Compound radius - thoughts?

[WhoFan]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

when ever i fret dress straight radius necks of my own i slightly compound them.. on my Fender necks that have a 9.5 radius i'll use a 12 inch block on the last 10 frets or so... a 10inch for the rest... plus sometimes i'll use a file to make the B string area from the 12th fret to the end of the neck ever so slightly flatter to reduce fret outs completely...

Coumpound radiusing does work well when set up right!!! a straight radius neck with the string spread apart wider at the bridge makes it interesting.. the strings are slightly sitting on an angle across the radius of the neck... since the string spread at the nut is narrow and the strings at the bridge is wider they sit funny on a straight radius neck... and the sharper that radius is and the wider the string spread is the more effect it has on fretting out and so on.. that is why i'm not a huge fan of vintage spec Fender strats, they are a bit of a design challenge for modern playing... only slightly an issue, but modern changes to the board radius's and bridge and nut widths have helped a lot for player comfort... a compound radius offers the E strings to sit nice and lower as the radius flattens down the neck...

some players hate the compund radius's... but i like them... i also like vintage spec strats even if i have issues with the design.... i like all of them i guess...

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

I like 'em. Especially when playing on it's higher registers - it feels really flat and yummy and bright! But, you can still play chords pretty well up there too.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

I had an LP Elegant with a compound radius once. I remember it was impossible to fret out even on monster bends so I loved it. I wish all guitars came with compound radius.

 

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

I prefer a uniform radius all the way up and down, but don't mind a compound radius.
I love playing my friend's Jackson DK2S. He lets me play a fair bit too
I can never get it to fret out on bends and the neck in general is made for comfortable playing.

 

[scottish]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

i have to admit i am surprised that there are so many compound radius lovers here, lol. I hate them with a passion. I cant put my finger on why, but they just feel funky. Ill take a straight 9.5 or 12" any day.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

I love compound radius necks. I've got a Warmoth neck on one of my Strats with a 10"-16" radius, the standard offering. It's the most comfortable neck I have on any of my guitars. I'd like to get another one for my import Strat and my "future whenever the heck it's gonna happen" Tele project will definitely have a compound radius neck.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

I've always wondered about this... is there any noticeable difference when moving up the neck?

For instance, would I think "hey, this feels flatter"?

In theory, it sounds like an excellent idea, but does it have any practical flaws? It's pretty difficult to find a guitar to try out as very few factory models come stock with a compound radius. (Is it true that the Jackson SL1 soloist has one?)

I was thinking about a 10-16 radius by the way.

I have a Warmoth neck on my Strat that has a compound radius neck & for soloing its fine, but I thing in the open position it loses a little of the chunka chunk that you get with a regular neck.

 

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

i have to admit i am surprised that there are so many compound radius lovers here, lol. I hate them with a passion. I cant put my finger on why, but they just feel funky. Ill take a straight 9.5 or 12" any day.

It also depends on how how extreme the compound is though.
10-16 inch for example, I cannot stand, but a more subtle one like the Jackson 14-16 inch, is enough to be noticeable for someone that plays straight radius necks, but trust me, you can get used to it easily and might even like the subtle compound radius

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

Given a choice of 2 Identical instruments one with and one without, the one with teh compound radius is the one I´ll choose. I personally love compound radii on fretboards for the same reasons that many rave about it on warmoth necks.

I do however prefer the slightly flatter variant traditionally used by Jackson Charvel, 12-16", but this is because 10" in the lower registers is just a bit too curvy for my taste

To those referring to setup issues on compound radius necks with OFR or TOM bridges (and this will make me sound like a condescending prick, but truth is truth): Please learn to set up the bridge properly.

On an OFR the bridge end string radius is adjustable via shims.. these are readily available from most parts suppliers, and Beer can snippets /aluminum foil are a more than adequate fix should the shims be too expensive or hard to find in your area. But considering that an OFR needs to be set up Once and practically never even tweaked unless something else is changed (string guage or tuning for ex.), the extra half hour is well worth it

On a Tune-o-Matic the Bridge end radius is set by filing the slots in teh saddles deeper, very similar to cutting a new nut.

IMO the only reasons for not setting up an instrument properly are lack of knowledge (in which case somebody with knowledge should be doing it for you or showing you how to do it properly), or plain laziness.. Both can destroy even the most expensive guitar, or at least make it thoroughly unplayable

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Compound radius - thoughts?

i have to admit i am surprised that there are so many compound radius lovers here, lol. I hate them with a passion. I cant put my finger on why, but they just feel funky. Ill take a straight 9.5 or 12" any day.

YUP ! My mind tells me a CR is a good idea, But my fingers tell me different?
It's just weird for me. I had a sweet Warmoth neck that my fingers just never warmed up to? I think it's because you have to make adjustments in your finger pressure when bending. A CR either makes it easier or just strange if your not accustom to it.