A set-in neck (often shortened to ''set neck'') is a traditional form of joining the neck of a stringed instrument with its body. This is typically done with a tightly fitted mortise-and-tenon or

dovetail A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, a ...

joint, secured with glue. Sonic qualities often attributed to this style of neck joint include a warm tone, long sustain, and a large surface area to transmit string vibration, leading to a "live" feeling instrument. But hard physical evidence for any of these is lacking, and the attribution of long sustain has been definitively contradicted by experimentation. In guitars it also often allows superior access to top frets closest to the body. It is a common belief that this yields a stronger body-to-neck connection than an inexpensive mechanically joined bolt-on neck. There's also a third method, neck-through construction, which requires more material to provide an even stronger connection. Set-in necks are the most popular method for acoustic guitars. Almost all major acoustic guitar manufacturers (but with exceptions) use set-in necks and have applied this method also to their

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

s; most notably, Gibson and

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures and markets musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Fri ...

. With hollow body set-in neck electric guitars of the 1940s being rather expensive to buy and repair, newcomer Fender in 1950 introduced electric guitars that were easier to manufacture, combining a simple solid body with a bolt-on neck. Fender also introduced the electric

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

by adding a longer neck bolted to a solid guitar body.

Advantages

Typically cited advantages of set-in neck include: * Warmer tone * More sustain * Often, better access to top frets compared to bolt-on necks that use a square metal plate * Because the increased surface area results in more transmission of strings vibration, set in necks can feel more "alive" than if bolted on.

Disadvantages

* Harder and more expensive to mass manufacture than bolt-on necks * Harder and more expensive to repair or service because the glue must be steamed or melted with a hot knife * No control over the neck-to-body angle; changing it requires a

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

to disassemble and re-glue the neck.

Manufacturers

Notable manufacturers of guitars with set-in necks include: * Gibson *

Paul Reed Smith Paul Reed Smith Guitars, also known as PRS Guitars or simply PRS, is an American guitar and amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-vary ...

References

External links

Glue comparison chart
at frets.com {{Guitar necks Guitar neck joints