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Post subject: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:26 am
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I have a Fender Road Worn Telecaster that I really like. It's lightweight, the Fat C-neck shape is perfect for me, I like the thin finish (and lack of finish on the back of the neck) and the sound is great. However, the 7.25 radius neck is horrible for bending in the upper positions. I prefer the 12" radius of the Eric Johnson Strat. I also have a Road Worn Strat.

So, I'm considering a re-radius and re-fret to 12", but I'd like to know if there's enough dot material to flatten the radius without sanding through the dots. It seems to me that not much wood would be removed, but I don't want to end up with a disaster where I have to buy more dots and re-drill and install dots. Has anyone done this? These guitars would be perfect for me just as they are if they had a flatter radius neck. I'd also like to know which Fender brand frets to purchase (vintage, standard, etc) to match the existing frets on the Road Worn series guitars.


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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:56 am
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I replied to the frets question on the Strat side (= measure what you got).

On the radius change...
Why not just get a replacement neck with a 12" radius (or a compound)?
IMHO: The radius change would be possible but the hassle is not worth it. And, it's not a job for a beginner - and a pro would probably charge more that that replacement neck costs.


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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 11:38 am
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I'm not a beginner. I thought about a new neck, but Fender replacement necks on eBay are in the $200-275, and finding one with the Fat C profile I like would be next to impossible. I could order a Warmoth or other, but then it wouldn't have the fender decal--and the cool relic look. I'd also be out a LOT more money and have an extra neck that I don't need. About measuring: I can measure the tang width accurately with the fret on the guitar, but not the height--it's easier to get an accurate reading with digital calipers when the frets are off the guitar. It would even be easier if Fender would tell what the specs of their frets are-- come on Fender. Like I said earlier, I see Fender has posted specs on the Dunlop frets and I think I know which Dunlop model corresponds to the Road Worn Series guitars, but they also sell frets that are listed only as Fender brand and those don't list the measurement specs. I'd prefer to use the exact same frets that are on there since I know I like them. But you may be right and measuring may be the best way to figure out what they are by process of elimination and just buying a couple of the different $9 Fender fret sets. If I could determine the correct set to buy that would obviously be better. The other issue is still how thick the dots are and is there enough dot material to flatten the radius from 7.25" to 12". I think there's enough fretboard wood and enough space between the side dots. If anyone from Fender can point me to the specs and/or if anyone out there has done what I'm considering, please let me know.


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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 12:54 pm
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OK. I didn't mean to question your skills or experience - just trying to help.

You can measure the fret crown height with a caliper - just do as you would when measuring depth. That result, of course, doesn't help if the frets are dressed...

On a 7.5" radius and a player who bends a lot on the upper frets, one "standard procedure" is to do a partial fret job, sort of "flattening the radius" on fret tops only, and above the 12th fret only. That, and "flattening the radius" with saddle height (highE & B just a little higher) often do the job. Oh, too much relief is bad also :wink:
But if all that doesn't do the trick, and you are determined to go on with the 'whole radius change': the dots will most likely have that a little under .040" (1mm) extra thickness you need to shave in the midline of the neck...

On those Fender fret pages: have you seen this one:
http://www.fender.com/news/fret-sizes/
And there is the customer relations department, who might help determining what your original frets were.


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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 1:36 pm
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Yes, that was the article I was referring too. It talks about Dunlop frets but not Fender frets. It's unclear to me if the Fender frets sold are really Dunlop frets repackaged, but at any rate, there are no specs for the Fender frets. Fender should be more clear about what's in the package imo.

It probably makes sense to try to flatten the middle of the frets a bit (above the 12th fret) first and see if that works okay for me. The tele is a maple board with the relic surface fingerboard, so I'd prefer not to mess that look up by resurfacing the finished fingerboard. Perhaps that will be good enough for my needs, although I do think the 12" radius is best for my playing style.


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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:25 pm
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classic players 60s stratocaster neck has the specs you want, so maybe fender made an equivalent spec neck for the Tele as well?


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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:07 pm
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Just know that no matter whether you get the exact frets to replace the originals, and if you get it to the 12 inch radius, the feel of the neck will change and there is no two ways around that. Whether you end up liking that or not also remains to be seen. Hope it turns out the way you think it will, but if it were me, I would keep the guitar as is and deal with the bending.

I did some woodshedding and really worked on my blues bending above the 12th fret with a 7.25 radius neck, and after a while, it ceased to be an issue. Just some food for thought.

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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 11:15 pm
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Recrowning the neck to a flatter radius won't change the radius of the nut.
So there's that to consider as well.

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Post subject: Re: RE-radius a 7.25 to a 12" neck. Will it work?
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 12:56 pm
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jmattis wrote:
I replied to the frets question on the Strat side (= measure what you got).

On the radius change...
Why not just get a replacement neck with a 12" radius (or a compound)?
IMHO: The radius change would be possible but the hassle is not worth it. And, it's not a job for a beginner - and a pro would probably charge more that that replacement neck costs.


+1 for the replacement neck!


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