Neck-through tips?

[moon]

Been wondering about one of these maple/walnut blanks:



Since there's no neck joint to worry about, and the neck is already fretted, it looks like it could be a relatively easy way to make an electric guitar. I also kind of like the elegance of a neck through design.

Given that the sound of a guitar is a balance of various factors, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get the best out of a piece of wood like this. Maybe there are certain types of body materials which would work better than others for the body wings or the top, if I choose to fit one. Maybe it doesn't matter too much.

[arie]

what is the overall sound you are after?

[moon]

Good question. I'm not stuck on any particular style of guitar. I just like to pick up a good quality instrument and let it tell me how it wants to be played.

If there was something about the maple/walnut block that favoured one kind of a tone over another, I'd go with that. Bright Firebird, Yamaha SG clone, semi-hollow...? Maybe there's a rule of thumb about adding mahogany wings (and top?) to a maple neck-through in order to balance out a tendency to a bright/shrill sound. Maybe the neck-through block alone defines most of the tone and whatever you do to it doesn't make much of a difference. That's the kind of thing I don't know much about.

[arie]

with that neck, the top and bottom of the maple "billet" is actually the top and bottom of your guitar. the fretboard is flush to the top surface of the maple so you're not going to be able to add a top in the normal fashion. i mean you could, but it can get weird looking that way.

-the usual recipe is to add mahogany wings to something like that. or you can try walnut wings to match the neck strips.

-neck through's sustain very well by tying everything involving string tension to one piece of wood. think of that lamination of maple and walnut as a "conduit" of string energy. tuners, nut, p/u's, and bridge are all attached to it.

-mahogany, primavera, or walnut would be my choices in that order. if you want color contrast you'll have to stain the primavera -it's a light wood that ranges from pinkish, to lightish yellow with some grey streaks in it.

-depending upon your skill level of course, a semi hollow is more difficult to deal with then a soild.

-google/image "neck through electric guitars" for some examples.

[moon]

Thanks. If wings don't have much of an effect on tone, a 6-string diddley bow with a knee rest, something like the Yamaha silent guitar, could be an option. Otherwise it looks like mahogany would be first choice for wings.

[LouieAtienza]

I've added a top to my neck through assembly by stepping the end down and fitting the top around the neck. Looks really good that way. If you want inspiration check out Alembic guitars. I also like to use mahogany. If you get 8/4 d2s mahogany at a lumber yard it usually is 1 13/16" thick which is probably 1/16" too thick, they can usually plane it down. Another idea would be to use two 3/4" boards and sandwich contrasting veneers and thin stock between.

[arie]

Originally Posted by moon

Thanks. If wings don't have much of an effect on tone, a 6-string diddley bow with a knee rest, something like the Yamaha silent guitar, could be an option. Otherwise it looks like mahogany would be first choice for wings.

if you are talking about a solid body electric then the wings do have an effect on tone, it just depends on what you want to hear. if you paired mahogany with your maple then the mahogany will cut some of the maples clear, dry attack characteristics and add a bit of warmth -kinda like a les paul. if you paired the maple with say alder, or swamp ash, then you would have tone on the order of say a super strat like a charvel or a jackson -mid rangy and cutting, with upper harmonics, clarity and brisk attack. both will have increased sustain due to the neck through construction.

fretboard material matters as well with rosewood offering a more subdued note vs. ebony which offers a brighter and quicker response. like the difference between a les paul standard and a les paul custom. maple is a mix of both with a bit of mid range thrown in.

electric guitars are different then acoustics where with an acoustic, you have an air pump, and with electrics it's all about how the wood and hardware responds to string vibration. this is one of the reasons why IMO a good electric guitar always rings and stands out when un-plugged. the body should just vibrate and you'll know it when you play your first chords. or a good electric will have character (musical character) something different about it that separates it from the herd. thumpy and sounding like wet drywall is not a musical attribute.

something like that yamaha could be an interesting thing to mess around with.

[moon]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

I've added a top to my neck through assembly by stepping the end down and fitting the top around the neck.

That's what I was thinking but only if there was a tonal argument rather than to create a certain kind of look.

How did your guitar turn out?

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by moon

That's what I was thinking but only if there was a tonal argument rather than to create a certain kind of look.

How did your guitar turn out?

Well some people, myself included, like the look of a maple capped guitar. I feel the maple adds a little more edge than straight mahogany, aside from the look of quilt or flame maple. I thought it came out great.

[Rodger Knox]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

I thought it came out great.

So did I!....

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Rodger Knox

So did I!....

Thanks Rodger!