# Neck-through-body precautions?



## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

After never quite finding the exact type of guitar that I am dreaming of, I ran across this and haven't been able to get it out of my mind:








http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bodies,_necks,_wood/Electric_guitar:_Necks/Through-body_Guitar_Neck.html

I want something that is as completely resonant as possible and I heard a neck through body can be a huge contributor to this in electrics.
I was originally thinking set neck, but find that idea quite intimidating and think that this prefab neck through body would be a lot safer (and more resonant). I'm assuming that I would just choose some type of wood to glue to the sides of it, but wonder about whether or not I would be adding a cap to the top. Does anyone have experience with these types of necks and can you tell by looking at it if the body should be raised above that through body block at all?

If I have a choice, do you think it is better to have like a maple top or have no top as far as resonant value of the guitar?
One possibility is to try and make something toward the style of a tele thinline type of semi-hollow. (chambered Mahogany body with a semi thin maple top)

I like the thick middy tone that mahogany helps give (That's why I am going to be after p-90s too.

My other biggest fear was the whole finishing aspect, but have been thinking of going unfinished natural wood (again for maximum resonance)

Apparently fender road worn series seem to make a pretty big difference because of the lack of finish on them.

So, any thoughts or warnings?

Are resonant guitars usually so resonant because they are one slab of wood? So, thus having mahogany glued beside the maple neck, would that ruin the proper vibration vibe going on?


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

Those blanks (as are Carvin's if they are still available) are designed to have the "Wings" glued on flush with the face of the neck through part... and the angle of the fretboard is made to allow the use of a lower height bridge like one of the roller Schallers, or you should be able to use any medium height trem unit or bridge (hipshot, schaller, baby grand, or even a TOM style if you mount the bridge down low. A thinner bridge might have to be shimmed up.

I dont think you will be able to cap it.

I made a neck through using one of Carvin's blanks way back in the 80's. I used cherry to make the wings... it was a bright sounding guitar.

AJC


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

http://www.carvinguitars.com/necks/


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

so how can you make sure you get perfectly flush joints - it's not like you can plane the neck and body.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Thank you for the vision! I had never seen those before. :smile:


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

mrmatt1972 said:


> so how can you make sure you get perfectly flush joints - it's not like you can plane the neck and body.


Thats where some woodworking skill comes in. Its not hard, just make your wings the same thickness as the body. Use clamps to keep everything flush and you should have just a very small bit to sand perfectly flush.

You can use small pins to aid in lining up the wings. Or even a few #0 biscuits... but its not really necessary with careful clamping.

AJC


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

So, I suppose that it would be possible then to put a thin flat top on this if I wanted to plane down this centre block with the wings a little bit.

The reason I would consider that is to hollow out those wings to make a sort of semi-hollow body.

Do you see any problems with that as far as construction or sound afterward?


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

ajcoholic said:


> http://www.carvinguitars.com/necks/


I like the amount of choices on here and they seem to be a lower price than the stewmac choice.

It looks like I could go for a mahogany neck ($50 MORE).


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

sure you could reduce the thickness of the center block and cap it. I think it would be neat to hollow out the wings - and think one company in Europe does do that with their own neck throughs.

As for sound, you only know after you are done... pretty hard to guess what it will be like.

AJC


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