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Neck design (Scarf vs. Non-Scarf)


Ditch Gator

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Well, only if Sir Ian McKellen is about, when he'll fiddle around with the magnetic flux gadgets and cause mayhem with the airwaves, etc, but only on Tuesdays I hear :---)

 

Oh, so my pickups were used in the Harry Potter movies......[flapper]:rolleyes::-k ....

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Enough of this jibber-jabber fools [tongue] , my Nighthawk has a scarf joint visible on the back of the headstock below the 1st tuners, there's a change in wood colour but I don't mind if it's there, you can't see it from the front and it doesn't affect the guitar in any way, better there than say @ the nut or 1st to 3rd frets etc, probably a bit weaker there maybe? :-k

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2 points for the Gryffindorks. Pickups are magical and should be treated as such. Scarf joints, on the other hand, are an evil abomination created by the one that must not be named. Ron Weasley's wand had a scarf joint and you all know what happed with that.

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The $1,000 IBJL Casino has them...

 

I have never even picked one of those up in a store and looked at it. It could have chrome fenders for all I know? [biggrin]

 

As discussed in the "other" forum. I used to be the snottiest of Gibson cork sniffers. I have been playing since 1962 and just touched my first Epi in May. [thumbup]

 

I have owned about 40 LP Customs through my career. Why? Because I thought Deluxes were crap. Didn't like anything about them. That's how wound up I was.

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I spent several years working in a custom woodworking and furniture shop, so my opinions are based on some experience. Using scarf joints in neck construction is done primarily to allow the builder to use smaller pieces of wood, which does save money. It's more difficult to find a single piece of wood long enough for an entire neck with no flaws, blemishes, knots, etc. and especially with more expensive, cured tonewoods, it's a way of getting maximum use out of the available lumber. A well-made scarf joint is actually stronger than the wood being joined, and as long as the joint is not at the exact angle of the headstock, is highly unlikely to ever come apart. Furthermore, a scarf-jointed neck is LESS likely to warp or twist than a one-piece neck, since the grain characteristics are different.

 

The main argument in favor of one-piece neck construction is that the sound vibrations are unimpeded, which is supposed to enhance tone. However, many high-end guitars (for-example the Epi Sheraton or Gibson L-5) have laminated necks made of 3 to 5 strips of wood glued together lengthwise. Again, this is done to give the neck more stability and resistance to warping and twisting, while retaining more of the vibrations through the entire length of the neck.

 

However, in my own experience, having owned guitars with all three of the neck types mentioned (one-piece, laminated, and scarf-jointed) I honestly can't say that I can detect any sonic differences in tone strictly due to neck construction --- especially for electric guitars. I have scarf-jointed guitars that sustain like crazy and sound exactly the way I want them to. The body construction and material, pickups and electronics all have MUCH more effect on a guitar's tone.

 

So if I like the way a guitar feels and sounds, I have no problem with a scarf joint, especially if it makes the guitar more affordable. Very few high-end acoustics use scarf-joint necks, and that is the type of guitar where it would be most likely to impact tone. But again, even then, the type of neck construction wouldn't stop me from buying a guitar whose tone and playability were good.

 

The folks at Warmoth also use the scarf joints on their custom made angled peg-head necks. Partly for cost, mostly for strength. I have one of the angled Strat Pro Necks from Warmoth & I too was at first displeased with the scarf joint. But after discussing things with those in the woodworking industry I am convinced it is the better choice. Its very visible on the all maple strat neck but I'm used to it now. On a painted neck you'd never know it was there. It's on my SG and I can't see it at all.....

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