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Post subject: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:37 am
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What year did Fenders initiate use of 9.5 radius as standard over the 7.25? Are all of thos old classic stratocasters that hare so highly valued 7.25 radius necks?

Also when did Fender go to a wider nut with spacing, like the current American Standard with? Again are all those old Calssic 50 and 60's Stratocasters spaced with the narrower spacing at nut?

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:42 am
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I believe it was some point in the 80's. After the company was bought back from CBS. I wish I could erase that day, though. Give me the vintage radius any day, and twice on Sunday.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:15 am
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TheKingofPain wrote:
I believe it was some point in the 80's. After the company was bought back from CBS. I wish I could erase that day, though. Give me the vintage radius any day, and twice on Sunday.

Thank goodness for me that you're not the Fender CEO. The flatter, the better for me. My last purchase was a 14" radius. I like the compound radius boards Fender is making. It will be a must have for my next Strat purchase.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:20 am
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Drew365 wrote:
TheKingofPain wrote:
I believe it was some point in the 80's. After the company was bought back from CBS. I wish I could erase that day, though. Give me the vintage radius any day, and twice on Sunday.

Thank goodness for me that you're not the Fender CEO. The flatter, the better for me. My last purchase was a 14" radius. I like the compound radius boards Fender is making. It will be a must have for my next Strat purchase.



You got that right. The P bass would probably still have a slab body and a single coil if I was. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:09 pm
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TheKingofPain wrote:
I believe it was some point in the 80's. After the company was bought back from CBS. I wish I could erase that day, though. Give me the vintage radius any day, and twice on Sunday.


So all strats up until sometime in the 80's were 7.25? I never realized that.
I can't say I am a big fan of the 7.25 or the narrow spacing. Give me a good current Model American Standard or Deluxe.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:20 pm
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TheKingofPain wrote:
I believe it was some point in the 80's. After the company was bought back from CBS. I wish I could erase that day, though. Give me the vintage radius any day, and twice on Sunday.


+1

I believe the year was 1987, coincident with the unveiling of the then-new American Standard Strat. Also introduced were the re-designed 2-point tremolo bridge and 22-fret neck.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:45 pm
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Gotta say I prefer the 9.5" radius over the 7.25" radius. Just fits my hand better.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 1:06 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I believe the year was 1987, coincident with the unveiling of the then-new American Standard Strat. Also introduced were the re-designed 2-point tremolo bridge and 22-fret neck.


So 1987 for the radius and wider nut width.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 5:49 pm
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I prefer the flatter radius also. 10 To 12" feels better. I had a 7.5" on a G&L, that's when I stopped liking lower radiuses.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:16 pm
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While the radius changed in the '80s, nut widths are a bit more complicated.

Before '62, all Fender necks had 1 5/8" nut widths.

But from '62 through '69 they offered options. Nut width was indicated by a letter code. "A" was 1 1/2", "B" was 1 5/8, "C" was 1 3/4", "D" was 1 7/8". "B" was the standard width. Since A, C, and D widths had to be special ordered they're somewhat uncommon.

'70 they went back to just making 1 5/8" widths. 1 11/16" debuted along with the 9.5" radius as far as I know -- 1/16" wider than a B neck, 1/16" narrower than a C neck.

The '62~'69 letter codes didn't describe the neck profile -- all those necks were either a fat-ish "C" or a thin-ish "D" shape (depending on how you use the terminology). Of course the feel of the profile changed a bit with narrower or wider necks, but a C-shaped neck could have an A, B, C, or D width.


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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:33 pm
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strayedstrater wrote:
The '62~'69 letter codes didn't describe the neck profile -- all those necks were either a fat-ish "C" or a thin-ish "D" shape (depending on how you use the terminology). Of course the feel of the profile changed a bit with narrower or wider necks, but a C-shaped neck could have an A, B, C, or D width.


+1

My '63 had a very comfortable "C" profile while my '66 was markedly thinner -- closer to the "D" paradigm. Both were standard "B-width" necks.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 1:54 am
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Width and profile seem to confuse a lot of people since they both use alpha coding. As was said above, nut width and profile combinations along with radius (and even fret size) can go a long way into making a neck more or less comfortable. Sometimes one feature that you may not necessarily care for can change when combined with other factors.

Now, I mainly come at it from the bass standpoint. Give me a vintage radius, B width soft V or U profile P neck as my ideal. My second choice would be vintage C width with a thick C or soft V profile. A width Jazz necks, thin C profiles P necks of any width, or modern radius necks are things I try to steer away from. I can't warm to any of them. However, some bother me more than others. Two of my basses have modern radius necks. However, they are B width with vintage frets. One of them is a fuller C profile so it's less bothersome. However, while I prefer the B width as my ideal. The very wide neck on my AVS 57RI is my favorite. Because it has the vintage radius and a very, very full neck profile. Weird, but it's a strange science and one of the cool things about playing Fender's in my opinion.

As a "rule" the earlier the neck specs the more I like it. On both bass and guitar. Early to mid 50's Precision and Tele necks are where I like to be.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 3:49 am
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Just checked my 1983 two-knob Strat with a radius gauge, it's 9.5"

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 4:41 am
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I know that on basses the 79's had the 7.25 radius. 83 is after the sale, and also after the introduction of the American Vintage Series. I would think that perhaps a change in radius might also roughly coincide with the appearance of the Vintage Series instruments. Why else reissue vintage spec instruments unless the current models had changed? Also, guitars seem to get more options long before basses, so it's possible that guitars were being offered with different radius' long before any radius became a "standard". Aren't the old 70's Tele Deluxes outfitted with necks that have really flat radii? Like almost a 12? I think on guitars Fender played around with different specs here and there much more than they did on basses, and before anything outside the traditional radius became standard on all production run instruments.

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Post subject: Re: when did fender start using 9.5 radius
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 7:52 am
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I have several Stratocasters. While I love my MIM' and in particular I have a Sonic Blue/rosewood Blacktop thats very nice, however I have come to dislike the narrower string spacing. The MIA string spacing is so much more comfortable.

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