Super Strat Fretboard Radius - Straight or Compound Radius

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stramm8
  • Start date Start date

Choose one

  • 10" - 16" or 12" - 16" Compound Radius

    Votes: 39 75.0%

  • Straight 10" or 12" Radius

    Votes: 13 25.0%
  • Total voters
    52
Stramm8

Stramm8

Active member
Doing a little market research here people. I like straight radius fretboards but I know a lot of folks like compound radius boards. If you had to choose one, which way would you go??
 
Where is the ignorant pole option. I will be honest I don't know the difference.
 
i like personally like 10-14 or 12-16. the difference between the 2 is very small.
 
A straight 12 works for me, as does 12-16 . Really no preference.
 
blackba":13vn8zol said:
Where is the ignorant pole option. I will be honest I don't know the difference.
Click to expand...

Fretboards have a radius from one side to the other. Fender Strats typically have a 9.5" radius, les pauls have a 12" radius and would be considered more "rounded" or "domed". Some people like a flatter radius (16" for example) and some people like a combination of the two or "compound radius" where the radius closer to the nut is more rounded and the radius in the upper register is flatter. Charvels, Wolfgangs and now even some Gibsons have compund radius boards.
 
A poll for which I have a STRONG opinion on....

I've had guitars with virtually the same specs (same neck carve etc) but with a compound radius on one of them and while many say they can't tell much of a difference, I found the difference to be huge, like night and day. It seems that most compound radii bother me, when coming from playing a straight, rather flat radius the majority of the time. The only one that I've played that didn't was TA's 12"-14" compound. For the most part though, straight for me all day long....and a 12" over a 10".......even better, a 14" or 16" straight radius.
 
If possible, 12-16. My Charvel is like that.

But i had a Custom Shop Strat that was 12 and it was incredible.
 
I recently ordered a guitar through mike lull. His standard models have a straight 12 raids. I thought it was perfect until i got to the higher register. He is doing a 12-16 for me. I don't know if their is a point of going over 14 inch radius. With proper fretwork i don't think your going to get fret outs. I picked 12-16 because i had never seen nor played a 12-14. i think suhr does a lot of 10-14.
 
rlord1974":1breu1l7 said:
I'd go straight, 9.5" radius actually.......
Click to expand...
Same here- straight. 9.5" is optimum. Gotta have a fairly robust neck as well.
Anywhere between 7.5" and 10" is my comfort zone.
 
Have a Suhr with straight 16" - it's great - prefer straight, as I don't feel much difference playing a compound.
 
I do a straight 10" fretboard but the way I (and probably a lot of others) dress the frets, the fret tops end up with a compound/conical radius. So I picked the first choice but with an asterisk like Barry Bonds. :D
 
UberschallEL34":29eau53x said:
Have a Suhr with straight 16" - it's great - prefer straight, as I don't feel much difference playing a compound.
Click to expand...

Me too, but I always get coumpound just in case :doh:
 
I agree - missing from the Poll is a straight 14" Radius which feels to me a LOT like compound 12 to 16".

I have a feeling that with the same neck size and Fretwire these two

different Radii would feel very close to most people.

Also, I got a chance to use the word " Radii".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top