Thru neck, set neck or bolt on?

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='Lorne' post='1289927' date='Jul 2 2011, 10:46 AM']Is that a "V" shapped bass? it looks like there is not a lot of side support to the neck, and the neck is not deeply set into the actual body length, it also appears that there are some stress cracks showing in the very corner of the body in the neck pocket, if all of the above is true, then I wouldn't have the heel shaved at all, it will end up breaking[/quote]


No, it's an explorer shaped bass. I don't think that what you see is stress cracks though I must admit I share your concern about the positioning and support etc. There is also cracking in the finishing which is at the upper wing of the body, right at the corner as well as other points that shouldn't have any stress on them at all. That I would imagine not be anything to do with it? I'm guessing here so if I'm wrong, I'd quite like to be corrected.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='1288775' date='Jul 1 2011, 11:03 AM']....I don't like Fenders that much due to the block heel, but having never played a set neck, what are people's experiences? Basically why do people prefer certain types of construction (leave aside cost as a consideration) and why....[/quote]
Why? Why do people like anything? They just do.

But then I don't understand why it is such a big problem. It didn't used to bother Jaco, Stanley Clark or any of the other "million-notes-a-minute" guys when they were playing Fenders, or any upright bass player, who has to deal with much more uncomfortable playing positions. A through neck will give a rounder sound and a bolt on will have a little more attack. But the difference might be enhanced or negated by the body wood and other factors, like the electrics.
As long as the neck is made properly, the intonation will be the same on either type of neck. The heel can be carved down, as it is on my Lull bass, but you should get it done properly so you don't compromise the strength of the neck join.

If you really can't play through this "issue" then a through neck should make the difference you want.

[Wolverinebass]

Very true Chris, we all like what we like. I suppose the heel thing is only one of a few issues that puts me off Fenders. I think I'll probably get the thing carved down if it's possible to do it without wrecking the bass. I suppose that the fact that even though I won't really access that area of the neck that much, the fact that I can't, starts to grate. Plus the neck feels that bit further away. Though, it's only about an inch or so, it feels a bit weird at times in certain different note positions. It's quite difficult to explain.

Another point is that I should have got Warmoth to carve it down when I ordered the body. For some inexplicable reason, I didn't and I now regret it. Especially since the bloke who did it, didn't do it properly, though for those of you who've looked at that photo if you think the heel is quite chunky, it was way massive when I got it.. I was expecting something a bit more "sculpted" and I got a block. I should have made an issue of it at the time. I think that the whole "let's try this out!!" took over and I didn't really reflect on the problem until much later. Idiot....

[henry norton]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='1289884' date='Jul 2 2011, 09:40 AM']Finally got round to doing a picture. You may now see what I mean. Put my hand in for scale. I quite like the idea of a heelless join however. However, any thoughts on this, let me know.[/quote]
You might be able to take that heel down by a half inch or so as long as the slot is supposted well on the other side but that probably won't resolve this issue for you as you'll still have something of a heel in the way. Short of some major (expensive) surgery you really need to look elsewhere if you want a shallow neck all the way up.

[Lorne]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='1289960' date='Jul 2 2011, 11:36 AM']No, it's an explorer shaped bass. I don't think that what you see is stress cracks though I must admit I share your concern about the positioning and support etc. There is also cracking in the finishing which is at the upper wing of the body, right at the corner as well as other points that shouldn't have any stress on them at all. That I would imagine not be anything to do with it? I'm guessing here so if I'm wrong, I'd quite like to be corrected.[/quote]


So, what you're saying is there is finish cracking in the corner of the neck pocket on the upper wing side? (Where I've arrowed in the picture)



If so, then the neck joint there, is under stress to create those "Finish Cracks", removing wood from the heel will only make the matter worse

Here is the neck heel of a (RARE) B.C.Rich Explorer bass



And my (RARE) Ironbird bass

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='Lorne' post='1290083' date='Jul 2 2011, 01:45 PM']So, what you're saying is there is finish cracking in the corner of the neck pocket on the upper wing side? (Where I've arrowed in the picture)



If so, then the neck joint there, is under stress to create those "Finish Cracks", removing wood from the heel will only make the matter worse[/quote]


Not just where you've arrowed actually. I also meant the corner where you would rest your right elbow as it's cracking like hell up there. That's where there is quite a lot of finishing cracks. Though as you say, there are some at the join which I have become concered about recently. The heel on your (frankly lovely) BC Rich bass is a bit more like what I wanted. Top gear mate!!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='1289884' date='Jul 2 2011, 09:40 AM']Finally got round to doing a picture. You may now see what I mean. Put my hand in for scale. I quite like the idea of a heelless join however. However, any thoughts on this, let me know.[/quote]
If that was my bass I wouldn't bother. There is no way that it would be possible to slim down that neck joint to a state where it didn't interfere with access to the upper frets and still function as a neck joint. IMO it will be a lot of effort for very little gain and may well structurally compromise the bass.


[quote name='Lorne' post='1290083' date='Jul 2 2011, 01:45 PM']Here is the neck heel of a (RARE) B.C.Rich Explorer bass

[/quote]
That's how to do the neck to body transition properly on an Explorer-shaped bass.

This whole thread illustrates why I don't like Warmoth, because they appear to be incapable of seeing past Fender-style construction irrespective of whether that style is appropriate for the overall design of the instrument. Lets face it the last time these techniques were used in this way was on cheap Japanese 'copy' instruments in the 70s.

[Lorne]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='1290088' date='Jul 2 2011, 01:52 PM']Not just where you've arrowed actually. I also meant the corner where you would rest your right elbow as it's cracking like hell up there. That's where there is quite a lot of finishing cracks. Though as you say, there are some at the join which I have become concered about recently. The heel on your (frankly lovely) BC Rich bass is a bit more like what I wanted. Top gear mate!! [/quote]


Thanks, the Explorer isn't mine though, YET!

[xgsjx]

Here's how my bolt on access is.

[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/5894289763/"][/url]

Fair enough it only comes out a small amount & the neck is a bit longer than the fretboard, but it lets you see how it is curved & I don't have any troubles getting to the 24th fret.

[Batfastard]

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1289739' date='Jul 1 2011, 11:49 PM']There are plenty of bolt-on basses with extended neck joints, the neck extends beyond the end of the fingerboard sometimes right down to the neck pick-up like this:



and that gives you full access to all the frets, much the same as a neck-thru or set neck.[/quote]

What is this bass? Its extremely nice.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='Batfastard' post='1290506' date='Jul 2 2011, 09:13 PM']What is this bass? Its extremely nice.[/quote]

That, I think it's a Status of some sort, right?

[Grand Wazoo]

The bolt on neck on my bass (pics below) has the neck extending way into the body up to the pickup and the joint at the back has virtually no heel, so much so that access to the upper frets it's just the width of the neck as you can see in the pics below (Dingwall ABII)

Edited July 2, 2011 by Grand Wazoo

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Batfastard' post='1290506' date='Jul 2 2011, 09:13 PM']What is this bass? Its extremely nice.[/quote]

Thanks!

Yes, it's a Status S2 Classic. It's a great bass but this particular one is a bit on the heavy side.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Davo-London' post='1289006' date='Jul 1 2011, 01:42 PM']Basically the bolt-on gives a bit more snap and the ability to bend the neck and of course remove it. THe thru-neck gives potentially better intonation and looks better.

It's not something that would bother me in buying a bass. That said if you have a custom bass made they will never be a bolt-on neck. So obviously it's a cheaper construction method. Some people prefer bolt ons so there's not much either way.

Davo[/quote]

where to start?

Please, don't take this as a personal attack, but when I see comments like these strung out that don't seem to make sense to me, without providing a reason, my natural curiosity just has to ask why do you say this.

1) bolt-on giving more "snap"? can't say I've noticed

2) ability to bend the neck? I'd have imagined a neck-through would be better for that. Think about it. But ultimately I doubt there's much difference.Some people bend guitarswith bolt-on or set neck and it seems to work regardless. Thinner necks would be easier, but the way they're attached to the body? Hmm.
Of course, if it breaks while doing that, a bolt on neck would be much cheaper to replace.

3) neck through = better intonation???? how on earth has one thing anything to do with the other???

4) custom bass not being a bolt-on. Now this is a bit silly. And plenty of custom makes do use a bolt-on construction. Bolt-on does not mean "lesser instrument" automatically.

[tauzero]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1289352' date='Jul 1 2011, 05:59 PM']Bolt on doesn't mean cheaper. if you snap a neck on a fixed neck bass the repair cost will be twice as much.[/quote]
For some reason, I don't actually consider the possibility that I will break the neck of a bass as part of my assessment of whether to buy it or not. Am I unusual in not having broken the neck of any of my basses?

[xgsjx]

[quote name='tauzero' post='1291628' date='Jul 3 2011, 11:17 PM']For some reason, I don't actually consider the possibility that I will break the neck of a bass as part of my assessment of whether to buy it or not. Am I unusual in not having broken the neck of any of my basses?[/quote]
Snap.

[Danimal]

[quote name='tauzero' post='1291628' date='Jul 3 2011, 11:17 PM']For some reason, I don't actually consider the possibility that I will break the neck of a bass as part of my assessment of whether to buy it or not. Am I unusual in not having broken the neck of any of my basses?[/quote]
It's probably not the first thing on most player's minds, no, but it is an advantage to bolt-on necks that's worth mentioning.

Remember it's not necessarily yourself that could cause it to break through any misuse. Any number of accidental things could happen.