Neck Through vs. Bolt on! Lets compare the two...

This was a good comparison between dot inlays and no dot inlays. I was surprised by how much of a difference having dot inlays made. I personally prefer blocks as there is more inlay and therefor much more tone.

Man. I've been waiting on a true comparison like this for...forever. Took a metalhead who also owns a guitar brand to finally make it happen! Thanks Ola!

Main thing for me between the two is the neck joint, I do not like the jump between the neck and the body that most bolts have. I personally enjoy the feel of a neck through's transtion.

The acoustic test was drastically different. Neck through sounded fuller. Didn't notice anything significantly different when plugged in though.

Hey Ola, unfortunately the neck through guitar had more inlays than the bolt on guitar, which renders your test completely invalid. Naturally the extra plastic will dramatically decrease the astral projection of the tonewood's chakra, which will then resonate at a different karmic frequency, thus inhibiting sustain. Nice try though

I am glad to see someone finally do a comparison with guitars that are identical except the neck joint. I have seen several videos like this before where they use 3 different brands (usually Fender for bolt on, Gibson for set neck, and usually B.C. Rich or ESP for neck thru), and that can't really be used as a comparison of the neck joints as much as the companies. It was also good to see that the bolt on sustained longer than the neck thru. A proper bolt on design will sustain longer as the bolts/screws will pull the neck into the pocket tighter than glue or the natural wood binds to itself. This was something I first heard from Neal Moser, and at first I wanted to call BS. When he explained it, it made sense. I actually took the only bolt on guitar I had at the time apart at the next string change, I noticed the bolts were gripping into the holes in the body and neck, instead of just the neck. I then drilled out the holes in the body to let the bolts slide through. I restrung the guitar with the bolts only gripping into the neck wood and not the body, and HOLY CRAP! It was a huge improvement in the sustain having the neck pulled tighter into the neck pocket. I have since checked to make sure on each of my bolt on neck guitars that the screws can slide through the body instead of biting into the body wood. I am having a hard time wanting to go back to neck thru guitars anymore.

Incredible comparison, both guitars sound phenomenal. Thanks for providing the information.

My thoughts on the sounds: Acoustically: hard to deny there's a significant difference with bolt in having more high end/less bass Clean amp: audible difference in the same regard, but not enough to matter too much imo High gain: no noticeable difference Disclaimer: I listened on phone speakers, so that could have an effect on this.

One thing we can agree they have in common is that they're both visually phenomenal!!!! 🤩🤤

Wasn't expecting THAT difference... really impressive! Thank you so much for this

Wow, thanks for shooting out this video, it was a myth buster for me. Now I don't feel so bad about having only bolt on guitars LoL 🤘🤘🤘

Hands down the best comparison between neck through and bolt on guitars! Thanks a TON for this video! :)

I feel I have a unique "go to" tone that I will try to dial in no matter the guitar. So I would say it does not matter if it is bolted or through, it depends on what one likes.

Very nice job, Ola! Thanks.

Great job Ola! Thanx!

Thanks. I'm not a guitar player but I always wondered about the differences.

Ola you always stay so positive in these sh*tty times ..whenever i feel down i just watch your videos and you lift my spirit up . you are awesome !

Very useful comparison, Ola...thank you.

Amazing. Never thought there would be such a difference. Well done👍😁

The sustain part makes sense to me. If more vibration is allowed to travel into the body in a neck-thru, that will draw more energy away from the strings and decrease sustain. As a bass player I'm familiar with how high-mass bridges increase sustain by PREVENTING the transfer of string energy to the body.

As I've also watched Jim Lill's videos recently, this is about what I expected. Side note for the sustain test 6:46 - notice how the amplitude of the bolt on is slightly bigger at the start, but the decay of both guitars is very similar. So If you had picked with the same force, they would be much closer in sustain. Good video! If I didn't build my own guitars, I'd get a Solar 😂

Very cool comparison! Another cool video!! Bang 'em out!!!

This is a great video, thanks, Ola.

There is a nice germen phd thesis about the physics of the electronic guitar, which shows, where the sound comes from: 1. Strings 2. Pickups 3. String height over Pickup 4. Electronics (incl. cable in case of passive PUs) 5. Bridge and saddle need to work fine And everything else, if there are no general mistakes, is not really worth mentioning. Tonewood, shape, ... forget it! Buy what has best playability for you. Thus if you want to adjust the sound: 1. Change the string height 2. Introduce capacitors in electronic (passive) 3. Change strings 4. Only if all of the above does not help, change the pickups Now feel free to kill me... :D

For me it was really surprising that the bolt on neck has more output and sustain! Great comparison! But as you said, it depends on the taste of the guitarists what you choose and why. Both guitars have their own character.

Great video Ola!

Ola, I forgot to thank you for making this video. When I was (a lot) younger, I sometimes thought about the differences between the various neck joints and what they meant to their guitars. I considered what it would take to do the very sort of comparison you did. I thank you for letting us see your version of that comparison!🤘

It's interesting the difference between the basic sounds however like ola says at the end.. You'll probably tweak your amp settings to adjust out most of the tonal difference anyway.

I was surprised that the bolt on neck sustained longer. The neck thru had more depth. Both are sick guitars! Thanks Ola!

Awesome Video OLa. Thanks a lot !!! Cheers from Montréal, Canada

Damn. I wasn't expecting to hear an actual difference in the guitars when plugged in... Awesome video!

I was the same neck-thru elitist for almost my whole life, until a year ago when I picked up a used bolt-on Kiesel Aries. That thing was just plain fun to play. It had something special going on. That was amplified when I received my new neck-thru Aries and found that it was missing something that the bolt-on had. Very surprising. But still... I sold the bolt-on and kept the neck-thru, so take that for what it's worth.

This is perfectly in line with my personal experience....it really doesnt matter enough to be a significant factor.

All my thoughts answered. Perfect review 👍

I miss this kind of stuff from you! love it! greetings from México!

The neckthrough tone sounded like what I imagine the bolt on would be with the pickup closer to the neck. Comparing them with the neck pickup instead of the bridge pickup would be interesting!

I prefer neck-thru for cleans, bolt-on for distortion, and I like both for solos ;-) ! However, there are much more difference between different pickups than between two neck constructions for a same guitar, so...

Right on. Excellent comparison video.

wow thats a really cool video, never mentioned anyone else doing this, its hell of a difference, i need a neck thru..

Wow, I was surprised how much of a difference there was. I agree with most, bolt-on is snappier, tighter. Neck through is thick, maybe more balanced tonally... Preferred the chug on the neck-through, god that shit was phat. The biggest thing is that it seems clear that the acoustic characteristics make it through the pickups and out the amp intact to some degree. That is huge! Well done Ola! Also I agree with that other guy, probably was the TONE INLAYS lol /s

Based exclusively on the unplugged test, I think it makes sense to have neck-thru basses and bolt-on guitars in studio.

Finally, a serious kind of comparison. Thank you Ola!

I think the Floyd plays a big role here in sustain. It would be interesting to see a sustain test on string-through body guitars. Maybe the neck-through can push sustain a bit more? In my opinion, if parts are well built together or glued together, the differences would be a minor concern, especially with high output pickups.

My favorite was the bolt on as far as tone. I’m going to get a solar next year. I have it picked out already.

Great video and comparison. Those solar guitars are sick. Love the natural finish.

Ola forgot to mention the MAIN difference between these guitars other than the neck construction: THE FRET INLAYS! We all know that the difference in tone comes from the guitar having fret inlays or not, obviously! Jokes aside, when they were unplugged, the difference between them was clear, the bolt-on definitely was snappier than the neck through, but, as soon as they're amplified, these differences in tone get thrown out of the window and the pickups define 99,99% of the tone. I personally prefer neck through designs not because of the "longer sustain" or anything like that, but for the fret access at the upper frets. I hate feeling that bump or bulge when playing at these higher frets, even with great constructed bolt-on guitars like Ola showed in this video, I still prefer the "free access" that neck through designs offer. Great video, Ola! Thanks for making this one!

I haven't used a bolt-on since my first squire strat almost 20 years ago; I've been neck-thru ever since. For me, it's more about the feeling of the neck than it is the tone. Maybe I've only ever played lower quality bolt-ons, but I've always felt more restricted on accessing the higher frets than on any neck-thru I've ever tried. Tonally, I've never noticed much of a difference that could be attributed to that particular feature of a given guitar. I watched this on my phone and will need to watch it again on my computer later on for a more accurate audio experience, but I didn't notice too much of a difference between the two on this particular viewing. Maybe a tiny bit more brightness or treble on behalf of the bolt-on, but likely something that would be rolled off during mixing anyway.

The difference in tone and sustain between these two guitars is well within the amount of variation you can hear between two completely identical guitars from the same factory made on the same day.

Thumps up for the reducing variables approach 👍

Amazing comparison!

I was gonna say that acoustically the bolt-on sounded brighter but then it actually may be just lacking the 'fullness' that the neck-thru has. An interesting comparison! :D

I like a bolt on for that spank in the riffs but love the sustain in the neck thru for leads.. My main guitar is a neck thru though.

good now I feel good having bolt on guitars. thank you Ola

I just love the way neck through construction looks.

I’ve noticed the feel in hand is the biggest difference between the set neck, neckthru and Bolton designs more than the sound. I prefer Bolton since you can swap the necks (repair, replace or even upgrades)

I liked the fuller sound of the neck through on clean. Otherwise it's a wash. But your test also confirms what I read about the sustain being greater with a bolt-on which is surprising! It is what it is.

Good comparison. This helped me decide what type of guitar construction to order. Now to decide materials and pickups Thanks again

Ps. Thank you for keeping it real appreciate the videos of you and your awesome family and your dog . 👍👍👍

The bolt on consistently has less "thumpy" low end than the neck through. Very slightly different pick attack also. But on the whole not a huge difference, and for the metal chug I actually preferred the less low-end for the bolt on.

I was surprised at how much difference I could hear between the two when really concentrating on the sound. I think I preferred the neck through tones, especially for clean. Felt like it had more body to the sound.

These are gorgeous! I love the look so much.

Great vid. Gorgeous guitars.

The bolt-on seems a little thinner and quicker in all regards.. even acoustically. I prefer the neck-thru.

Neck Through all the way! That’s why I ordered the S 1.7 APP - because of the fishmans, evertune and neck through. Should arrive tomorrow finally! 🤘🏻🔥 The bolt on may be a little better in the chug but not much, and acoustically and cleanly the neck- through is way better sounding imo. Def subjective though. I’m shocked about the sustain honestly

Straight Forward A/B! Thank you!

Great comparison because I always wanted to hear an accurate comparison between bolt-on and neck thru. You truly can hear the difference with the bolt-on being snappy with a higher treble tone and the neck thru being a bit more bass and better resonance.

they both sounded good but there was a difference. the neck through seemed to have more bottom end and the bolt on seemed more mid-ranged but more fine tuned clarity.

I could use either really. For me personally, I like neck thru guitars.

I just appreciate the fact that you used the SAME riff when comparing the two.

Beautiful guitars Ola.

In my opinion, neck construction doesn't really matter one way or the other in the grand scheme of things. Sonical difference is there, sure, I can hear something, but it's negligible, I think, comfort of use and aesthethics are more important here, it's purely preferential. I personally prefer neck-through or deep set neck at least, and built for speed in general, it's the most comfortable option and looks the best in my opinion.

I think neck thru guitars have a different transient for each fretted note, compared to a bolt on. It's like neck thru has a full warm tone that just decays evenly, while a bolt on has a more fast attack, fast decay but the resonances keep staying for a bit more time

Awesome comparison…Love the Bolt On!!!!

A good, rational comparison with as much being equal between the two guitars as is practical. Nice to see it. I'm a luthier myself and I appreciate what you have done here. I prefer long tenon set necks and don't care much for bolt-on necks but it's just a preference.

A fully floating Floyd Rose adds its own over arching effect on a guitars sound. I feel that it might have been more revealing if you had used hard tail guitars for this test. Perhaps you could do a similar shootout with a hard tail and a Floyd guitar that are otherwise identical?

Clean there is a noticeable difference in tone but distorted there is no significant difference. Sure, maybe an ever so slight boost in the low end with the neck through but in a full mix that’d be cut out either way

I was impressed with the comparison. Great taste in guitars. The prestige factor can't be overlooked. Studio quality sound and acoustics was important. Plus even technique in the test comparison. Really great tone in the acoustic test, the upper register tone really sing through clear.

A golden standard comparison. Thanks m8. This reinforces my anecdotes where i noticed a certain “character” in my bolt ons that was missing in the neck-thru guitars of similar build. I prefer the neck thru for metal riffing and bolt ons for leads. But as said, you can adjust amp settings and signal patches to compensate. Rock on

Interestingly, this is the third test I have seen where bolt-on wins for sustain. I was always told the opposite was true.

When they where unplugged, i did prefer the neck through guitar, it sounded better acoustically, but the moment you plugged them in, i immediately noticed how tight the bolt on sounded, and it's now my favorite.

Easily among the best videos on KZfaq.

Do more comparisons like these, please! I'd like to see a comparison between two similar guitars except different types of pickups for example. Thanks!

Neck-through actually sounds quite a bit fuller even distorted. But it's more of a matter of taste since you have bass and treble knobs on your amps anyway

Honestly for me it's never been a matter of tone, there are so many factors to tone that the construction of it is negligible in most cases. It's entirely a feel thing, I enjoy having the completely unrestricted access of a neck thru. Bolt ons are fine especially good ones like you said, but having absolutely no wood there at the joint just feels (and looks) so nice

Thanks for this comparison video. I definitely noticed a difference between the two guitars when played acoustically and clean. However, I didn’t notice much of a difference with distortion.

Thanks Ola for the comparison between the two I hear the the difference your guitar’s are awesome and sound really, really good 👍 🤘hopefully I can Be fortunate to own one your guitar’s are right on quality and appreciate the videos your putting on . 👍👍

Great video 🤘🤘

Bolt on all the way. I make my own guitars and for my neck/body junction I use thread inserts instead of bolt directly on wood. You get better sustain, what people call "thinner" might just cut better in the mix and if you have a big problem with your neck, the repair is way easier. In one of Leo Lospennato guitar building books, he mentions a study proving that bolton has more sustain than set neck (does not mention neck through afair)

Feels like that neck thru gives the small tone bonus when playing clean.. But amped up I think the bolt on is more of a "tool for the job", going to be cheaper to buy and easier to repair if needed. And the difference in sound isn't noticeable. Especially live.

Wow, there’s quite a bit of difference! Great comparison.

4:01 the fact he included his heavy breathing shows he thinks of you. All praise ye ole Ola

I think tone and feel is always going to come down to preference. For me, in this test, I thought the bolt on was too brittle and I preferred the sound of the neck through. But as you said, you can always adjust your sound to accommodate the guitar. It's just another chapter in the long list of never-ending arguments among guitar players.

I actually think I prefer the bolt on. I thought it consistently sounded brighter and slightly more clear across all tests, but especially in the distorted riffing and soloing. The sustain test honestly surprised me, I've always been convinced that neck through was the king for sustain. Great comparison, honestly a very informative video.

This is amazing!! thanks 🙏

I prefer bolt ons for 3 things: 1) Sustain 2) Tighter chugs 3) Bright tone ** You need a beefy pickup in the bridge to balance out the tone though. Dimarzios do very well with bolt on construction.

In my opinion it's just a taste/look choice. I've always prefer bolton incase of an accident, or if I need to remove it for travel reasons. Tone... no difference honestly, barely any and there's no way anybody would be able to tell the difference

Here's my take: The bolt-on had a little of that slightly nasal, tomcat snarly, Eddie Van Halen/George Lynch snotty lead tone and the neck-through didn't. Not that there was that big of a difference, though. If I owned both, I'd use the bolt on for leads and the neck-through for rhythms when recording. Live I don't think it would make much difference. Cool review/comparison/experiment.

Thanks Ola

Already after 5 minutes, I gotta say, thx for the effort, man! There's a definite difference and I thought always, there wouldn't be... Really interesting, you are grading up to a sience channel 🤘