ok, could use some advice here... a little background first, for the past 10 years or so I've been playing my favorite guitar, an '89 blonde 335. I believe the 80s 335s have the slim 60s neck, the best neck I've played on any guitar, very low action, effortless bends, it practically plays by itself let's not even get into the tone this thing produces..

It seems I'm having a hard time adapting back to playing a Strat, specially when it comes to bending, and I do a lot of it! 1 step, 1.5 step and sometimes even 2 full steps. The new Strat I'm having issues with is a 2010 Deluxe with the compound radius neck, which I thought would be better than the regular necks. The neck feels wonderful until I get into it and start bending the strings, around the 12th fret or higher. It just feels weird, bigger, uncomfortable, bends need a lot more effort and I can't seem to hit the notes I'm reaching for sometimes. Now let me also mention that my first Strat is a hardtail '79, neck feels smaller and bends are not as good as the 335 but much better than the Deluxe.

Is this a problem with the neck on the Deluxe or the tremolo itself? I have it set flush with the body but with only 3 springs that came with the guitar. I'm not much of tremolo player but I do use it lately when playing something like Lenny for example.

What do you suggest? I'd also like to get another Strat, maybe custom shop, and I'm trying to decide what neck size and radius to go with to get closer to the 335, if that's even possible. Maybe I'm just not much of a Strat player anymore

I dunno, either it needs a good setup or you just need to get used to it. I recommend investing in a pro setup then taking it from there. Play both guitars often. After awhile you will automatically sense which guitar you're playing at any given time and adapt without thinking about it. A properly setup Fender is going to feel a bit harder to play then a Gibson due to the different scale lengths.

I don't know what the fretboard radius is on a 335. The reason the Deluxe feels weird is probably because its fretboard radius is flatter in the upper frets than the 335. The flatter radius of the Fender is supposed to make large bends easier without choking. Probably something that you will get used to after time.

As far as the trem goes, if the other strings are going flat when you do a big bend, you might want to consider using 5 springs and decking the trem. You would only be able to do dives, but things will stay in tune better.

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Bill

Your 335 and '79 Strat both have hardtails. Let me guess...does your Deluxe Strat have its bridge floating? Well then that explains it. You need to slightly overcompensate ("bends need a lot more effort" as you said)when you bend a string since when you bend it is pulling up on the bridge making all strings go slightly flat. That's the way it's been since 1954 and what makes a Strat different than hardtail guitars, thanks Leo!

Try this experiment, pluck the open low E and while it's ringing out bend but do not pluck the high E. Give it at least a good full step bend. Listen to the low E detune like you're using the whammy bar and watch the back of the bridge rise away from the body.

If you want your Deluxe to play more like a hardtail, then deck or block your trem.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Am Dlx = 9.5" to 14" compound radius
335 = 12"
'79 Strat = 7.25"

The Gibby and Dlx have similar frets, while the '79 has skinny vintage frets if that matters.



+1 except the stay in tune better part. A well set up Strat with a floating bridge can stay in tune just as well a decked one.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

the bridge is not floating, I have it flush with the body, I screwed the claw in almost to the end... I have done the test by playing an open E and doing a bend, it only slightly goes flat. It's not just that it requires more effort, it just seems that the neck feels much bigger than the other 2 guitars past the 10th fret or so.

I believe the radius on Gibson is 12", the deluxe is 9.5-14". The 70s Strats have the 7.25" radius, no? I'm not sure what neck is on my 79, it feels fatter but not as tall as the Deluxe.

What's the best way to block the tremolo? I think I should add a couple of springs instead, cause I still would like to use it once in a while. Guess it's time for a trip to the local GC...

you beat me to it! thanks for confirming the radius on the 79. Many years ago I had jumbo frets installed on the 79, so it might explain why bends feel much better... but the 335's frets are worn out, flat, which allows me to have very low action, no buzzing whatsoever and the bends are to die for!

I just read a couple of reviews on the 335, never bothered to before, and it seems like almost all of them talk about how sweet it is to do bends on this guitar! Maybe I've just been spoiled for the last few years...

oh I have no tuning problems with the Deluxe, I was very surprised, even when using the tremolo.

Yeah the jumbo frets on your '79 will help making bends easier.

And duh, I forgot the biggest reason why bending on a Gibby is easier than a Fender...your 335 has a 24.75" scale length and the Fender has 25.5" scale. If you are using the same guage strings on both and tuned the same, the Gibby will feel "slinkier" for lack of a better term and bending will be easier. Maybe that explains it?

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

oh didnt know about the length... so a shorter scale will allow for better bending?

Which Strat neck type in your opinion will be closer in size and shape to the 335? or even the 79? I want to make sure the next Strat will have the right neck. But I will be adding the springs first to see if that helps.

Yes, if you are using the same guage strings and same tuning on both guitars. It's got to do with physics and it's over my head. Maybe someone else can explain. But I experience it too when switching between my Fenders and Gibsons. My Strat with floating trem has always been slightly harder to bend on and I just take it as the nature of the beast.



Fender doesn't make a 24.75" scale length neck for Strats or Teles. You would have to get one of their shortscale 24" scale length guitars like a Jaguar, Mustang, or Musicmaster for example. Warmoth and maybe some other aftermarket neck makers can do a 24.75" scale Strat neck. It won't have "Fender" on the headstock though if that's important to you.

Your 79 of course has the usual 25.5" length, so that rules out scale length playing a factor of its easy bendability. Maybe its the jumbo frets. The closest thing Fender has now to that neck would be one of the vintage reissues, but you would have to refret it with jumbos. I'm not sure if there are any artist signature Strats currently that have a vintage neck with bigger frets. Try browsing the specs of the Products page here. Or else go Custom Shop and pick your own specs if you have the $$$. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Sure add the springs and do a complete set up and see if that helps keep the bridge in place when you bend. But it will never "feel" the same as a Gibson type neck when bending.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Thanks, really appreciate your input. I'm actually looking at 60s CS Strats, can't decide which to go with, but the neck will be top priority, not necessarily the scale length but the overall size and feel of the neck and the flatter radius of course.

I could be wrong but I kind of remeber reading somewhere that David Gilmour is floating his bridge and most of the time uses 3 springs on the black Strat. I know, it goes against the laws of physics but then we are talking about God.

I have my trem set flush w/ the body and three springs, claw all the way in. I have the 9.5 radius that I find works best for me after I got used to it. My strings I switched to 9's from 10's and I can bend all day without fretting out. I do have to retune the D and G a couple of times per jam session (I only have one string tree), but I don't think much of it. I never was able to adjust to the compound radius necks I've owned and I like the 9.5 now that I'm used to it.

I'm no Gilmour of course, and my playing style is of more of a SRV and Albert King style, so there's a lot more bending going on... floating will only make things worse for me, already tried that. I use .10-.52 and I believe the guitar came with .09s so when I switched to .10s there was a lot of floating going on that I didnt care for.


I don't have any fretting out, but since I'm using .10s there's more tension on the bridge which is probably causing it to move a bit during my bends. I have less than 1/4" to go on the claw, I will try that as well and see if it helps.

Was your experience with the compound radius necks on a Deluxe Strat? What didn't you like about it? Just trying to see if it's the same thing I'm going through.

Was your experience with the compound radius necks on a Deluxe Strat?


No, It was an aftermarket neck on a Strat I bought used, I think it was a Warmoth neck. and I tend to leave my thumb high up on the back of the neck and when I get up past the 9th fret, I like the standard radius so I don't have to change my hand position so much. Not really that big of a deal, but I'd rather have the 9.5 radius all the way up the neck myself. I think when I switched strings,( I'm using the Ernie Ball Hybrid 9-46 ) It made bending easier more than anything else.