Neck (music)

As neck " stalk -like " component is in plucked and bowed string instruments from the families of lutes and violins an elongate refers to the pitch of the strings being played can be changed by manual techniques that shorten the vibrating part of the strings. Gripping the string is usually done on a over the entire length of the neck continuous fingerboard with or without frets, which is fixedly connected thereto. In addition to the most common form of musical instruments with a single neck constructions also exist with two or more necks. In such instruments, the necks differ by the string assembly, then the strings and / or fingerboards with and without frets.

Forms of construction

For instrument necks, there are different profile shapes, reflected in the radius and shape of their backs ( " neck back ") and differ in material thickness to accommodate so that individual needs of musicians. As an example: The strengths of the necks on electric guitars range from " very flat " with a large radius (16 inches / 400 mm approx. ) To " strongly rounded " with a smaller radius (7 inches / ca 180 mm. ).

An exception are Steel Guitars, where the pitch while playing the instrument is not changed by grabbing the neck but by a sliding finger across the strings of attachment of metal or glass ( bottleneck ). At Steel Guitars necks with either rectangular profile are used ( lap steel ) or the instrument basically consists of a plate-shaped base which supports a fingerboard, the strings and tuners, as well as most other components ( pedal steel guitar ). The latter type of instrument has due to the compact design does not as such identifiable neck more.

At the upper end of the instrument neck is usually a head board or a peg box. These carry the tuners or eddies, in which one end of the string is attached and which according to the principle of spindles pull compensation by the pitch of the strings can be adjusted. For instruments in " headless " ( headless ) design of the neck bears the " lower " ends of the strings, and the tuning machines are located at the foot of the corpus. In Indian Sitar, however, the mechanisms of the entire length of one side of the neck are distributed.

In addition, a distinction is made ​​of wood instrument necks between einstreifigen and multi-lane models. Einstreifige necks (not a separately fretboard included) are made of a single piece, the top plate of the instrument to include or to which a separate head board is glued on an inclined surface connecting ( " angeschäftete " headstock). Multi-lane necks are usually composed of two or three different types of wood, what should the neck lend greater stability and prevent warping of the neck. In this design, form, usually the head plate is included.

To compensate for the tension of the strings and to be able to adjust the string height, made ​​of wood instrument necks, on which steel strings are used, often with an internal adjustable metal rod ( Truss Rod ) are equipped.

Associated with the instrument body

In the vast majority of stringed instruments with necks this is connected with a body. However, there are stringed instruments that are built without a separate body - such as the Chapman Stick and some electrically amplifiable string instruments ( violins E- and E - basses ). In traditionally crafted stringed and plucked instruments, a distinction is mainly between three different connection types of neck and body; but there are also newer special forms:

Of glued / set neck

The fixing of wooden instrument necks to the body through a combination of groove and glued joints (English: Set neck ) is the model with the longest tradition. It is used for all acoustic stringed instruments of European origin, including lutes, mandolins and ukuleles, the large majority of acoustic guitars and many electric guitars and electric basses. In these types of instruments the neck base sits in a precisely -made recess ( "pocket" ) in the body and is secured there by means of permanently glue.

One of the most famous musical instrument manufacturer who used almost exclusively for his mandolins, acoustic guitars and electric guitars, this traditional design, the U.S. firm Gibson Guitar Corporation. A well-known model in this construction is the electric guitar Gibson Les Paul.

Threaded neck

The technique, instrument necks to attach with glue instead of using screw on the corpus (English: Bolt -on ), found from the middle of the twentieth century, larger distribution. Sized as in necks of the neck base is seated in a recess in the body, but is held there without any additional sizing of at least three screws. Some manufacturers of electric basses use up to seven screws to make stable as possible, the neck-body connection. Schraubhälse have the advantage that they can be replaced with little effort in the event of irreparable damage to the neck or head plate in contrast to other designs.

One of the pioneers in the development of instruments with Schraubhälsen for industrial production was at the end of the 1940s, Leo Fender, co-founder of the company Fender Musical Instruments. The model Fender Stratocaster is one of the best known and most widely used electric guitars with threaded neck.

Neck-Thru

A full-length neck (English: Neck -thru ) extends over the entire length of the instrument. This type is found primarily in electric amplifiable instruments. If a body is present, this is often massively built ( solidbody ) and consists of two separate wings that are mounted on both continuous neck. For such an instrument bears the neck and the bridge and the pickups.

A well-known manufacturer who since the 1950s, with his instrument models - electric guitars and basses with solid or semi- solid structure - using mainly through necks, the U.S. instrument maker Rickenbacker.

Special designs

Since the late twentieth century stringed instruments are developed in which traditional forms of production are replaced partially or completely by more modern materials and processes. It was experimented with alternatives to wood as a material and in the manufacture of instrument necks - including graphite and aluminum. In modern Stringed instruments consist headstock ( where available ), neck and body from a single cast in the form of work piece polycarbonate or other high-strength resins. This is intended to develop stability and sound of the instruments.

A suitable method for neck-body connection developed by the U.S. producers Parker Guitars in the early 1990s: The inside of the neck and body of the electric guitars of this brand is made of wood; both components are connected by a coating ( " exoskeleton " ) each consisting of a glass fiber reinforced plastic of carbon fiber and glass fiber.