Special Investigation: Necks

The scale length of a guitar is calculated by measuring the distance from the nut to the centre of the twelfth fret (the octave) and then doubling the measurement. The scale length of a guitar has a big impact on both the tone and playability. Shorter scale lengths favour players with smaller hands and shorter fingers as the frets are smaller and closer which allows for more compact fingering while giving the guitar an overall muddier and warmer tone. Longer scale lengths therefore favour players with larger hands and gives space for extended fingering while giving guitars a brighter and cleaner tone.

One of the shortest scale lengths found on an electric guitar is 20.7”, found on some Rickenbacker models including John Lennon’s famous 325 model. Another shorter scale length is 22.5” which is sometimes referred to as ¾ scale by Fender, and is found on rarer Fender models like the Duosonic and Musicmaster, as well as the more popular Mustang.

24” is a more mid size scale length and is used on Brian May’s Red Special, while 24.5” is the scale length of choice for some PRS guitars including the Santana model and 24.6” is used on almost all Gretsch electric guitars. 24.75” is one of the most common scale lengths of guitar as it features on most Gibson, Epiphone and Rickenbacker guitars including the very popular Les Paul, Casino and 330 models. 25.5” is another one of the most common scale lengths, used in most Fender, Jackson and Ibanez designs, as well as a few Gibson hollowbody models.

The longer scale lengths between 26.5” and 30” are really only used on rarer extended range guitars such as the Ibanez RGD series of 7 string guitars (26.5”), Fender Jaguar baritone model (27”), Schecter 8 string models (28”) and Ibanez Meshuggah 8 strings (29.4”).

While scale length is down to the preference of the player, in most cases scale lengths in the mid range of 24-25.5” are usually considered better as they don’t have too much of an impact on tone and the average sizing makes them easier for a majority of players. However in some cases longer scale lengths are necessary and much better suited to the job, like on extended range guitars where more space is needed for fingering and longer strings are required.

All necks also have a measurement known as the fretboard radius, which is used to measure how round or how flat a neck is. A larger radius makes a flatter fretboard while a smaller one makes the board more rounded. As a general rule, rounder necks favour chord playing and flatter necks make soloing easier, therefore a guitarist may want to pick accordingly. In most cases, Fender guitars have rounder necks with a typical radius of 9.5” and Gibson guitars have flatter necks with a typical radius of 12”.

There are several different methods for joining the neck of a guitar to the body that are commonly found in mass production guitars:

• Bolt on: This is one of the most common methods for neck joining. When a guitar has a bolt on neck, a small area known as a pocket is cut out of the guitar where the neck is meant to sit, and the neck will then be designed to fit perfectly into this pocket. In the area where the neck and body cross over screws, usually three or four, are used to join the neck and body. Most bolt ons have a metal plate that sits between the screws and the wood to prevent damage from screw heads and relieve stress by distributing pressure. Bolt on necks are used by manufacturers including Fender, Ibanez, Jackson and ESP on models such as Stratocasters, Telecasters, RGs and the Jackson Rhoads model. The main benefit of the bolt on neck is the ability to change necks, particularly on Fender models which usually come with a standardised neck joint which allow players to choose a neck of their preference. This is also beneficial if a neck is damaged as it is easier to repair or replace. It also makes the manufacturing process cheaper, and in turn the overall price of the guitar cheaper. Some players argue that bolt on necks provide a brighter, sharper tone as well as more sustain, however this is widely debated. Bolt ons come with some drawbacks, primarily how it allows room for poor manufacturing quality as well as makes access to the very top frets harder on some guitars.

• Set-In Neck: The set neck method relies on a complicated dovetail joint along with glue to join body and neck. A dovetail joint is an old carpentry technique which involves cutting interlocking ‘pins and tails’ into two pieces of wood which creates a very powerful joint. The combination of glue and dovetail makes for a very well joined neck that is usually considered stronger than a bolt on. While set-ins are most common on acoustics, some electric guitar manufacturers favour them, most notably Gibson who use set in necks on almost all of their electric guitars including the SG, Les Paul, Firebird, Explorer and many guitars in the ES series. As well as being a generally better joined neck, other main advantages include a warmer, deeper tone and slightly easier access to top frets. However set in necks have some key disadvantages, primarily being harder and more expensive to mass produce as well as being much harder to repair modify or replace due to the complexity of the join.

• Neck Through: In this method, the piece of wood used for the neck is extended to fit in place through the length of the body, which makes the neck part of the core of the guitar. While they are more often found on basses, neck throughs are commonly used by several manufacturers on guitars including Rickenbacker, ESP, BC Rich, Ibanez and Jackson, however these necks are reserved for only the top end and most expensive guitars. This is primarily due to the complexity of the structure which makes the guitars much harder to mass produce and therefore more expensive. Because neck through designs have no need for a heel where it is attached to the body, access to the top frets are easier than on other joining methods. It is also widely considered that neck through guitars have greater sustain and stay in tune better than other structures. The primary drawback of neck throughs is that repairs are very difficult and expensive as they require a lot of skill to carry out, and modifications are virtually impossible. In some cases, repairs can be so difficult that necks have to be completely replaced, sometimes with another neck style like a bolt on. However, neck through designs are notably sturdier and therefore have less issues to resolve.

Inside the neck, a long metal bar runs through the length of the neck. A truss rod performs the very important role of stopping the neck from curving over time due to the high tension put on it by the strings. This is important as it keeps the neck straight and playable.

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