Neck-through

Construction in which the neck and the centre section of the body are one continuous piece of wood, with the body wings glued on each side.

The theory is that removing the joint gives better transfer of vibration between string and body, which is heard as long sustain and a strong fundamental, and it is why the design appears on a lot of instruments built for heavy, sustained playing. The construction is laborious and expensive, since a single flaw in the long blank wastes the whole part, and it makes a neck repair difficult because the neck cannot simply be unbolted. Some makers instead glue in a neck with a long tenon to get similar results.

Example: a through-neck bass with laminated woods produces the even, sustained tone that design is known for.

Neck-through

See also