Guitar Neck Construction

The Neck Joint

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These Facts Once Understood Will Teach You About The Most Important Part Of The Guitar

Bolt-In Neck Guitar Construction

Highly Recommended for Ultimate Versatility

Bolt-In guitars are known for better overtones and much more sustain than Bolt-Ons. Bolt-In construction is not just an alternative to Bolt-On, it is an evolution. Bolt-In construction when used in conjuction with Direct Coupling, as utilized in our Quicksilver Guitars, offers superior tonal qualities to all other methods of construction. This method is more expensive, so very few companies offer it. Further, Bolt-In is highly recommended because the heel is buried in the body. In fact, I highly recommend it over just a plain set neck.

On a Bolt-In the neck is actually bolted through the back of the body. There is no huge flange to get in your way, and the front pickup can effectively be mounted directly onto the neck. This adds tons of sustain & increases overtones by a whopping 30%!

Add Ed Roman's Direct Coupling to Bolt-In Construction and You Get Nirvana

Currently very few other companies offer Direct Coupling. For this to work properly it is imperative that the neck joint be super tight. If you can slip a dollar bill into the crack on either side of the neck you have defeated the whole concept. Our Quicksilver Guitars offer Bolt-In Construction and Direct Coupling for Ultimate Tone and Versatility.

Neck-Through-Body Guitar Construction

Highly Recommended for Ultimate Sustain and Stability

Neck-through-body construction is the most stable construction for an electric guitar. Slightly more expensive and not very common; Ed Roman has always recommended neck through body guitars. Neck-though-body construction is recommended when stability is tantamount and much more sustain is desired. Pickups are generally mounted right in the neck. You will lose a certain degree of high end, although some companies try to combat this electronically. If you are looking for phenomenally fat sustain and you don't necessarily need a funky thin tone, this will work very well. You will have the same tonal limitations of a Les Paul or an SG, but the stability will help to hold tune better.

Some companies that employ neck-through-body construction are: BC Rich, Jackson, Rickenbacker and Ed Roman Abstract Guitars.

Deep-Set Neck Tenon Guitar Construction

Highly Recommended for Tone and Stability

Deep-set necks are the most expensive to do. They're very stable, just like a neck-through-body, and excellent sounding if you are looking for a ballsy fat tone. Our deep-set neck guitars are also among our most cosmetically beautiful.

Deep-set necks are highly recommended for same reasons as a neck-through, but with the added attraction of keeping the top intact. You may sacrifice some Strat and Tele tones, but the blues tone is awesome. You will have the same limitations of a Les Paul or an SG but the stability will help to hold tune better.

Some companies that employ neck-through-body construction are: Ed Roman Centurion Guitars.

Bolt-On Guitar Construction

Not Often Recommended

Bolt-on construction is inexpensive to manufacture and very common, but admittedly has tonal capabilities that are excellent, as long as the neck is a very tight fit and it has been done right. Unfortunately, much more often than not, they are not done right.

Bolt-on is not the worst way to do it, but it's still not highly recommended by us because the heel is too big. The design is very old and the neck joint is cumbersome. A bolt on neck has a large flange that protrudes from the body. The neck is usually bolted onto this cumbersome flange which add bulk and hinders upper fret access.

Fender popularized the bolt-on which definitely fostered more overtones. However, bolt-on's got a bad rap in the 70's due to CBS's inability to build the Fenders correctly. They simply didn't have a tight neck fit, making them unstable pigs at the time. Today Fender has 95% corrected that problem. Always check any Fender for a tight neck before you buy it. It will save you hours of playing every one in the store. You will be able to pick out the good sounding one's just by checking the neck fit.

Some companies that employ neck-through-body construction are: Fender, Ibanez, G&L, ESP, Washburn, Charvel and most imported guitars.

Set-Neck Guitar Construction

Not Recommended

One Exception: 22 fret soapbar pickup guitars it doesn't seem to degrade tone. It is important to understand this explanation is directed at electric solid body guitars only. Jazz Guitars & Acoustic guitars fall into a complete separate category.

Set-neck construction is the least expensive, cheapest and most common guitar construction methods. I am not a fan of this. Most guitars since the dawn of time use this method. When a set neck is employed, the guitar lacks that bluesy duck-tone nasal twang associated with bolt on guitars. They also lose a lot of overtones and for lack of a better word, the set-neck guitars don't have any spank!

Some companies that employ neck-through-body construction are: Gibson and PRS.

Lindsey Buckingham with a Neck-Through-Body Abstract Avanti

Quicksilver Rules

Quicksilver guitars are built to the highest standards available on any mid ranged priced guitar.

The Quicksilver guitar is one of the most versatile easy playing guitars available today.

No expense is spared to make these guitars the absolute finest on the market today.

Almost any option that you can think of, including custom body shapes, neck sizes, electronics, hardware and a host of little innovations that will make you the happiest you have ever been with a guitar.

As of this writing we are only aware of less than 1% of our players who have sold or traded off their Quicksilver. With 6 years and almost 1000 units on the market that's a lofty statement.

This Quicksilver built for Mike Clifford of Las Vegas...

Ed Roman - August 2006

Another Reason Why Quicksilver Rules!!!!

The finish on a neck makes a big difference in the feel of the neck. Most people prefer the smooth, natural feel of an oil-finished neck. It has also been my experience that an oil-finished neck is more humidity stable than a painted neck (providing the fingerboard is not painted as well). Even though oil provides less moisture vapor protection than a painted finish, an oil-finished neck is considered a balanced finish. In other words the fingerboard side of the neck has the same finish and therefore the same moisture protection as the back of the neck. So the whole neck gains and loses moisture at an equal rate. This is true of a neck that is painted both front and back as well such as most maple necks.

Necks that are painted on the back of the neck but whose fingerboards are oiled would be considered to have an unbalanced finish where the moisture gain and loss will be slightly more inhibited through the paint. Not much mind you, but enough to make the neck less stable through humidity changes.

Sheldon Dingwall

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