Set-in neck

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Set-in neck" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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

. Among its qualities are a warm tone, long sustain, and a large surface area to transmit string vibration, leading to a "live" feeling instrument. 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

construction, the third of the common methods of neck attachment, which requires more material and is usually found only on high-end solid body guitars.

Set-in necks are the most popular on

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

In rare cases, makers use other solutions. Babicz Guitars makes a mechanically joined neck that can be "wound" up or down to adjust action height.

Glue

Set-in necks are traditionally and best secured with hot

Advantages

Typically cited advantages of set-in neck include:

• Warmer tone (acoustic guitars only)^{[citation needed]}
• More sustain (acoustic guitars only)
• Often, better access to top frets compared 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

• Certain models seem prone to neck breakage - though this may be due to weaker neck wood (mahogany instead of maple).^{[citation needed]}
• 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 to disassemble and re-glue the neck.^[2]

References

External links

• Glue comparison chart at frets.com