Musikraft Set-Neck Builds?

[batsong]

They offer a bunch of options that might make for a very nice guitar.

Anyone build off of a Musikraft set neck body? How was it? Any pics?

Thought of a few different configurations that might be cool:

George Lynch "Tiger" Super-Strat
50's Tobacco 'Burst Strat w/ Floyd Rose and Bridgebucker
Esquire Blackguard w/ Bartolini E90

https://www.musikraft.com/product-info.php?pid118.html

[batsong]

I would have though more people would have tried these. It might make for a nice combination of the best from 50's Fender up to today.
I've watched some clips of set-neck Teles and they still sound like Teles.

[guitarbuilder]

If you spend a while watching the tele builds you'll see that most people don't stray too far from your standard vintage style instrument appointments.

[davmac]

They look interesting. The last three of my T-style builds have featured set necks, and I don't think I'd want to go back to a bolt on. Personally I prefer to build them myself though, but if you can't, or don't want to, these look like a great option.

[batsong]

Originally Posted by guitarbuilder

If you spend a while watching the tele builds you'll see that most people don't stray too far from your standard vintage style instrument appointments.

Thanks for making that clear...

[batsong]

Originally Posted by davmac

They look interesting. The last three of my T-style builds have featured set necks, and I don't think I'd want to go back to a bolt on. Personally I prefer to build them myself though, but if you can't, or don't want to, these look like a great option.

Nice to hear you like the set-neck. At first I didn't go for the set-neck Tele (tend to like the early Fenders), but after a while it started to grow on me.

I certainly could use a Tele with a more modern take that preserves some of the 50's technology lacking in today's store bought guitars.

Working/tooling up to make my own bodies and necks, but have been devoting my shop time to another pursuit.

[Badside]

Originally Posted by batsong

I certainly could use a Tele with a more modern take that preserves some of the 50's technology lacking in today's store bought guitar

Bolt on is what I would call modern, set necks have been made for centuries.

[batsong]

I see your point. I guess I'm ruffling some "Fenders" by stepping on (or past) an important innovation.

[Mojotron]

I don't think there is anything inherently better about a set neck design, on the last tele I made, I made the neck a bit wider and a bit longer and moved the pocket back by the same amount - ~.4" - and then used an Ibanez style AANJ neck joint: I think that change makes it playable on all strings up to a 22nd fret and sustains quite well... That's the route I went to modernize the Tele I made, worked out really well and I'll use that on my next build too - which is likely to be a Les Paul with a bolt on neck and a strat-style forearm contour - just have not worked out how I would do the binding (or not).




Being able to remove the neck makes all of the fret/neck work easier to do, and to keep the frets in top form. Also, if the neck pocket and the neck fit really well the joint is very stable, so I don't really see the advantage of a set neck.

[batsong]

Nice of you to post a pic of you beautiful guitar.
I guess for me it's a feel thing; the way the neck blends into the body on an ESP, Jackson et al.
Though the idea is of blending old aesthetics with new, I'd feel a little dirty putting an active pickup in an otherwise traditional Tele.

[Mojotron]

Originally Posted by batsong

Nice of you to post a pic of you beautiful guitar.
I guess for me it's a feel thing; the way the neck blends into the body on an ESP, Jackson et al.
Though the idea is of blending old aesthetics with new, I'd feel a little dirty putting an active pickup in an otherwise traditional Tele.

With guitars - IMO - dirty is a good thing.

[batsong]

Wow Mojo, what are you using for the truss plug and dot inlays? And what wood did you use for the neck?

davmac, why did you come to prefer set-necks?

[Mojotron]

Originally Posted by batsong

Wow Mojo, what are you using for the truss plug and dot inlays? And what wood did you use for the neck?
...

batsong - that's like asking a grandmother about grandkids... I'll try to restrain myself

I used a 3/8" Aluminum pipe segment to line the truss access, I used 1/4" Aluminum rod for the dots, and I used a much thicker Aluminum pipe for the jack connector lining. The neck wood is West-coast Wild Cherry - and the fretboard is Madrona - the body is Oregon Ash - I had a NW US native wood theme goin' there. Also, the bridge is made out of Aluminum angle the nut is made out of a scrap Aluminum piece from making the bridge.

Here's the whole build thread - the only thing I did not redesign (including most of my jigs) - or borrow a re-design from forumites - is the headstock.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...ge-thread.html

Here's a summary:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/3373703-post457.html

Here's another couple of pics of the head:




Same kind of idea on the body:

[guitarbuilder]

Originally Posted by batsong

Thanks for making that clear...

That is why I used the word ....Most.... and not .....ALL..:-) I was merely pointing out the trend, not using sarcasm. Sorry if it came off that way.

[batsong]

Originally Posted by guitarbuilder

That is why I used the word ....Most.... and not .....ALL..:-) I was merely pointing out the trend, not using sarcasm. Sorry if it came off that way.

guitarbuilder, no problem, things get lost when not communicating face to face.

Mojo, thought the grain looked familiar, have some cherry growing here.
I love the mix of aluminum and local wood. Reminds of those Kirsten tobacco pipes made in Seattle, really does have a NW thing going on. Taking a look at your thread...

[davmac]

Originally Posted by batsong

davmac, why did you come to prefer set-necks?

Two reasons: Much easier to build and it means you can carve the heel much moreso than if you're restricted by having to site the neck screws.





The downside would be that if you ever needed to take the neck off it is a PIA, but, as yet I've never felt the need to remove the neck from any of my guitars.

I'd agree with mojotron that there isn't anything inherently better about a set neck design. It is just a matter of personal preference.

[Mojotron]

Originally Posted by davmac

Two reasons: Much easier to build and it means you can carve the heel much moreso than if you're restricted by having to site the neck screws.
...

Wow - those are beautiful - yep that neck/body transition with a set neck is nice. A picture is worth a 1000 words there.

[Badside]

Originally Posted by batsong

I see your point. I guess I'm ruffling some "Fenders" by stepping on (or past) an important innovation.

I'm all for innovations, I never build a guitar exactly like a production Fender model (what would be the point?). Just thought I'd point out that it's a common misconception that set-neck are an "improvement"

My two cheapest store-bought guitars are set-neck...

To me, I like that the bolt-on allow a direct wood to wood contact (instead of having glue in between the neck and body) but that's probably irrelevant.
Set-neck and neck-through do allow for extremely nice neck to body transition, though Les Paul are set-neck and have pretty bad upper fret access! But people expect them to be "just like in the 50's" so Gibson has to abide!

[batsong]

Beautiful work, davmac! That transition from body neck is quite elegant.
What species of wood are you using? The Tele looks to have a (maple?) top. How far back do you mortise the neck?

How do you think the set-neck design affects tone?

Badside,
Just watched GE Smith's 50 Watt Fuse DVD, he plays a trussless Esquire throughout it, and I could not get enough of it's tone! A good reason for creating replicas of guitars like early pine Esquires or Broadcasters and the like. I think the only way I can get one of these is to make one, or have someone on TDPRI to make one for me.

I definitely would not consider any set-neck design an option over a bolt on, the guitars at Musikraft are more like davmac's posted above. Which are similar to a Jackson Soloist, which I would consider more modern.

[davmac]

Originally Posted by batsong

Beautiful work, davmac! That transition from body neck is quite elegant.
What species of wood are you using? The Tele looks to have a (maple?) top. How far back do you mortise the neck?

How do you think the set-neck design affects tone?

Thank you. Both of those are sapele (often incorrectly called African Mahogany). That Tele has a quilted maple cap. It is fairly unusual in that the tenon on it is HUGE and extends right under the bridge - in some ways it is more like a thru neck because both ends of the string are connected to the same piece of wood.

Here's the top...



...and a picture of the tenon before the cap went on...



I have also made a Tele with a set neck tenon that was the same size as a standard Tele neck pocket and that works fine too.

And it maybe my duff ears but I cannot tell the difference in sound between a thru-neck, set neck and well executed bolt-on neck. I suspect that any perceived differences are all in the mind (which is no less valid a difference if it makes you play better).