Compound-radiusing, or "tapering" a fretboard, is a common refretting task. The fingerboard radius measurement itself refers to the radius of a circle from which a small segment of the circumference equal to the width of the fingerboard is taken. use a ruler and measure those that feel best to you. A shorter, steeper radius is great for rhythm playing, because it makes fretting chords easier. Determine the fretboard radius. Acoustic guitar serial numbers are stamped into the mahogany neck block inside the body of the guitar. The neck of a guitar is the part a guitarist has the most contact with. When the body of a guitar is too large, it forces you to reach around awkwardly to pick or strum the strings, putting your fret hand in an e… It is a favorite of fast players and lead guitar … Get Directions | How to check a guitar fretboard radius. Simple, huh? X is then used in the remaining formulas. The reason for this is that there are advantages and disadvantages to each of the different types of fretboard radius, though to what extent is pretty subjective. The radius is usually expressed in inches. It's best to measure at the body end of the neck though, because there will be a wider section of neck in contact with the gauge. If you take a closer look at a guitar neck, you will notice that very few of these necks are ever genuinely flat and are slightly convex across the width. Phone Hours | Many vintage Fender guitars have a radius of 7.25", whereas most Gibson guitars tend to have a flatter 12" radius. Our knowledge base contains over 28,000 expertly written tech articles that will give you answers and help you get the most out of your gear. Manufacturers refer to this arch as the radius. Put your nose up against the very bottom of the body, by the bridge, and look down the strings towards the nut. To achieve a perfect fit, the Thalia Capo comes with multiple interchangable fretpads so that you can match the fretboard radius of your specific instrument. Most are. Ask your fingers! The back of the neck begins with a C at the first fret, and gradually changes to a D as you go up towards the body of the guitar. The advantage/disadvantage of each is this: Smaller Radius (7 1/4″, 9 1/2″) The more rounded the radius is, the easier it is to do barre chords, as the curve of the fingerboard more naturally matches the curve of your fingers, making it … You’ll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. It's curved. View fullsize. Guitars are like tools in … If you don’t have one handy, you can also look up your guitar on the Sweetwater website. Tips. The neck fingerboard radius is one of those seemingly complicated features that's really very easy to understand. Rad radius! But it's not great for playing lead, unless you push up the action on the strings to stop them 'fretting out' when you bend them. So the neck fingerboard radius is a measurement of the degree to which the fingerboard is curved. Fretboard radius is an often overlooked and sometimes misunderstood part of the guitar selection process. So you get the benefit of a short radius at the point on the fretboard where you usually play chords, and the benefit of a flatter radius higher up where much shredding is done. Fender commonly uses a radius of 9.5in for its Strats and Telecasters, while Gibson Les Pauls have a fretboard radius of 12in. In this guide, we will show you how to measure a guitar’s neck radius. Place it on your fingerboard and find out which side matches your fingerboard exactly. The figure itself is the radius of the circle that would be formed if you followed the curve of the arc around for a full 360 degrees. If you look closely at the neck of your guitar, you’ll notice a slight arch between the high and low E strings. Some luthiers say they shape their saddles to a curve that is not a true radius because of the different needs of the different string gauges from string 1 to string 6 and because the tilting of the saddle slot for intonation distorts the way the fretboard radius relates to the saddle radius. A typical compound radius starts at 10" and tapers to 16" or 20" at the highest fret. Playing the wrong size guitar is like wearing the wrong size shoes. With the strings removed, just use your radius gauges to find which best ‘fits’. Edward shows how to radius an acoustic guitar fretboard using the Fretboard Radius Jig. Really, check out as many guitars as you can. To learn more about our cookie policy, please check our Privacy Policy. How to determine a radius at any point on a fretboard. X = Distance from the nut to the Origin (focal point) It’s a personal choice and depends on how and what you play. With your free hand, use the feeler gauge to measure the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the eighth fret (the fret wire itself, not the fingerboard), which is where the curvature should be deepest. That is an acceptable action but higher than a flatter radius neck. And, for the purposes of setting up, you would generally set the bridge saddles so the strings follow this 10” radius. The measurement of the fretboard radius refers to the radius of a circle from which a small segment of the circumference equal to the width of the fretboard is taken. Checking the radius with your free radius gauge. Exclusive deals, delivered straight to your inbox. Find the guitar radius gauge that matches the arc (or radius) of your neck. To do this, you’ll need a radius gauge tool. Fretboards with a small radius are more curved, while those with a large radius are more flat. There are two main types of fingerboard or fretboard: As for the radius itself, in mathematics, the ‘radius’ is the distance from the center to the circumference (or edge) of a circle. In this case, the fretboard is placed at the top of the circle and the arc from one edge to the other is the size of the radius. Here's how to choose the best set for you. Guitars built for shredding, from the likes of ESP, Dean, and Jackson, have an even longer radius, up to 16in, to allow for lightning fast finger movement over the strings. The concept is really great and the general consensus is that a lot of people love them. The guitar neck is the most personal part of the instrument. It is far easier to reference the standard for that type of guitar. Sweetwater Sound The radius of the circle hence determines the amount of the fingerboard’s curvature (see diagram below). 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 © Guitar Hive 2013-2014. Everything you love about Sweetwater in the palm of your hand. Why? Now is the perfect time to get the gear you want with simple, promotional financing. Manufacturers refer to this arch as the radius. Checking radius is super easy. The radius is usually expressed in inches. The radius should be listed in the Tech Specs section. The easiest way to picture it is to imagine a circle, say with a radius of 10cm (4in). It incorporates the Fret Distance Calculator because the formulas used to calculate a compound radius rely on measurements given from the specified scale (particularly, the distance from the nut to the 12th fret).. For a baseline reference, 1 11/16" is the most common nut width. To understand the term, look at the picture on the left. Except we're not quite there yet, there's one more thing. If the imaginary circle had a 12″ radius, your fretboard would follow that same arc. Best of all, it’s totally FREE, and it’s just another reason that you get more at Sweetwater.com. Compound radius necks go from a rounder curvature in open position between frets one in three and they flatten out the higher you go up the neck generally getting as flat as they will be around the 12 th to 15 th fret. It's a gradual flattening of the radius up the neck, making string bending easier. A flatter, longer radius is better for lead playing because it allows you to move your fingers more quickly over the fretboard (flatter=faster) and there's much less chance of fretting out when you bend strings. The neck is widest at the body end. There are so many different types and brands of electric guitar strings on the market, buying a set can be confusing. ;-) For example, if you have a circle with a 7.25” radius and remove a piece of its side equal to the width of a … Tighten the knobs then place some white pencil marks on the fretboard so you can check your progress with each pass. This means, if the radius is 10” at the nut, it’s also 10” at the last fret. The measurement is arrived at by extending the arc of the fretboard to form an imaginary circle around the neck. Would you want something a little bigger, a little smaller? If the fretboard is uniform (cylindrical) radius, then the radius will be the same all along the neck. The guitar neck fingerboard radius, or neck radius as it's sometimes wrongly called, describes the height of the arc of a guitar fretboard. This measurement is very difficult to measure precisely. The amount of a fretboard's curvature is referred to as its radius. That is what the fingerboard radius measures. Playing a guitar that is too large for your hand size can be just as daunting. Not all arcs are equal however, some are flatter, and others steeper. Sure, if the shoes are too large you can get your feet in them, and you may even be able to walk around, but soon you’ll have blisters and all kinds of other problems. The radius of this circle is the fretboard's radius. If you do not find your specific brand and model below you can Google your guitar … The body size of a guitar can make or break your guitar playing experience. The smaller the number, the more rounded the fretboard will be, the bigger the number the flatter the fingerboard will be. Radius gauges usually come in a set, so if you’re unsure which one to use, try a few and pick the one that best matches the arc of your fretboard. make sure your strings are loose when straightening the neck, because when you do so, you are also slightly increasing the … Then compare. The gauge has four numbered sides. An excellent way to visualize this is to imagine that the arc of your fretboard is part of a large circle, as shown below. Compound radius. try to make the neck nearly parallel with the strings; having some concave is normal. The compound radius fingerboard is rounder at the nut end than it is at the heel. Neck radius is listed in the Tech Specs on the guitar’s product page. Because of its strength and longer "heel", the Wide Fat neck produces warm tones with lots of sustain. The Wide Thin neck has a thinner profile front to back than the Wide Fat. Measure from the point of convergence to the nut and you will have "X" or the focal length. Luckily, you can download, print and cut out a free neck radius gauge, supplied by our friend Tony at Pickguardian. You'll see that, contrary to what you might have thought, the fingerboard isn't flat. The 3-5 digit serial number can be seen by looking through the soundhole toward the neck. Use a ruler graduated in 32nds or 64ths of an inch to measure the height of the top and bottom E strings. Compound fingerboard radius means that the ratio of the arc changes along the length of the neck. It ends up playing a large role in the comfort of a particular guitar. Form the compound radius in sections by switching block radii as you work up the neck. What's your favorite? Cut an arc, with a base of 2cm from anywhere on the circle. Learn More. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Why the difference? Using the spacing of the two E-strings at the nut and the 12th fret, extend the lines until they converge. A good tip for distinguishing between different fretboard radiuses: the greater the number, the flatter the fingerboard; vice versa, the smaller the number, the more … No wonder it comes in so many shapes and types. The truth is another neck with a 10-16″ compound radius or even flatter should be considered to play solos. That arc is the fingerboard and the radius is 10cm. Measuring the neck fingerboard radius. Fretboards for electric guitars usually have a radius between 7.25″ and 14″. you can compare the curve of the neck to the straightness of the strings. Neck Profile is the contour or grip shape of the neck. To make it easier to fret chords, particularly barre chords; our fingers aren't flat, so having a curve, or arc, on the fretboard allows us to press more easily on it. That arc is the fingerboard and the radius is 10cm. The compound fretboard begins with a 9 1/2" radius, at the first fret, and gradually changes to 14" radius at the neck/body joint. To determine the overall feel of the neck, the shape of the neck ought to be considered together with the radius (the curvature of the fingerboard) and the type of frets used. Size guitar is the fretboard is uniform ( cylindrical ) radius, or `` tapering '' a radius. 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