Necks & Tone...

[Jeff Scott]

In the latest W&S rag Bob says that the neck on the Grandé Pacifica was special "designed" to work with the sound of that particular model. He goes on to say that we should not be surprised if, in the future, André creates specific necks for the sound of particular guitar models.

Discuss.

[Wade Hampton]

Necks have FAR more impact on the sound of the acoustic guitars they’re mounted on than most acoustic guitarists realize. This comes as no surprise to those of us who also play five string banjos, and really experienced electric guitarists tend to realize this, too.

But those two instruments usually have necks that are easily swapped out with others, and thus compared, but nothing could be less easy to accomplish on an acoustic guitar, even those with bolt on necks.

So this tends to be ignored by acoustic guitarists, to the point where many firmly believe that the density and mass of the neck has no role in shaping the tone of an acoustic stringed instrument.

But that’s an incorrect assumption. The neck on an acoustic acoustic guitar has less impact on the sound than the necks on Strats and Mastertone banjos have on them, but it’s still a significant factor.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[jaymarsch]

A few years back, I exacerbated an old fretting hand finger injury and decided to explore getting my two best guitars’ necks shaved down. Kathy Wingert, who made both guitars, and I spoke about any impact it might have on tone. She felt that due to her 5 piece necks being very stiff and the fact that we were not taking off much mass, the difference would be negligible. She was right and my newly shaped necks are a dream to play without any loss of tone or projection.
But, it was worth a discussion and I have watched her re-shape a neck with a tonal shift in mind. So, while it might be subtle changes, I do think that necks can impact tone.

Best,
Jayne

[TBman]

What I have surmised that makes a guitar sound better from listening to accomplished musicians play......

Practice - yes
Right hand attack - yes
Compositions that attract and hold a listener - yes

Necks wood? Not really buying into this. It sounds a lot like marketing jabber. Could there be a subtle difference, of course.

Guitar makers can't sell playing skill. Practice sells that.

[TomB'sox]

What I have gathered with my foray into hand built acoustics is some luthiers really believe the neck wood can make a big difference in sustain at least. Others feel it does very little.

So there, I hope I have cleared that up for you.

Tom

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by TBman

Necks wood? Not really buying into this. It sounds a lot like marketing jabber.

TB, while there’s undoubtedly “marketing jabber” involved with Taylor whenever they introduce something new, the fact that the density of the neck wood and the mass of the neck do affect the vibrational qualities of the guitars they’re mounted on. I’m not attesting to that in order to simply to watch myself type.

I understand your skepticism, but all you need to do is talk to some custom guitar builders who have made guitar necks from both maple and mahogany. There is a marked, undeniable difference in the sound of otherwise identical guitars that have necks built out of these two different woods.

Seriously, don’t take my word for it, talk to some of these pros and take their word for it.

It makes a difference. Believe it or not.

Whenever this subject comes up and I say that the necks on acoustic guitars definitely have an impact on the sound, I am always met with a thundering silence, the exception being a few people like Jayne who have extensive experience with custom guitars. But the exact same forum regulars who’ll post that EVERYTHING on acoustic guitars contributes to the sound one way or another tend to be curiously mute on this subject.

But you cannot hang a piece of wood as large, long and heavy as a guitar neck off of a sensitive vibrational unit like a guitar body and not have it affect the sound.

Think about it. It’s attached. How can it NOT affect the sound?

Hope that makes more sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Jeff Scott]

I believe that different neck woods, obviosly, have a tonal effect on the sound of a guitar. What i found interesting about Taylor's stance is that they are making it out to be some secret ingredient that only they know about.

Bob did not elaborate on whether it was wood type, shape/dimensions, weight, etc., only that each different model may eventually, have its own "special" neck. As to the profile having a signficant effect on tonality, not sure about that. Different strings/playing techique, etc., could very likely swamp whatever tonality differences a neck re-profile may have.

[TBman]

I think I rather put in one buffalo horn pin,

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

I believe that differnt neck woods, obviosly, have a tonal effect on the sound of a guitar. What i found interesting about Taylor's stance is that they are making it out to be some secret ingredient that only they know about.

Bob did not elaborate on whether it was wood type, shape/dimensions, wight, etc., only that each different model may eventually, have its own "special" neck. As to the profile having a signficant effect on tonality, not sure about that. Different strings/playing techique, etc., could very likely swamp whatever tonality differences a neck re-profile may have.

I think that it is not the shape per se, but the mass and stiffness of the neck so to the extent that you might change that, it could have an impact. And, as you say here, other factors could override or cancel out the difference. A guitar truly is the sum of its parts.

Best,
Jayne

[martingitdave]

Since all the Taylor necks are variations on the same skinny design, I can’t imagine its a huge difference, no?

[Wade Hampton]

Dave, even with the same shape and size of neck, the density of the wood used to make it can vary, affecting its mass. Besides, Taylor is already using different neck shapes and dimensions by having some 12 fret models as well as 14 fretters.

Look, I don’t want to oversell this, the differences are mostly going to be quite subtle. (Although there’s nothing remotely subtle about the tonal impact of maple versus mahogany necks.) But even when the neck sizes are the same, wood is an organic material and that means results can and will vary.


whm

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Dave, even with the same shape and size of neck, the density of the wood used to make it can vary, affecting its mass. Besides, Taylor is already using different neck shapes and dimensions by having some 12 fret models as well as 14 fretters.



Look, I don’t want to oversell this, the differences are mostly going to be quite subtle. (Although there’s nothing remotely subtle about the tonal impact of maple versus mahogany necks.) But even when the neck sizes are the same, wood is an organic material and that means results can and will vary.





whm

Fair enough. I’ll buy that. I’m sure they have the ability to select woods for different density. And, yes that would make a big difference. Maybe they’re doing something with the truss rod?

[SprintBob]

From an engineering standpoint, the neck is an integral part of a vibrating system so its weight and stiffness have to be a significant part of the tonal signature of the instrument.

[Ed66]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

But you cannot hang a piece of wood as large, long and heavy as a guitar neck off of a sensitive vibrational unit like a guitar body and not have it affect the sound.

This would seem absolutely logical on one hand, on the other, we daily discuss the variances in tone/sound coming out of identical guitar models. Wood is inconsistent in density, strength, tonal characteristics, etc. even within boards from the same tree. I guess my question would be, unless you're really trying to fine tune the tone of a particular guitar would varying the type of wood on the neck matter? And even then, would a choice of strings, bridge pins, etc., be more effective at achieving that "tweak".

[jklotz]

My experience is limited to assembling electric guitars with bolt on necks. I have swapped several different necks on the same body/pickups/ectectronics/strings on a telecaster. I was shocked at how much of a difference it made. It makes sense to me this would be a major contributing factor on an acoustic guitar as well.