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Post subject: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:50 am
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I am getting a tele. But researching find that the fretboard radius varies greatly. I mostly play acoustic but occassionally still break out the electrics. Gretsch hollowbody and an old Aria strat copy I bought in '78.
What diffences will be felt in comparing a 7.25" radius and a 9.5" radius or larger? I am considering that new mexican Antigua because of the unique color but don't really get the concept of how one radius plays differnt from another.

Thanks for anyones help.


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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:53 am
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P.S. What would I feel with the difference between jumbo frets and regular?


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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:06 am
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Bending is easier on 9.5 radius than 7.25.. Playing is more difficult on small frets . I use medium /jumbo.


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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:27 am
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i find chording much easier on a smaller radius, smaller fret equppied neck. if i was playing almost exclusively rhythm on my electric, id be after something with small frets and small radius, no doubt. but when i want to play lead, i always pick up my mexican std strat which is 9.5 and medium jumbo frets.

im currently on the hunt for a new guitar, and i looked at the antigua strat but the vintage frets put me off because im after something to wail on. ive already got a couple of teles with the same frets as the antigua strat, and radius aswell i think.

i notice fret size differences more than neck radius differences.


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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:45 am
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I own, and have played both. I prefer the 9.5" radius with medium jumbo frets.
If you've been playing accoustics, I believe it would be your preference as well.

The string spacing is closer together on the vintage 7.25" radius. Feels like a kid's guitar to me, more suitable for smaller hands.


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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 3:02 pm
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As a person with smaller hands, I love the 7.25" radius. I also have no issues with bends or any of the other common complaints about a 7.25" neck.

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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:47 am
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Radius difference is negligible. Fret size differences can be apparent. I don't notice a difference between medium and jumbo. I do notice the difference between small and jumbo though.

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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 3:00 pm
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Thanks for the responses. I went to guitar center today and played lots of tele's. I couldn't find a u shape with a 7.25 but did play a c shape with a 7.25 and didn't see a lot of difference between it and the u shape 9.5 I played except for the neck shape. The radius didn't hinder my bends like I anticipated it would.
I reckon I'm fixin' to pull the trigger on one of these new tele's. I'm sure I'll have tons of fun with it regardless and if it's not the best fit, I can still play my Gretsch some.


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Post subject: Re: Fretboard radius and its pro's and con's
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:41 pm
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Set-up wise------ Flatter radius's enable you to get the strings closer to the neck-hence better "lead" playing. String height on a Fender Strat will be usually be higher than string height on a Jackson.

And now.......MORE THAN YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KNOW!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerboard

Cheers,
rob

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