Neck Style

Most electric guitars can be split into three main types:

Bolt on

Can be easily replaced, uses less wood with less waste and is therefore cheaper to make. This style of construction usually needs a ‘heel’ on the body for the neck to ‘bolt on’ to so it can be cumbersome for some players, but can be improved by using recessed neck anchor washers instead of a plate so the heel can be shaped for better access.

Variations:

• Parallel headstock – needs string retainers holding down the strings over the nut to create enough string angle.
• Angled back headstock- eliminates the need for string trees by scarfing the headstock.
• Bolt on/set neck-the same construction as set neck but bolted instead of glued. We don’t usually do this at Bailey guitars as we believe that if you’re going to go to the bother you might as well glue it in.

Set neck

Gluing in improves sustain by ensuring a more solid neck to body contact. There is no need for a heel on the body, but to get enough surface area for a strong enough joint the neck heel extends under the front pickup. This part of the neck is called the tenon. The neck heel is also bigger than a bolt on and set deeper into the body. This makes it more expensive as you need a bigger piece of wood for the neck blank. It’s harder to replace than a bolt on but it can be done.

Variation –

• Long tenon- same as above but the neck extends right to the bridge. We don’t do this style here at Bailey guitars as we believe that you might as well make it neck thru.

Neck thru

Possibly the ultimate construction style, ‘neck thru’, eliminates the need for a heel on the neck or body. The neck piece extends right through to the back of the body, so there is no neck joint as such. The area where the heel would normally be can be carved away so that the neck simply blends into the body. This means maximum possible access to the top frets. Also the nut, pickups and bridge are all mounted onto the same piece of wood for ultimate tone and sustain.  The neck is not removable from the body so if something goes wrong you may have to replace the whole guitar.