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Post subject: Neck radius
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:24 pm
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With regard to neck radius on Strats ,I see that some guitars have 9.5' ,some 7.2' (or so ) & some 12.2'...Do the bigger numbers mean that the neck is going to feel fatter or is it the other way round.I'm looking for a slim neck US strat like some of the squire models have.


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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:19 am
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No, no: you are mixing up two different things.

Neck radius refers to the curve on the top of the fingerboard, and therefore the curve of the frets. Imagine that fingerboard was cut from a section of the surface of a cylinder. The radius of that cylinder is the radius of your fingerboard. So, obviously, a 7.25 vintage Fender neck is going to have a steeper curve to it than a modern 9.5 inch radius one.

The size of the neck, in terms of a C-shape, V-shape, or whatever, refers to the back of the neck, the bit that fills the palm of your hand. There is a nice page at Martin Guitars' website about this - but I can't find it... Duh. In the meantime, this page at Warmoth will give you a bit of an idea:

http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/necks/nec ... k_profiles

Help any?

Cheers - C


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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:29 pm
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wOW! That link is very informative.I used to mostly think that the fingerboard was pretty straight! So does it really make much of a difference with a slight curve on the finger board? What is the radius that most players prefer.I like to bend strings a lot so which one do you think will be best to go for.
I guess I was revering to the 'Back contour' of the neck which makes it feel fat & or thin .My palm /fingers are a bit small.I played a squire star that had a nice slim back contour. Does fender make any US strats with a smaller back contour? They dont mention the size of the Back contour on their specs page I think.
Thanks for the reply.


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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:09 pm
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Thanks for that info, Ceri! I'd been wondering this too..


As for the back contouring, isn't that what they're referring to when describing a neck profile as a C, U or V-shaped? Ie. it's a soft curve, a steeper curve or v kinda peaked in the middle? :?

I think the Standards now generally have a C-shaped 9.5 radius neck.

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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:12 am
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FrankieP wrote:
As for the back contouring, isn't that what they're referring to when describing a neck profile as a C, U or V-shaped? Ie. it's a soft curve, a steeper curve or v kinda peaked in the middle? :?

I think the Standards now generally have a C-shaped 9.5 radius neck.


Yep, that's pretty much it. That Warmoth page, above, is OK, but I wish I could find Martin's version of it, cos it really sets out most of the possibilities, and because Martin are kind of an industry architype for this sort of thing - since they invented so much of it.

Anyone?

- C


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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:25 am
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Hey folks, I actually thought this was a pretty decent guide- they have one for Teles too.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stratguide

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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:01 pm
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There are many different types of neck profiles available, giving the guitarist many options. Some aspects to consider in a guitar neck may be the overall width of the fingerboard, scale (distance between the frets), the neck wood, the type of neck construction (for example, the neck may be glued in or bolted on), and the shape (profile) of the back of the neck.

Neck profile (the "shape" of the neck) is probably the most personal element of a guitar. It affects how your hand and fingers "fit" the neck and how easily you can move from fret to fret. From early on acoustic guitars employed some variation of a "C" shape. Electric guitar makers have experimented extensively and a variety of profiles have evolved with the preferences of players. Jeff Beck's favorite Fender Stratocasters had a very fat "C" shape; current models of Fender's Custom Artist Jeff Beck Signature Strat have a smaller "C" to be more player-friendly.

Similar to the "C" is the oval neck profile. This offers a less pronounced curve at the back and has its followers. On the other side is the "U" - an almost-rectangular shape that appeared on many Fenders - perhaps best for players with long fingers. And Eric Clapton has favored a "V" neck that provides a comfortable groove down the middle. A variation on this is the "inverted V," that is thicker on the bass side and thinner on the treble side.

Width is as much a factor in the neck profile as shape, leading some guitar makers to abandon the letter analogy and begin describing profiles as "wide-fat" or "regular-thin" and so on, in which widths are "wide, regular or narrow" and depths range from "fat to regular to thin." This often provides a clearer description of the profile and can help you when you're shopping for guitars online.

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Post subject: Re: Neck radius
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:28 pm
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[quote="Jesuscares"]With regard to neck radius on Strats ,I see that some guitars have 9.5' ,some 7.2' (or so ) & some 12.2'

Seems that Fender settled on a 9.5 radius for its modern C neck as being a suitable generic for most playing styles, particularly for bending. Eric Johnson, for one, specified 12.0 for his.

As for neck profiles, if you can find a Fender dealer that carries a large assortment of models I suggest you compare the American Standard to American Deluxe V-nec, the '57 and '62 Hotrods, the Clapton, the SRV, the Mayer, the Johnson for feel. There you have a pretty broad range for Stratocaster neck profiles.

The Telecaster is another suit of clothes, and you might have a look at those as well.

Happy hunting.

Doc.


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