Fretboard radius and speed??

[papersoul]

Do you guys find a correlation between fretboard radius and the speed and accuracy in which you can solo? It's funny that most of the 80s shred kings played very flat radiuses such as 14" or more! Currently I play 10" and 12" and am afraid to buy a strat for this reason. I have been contemplating a G&L with a 12" for this very reason. I have to admit I found my hands cramping more with the 14"s and higher. i found this on my Hamers and Peavey Wolfgang. Then again...look at Malmsteen using strats........

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

The commen wisdom is that the vintage 8 1/2" Fender radius makes it easier to play chords...especially in the first position.

And that the flatter Gibson radius makes it easier to bend notes without fretting out and to play solos.

I am in 100% agreement with myself on that one! :smack: :laugh2:

Hamers have a 12" radius...I think that's starting to get a little to flat for my tastes and after owning as many as six I'm down to just one: my Hamer Monoco Super Pro.


Lew

 

[FretFire]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

I really want to play a neck with a compound radius. A smaller radius by the headstock for easier chording, but flatter up towards the higher frets for easier soloing/bending. Sounds pretty sweet.

 

[papersoul]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

The commen wisdom is that the vintage 8 1/2" Fender radius makes it easier to play chords...especially in the first position.

And that the flatter Gibson radius makes it easier to bend notes without fretting out and to play solos.

I am in 100% agreement with myself on that one! :smack: :laugh2:

Hamers have a 12" radius...I think that's starting to get a little to flat for my tastes and after owning as many as six I'm down to just one: my Hamer Monoco Super Pro.


Lew

I know a guy who worked closely with Hamer and sold Hamers in his store and he mentioned he was positive that Hamers currently have a 14" radius board. Regardless. I just never found then particularly comfortable. I love the 12" radius on my LP to death...great feel for everything! I am still adjusting to the 10" of the PRS McCarty. I guess I can't decide if I want a Strat or a G&L with a 12" radius......decisions. I love a single coil neck for soloing but the fretboard radius is driving me nuts as to which to choose. I wish I could find a G&L dealer in the Philadelphia area.

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

I have found that the vintage Strat radius of 7.25" is conducive to very fast sweep arpeggios-- hence Malmsteen's preference (?).

 

[Norman_T]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

Why not just order a compound radius neck from Warmoth and stick this on whatever strat you are thinking about, this will probably give you what you want. I have found that the neck that I put on my Hyw1 strat neck is really superb and very fast above the 12th fret but is comfortable for doing chord work on the lower frets.

The neck in question is an unfinished wenge neck with a brazilian rosewood noard, compound radius, wizard profile, abalone dots which I picked up from Fatty. Have not got a picture of it on the guitar but this is what it looks like:

 

[rspst14]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

My Hamer Studio has a 14" radius. I don't know about the other models, but I was under the impression that most Hamers have a 14" radius.

Ryan

 

[papersoul]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

I have found that the vintage Strat radius of 7.25" is conducive to very fast sweep arpeggios-- hence Malmsteen's preference (?).

Curious though....why does Malmsteens pro model have a 9.5" radius fretboard.

Either way......I want a good old strat.

rspst...you are correct....the Hamers have the 14" radius and for some reason I could not vibe with it. I vibe much better with the Gibson 12" and the PRS 10". I think I would even do better on the Fender radius.

That said.....I did enjoy my Peavey Wolfgang and may still consider one because it is a cool guitar to have around. It just wouldn't be my number one.

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

Curious though....why does Malmsteens pro model have a 9.5" radius fretboard.

Could be demand to facilitate easier bending. I like the 9.5 radius-- it doesn't stray too much from the 7.25 in regards to the overall feel.

*

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

Really...14" radius on Hamers? You learn something everyday! Well, I love the way my Les Paul plays (12"?) and I love the way my Hamer plays too, but the Hamer feels a little flatter than I'm used to, especially for chords where I wrap my thumb around the neck to hold down the low E string. But it's a great ax...love it to pieces!

Lew

 

[papersoul]

Re: Fretboard radius and speed??

No shame there Lew....Hamers are sweet guitars. Just weren't for me.

I played a bunch of American Standard Strats today and they all felt pretty good but the factory set ups left a lot to be desired. They all felt consistent in feel and tone. I may look into a used Standard Strat and replace the pickups.

I also have a desire for another Peavey Wolfgang Standard! Now that is a 15" radius board but I don't mind having one guitar with a flat board...just not my main guitar. The Wolf is a fun guitar with great tone.