Neck Questions

Larry Robertson · From: Denver, Colorado, USA

What is inside a steel guitar neck & what does the neck do for the sound? I see pics of the various models with very different neck characteristics. I have always assumed that they are solid aluminum or wood, but some student models have no neck or only a slightly raised fingerboard. What is the difference in sound with a wood neck compared to a metal neck on the same model? My MSA Vintage XL wood necks are at least 1 inch thick, which seems to be thicker than most others. Does anyone know if they are solid or could they be hollow? On the MSA Classic that I had years back, the necks were half as thick and were mica covered. The GFI Ultra necks appear to be very low profile also, but are aluminum. I also have seen mentioned on one manufacturer's website (I don't remember which one) that the necks on their steels were independent from the changer and the bridge. They did not say what that did for the sound, but implied this was better. Any comments on necks are welcome. Has anyone done any swapping or replacement of necks on a steel and what were the results? I am curious what you folks know. Thanks, Larry
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MSA D-10, Carter U12, Fessy SDU-12,Emmons P/P D-10, Emmons P/P U-12,Emmons S-10 ShoBud SuperPro, Lap steel, keyboards, 6-string Guitars.. too many

Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

This is all conjecture but I'll post it anyway.

Tone - the neck can alter the resonance of the guitar due to its' mass/density/stiffness. It alters the resonance peak of the body. Hollow cast or machined aluminum necks reportedly accentuate the upper mid range. Solid think wood necks tend to level out the harmonics resulting in less harmonic content - more pure tone, perhaps less interesting though, although Sho-bud owners will argue otherewise.

The reason alluminum necks are not attached at one or more ends is because aluminum has a large temperature coefficeint concerning expansiion and contraction. Steel strings also have a temp coeffieienct but it is much less. So isolating the neck from the nut and changer is generally done to improve holding tune with temperature change.

Stiffness - large thick necks will help with cabinet detune. This is the phenomena whereby the body of a guitar flexes with increase string tension. A pedalled string detunes a non-pedalled string for example due to more flexing of the body.

String height off the body will change 1) cabinet drop mentioned above, 2) tone, 3) sustain.

There are so many variables regarding acoustic tone. The neck material, charecteristics, dimensions contribute but a few.

If you place an electric guitar on a formica counter top and give it a strum it gets noteably acoustically louder. I heard this was one of the the reasons the Emmons guitar used formica originally.

I seem to like the tone of steel guitars that are loud acoustically.

David Doggett · Posted 5 May 2008 7:53 am

I'll just relay some things I have read here on the Forum over the years.

The tone and sustain of an Emmons push/pull is sensitive to how tightly the aluminum neck is screwed down. Too tight kills the tone and sustain; whereas, backing off the screws slightly restores it. The aluminum neck is hollow, and the cross braces are concave. This was presumably to allow the body to resonate with minimal interference of the neck. The tone of this guitar is generally considered the benchmark for pedal steel. It has bright highs, strong mids, and good string separation in the bass.

Sho-Bud used aluminum necks beginning with the Pro III. Their advertising said this was for improved sustain, and they were apparently trying to emulate and compete with Emmons. But many people claim to prefer the more mellow tone of the wood-neck Sho-Buds.

Bobbe-Seymour said that, in building the Sho-Bud SuperPro, they thought its unique tone was caused by the neck. But when they removed the neck, the tone was still there.

The thin necks of some makes (GFI, Carter) are associated with lower string height in relation to the body, which is believed to improve cabinet drop. However, cabinet drop is a complicated phenomenon with multiple sources, possibly including mechanical slack in the changer and keyhead. So neck and body properties are only part of the problem.

So, judging from the above, properties of the neck can affect tone, and having a neck is not necessarily essential to good tone and sustain.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Most wood necks are solid - just a board, really. Most aluminum necks, whether cast or cast/machined are somewhat hollow underneath. This is because aluminum is very heavy compared to wood, and the added weight serves no useful purpose. Some necks now are even made of formed sheet metal, so they're totally hollow underneath, while others have no real neck, just a thin fretboard.

Contrary to popular belief, the neck itself usually has very little affect on the overall sound of the guitar. I don't believe anyone can listen to a guitar and tell you what kind of neck it has! Wink

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