Set-neck guitars... Any for me?

[Pierre]

I've always thought that were bolt-ons were more for me. But I have limited experience with other neck joins (neck-thru Kramer Stagemaster, and a Les Paul Custom I had for a while).

The reason the LP went away is because the sound of LPs always seem too compressed to me. I love the girth and 'KRAAANG' factor, but where are the damn dynamics I'm so used to? I felt like I was playing through a compressor... I also wasn't a huge fan of the later peak in the note. I.e. I felt the note sustained at the end, not at the beginning. Wait, did this make sense?

So. Would I be happier with an SG, or a Hamer Studio, or a Lag Roxane for instance? I.e. a double cut with less Mahogany? Or would all set-necks leave me cold? I'll take suggestions

[Kam]

What pickups did you have in the Les Paul? If they were pretty hot, that could be where the compression was coming from.

I think the sustain thing you're talking about is the attack? Bolt ons like Strats and Teles usually have a quicker attack and more snap to the note. I've always thought that was a combination of the bolt on neck and the longer scale length, though I'm sure the brighter woods (especially the maple usually used for their necks) help.

SGs are usually brighter and snappier than a Les Paul, with a more aggressive edge to them. In my opinion, they're a superior design in pretty much every way.

[Pierre]

Definitely not that hot. Bareknuckle Riff Raff in the bridge and I barely ever used the neck pickup. The Riff Raff was AMAZING. Such a brilliant sounding pickup.

And yes it's exactly that, the attack. On bolt ons the note peaks earlier, and later on set neck which is what gives the illusion of the 'sustain'. A huge chunk of maple-topped Mahogany helps too. Not that I've never had sustain issues with bolt-ons.

SGs aren't very well designed structurally. I've never played one mind. They just seem very fragile.

[Grindspine]

Neck through guitars ftw. ^_^

I'm sure many disagree with me though. I have played several bolt-on, a handful of set neck, and a few neck-through body guitars. They all have their place, but the solid feel and smooth neck joint of a neck through works best for me.

[dominus]

Try a PRS SE. Try one with a Tremolo, and one without. Should be about the halfway point between a Strat and an LP.

[MetalManiac]

Your tastes really run to the extreme/bizzare if you don't like Les Paul Customs! Thats about the pinnacle of guitar craftsmanship. That guitar is acknowledged worldwide as the Creme de la Creme of guitars. It leads me to ask if maybe its not you, and not the guitar.

[ItsaBass]

Les Pauls are great...but they're Les Pauls; they have a tone all their own. They're "mellow" in tone...or at least that's how they were designed - a solid, compact guitar based on the single-cut hollow jazz boxes of the time. They're the signature model of a jazz guitarist; they aren't made for a stinging high end, or for bashing on bar chords. Turn them up, and they have that "whomp" factor you talked about, from the thick body...like a mule kick. But what you describe as a compressed sound, I would describe as them eating up treble. It can be tough to get high-end definition out of them when they are stock. So you turn up louder...and you do nothing but add mud and compression when you do that, exacerbating the "problem." The huge sound combined with their appetite for treble can make it hard to get a real clear "rock" sound. Remember that they were not a big success. The original design lasted less than a decade. But rock-n-roll folks discovered what they could do...with the right amp, and in different styles of music, like blues-rock. They are a match made in heaven with a Marshall. Not a lot a lot of low end, and plenty of high end on tap. To play a Les Paul for rock and not have it sound like mud, you've got to use a suitable amp with suitable settings. Then it's heaven.

I really don't think it's a set neck vs. bolt neck issue. I've played many bolt-neck Les Pauls, and they still have the basic Les Paul character.

[AlexR]

I think what the above post is trying to say (perhaps through personal experience), is that if you play a LP expecting it to sound like a strat then you'll be disappointed.

You can't keep the same amp settings as a bright guitar and have a thick rock machine sound good, it just won't happen. Your playing technique, amp settings and tones have to be adjusted. Then there is NO issue with getting enough treble out of them.

[Pierre]

A lot of good points, but treble wasn't the issue. The guitar was plenty bright enough and the Riff Raff added a little treble sizzle to the tone.
I was playing it through a Laney AOR back then; like a Marshall JCM800 with 6V6s. Also a rather bright end in fact.

I liked the tone. And I don't want it to be a Strat, I have just the Strat for me. The only thing that bugged me was the feel of always playing through a compressor whenever I was working on leads. It was a great guitar, that LP Custom (Edwards) but I never got used to that one flaw. I'm just wondering if it's something common to all set-necks or just to Les Pauls

[Laughing Kookaburra]

The BKPs are great pups, have you considered that you simply may not care for humbuckers?

[Pierre]

Yeah that Riff Raff was incredible. And yes I have. In fact my main guitar has P90s and the two guitars I have with humbuckers spend more time with the Stratty intermediate positions than with full-on humbuckers (my Axis SS for example). I only ever use full humbuckers for heavy rock and metal.

I never really thought of it that way before. I started as a much heavier player than I am now so I always took humbuckers for granted!

However I am perfectly happy with the humbucker tones in my Strat and MusicMan. No compression there, nothing like the LP and Stagemaster I had.

[GuitarDoc]

I think that you are making a wrong corollary. It's not the bolt vs set neck that is creating the difference that you are experiencing. It's the 1) wood type, 2) scale length, and 3) pup (hummer vs single coil).

[blueman335]

I don't hear a compression issue with LPs when they have P-90's or low out PAF's. The sound is pretty open. Not squeaky Fender clean, but clean enough for rock.

[GuitarDoc]

+1.

Or a 59/c hybrid.

[innerdreamrecords.co]

A lot of good points, but treble wasn't the issue. The guitar was plenty bright enough and the Riff Raff added a little treble sizzle to the tone.
I was playing it through a Laney AOR back then; like a Marshall JCM800 with 6V6s. Also a rather bright end in fact.

I liked the tone. And I don't want it to be a Strat, I have just the Strat for me. The only thing that bugged me was the feel of always playing through a compressor whenever I was working on leads. It was a great guitar, that LP Custom (Edwards) but I never got used to that one flaw. I'm just wondering if it's something common to all set-necks or just to Les Pauls

From my experience that is the sound of thick mahogany which is the only wood I like for guitars. As an example I owned a LP and a Dean HardTail both Mahogany guitars but the Dean is thinner and the sound differs enough to notice. The LP was bigger and deeper sounding and the HardTail had more bite less fullness and bottom.

[Hellion]

It took me about 16 years to get to the point to where I actually was wanting to try a bolt on neck. I just couldn't stand sliding up and running into that heel. As a result, all of the instruments that I acquired during that time (couple SGs, a Dean Z, Flying V, Washburn Falcon, etc) are set or full length necks. They all sound different, but it was the FEEL of the instrument that was important to me.

[DonP]

(Edwards)

Maybe try a real Les Paul instead of a copy?

[BloodRose]

as said before, I think the issue is not that a set neck is the problem, its finding the right guitar with a set neck. A jackson SL1 (neck thru) is gonna be diff than a LP. I love the feel and sustain of a set neck or neck thru. I also happen to love the deep bark of the LP. But on certain days, my Charvel bolt on is the tone I want.. So, keep looking

[stevie_bees]

I had a similar issue Pierre. I just couldn't find the right playability/tone/balance/looks of a set neck guitar that suited me. I'd always played a bolt on guitar, and I guess I'd just become used to what they offered and what I could get out of them. Les Pauls sounded to overpowering, and I didn't like the higher fret access. SGs sounded great, but I didn't like the way they balanced on a strap.

My Fret King has sorted me out!! A more SG-type of tone (no maple cap) and a better balance on the strap.

I think I just needed to bide my time and let things fall into place.

[Mr. B]

I think that scale length, hardware and woods are going to have a greater affect than construction method.

Try something with a longer scale length like a PRS or something that has an alder body or something other than Mahogany.

I'd bet a set neck strat with the same scale length, hardware and woods... would probably sound not a lot different than a bolt on version.

Bingo ! That is what you are describing hearing in the tone. It is this more than the set-vs-bolt neck difference. Something like a fat strat, SG, or Jackson Dinky will have more of the tone you describe.