Does neck radius matter for soloing?

[keano12]

Fender is a 9.5" other are 12" does it matter?

[HolyDirt]

Fender is a 9.5" other are 12" does it matter?

yup, some radiuses feel more confortable to some, if a neck is comfortable, it lets you play to your full extent. Also, on some radiuses you cant bend as much, if you try, the note buzzes out and dies, and on other, you can bend as much as you want

[danglybanger]

you'll have trouble bending on a fretboard of 7" or so without "fretting out". Around 10" should be fine for most. Flatter radius lets you bend more

[Xeromus]

you'll have trouble bending on a fretboard of 7" or so without "fretting out". Around 10" should be fine for most. Flatter radius lets you bend more

what he said. My Schecters have a 14" radius, I like it

[TattooedCarrot]

what he said. My Schecters have a 14" radius, I like it

Flatter radious makes for lower action and thus faster/easier playing.

[JeffB]

Yup..flat is good for speed and action. I prefer the feel of a Ibanez Wizard style neck and board..don't know what the actual radius is, but it's FLAT!

However the radius on my Strat (9.5, I believe) is very comfy too. Don't care for anything lower than that.

[MikeS]

Yup..flat is good for speed and action. I prefer the feel of a Ibanez Wizard style neck and board..don't know what the actual radius is, but it's FLAT!

16"

You want "fun," try going from a 16" Wizard neck and then picking up a Tele with a fatter 7.5" radius. I don't do that anymore, generally because it makes me feel retarded when I start playing the Tele. Much more labored playing.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Well for us old ones....the radius does not matter

[tone4days]

if i'm not mistaken, a smaller radius makes chording easier ...

of course, we are talking small degrees here, so it is important to not make a mountain out of a mole hill ... i know the compound radius fingerboards (flatter as you go higher) are supposed to be a good compromise ...

cheers,
t4d

[Lewguitar]

I think the smaller radius is actually easier to play on. But as mentioned, when you bend the high E across the fret board to raise the pitch a whole tone or two it'll fret out more readily on a smaller radius. It's because the neck is radiused like a cylinder and the strings are not parallel across the surface of that cylinder...especially when you bend a note. It's a complex thing to picture, but that's the reason.

Imagine the string is a straight edge and imagine laying a straight edge across a flat surface. It'll contact that surface along the full length of the straight edge. Imagine angling that straight edge. It'll STILL contact that surface along the full length of the
straight edge.

Now imagine laying a stright edge along the surface of a cylinder...like a pipe. If the straight is parallel to that pipe, it'll contact the surface of the pipe along the full length of the pipe.

Now imagine angling that straight edge, the way you would if you bent a string to raise the pitch. It will NOT CONTACT the surface of the cylinder along the full length of the straight edge...instead it will contact the surface only at one point in the middle of the straight edge. THAT SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT is the point that causes the note to fret out and buzz.

That might be a revelation if you've always wondered why vintage Fenders fret out when you bend a note and vintage Gibsons do not.

The Gibson fretboard is a flatter surface.

I think this is information every guitarist should know!

[Lewguitar]

I think the smaller radius is actually easier to play on. But as mentioned, when you bend the high E across the fret board to raise the pitch a whole tone or two it'll fret out more readily on a smaller radius. It's because the neck is radiused like a cylinder and the strings are not parallel across the surface of that cylinder...especially when you bend a note. It's a complex thing to picture, but that's the reason.

Imagine the string is a straight edge and imagine laying a straight edge across a flat surface. It'll contact that surface along the full length of the straight edge. Imagine angling that straight edge. It'll STILL contact that surface along the full length of the
straight edge.

Now imagine laying a stright edge along the surface of a cylinder...like a pipe. If the straight is parallel to that pipe, it'll contact the surface of the pipe along the full length of the pipe.

Now imagine angling that straight edge, the way you would if you bent a string to raise the pitch. It will NOT CONTACT the surface of the cylinder along the full length of the straight edge...instead it will contact the surface only at one point in the middle of the straight edge. THAT SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT is the point that causes the note to fret out and buzz.

That might be a revelation if you've always wondered why vintage Fenders fret out when you bend a note and vintage Gibsons do not.

The Gibson fretboard is a flatter surface.

I think this is information every guitarist should know!

Vault material that?

[TwilightOdyssey]

Am I the only person to think that the neck's profile is more important to comfy soloing than the radius? All of my guitars have different radii, and they're all great soloing guitars. The one thing they have in common is a great neck profile; not too round, minimal lacquer, great neck heel. (Aside from my Strat, whose heel is monstrous)

[tone4days]

i think folks interchange terms on this topic to the point of confusion ...

radius is all about the fingerboard .. where the frets are ... where you make the notes ... measured in inches ... larger numbers indicate a flatter radius .. 'buzzing out' during bends typically happens more on a small radius neck .. a certain amount on 'buzzing out' can be dialed out of the guitar with a small radius fretboard by raising its action a bit

profile is about the shape of the 'back' of the neck ... where your thumb goes ... described imprecisely as C shaped, U shaped, D shaped, V shaped, boatneck, etc ... profile has nothing to do with 'buzzing out' during bends ...

any radius fingerboard can be built on a neck of any profile ...

i think that 'comfort', 'playability', 'speed', etc all have to do with profile ... not all players will find the same profile to be comfortable or playable or fast ... it'll depend on hand size and shape, preference, etc ...

hope this helps
cheers
t4d

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Profile is more important to me as well, the radius does not bother me.
I'm used to both flat and curved.

[Metalman_666]

I'm not sure what the radius is on my Ibanez, but it's very clearly more easy to play anything other than chords on it... like everyone has already said, Fenders have smaller necks! I've also noticed, after playing the Ibanez, how much more difficult it is to tap and bend notes on the strat. Oh well.

[jmcorey]

Vault material that?

Totally vault material, very well stated. As well as the comment below yours regarding the diff between profile and radius..

[mrfjones]

Well for us old ones....the radius does not matter

what do you mean old ones. I love both 7.5 and 12 inch radius fretboards and even bigger, as long as the neck profile is kinda chunky. I just don't like thse thin flat necks cause it feels like i have nothing in my hands

[skh515]

Am I the only person to think that the neck's profile is more important to comfy soloing than the radius?

I've always paid more attention to neck shape and feel than radius. I played for years with no concept of what radius meant (in terms of a fretboard).

And I'd hate for someone to read this and think, "You can't bend strings on a Fender." It just ain't true. It maybe the way my Strats are set up, but they never "fret-out" on me. Also consider who plays (played) Fenders; Clapton, Hendrix, Stevie Ray, all of these are (were) heavy string benders.

I'm not trying to contradict Lew, I'm sure he is right. But that doesn't mean bends are impossible on a Fender.

To me bending is not the issue. I think it is easier to chord on a lower radius (e.g. 7 1/2) and easier to play single notes on a flatter/larger radius. It seems as though I can play faster on a Les Paul, but speed is not what I'm about.
Too me it's about touch and feel and taking your time...Oh wait. I'm thinking about something else.

Anyway,...even though I can play faster leads on a LP, I still play a Strat. It's not that I can't play fast, I can. But it's not my primary focus.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to some Dixie Dregs. Steve Morse was speed before anyone had even thought about Speed Metal!

[Bluzboy66]

The flatter radius is great for bending (especially Blues), and playing fast solos. However, a rounder radius is better for chording, chordal comping, chickin' pickin', and other types of non-rock-shred stuff. Guitars that have rounder radii also tend to have thicker necks which help to support your hand. More support = less fatigue. If you're a bedroom noodler, it won't matter much, but if you're playing 4 sets twice a week, you'll appreciate the extra support by the end of the night. You might not be 'thinking' it, but you'll definately be feeling the benefit.

My reissue Tele (7.25" round radius) is great for all the Country type playing, and Bebop, Funk, Rock-a-billy, etc. The action is a bit higher since I pick, and/or pluck, the strings pretty hard. With the action set a bit higher, the notes don't cut out when bent.

My American Standard Tele (9.5" radius) has a slightly flatter fretboard, and is a great all-around guitar. The action is kept lower for easier playing, but the notes do compress a bit when I nail the strings a little too hard.

My Les Paul, and PRS Custom have MUCH flatter fretboards and thin necks. I love them for the hard Blues, and Rock stuff. I can solo on them without giving it a second's thought. The notes NEVER cut out when bending, even with crazy low action. Again, I can't nail the strings too hard or they'll compress on me. When I run the action at 3/32" or so, they hold up very well. Both will go lower, but then I have to tread lightly.

I play with heavy Gibson heart-shaped picks, and use my middle, and ring fingers to pluck. In a nutshell, I think Fender nailed it with their American Standard series guitars. The radius feels 'just right'...........too me anyway.

Mike

[Neeradj]

if i'm not mistaken, a smaller radius makes chording easier ...

You are not mistaken, my Gibson for example is incredible for fast chording while my Jackson is also good, it's not AS good, although it smokes the Gibson in soloing

That's how the whole compound radius thing started, get the best of both worlds!