Some people favored the Fender style, others preferred set-necks, and many from both camps insisted that their choice was the right choice! This is how myths are created.ДЄre they myths? Well, letвЂ™s take a more detailed look at the ones we mentioned earlierвЂ¦ PriceД¬heaper mass-production techniques were one of the reasons why Fender developed the bolt-on neck idea, and this method definitely lowers costs. And very predictably, certain trends and opinions quickly emerged surrounding the use of these instruments. But guitarists are more conservative than youвЂ™d think. And so was the idea of the bolt-on neck, although at first this was very much a feature associated with Fender вЂ“ other manufacturers (most notably Gibson) generally stuck to the set neck design. With the arrival of the Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster, it was clear by 1955 that solid-body electric guitars were very definitely here to stay. One completely new instrument construction method followed by one completely new instrument type in the space of two years. These same principles were used just one year later on the Fender Precision вЂ“ the worldвЂ™s first real bass guitar.

Fender had refined his vision of an instrument designed primarily to be plugged in and amplified electrically the simple solid body and bolt-on neck could be easily mass-produced, keeping down costs. Then in 1950 a man called Leo Fender introduced a new guitar called the Broadcaster, (subsequently renamed the Telecaster). This technique didnвЂ™t even change much during the earliest experiments with making solid-body electric guitars вЂ“ Les PaulвЂ™s infamous prototype instrument вЂњThe LogвЂќ (first laughed at by Gibson in 1941) still featured a set neck of sorts.

Everything from violins to the earliest guitars tended to feature a neck with a heel that was jointed and glued directly to the top end of the instrument body, providing a strong bond that could bear the string tension. The way that luthiers attached instrument necks to instrument bodies was pretty much standard for centuries. Well first letвЂ™s explain the basics with a little bit of back story. вЂ Bolt-onвЂ™ neck = cheaper, lower quality, less sustain, twangier tone, easier to repairДЄre these myths? Or are there any shreds of truth here? History вЂ FixedвЂ™ or вЂSetвЂ™ neck = more expensive, higher-quality, better sustain, warmer tone, harder to repair Or rather some long-standing myths about these two main methods of constructing a guitar. And one old chestnut that seemingly refuses to go away is the fixed vs bolt-on neck debate. ItвЂ™s unlikely that James Hetfield will perform the next Metallica concert using a nylon-string classical acoustic for example.Д«ut some debates about particular guitar features have become almost clichГ©s. And вЂ“ certain instruments will naturally suit certain styles more than others. Most of this opinion is clearly going to be rubbish вЂ“ people use all sorts of different guitars to play all sorts of different music. A total rookie discussing instrument choice with a group of experienced guitarists could be forgiven for thinking theyвЂ™d accidentally wandered into a contest between fans of McDonalds, BK and WendyвЂ™s вЂ“ you just know the argumentвЂ™s not gonna end any time soonвЂ¦ To make things harder for the newbie entering this minefield of variety, thereвЂ™s already a crazy amount of strongly-held opinion about whatвЂ™s right and whatвЂ™s wrong. The options run much deeper than that basic decision вЂ“ will that be acoustic or electro-acoustic, with or without a cutaway, parlor or super-jumbo size, regular or bowl-back, the list just goes on.ДЄnd as for electric guitar choice, are you a humbucker or single-coil fan, will you be having a tremolo with that, super or regular Strat, which exact shade of Peruvian mocha coffee-burst paint job (I made that last one up, although itвЂ™s probably an option somewhere) вЂ“ you get the idea. Just in terms of new guitars (ignoring all second-hand and vintage options) we are seriously spoiled for choice.Д«ut this can be massively overwhelming for new players, even those who have made the seemingly simple choice between an electric or acoustic instrument. The wealth of instrument options for guitarists these days is just incredible.

Hi вЂ“ welcome back! Today weвЂ™re gonna go вЂњneck and neckвЂќвЂ¦

Gibson les paul neck joint contour