Fretboard radius... Does it REALLY matter?

[Katastrophe]

Discussion topic for the evening, gents (or however long this lasts)...

All of my guitars have fairly flat "shredder" style fretboard radii, for those days when only high speed runs would do.

As I've talked about before, I've been undergoing a sea change with my views on equipment, and I've just about made up my mind to get rid of the ESP and Charvel for the purchase of a Fender Classic 50s Strat in either Daphne Blue or Oly White ($629), and possibly purchase an SX Powder Blue SST57 Strat copy for a backup, for $99.00...

The Strat has the V shape neck that I want, but, being a vintage reissue (sorta), it has the vintage fretboard radius of 7.25".

I've read where some say that it's too difficult to bend strings with that tight a radius, as the curvature of the fretboard will "choke" the bend.

HOWEVER...

Clapton's "Blackie" - Vintage radius
Gilmours "#0001" - Same
SRV's #1 - had a '59 or 60s era neck, with the same radius, I presume

There are other examples, but others don't spring to mind right now...

So, does a tight FB radius REALLY make that much of a difference when it comes to shakin' dem strangs?

What do y'all think? I might be able to go into Austin to try and find out sometime next week, during the July 4th holiday. Guitar Center is a ways away from me, and the nearest guitar store with a large selection is about an hour, depending on traffic.

[Nelskie]

The Strat has the V shape neck that I want, but, being a vintage reissue (sorta), it has the vintage fretboard radius of 7.25". I've read where some say that it's too difficult to bend strings with that tight a radius, as the curvature of the fretboard will "choke" the bend

Who says you can't bend strings on a neck with a 7.25" radius . . . girlie men? Ha ha ha! Personally, I think that's one of those things that a few nitpicky, overly-retentive players whine about because they're unaccustomed to "man-handling" certain types of guitars. Fenders traditionally require a bit of "wrangling" to get notes to sound right, not to mention a stronger, more attentive touch - or at least in my opinion they do. Not every guitar can be as tender and supple as a PRS one-off. Oooohh Tad, I absolutely dig those dreamy dove inlays!

As for me, I'm an agressive player who's not afraid to extract my pound of flesh when necessary - esp. with my Fenders. I have a Classic 60's Strat, which has the exact same neck radius (but a "C" shaped profile instead), and running .10-.46's on it (even though I've read that Strats should be set up with .009 - .042's!), I'm a Texas-sized bendin' machine - no problems whatsoever. I have, however, read that same thing about "choking" a bend, so there are obviously some players who've had to deal with the issue. I am also of the opinion that the bending thing is primarily dependent on technique, though I'd imagine that there are other things that might contribute to the same equation, including string gauge, intonation height, trem / no trem, and bridge adjustment.

But like I always say, where there's a will, there's a way.

[Spudman***]

Nelskie's right. A lot of people want the action down low so that their guitar is easy to play. However, in order to get a Strat to sound and play right the action needs to be higher and plenty of wranglin' must be done. That's what gives a lot of Strats the vibe. Otherwise the notes will choke if the action is low. Still if you develop "the touch" for it it won't be a lot more difficult to play than most other guitars even with the higher action.

[t_ross33]

(even though I've read that Strats should be set up with .009 - .042's!)

"Use big strings. I like a set with a .013 E string, but I've gone as high as a .018-.074 set. They'll eat your hands, your tuning pegs, and your amp, but they sound great." - Stevie Ray Vaughan (from 99 Ways To Play Better - Guitar Player, May 06)

[Katastrophe]

Not every guitar can be as tender and supple as a PRS one-off. Oooohh Tad, I absolutely dig those dreamy dove inlays!

ROFLMAO! That is absolutely sig quote material, Nelskie!

Yep, no doubt about it, I do a lot of double stop bends, wide vibrato, and good ol' fashioned string shakin' in my playing, especially recently, as my style is becoming more bluesy. I'm a "10s" guy myself, and none of my guitars are set up with really low action, so this seems to be a nonissue! I can't wait to get to the music store to test drive one of these babies! (pauses to wipe excessive amounts of drool off of computer keyboard)

t_ross: Man, I don't know how SRV was able to use those phone cable strings. I played a jazzbox hollowbody with thicker strings like that (big enough for a wound G string) and there were no big bends that day... Tone was good, though.

[Tim]

Nelskie's right. A lot of people want the action down low so that their guitar is easy to play. However, in order to get a Strat to sound and play right the action needs to be higher and plenty of wranglin' must be done. That's what gives a lot of Strats the vibe. Otherwise the notes will choke if the action is low. Still if you develop "the touch" for it it won't be a lot more difficult to play than most other guitars even with the higher action.

Spud man - Can you elaborate on this a little more? I think you have explained why my Strat plays with a buzz in higher positions. What is “low” and “high” action on a Strat? I am an aggressive player (hard strummer) and presently my action is set at 4/64 high e and 5/64 on low E. Would this be considered to low for the Strat action you discussed above? My relief is .010 at the 8th fret.

Finally, could this theory also affect the Fender Telecaster? Are not the fretboards interchangeable between these two guitars?

[tremoloman***]

Strats are a little more work to play than most other guitats, but the reward in tone easily outweighs the extra effort.

Switching from Ibanez back to Fender has vastly improved my playing ability since I can no longer just lay my fingers on the neck to make notes. My coordination, finger strength, and soloing have gone through the roof since my transition. I believe the Ibanez made me lazy so I never had to clean up my sloppy playing. There was nothing wrong with the guitar - it was just my laziness me thinks.

.009s are easy to play but I think they sound is a little too bright. Elixir .010s with the Nanoweb coating tone down the sharpness enough to get the tone I'm looking for. They are more expensive at $9.99 a pack, but if you spray them with finger ease spray they can last up to 2 months under weekly gigging. No matter the brand, I snap a string after a couple of days if I'm not using Elixirs. I wish it weren't the case, but I must be just a little too hard on my bends or something. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a solo going for that 21st fret bending it to match the tone of the 24th and then *SNAP*

[Nelskie]

That is absolutely sig quote material, Nelskie!

Kat - I'm honored. BTW - I think you're gonna' like those Classic 50's / 60's Fenders. Great tone / feel, excellent fit & finish, and awesome necks!

t_ross - Good point about SRV. I have the Live at the El Mocambo on DVD, and it's amazing to see how Stevie just punishes his guitar during that performance. But have you ever taken a really good look at his hands? Folks, they're the size of regulation baseball mitts, with fingers the size of ring sausage. No foolin'! Those be some serious meat-hooks!

[Spudman***]

Tim
If your frets are in good shape, that is none are high and in need of leveling, then just raise the buzzing strings 1/4 turn on the bridge height screws. Play it for a while and if the condition still persists go another 1/4 turn. Do this until your buzz is gone. If the action becomes unbearably high. You might have something going on with the neck that a pro could help you with. Using 9's or 10's shouldn't be much of a problem if the action gets higher. If it is then get a grip exerciser and get some strength in your hand. My work and leisure activities keep my hands pretty strong so I don't mind higher action. However in the winter time I get a little wimpy and switch to playing guitars with lower action as my grip strength lessens.

I have Strats with pretty low action myself. I have no neck issues on them and the radius is flatter than on the ones I have with higher action. The ones with higher action do have better overall sound and no buzzing either. Same with my Tele's. I also set the relief just so that I can see a bit of light between the string and fret and then just put the action where it works regardless of numbers. The 64ths is a good place to start but if it doesn't work then sticking to those numbers isn't going to do any good. Still you should be able to come close to those numbers and if you can't then the neck may require some professional attention.

[Tim]

Thank you sir Spuds. I truly was trying to stay within the specs on the Fender website. I guess I need to break out of the box. Being my trade is aircraft; I feel at ease dealing with numbers. So from what I read in your reply, now I must forget about the numbers and go with the feel. I will work on this over the next couple of days. I will provide feedback when I reach my goal of a lesser buzzing guitar.

[Katastrophe]

Every guitar is different... The Fender specs are a good guide and starting point to start, but ultimately, it comes down to how the guitar sounds to your ear and plays in your hands.

You know, since you're a numbers oriented guy, you might want to take the guitar in to a tech for a general string change and setup. Record the measurements and use them for a starting point next time...