How do neck through guitars affect tone?

[Pierre]

From what I hear, on a neck through, it's the neck wood that influences most of the sound. I.e on the Stagemaster I'm receieving soon, it will be mostly maple with pretty much unknown body wings (some say Mahogany, some say soft maple). Now I thought the MM lacked character in my basswood guitar, and I'm thinking it'd really sound great in the maple neck through. Has anyone got one in a similar guitar, or has experience with tonewoods on neck throughs? Cheers.

[Ratrod]

From what I've heard there's no difference in sound between set neck, bolt on or neck-thru. However, I did hear neck-thru sustains better. It also allows for a heelles design for better acces on the higher frets and looks great.

[PhilKing]

I have a couple of neck through guitars, and 3 neck through basses, but since they dont have the same pickups as any other guitars (I have an original John Birch and a Firebird I), it is hard to say how this will afffect your sound.  I know in my basses that it tightens the bottom end and does give more sustain, though a really good bolt on can be as tight.  The woods will make a difference, my John Birch is maple and the Firebird is mahogany.  The Birch is brighter as you would expect from maple, I expect you will find this too.  The wood of the wings has much less influence on the sound, but the size of them might!

What didn't you like about the sound of the MM?  I have heard it in several woods and loved the sound (I originally had mine in a mahogany Exploerer and now have it in a maple capped black korina with a bolt on rosewood neck with ebony fingerboard.  The sound in both of these is great, though the current guitar has a Wilkinson tremelo, so isn't as tight as a stop tailpiece would be.

[MDV]

A well made bolt on will vibrate as one-piece. Most of the thru neck things hype.

But I do think thrus I've played are clearer in both high and lows than poor examples of either set or bolt.

But then, with set and bolt you can mix woods tones.

Oh, and glue dampens vibration whereas wood/wood contact transmits it very well, so a ham-fisted set neck is probably the worst you can get.

[Pierre]

What I really meant was:

Does the wood of the centerpiece matters most, less, or just as much as the wings' wood? :)

Thanks for the replies so far.

About the MM: I thought it lacked crunch mostly.

[Steve-Mr Pig 2U]

Neck thru guitars have more sustain, Ive got a neck thru guitar and a bass as well as a couple of bolt on's, and it definatly increases sustain. The center 'block' is made from whatever the neck is made from, and it's tone dominates the body wings.
MM lacks crunch!!! I dunno where your getting that from!

[PhilKing]

By crunch do you mean overdrive or sharpness?  I think the MM drives well but is sharper than say a Nailbomb.  Perhaps you would prefer the alnico drive rather than the ceramic one?  The output is a little more distorted I think, because of the way the alnico is softer in the bass.  I have most of the BK humbukers now, I am only missing the new Holydiver and I actually don't have a Cold Sweat, but I set up Ben's Snakeskin Wayne so I have heard it a lot.  For me the MM is like an EMG, where the Nailbomb is like a high output passive HB (oh and the Warpig is just massive!).

[Trendkiller]

What I really meant was:

Does the wood of the centerpiece matters most, less, or just as much as the wings' wood? :)

Thanks for the replies so far.

About the MM: I thought it lacked crunch mostly.

.

Hi!

IMO it depends on the guitar.

I used a Jackson Kelly Custom Shop years back (explorer type body).
This guitar had a maple neck-through with mahogany wings.
The tone was HUGE, and I really heard more of the warmt from the mahogany than the snap and brittle tone from the maple.
This combination was just killer. I regret selling this guitar, it had tone in spades.

Compared to a long gone Jackson Custom Shop Soloist, same body woods, the Soloist sounded brighter and lacked the fullness of the Kelly. It was "small" by comparison.

These days I still have two Jacksons that sees much action (with my LP's).
These are a Rhoads "Original" PCS-USA and a King V Korina USA.

The Rhoads have a maple center and poplar wings. Again the more mass of the vings makes the maple center-block "melt" into the sound of the vings. Hehehehe, sounds of the wings, a good one. No thin, or britlle tones here (no Floyd either).

The Korina V is another story, this guitar is the best sounding Jackson I've ever used. It's just a monster.
I think an all mahogany (Korina is often called African mahogany) with more body mass makes better tone, compared to a maple center.
Even that the wood of the center neck-through is a minor issue with these type of guitars.

Btw, IMO a well built neck-through guitar do have better sustain compared to the best bolt-on You'll get.
The stings have better transf. through the body and neck of a neck-through, You get better sustain as the strings are in direct contact with the neck on the "body" as well.

What tone You prefer, is another issue. Many prefer the attach and punch of a bolt on neck guitar. The neck-through seems to be more smooth and even in a way.

 :)

T.

www.trendkillerweb.com

[Pierre]

I put in the MM yesterday. MUCH better than with the AirZone that was in before. Still not quite 'it' yet though. I shall try a Custom soon.