set-in neck

{{Short description|Stringed instrument construction method}}

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File:Rickenbacker neck.jpg electric guitar]]

A set-in neck (often shortened to set neck) is a traditional form of joining the neck of a stringed instrument with its body. This is typically done with a tightly fitted mortise-and-tenon or dovetail joint, secured with glue. Sonic qualities often attributed to this style of neck joint include a warm tone, long sustain, and a large surface area to transmit string vibration, leading to a "live" feeling instrument. But hard physical evidence for any of these is lacking, and the attribution of long sustain has been definitively contradicted by experimentation.{{cite journal |last1=Mottola |first1=R.M. |title=Sustain and Electric Guitar Neck Joint Type |journal=American Lutherie |date=2007 |issue=91 |page=52}} In guitars it also often allows superior access to top frets closest to the body.

It is a common belief that this yields a stronger body-to-neck connection than an inexpensive mechanically joined bolt-on neck. There's also a third method, neck-through construction, which requires more material to provide an even stronger connection.

Set-in necks are the most popular method for acoustic guitars. Almost all major acoustic guitar manufacturers (but with exceptions) use set-in necks and have applied this method also to their electric guitars; most notably, Gibson and Gretsch. With hollow body set-in neck electric guitars of the 1940s being rather expensive to buy and repair, newcomer Fender in 1950 introduced electric guitars that were easier to manufacture, combining a simple solid body with a bolt-on neck. Fender also introduced the electric bass guitar by adding a longer neck bolted to a solid guitar body.

Advantages

Typically cited advantages of set-in neck include:

  • Warmer tone
  • More sustain
  • Often, better access to top frets compared to bolt-on necks that use a square metal plate
  • Because the increased surface area results in more transmission of strings vibration, set in necks can feel more "alive" than if bolted on.

Disadvantages

  • Harder and more expensive to mass manufacture than bolt-on necks
  • Harder and more expensive to repair or service because the glue must be steamed or melted with a hot knife
  • No control over the neck-to-body angle; changing it requires a luthier to disassemble and re-glue the neck.{{Cite web|url=https://guitarsurf.com/article/how-to-set-a-guitar-neck/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908092937/https://guitarsurf.com/article/how-to-set-a-guitar-neck/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 8, 2021|title=How To Set a Guitar Neck|date=2021-09-08|website=GuitarSurf}}

Manufacturers

Notable manufacturers of guitars with set-in necks include:

References

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