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Topic: Psg Neck-----Wood Or Metal??? |
Dan Moslander
From:
Central California USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 3:39 pm |
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Why would one prefer a wood neck on his guitar as opposed to a metal one or vice-versa...is there a considerable difference in the sound?????
_________________
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" Psa. 14:1
don't have a gear list...I'm broke |
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David Beckner
From:
Kentucky, USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 6:29 pm
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I have always had wood necks , that is until I got my Wilcox that I have now.
In my opinion I would say the wood neck is a lower , dimmer sound, while the metal neck is much brighter..
Kind of like playing in a dimly lit room and suddenly the spot light is on. 
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PARTS CASTER.Gospel and Classic Country Music
http://www.dbupholstery.yolasite.com |
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Dave Simonis
From:
Stevens Point, WI USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 7:43 pm
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...though some will say wood necks provide a warm tone and metal lacks some warmth. I guess it's all in what you perceive. To me wood necks complete some guitars and can be prettier:
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Dave Simonis
Fiddle: Zeta, Arthur Conner, many others.../Steel: GFI SD-10 Ultra.../Mandolin: Breedlove.../Guitar: Gibson, Fender, Taylor.../Amps: Peavey NV112, Evans FET 500.../Others: Hilton, Goodrich, Stereo Steel, Pendulum Pre-amp... |
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Tommy Thompson
From:
tampa, fl
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 8:06 pm wood and aluminum
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| I have a sho-bud with wooden neck and a mullen hwp and the sound is unique on the Bud, softer flowing and the mullen is more straight forward, both sounding good in their own way. |
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 9:02 pm
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My Jackson BlackJack Custom's got a metal neck and the sound and tone are incredible! My GFI's got wooden necks and the sound on the GFI is good in it's own way, but the Jackson's sound and tone is so clear! I think metal necks make steels pretty too
Brett |
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Dan Moslander
From:
Central California USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 9:18 pm
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I have seen some beautiful guitars out there with wood necks and metal necks...I'm more interested in knowing which has the better quality sound????? Is it a matter of one's own hearing or is there really a quality difference????
_________________
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" Psa. 14:1
don't have a gear list...I'm broke |
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 30 Apr 2012 11:09 pm
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It's hard to tell which has better sound cause I think they both sound good in some way. I guess I've noticed a much clearer sound on my Jackson's aluminum neck. I think it depends on what sounds good to you. I love the classic sound on my Jackson because it sounds so clear.
Brett |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 1 May 2012 1:41 am
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I have always been a bit skeptical about the difference in tone created by a bolted on neck. Is there any quantifiable data showing a sonic difference? If there is an audible difference, is there anyway of knowing how much has to do with the material and how much has to do simply with the difference in mass?
Dan |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 1 May 2012 2:22 am
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| Dan Moslander wrote: |
| ..I'm more interested in knowing which has the better quality sound????? Is it a matter of one's own hearing or is there really a quality difference???? |
Depends on how the neck is mounted, and what it is mounted onto - the PSG body itself. On some PSGs the neck is not much more than a decorative piece with next to zero impact on sound, while on other PSGs the neck contributes quite a bit to the overall body-sound.
Generally for a wood neck: if it makes an impact at all compared to having no neck on the PSG, a wood neck will tend to interact with the body for a warmer sound.
Equally generally for an aluminum neck: as aluminum has sonic properties much different from those of wood, a "routed-out" aluminum neck can be made to interact with the body for an overall brighter sound and what is perceived as improved sustain, all the way through zero contribution, towards a warmer sound.
In other words, an aluminum neck can be tuned - mainly through its mounting, through a much wider range of positive contribution to overall tone - from "bright" to "mellow" to "warm", than is possible for a wood neck.
So, to finish with more generalization: PSGs with aluminum necks tend to sound brighter and sustain better (or different), than PSGs with wood necks. If you like "brighter with increased sustain", then a PSG with aluminum neck is likely to sound better to you than one with wood neck. |
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Richard Rice
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 1 May 2012 5:02 am
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Tone being subjective, and generalities being dangerous, my experience shows me I prefer a wooden neck. My Multi Kord was an all metal guitar, with a weak pickup. It had a much thinner tone than successive instruments. Then cam a Maverick, which ws a terrible machine, but it had a very nice, warm tone. Unfortunately, the machine was of very poor quality, and unplayable- irreparable.
Enter the Sierra, a very precision aluminum guitar equipped with a George L's pickup. Sustained for hours, very bright tone. Too bright for my liking, adding a tone control helped get some of the "icepick in the ear" tone to settle down. That ws still a real nice instrument.
My current PSG is a Marlen D-10 with solid maple cabinet and necks, BL 705 pickups with the chrome surrounds. Definitely warmer, much more girth to the midrange, and a more organic, fatter tone. Tons of sustain, strong trebles but not "icepicky". This one is by far my favorite, and I added a tone control (outboard) to warm up the tone even more for certain passages. Lots of bass on this one, too, likely a combination of the wooden construction and the mass of the larger, heavier instrument.
My impression (based on my own observations) is the aluminum had a more piercing tone with higher note definition and nice string separation. Too much so for my needs. I prefer the fatter, fuller sound of the wood, but it isn't just the neck- everything affects everything. Cabinet materials and construction, fingerboard, pickup, effects chain, amp, speakers, bar materials, and players' touch. YMMV
_________________
'84 Marlen Custom D-10, 8X4
Oahu Tonemaster 6 string lap steel
Rice Custom 6 string lap steel
Republic Squareneck Tricone
Homebrew 6 string reso
10 string Melobar- Rice modified
Rice Custom 8 string reso (under construction)
Hohner 6 string lap guitar (acoustic)
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Steelin' thru a '72 Vibrosonic Reverb and a '69 Dual Showman Reverb (Stereo) |
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Dan Moslander
From:
Central California USA
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Posted 1 May 2012 6:15 am
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Thanks, very much, guys....appreciate your input. I always wondered about this and thought I'd just put it out there....I also prefer a warmer sound, but since I have a D10 w/alum necks, and since I'm broke at the present from all my toys, I'll enjoy what I have....thanks again....Dan
_________________
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" Psa. 14:1
don't have a gear list...I'm broke |
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Richard Rice
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 1 May 2012 6:43 am
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Dan, for almost no money you can build a tone control to help tame those upper frequencies. It's just a couple of jacks, a capacitor, and a pot. It really helped on the Sierra, and I used a "no load" pot, which takes it completely out of the circuit if you want full trebles. It really mellowed things out, and allowed me to dial in a nice range of warmer sounds. I put mine in a little metal box so I didn't have to drill holes in the steel. It worked great, and I kept mine when I sold the Sierra. Now I use it on the Marlen. It gives a real nice response.
_________________
'84 Marlen Custom D-10, 8X4
Oahu Tonemaster 6 string lap steel
Rice Custom 6 string lap steel
Republic Squareneck Tricone
Homebrew 6 string reso
10 string Melobar- Rice modified
Rice Custom 8 string reso (under construction)
Hohner 6 string lap guitar (acoustic)
Kustom K-500 tuck & roll
Peavey Century
Peavey Vegas 400
Peavey CS-800
Bag End custom 1X12 & 1X15 cabs w.EV drivers
Steelin' thru a '72 Vibrosonic Reverb and a '69 Dual Showman Reverb (Stereo) |
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Dan Moslander
From:
Central California USA
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Posted 1 May 2012 4:08 pm
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Thanks alot for the info, Richard, appreciate it very much. Appreciate all the comments...always wondered about that, now I know "the rest of the story"......thanks
_________________
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" Psa. 14:1
don't have a gear list...I'm broke |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 4 May 2012 2:51 pm
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| Dan Moslander wrote: |
| I have seen some beautiful guitars out there with wood necks and metal necks...I'm more interested in knowing which has the better quality sound????? Is it a matter of one's own hearing or is there really a quality difference???? |
I feel it's pretty much up to the listener. If one type were head and shoulders better than the other, by now - there would likely be only be one type made. Even Bobbe Seymour once mentioned that the neck material was of little consequence. In fact, he said that some guitars sounded no different even with the neck totally removed!  |
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