusion

This is where I will probably finish my acquaintance with the electric guitar. Thank you for your attention

If you are asked: what is the most important part of the guitar? What is your answer? Neck, body, strings, or maybe the manufacturer's inscription? It's hard to argue that the guitar neck is the most important part of the instrument. It is with him that you are in constant contact, pressing the strings. Its shape determines how comfortable it will be for you to play the guitar, how much you can demonstrate your playing technique, and get the desired sound of the instrument.

The neck is a part of the guitar in the form of a long wooden handle of a special shape and size, against which the strings are pressed in order to change the length of their vibrating part and, accordingly, the height of the sound produced.

A guitar neck consists of a headstock, pickguard, truss rod, nut, metal frets, and heel. Some necks have a cutout in the center in which there is an anchor bolt, which is used to adjust the curvature of the neck. The head (feather) of the neck is located in its upper part, and the pegs are attached to it - a mechanism for tensioning and securing the strings.

Main characteristics of the guitar neck:

Material

Fastening

Lining material

Anchor rod

Neck material and cut

The quality of a guitar neck depends primarily on the material (wood) from which it is made. The main body of the neck can be made of various types of wood: maple, mahogany, cherry, wenge, bubinga. Most necks are made from maple. Composite materials such as graphite or lucite can also be used to make the neck. Wooden fingerboards are usually coated with a layer of varnish on top to prevent them from warping due to possible drying.

Few people know that there are several types of cutting wood used for making fingerboards, namely: radial (quarter sawn) and tangential (flat (slab) sawn). The type of cut affects not only appearance neck, but also on its physical properties.

For radial cutting the cut plane passes through the core of the trunk, such wood is uniform in color and texture, and a neck made of such material is very durable and resistant to external influences. This neck will serve you faithfully long years, without deformation and impressing with its wear resistance. Having adjusted it once, you will hardly need to adjust it, the neck will keep the desired angle for a long time, withstanding greater stress. As for the acoustic properties, when cut radially, the necks sound brighter and the lows are clearer.

For tangential cutting the plane of the cut passes at a distance from the core. A fingerboard made from such boards has a pronounced texture and a rich wave-like pattern of annual rings. Such necks are less expensive than radial ones, but they are more flexible, react to string thickness, changes in temperature and humidity, and will have to be adjusted more often.

As a compromise solution, multi-layer necks were invented, similar in sound to radial ones. When making such necks, two or three pieces of tangentially cut wood (even different species) are glued together, allowing for greater rigidity and lower cost, as well as a unique sound.

Guitar neck shape.

The width and thickness of the neck determines how comfortable it will be for you to play various chords and perform a particular style of music. Based on their shape, there are three main types of guitar necks:

Standard round necks , for example, are perfect for playing classic rock and blues, as they are easy to play with both chords and fingerpicking. But in order to develop serious game dynamics you will have to practice a lot. These necks are available on most GIBSON and FENDER models.

Thin and wide bars will be most convenient for performers of fast and heavy music (for example, hard rock, hardcore, metal, grunge, alternative and others). Such necks can be found, for example, in IBANEZ RG series guitars, JACKSON SOLOIST series, YAMAHA.

A compromise between the two types above is variable radius bars : closer to the head it is more round, towards the soundboard it is flatter. Guitar necks of this type are more expensive than regular ones, so they are installed only on certain models, for example, GIBSON gave this neck the name 60’slim taper.

We talked about the main forms of guitar necks, of which there are actually many more, and each of them has its own purpose, being preferable for a particular musical genre.

Neck attachment

The sound of a guitar depends on the method of mounting the neck to the body of the guitar, but it is impossible to say for sure which method is preferable, because each of them has its own characteristics and allows you to obtain a certain nuance in the sound of the instrument.

There are four types of neck fastening: bolted (bolted), glued, through and semi-through.

• Bolt-On was invented back in the 40s of the last century by Leo Fender solely for practical reasons. He believed that if the neck of an electric guitar is damaged, there should be no problem replacing it, but there is no need to completely change the guitar. Nowadays such necks are usually installed on budget guitar models. This type of mount is characterized by a powerful attack, clarity of notes, and sharp tone, but at the same time weak sustain. When purchasing a neck with this type of fastening, you should pay special attention to the tight fit of the neck to the body of the guitar; there should be no gaps or play. The tight fit is ensured big amount bolts Electric guitars with this type of mounting are considered universal, but are best suited for playing hard rock.

• Glued/Set-In Neck widely used on electric guitars. Such a neck is installed in a special recess and securely fixed with epoxy resin. This connection method better conveys the acoustic properties of wood, giving the instrument a warm sound and good sustain, while the attack, unfortunately, suffers. Guitars with this neck are a little more expensive, but they are an excellent choice for jazz performers, providing a warm and smooth sound.

• Neck-Through Mount is the most expensive method, usually found on bass guitars. The through-hole mount allows for maximum wood tone, providing excellent sustain and a slight reduction in resonance on low frequencies. Guitars with such a neck sound very smooth, without dips. The lack of a heel on the fretboard makes it easy to play solos. The only disadvantage of this method of attaching the neck is the price, both of the instrument and of its repair, if it is possible at all.
• Half-Through Body some manufacturers began to use it in the late 80s of the last century, but this method never became widespread. With this method of fastening, the neck is in closer contact with the body than with a bolted connection, and the sound of such an instrument is close to a guitar with a through-neck.

Guitar fretboard

An important role in the design of the neck is played by its fingerboard, since it is the one that first receives vibration from the strings, and only then transmits it through the neck to the body of the guitar. The fingerboard is a thin strip of wood that is glued to the face of the fingerboard. The pickguard can be with or without frets (in fretless bass guitars); most often, some frets have mortise marks that can also be applied to the end of the pickguard.

Usually the fretboards are made from hardwoods such as rosewood, maple, ebony, but you can also find carbon fiber fretboards.

The shape of the pickguard affects the timbre of the guitar and, depending on the radius, can be of four types: flat, conical, cylindrical, mixed.

The bending of the pad is adjusted using an anchor: tensioning the anchor rod will reduce the bending, and loosening it will increase it. Due to low string tension, classical guitars do not have an anchor rod, but the pickguard should have a slight bend. Of particular note are the fretless fingerboards: they have a concave shape.

Anchor rod

An anchor rod (or simply an anchor) is an iron rod 4-6 mm thick, located inside the neck to give it rigidity, as well as to regulate the deflection of the neck; for this purpose, a bolt is located at one end of the rod. The truss rod adjustment nut can be located either at the heel of the bar or at its head.

The truss rod helps prevent the neck from bending under the influence of tightly stretched strings, which is why it is found mainly in guitars with metal strings.

There are two ways to install the anchor rod:

WITH reverse side neck, which is quite labor-intensive in terms of production, and, accordingly, affects the cost. This mounting method can often be found on FENDER electric guitars.

Under the fingerboard is the most budget-friendly method, and its main disadvantage is that over time the anchor can tear the fingerboard off the fingerboard.

Guitar frets

Along the entire length of the fingerboard there are metal saddles - frets, which help change the sound of the string by one semitone and hit the desired note. Also, the concept of “fret” includes the gap between two sills. As written above, there are also fretless guitars, but playing chords on them is much more difficult.

Number of frets per various types and guitar models can vary from 19 (on a classical guitar) to 27 (on an electric guitar). Guitar frets can also be divided into different groups according to certain criteria:

fret height , which significantly affects the height of the guitar strings. Low frets make it easy to press the string directly to the pickguard, but making regular bends on such a guitar is not easy. With high frets it’s the opposite: pressing the strings is more difficult, but making bends is much easier.

fret width , which affects their service life: narrow frets wear out faster and, accordingly, require grinding or even replacement more often.

materials The materials used to make frets are stainless steel, silver and nickel. You can only understand the advantages of this or that material from your own experience, since there are so many musicians, so many opinions. Some people believe that stainless steel strings are more durable, but they do not sound as good as silver-nickel strings.

profile and shape of guitar frets affect the appearance of the instrument, the ease of clamping the string, and, of course, the sound of the instrument.

Headstock Angle

The headstock can be flat, that is, have no angle of inclination relative to the main plane of the neck, or have an inclination. Additional string guides are often installed on a flat head to increase the angle of the string from the nut to the headstock so that the string does not fly out of the nut groove. These necks can be found on Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.

When the headstock is angled relative to the rest of the fingerboard, the strings sit firmly in the grooves and do not fly out, and guides are not needed.

So, we have sufficiently examined the guitar neck, its components and features of sound and operation. The choice, as always, is yours! After all, the best guitar is a guitar that sounds the way you like!

Today I decided to conduct a short review of, one might say, one of the main parts of the bass guitar. And look what came of it for me.

There are currently three types bass guitar necks– this is screwed, inserted and through. And each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Which instrument to choose (with which neck) is up to you. Now let's take a closer look at each type.

Bolt-on bass guitar neck

Everything here is relatively simple: the screws are located on a metal plate (“the heel of the neck”), while they pass through the body and hold the neck. Sometimes the screws may be recessed into the body (for example, on Ibanez tools). The advantages of this type of neck: clear sound, ease of manufacture, as well as installation and removal. But during installation, you still have to tinker so that the neck “sits” well in place. Bass guitar manufacturers are trying to somehow avoid this drawback. For example, they are mounted not on 4 bolts, but on 6. Or they reinforce the structure with plates (an example of this is the Yamaha Attitude Limited II, played by Billy Sheehan). Manufacturers such as Music Man, Fender, G&L prefer this type of connection between the neck and the body. And some companies do not give any preference to anything at all (for example, ESP).

Pasted (set-neck) bass guitar neck

This mounting option is also called built-in. Gibson prefers this type of connection. With this connection, the neck is inserted into a special socket in the body. The advantages of this type of connection include the fact that the design is strong and reliable and provides excellent sustain. But the disadvantage of this type is difficulty in maintenance. The fact is that it is possible to detect whether there is a defect in the neck only when almost the entire guitar is ready. And if it does show up, then the whole guitar will have to be thrown away, sad as it may be.

Neck-through bass guitar neck

Through bass guitar neck was first invented in 1950 by Rickenbacker. Unlike a glued and screwed one, this neck stretches from the head itself all the way to the strap mounting pin. Very often, such a bass guitar neck consists of several pieces of wood of various species glued together. This gives the bar strength and looks very good. In general, the idea is certainly great! Installing both pickups and a stand on one part of the instrument gives clear advantages to these types of necks over others. Namely: so to speak, “convincing” sustain, excellent readability in the mix and a special, “tasty” sound. This type of neck can be found, for example, on guitars such as Spector, Alembic, Tobias, Carvin, Overwater, as well as on early Gibson Thunderbirds.

The length of the neck of a bass guitar (scale) has a huge impact on how the player feels when playing, as well as on the sound of the instrument. Scale is usually measured from the nut to the tailpiece of a bass guitar. Typically this distance is equal to twice the distance from the nut to the 12th fret.

The tailpiece is most often adjustable. Due to its movable snares, you can adjust the scale. And this was done in order to be able to correct intonation errors that arise due to different gauges of bass guitar strings.

The optimal neck length (scale length) was determined by Leo Fender himself. It is equal to 34 inches - the optimal option in terms of the timbre qualities of the instrument and ease of play. By the way, today 34 inches is the production standard. There are different bars, for example, short-scale (their length is 30 inches), as well as medium-range (32 inches).

These days there are bass guitars with 35 and even 36-inch necks. Most often these are five-strings. This is connected, as you probably guessed, with the fifth string B (B).

Bass guitar neck made from a variety of materials. For example, maple, due to its sufficient rigidity and stability, is most widely used in screw-on necks. For glued ones, mahogany is most often used. It is worth noting that recently ash has become widely used for various types of this part of the instrument.

There is also an option to make the bass guitar neck from graphite. The alternative to wood is rare and expensive, but at the same time stable and reliable, not subject to the vagaries of nature, unlike wooden vultures, which is why they require periodic adjustments. The first graphite neck was introduced in 1970 by Modulus, which, after successful collaborations with Music Man and Alembic, began producing graphite guitars itself. Zon and Status can be considered followers of Modulus. The popularity of such tools is proven by the fact that these companies still produce tools with graphite parts to this day.

Along with the material, the design of the neck of the bass guitar is also very important. After all, the sound and sensations of the performer when playing depend on these two factors. One of the main tasks when making the neck of an instrument is to avoid the occurrence of dead zones, i.e. lifeless notes, which in their timbre and sustain clearly lag behind the rest. And this is where graphite bars can give everyone a head start - there are no dead zones on them.

The tactile sensations of the performer are influenced by the material, width and profile of the neck. The most common profiles are C and V. The former are quite rounded, but the latter have a distinct “edge”. It is worth noting that different manufacturers have significantly different neck profiles.

I would like to write a few words about aluminum necks, which never became popular. Musicians found these necks to be cold. And the manufacturer Hartke, who hid an aluminum neck in a wooden shell, failed due to the fact that the sound of the instrument was impossible not to distinguish =)).

In order for the strings to resonate properly to avoid the stress that can occur due to over-tensioning, wooden necks require periodic sag adjustments using a truss rod hidden within them. Spinning anchor rod or by giving it slack we can affect the deflection and pressure of the bass guitar neck.

The last thing I would like to mention in this article is coverage. It directly affects the tactile sensations of musicians. Recently, vultures have begun to be coated with oil-based materials. And it is worth saying that it is more pleasant to the touch, but the bass guitar itself begins to look as if the instrument was used tirelessly and was not washed.

Well, that’s all I would like to tell you, my dear readers of the blog site! I hope I was helpful to you in some way! Take care of yourself and good luck to you!

In one of the previous articles, we studied the general features of electric guitars. Today we will take a closer look at the neck mounting of an electric guitar. You will also learn what the main methods of attaching a guitar neck to the body are and how they differ from each other.

Neck attachment

The sound of an electric guitar largely depends on both the quality of the neck and the method of its installation. I would like to immediately note that none of the methods below for attaching the neck to the guitar body is the best. Each of them brings a certain shade to the sound of the instrument in its own way. First of all, this concerns sustain and attack. Well, now let’s move on to the types of fastening, of which we have as many as 4 types.

Bolt-On

This type of neck fastening was invented back in the late 40s by Leo Fender, which he began to use on his electric guitars, which ultimately made it possible to significantly reduce costs during mass production. When suddenly during manufacturing a defect was discovered on an already assembled instrument, the unusable neck was simply taken, unscrewed from the body and immediately replaced with a new one. As they say, cheap and cheerful. That is why such necks are installed mainly on budget electric guitars, although this does not mean that this type of fastening is the worst. A bolt-on neck is the most common and simplest.

Characterized by this type fastening with a powerful attack and good “readability” of notes, but the sustain here is very weak, although this is compensated by a sharp (“biting”) tone. The main nuance is that the neck fits as closely as possible to the body of the guitar. If there are gaps at the joint, then in this case it is necessary to take the instrument to a guitar luthier so that he can slightly level the area under the heel of the neck on the body. Such a small and inexpensive modification will greatly improve the sound of the guitar. Many companies, for example, in order to provide good contact the neck with the body, these two parts are connected by 5-6, or even a large number of bolts.

Electric guitars with this connection are considered universal, but they are still best suited for playing hard rock. In terms of repair, such instruments are not at all fancy, because removing the neck from the body takes a few minutes.

Glued/Set-In

Glued-in necks are widely used on electric guitars from Gibson, as well as from many other equally well-known manufacturers. It is installed in a special recess and secured securely using epoxy resin. This connection conveys acoustic properties much better than a bolted connection, which gives the instrument a warm sound and excellent sustain, but the attack is not as pronounced.

Electric guitars with a glued neck are often more expensive because the gluing process is more labor-intensive. Due to its complex design, such a neck is much more difficult to repair or replace. Electric guitars with a set neck are an ideal choice for playing jazz music or for a warm, smooth sound.

Neck-Through

Perhaps this is one of the most expensive and the best ways installation of the neck, which was invented a little later than the first two. On electric guitars, a through-neck is quite rare, but on bass guitars it is a common occurrence.

This type of fastening allows you to feel the true natural sound of wood as much as possible. Instruments with such a neck have excellent sustain, sound very smooth and without dips across the entire frequency range due to the fact that the neck itself occupies 1/3 of the body, and the wood from which it is made has a very strong effect on the sound than in other mounting methods. . These types of structures are characterized by a slight decrease in resonance at low frequencies. Thru-necks are used on most Fodera bass models, as well as some expensive Jackson electric guitars.

It is also worth noting that playing such instruments is very convenient, because There is no heel on the neck, making it easy to play your favorite solos. Due to the fact that neck-through guitars are very expensive, their repairs are usually very expensive, although in most cases it is simply impossible, so such instruments require very careful attitude and storage.

Half-Through Body

The semi-through method of attaching a guitar neck is nothing more than a variation on the Neck-Through theme, which some electric guitar manufacturers began to use in the late 80s. This type of fastening never became widespread.

This type of mounting implies a tighter contact of the neck with the body than in the bolt-on variation. The body of the guitar here is one-piece and is not divided in half as with a completely through neck. The sound of instruments with a semi-hollow neck is close to the previous type. It is found mainly on bass guitars rather than on electric guitars. Ibanez, Tung and some other companies use semi-thru necks on their instruments.

P.S. To summarize, we can say that there are still exceptions to the rules, and all the main methods of attaching a neck listed above will not give a 100% guarantee that you will not accidentally get a low-quality instrument, even if it has a through neck. Therefore, when buying yourself a new electric guitar, choose it responsibly, trusting only your eyes, hands and ears.